What Are the Different Types of Casting Machines?

Casting is the process of making a mold of an object. Many applications spring from this seemingly simple process, and thus, according to the use a molded object will be put to, there is a variety of casting machines on the market. Some of the different types of casting machines available include hot and cold chamber machines, horizontal and vertical machines, and machines used for dental or jewelry casting.

Die casting is the most typical type of casting for mass-produced metal items. This method can be used to make car parts that must be exactly the same in each model and make of a particular vehicle, or ornate door handles sold at home improvement stores. Die casting machines are divided into two categories: cold and hot chamber machines. The hot chamber machine works primarily for metals with a melting point that is relatively low, and it consists of a furnace, a gooseneck tube, a plunger, and a part stable, part moving injection cylinder with a die cast between these two parts. Metals with melting points that are higher are put into a cold chamber machine, which is made up of parts similar to a hot chamber machine, the principal difference being a cold chamber in place of a furnace.

Unlike the die casting process, continuous casting produces molds of melted metals that are not in their finished state after they harden; the metal cast is finished in a continuation of subsequent processes. Continuous casting requires horizontal and vertical casting machines. The set up of both of these machines is similar, both containing die casts, crucibles, a cooling chamber, and a furnace. While in vertical casting machines the metal is molded vertically from the top or the bottom, depending on the machine, horizontal casting machines mold the metal in a horizontal direction.

Some casting machines have a more specific aim. Dental casting machines operate with a spring, a crucible built into a horizontal balanced arm, and a thin shaft that runs from the encased spring up to the arm housing the crucible. The apparatus spins in a large cylinder, and thus, the more general name for this machine is a centrifugal casting machine. Crowns can be made with relative ease using this piece of equipment. Jewelry is made with a machine working on the exact same principle with the same parts, the only difference being in the molds themselves.