Permanente mold

At foundry instead of using sand a metal is used as a mold, typically cast iron is used as the mold material and the cores are made from metal or sand. Cavity surfaces are coated with a thin layer of heat resistant material such as clay or sodium silicate. The molds are pre-heated before the metal is poured into the cavity and care has to be taken to ensure proper thermal balance by using external water cooling or appropriate radiation techniques.

Permanent mold castings, while not as flexible as sand castings in allowing the use of different patterns, lower the cost of producing a parta, at a production run of a thousand or more parts permanent mold castings produce a lower piece cost part.

(via Efunda)

Alfred University’s School of Art & Design are pouring their hearts into helping Haiti

Check out this interesting project, via Alfred University News:

"

Students in Alfred University’s School of Art & Design are pouring their hearts into helping Haiti in very hands-on way.

When they learned the father of a fellow student was in Haiti Jan. 12 when an earthquake leveled the capital, killed more than 100,000 people and injured many hundreds of thousands more, the Foundry Guild organized a “Pour for Haiti” event for 2-8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, at the National Casting Centre.

The event is open to the public; participants will have an opportunity to make their own “relief sculpture “ – creating a relief mold in their own unique designs, which will then be cast in metal. Adults and children with supervision may participate in return for a $10 donation for each sculpture created.

Coral Lambert, sculpture professor in the School of Art & Design at Alfred University, said the sculptures will be cast in molten aluminum the day of the pour and participants will be able to take them home with them that day.

The National Casting Centre at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University is located on State Route 244 just north of the Alfred University campus; it offers a unique facility for melting metals that few other art schools have.

Other students in AU’s School of Art & Design are participating in the benefit as well; they are donating art work for a silent auction, with bidding to close at 7:30 p.m. and winners to be announced after that. All proceeds from the sale of the artwork will also be donated to the Haitian relief efforts chosen by the students.

The Foundry Guild, which is a student club, will be selling “its famous Guild cheese sandwiches” as well as other snacks and beverages. Marshmallows for toasting will also be available.

To pre-order a sand block to carve and cast for a “relief sculpture,” email Scott Lamont at sdl4@alfred.edu..............

Additional information may be obtained by contacting Prof. Lambert at lambertc@alfred.edu......... or the Foundry Guild President Sharie Willey at willey@alfred.edu............ You may also call the Foundry at 607.587.4727.

"

For more information about Haiti visit the NYT website.

For more information about aluminum castings visit Torrey Foundry

Aluminum Foundry Timeline

Aluminum on Dipity.

Aluminum Foundry timeline by dipity, its very interesting.

Aluminum on Dipity.