Machining of Castings

Materials In Metalworking

There are three main types of machining for metalworking:

• Cutting: Utilizing either single point or multi point cutting tools, cutting works well for metal pieces that require defined, precise geometry. For curved and/or twisted pieces of metal, this is not the best route.

• Abrasive processes: such as sand casting and/ or grinding. This allows us to slowly work your metalcast piece into the shape you want, without the abrupt style left behind by cutting.

• Nontraditional processes: Sometimes, a piece of metal cannot go through traditional cutting or abrasive processes. This is where other methods come into play. Chemical and electrical energy are both used in times that traditional methods are not suitable.

Machining of Castings

Machining is a way to remove extraneous material that is produced during the casting process. This material may be a part of the mold that is necessary to support it during casting, but it is not needed after the fact. Leaving extra material on your metalcast piece can weigh down the piece or stop it from working as required. In the aerospace and aviation markets, "pretty close" simply isn't good enough. Machine castings allow us to make your piece meet your specifications with 100% accuracy.

Slight variations that are sometimes produced as a natural result of casting. If anything happens to the mold when the molten metal is poured in, it could also introduce other problems that need to be corrected once it comes out of the mold. Machine casting works to correct these problems in a way that does not affect the overall performance of your metalcast.

The Machining Process

The machining process takes many forms, depending on the type of component that is being worked on, the requirements of the customer, and the scale at which it is being produced. The material may be cut from the part, ground down, or use fewer common methods for changing the shape. Simple casting works great for simple projects, but more detail requires more work. Machining works best for parts that have very detailed aspects to them, as it can be difficult or impossible to manufacture that through the casting process. When you have a metalcast piece that needs perfect details, it's important that you use castings machining to make the final product meet your exact specifications.