Castings

Continuous casting, also called strand casting, is the process whereby molten metal is solidified into a “semi finished” “Billet, bloom, or slab for subsequent rolling in the finishing mills. Prior to the introduction of continuous casting in the 1950s, steel was poured into stationary molds to form ingots. Since then, “continuous casting” has evolved to achieve improved yield, quality, productivity and cost efficiency. It allows lower-cost production of metal sections with better quality, due to the inherently lower costs of continuous, standardized production of a product, as well as providing increased control over the process through automation.

Sand casting also known as sand molded casting, is a metal casting process characterized by using “Sand” as the mold material. The term “sand casting” can also refer to an object produced via the sand casting process.

Sand casting is relatively cheap and sufficiently refractory even for steel foundry use. In addition to the sand, a suitable bonding agent (usually clay) is mixed or occurs with the sand. The mixture is moistened, typically with water, but sometimes with other substances, to develop strength and plasticity of the clay and to make the aggregate suitable for molding. The sand is typically contained in a system of frames or mold boxes known as a flask. The mold cavities gate system are created by compacting the sand around models, or patterns, or carved directly into the sand.

Pattern castings can also be made from Wood, Aluminum and Foam.