FROM METALCASTINGDESIGN.COM


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BLOG ROLL


Lady Liberty’s Favorite Look? Bronze.


Thanks to the meshing of old and new metalcasting techniques, a bronze casting of the plaster model Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi used to create the Statue of Liberty is now up for sale—at least to those who have money to burn, according to the New York Times. One bronze replica of the model costs $1.1 million, and so far, two of the 12 bronzes have found homes with private collectors. The plaster model was too fragile to be coated in silicone to make a mold. So a French company, 7Dworks, scanned the model and made a digital reproduction. This was sent to Fonderie Susse, Arcueil, France, which is using the investment casting process to make the fi nished bronze sculptures.


Each bronze replica is 9.4 ft. tall and weighs 1,000 lbs. It takes 600 hours to create just one.


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . POLL QUESTION


The May/June website question


asked: How do you ensure the valid- ity of your metalcasting tooling? This month’s question is available at www. metalcastingdesign.com.


Regular CMM Inspections


Regular Visual Inspections


New Tooling After Pre-set Number of Cycles


63.6% 27.3% 9.1%


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Comparing Aluminum Permanent Mold and Diecasting In the diecasting process, metal molds, or dies, are preheated and coated with a die


release agent prior to each shot of metal. Premeasured amounts of molten metal then are metered into a shot sleeve and forced into the die under extreme pressure (usually from 10,000 to 15,000 psi). The permanent mold process works much like the sand casting process, where mol-


ten metal is poured into a mold that is made in two halves. In typical permanent mold casting, the metal is poured either directly by gravity or by pouring the metal into a cup attached to the mold and tilting it from a horizontal to a vertical position. When large quantities are required, diecast parts cost less than permanent mold parts


despite the high start-up costs. Because the molds used in diecasting must be stronger than those used in permanent molding, they can be more costly, and the number of castings required to justify the use of diecasting is higher than permanent mold. Permanent mold casting generally is used in high production volumes that will


compensate for the high tooling costs, although these costs are generally not as high as with diecasting. Permanent molds usually are made of a high-alloy iron or steel, and diecasting dies generally are made of hot-work tool steels, such as H-13. These steels, which were developed for the diecasting process in particular, are stronger and harder to machine.


Permanent mold casting and diecasting processes are similar but are ideal for dif- ferent applications


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Wherever you fi nd the cast metal “at” sign (right), reference the given website for more information.


JULY/AUGUST 2011


Can Castings Heal Themselves? (p. 24): Read the full white paper on which the article was based.


Evaluating Magnesium Casting Processes (p. 30): Read an additional article on low pressure magnesium casting.


Lead Isn’t Dead (p. 34): Find more information about lead alloys.


Casting Central to Hydrant Revolution (p. 39): Use an online tool to select the right casting process for your component.


METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING 3


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