Carbon Steel Investment Casting (Production Capacity: 200 kg/day)

CARBON STEEL INVESTMENT CASTING (PRODUCTION CAPACITY: 200 KG. PER DAY)

[EIRI/EDPR/4566] J.C.: 2783XL 

INTRODUCTION

Investment casting is often called ‘lost wax’ casting, and it is based on one of the oldest metal forming processes. The Egyptians used the process, some 5000 years ago, to make gold jewelry, as exact replica of many intricate shapes, cast in gold from artfully created beeswax patterns. In the investment casting process, a ceramic slurry is applied, or ‘invested’, around a disposable pattern, usually wax, and is allowed to harden to form a disposable casting mold. The wax pattern is ‘lost’, when it is melted out from the ‘disposable’ ceramic mold, which is later destroyed to recover the casting.

In investment casting, the ceramic molds are made by two different methods: the solid mold process and the ceramic shell process. The solid mold process is mainly used for dental and jewelry castings, currently has only a small role in engineering applications, and as such will not be covered in this chapter. The ceramic shell process has become the predominant technique for a majority of engineering applications, displacing the solid mold process.

The ceramic shell process is a precision casting process, uniquely developed and adapted to produce complex-shaped castings, to near-net-shape, and in numerous alloys. Continued advancements in materials and techniques used in the process, are driven and supported by R&D on many fronts, both in the industry as well as in many schools for foundry metallurgy. For instance, earlier research, funded by Rolls Royce Limited, UK, at the University of Birmingham, UK, investigating the feeding behavior of high temperature alloys has assisted in the development of optimal gating and feeding systems for investment castings.

The influence of alloy and process variables on producing sound investment castings is detailed later in the chapter, under the section on the design of gating and feeding system.

COST ESTIMATION

Plant Capacity            200 Kg./Day  

Land & Building (1000 sq.mt.)    Rs. 1.29 Cr    

Plant & Machinery                    Rs. 32 Lac 

Working Capital for 1 Month  Rs. 11 Lac 

Total Capital Investment          Rs. 1.78 Cr 

Rate of Return                          17%

Break Even Point                      72%

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

FIGURE: SHOWING SEQUENCE OF THE STEPS IN THE INVESTMENT CASTING PROCESS

THE INVESTMENT CASTING PROCESSES ARE OF TWO TYPES;

ADVANTAGES

DISADVANTAGES

USES AND APPLICATION

AEROSPACE INDUSTRY

MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS

MILITARY EQUIPMENT

3D PRINTING

AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

B.I.S. SPECIFICATION

PROCESS FLOW CHART

MANUFACTURING PROCESS

1. PATTERN MATERIALS

(A) PATTERN WAXES

ADDITIVES TO PATTERN WAXES

FACTORS FOR PATTERN WAX SELECTION

(B) PLASTICS

(C) OTHER PATTERN MATERIALS

2. PRODUCTION OF PATTERNS

PATTERN DIES

3. PATTERN ASSEMBLY

4. PRODUCTION OF CERAMIC SHELL MOLDS

REFRACTORIES

BINDERS

OTHER CERAMIC SHELL CONSTITUENTS

PROGRESS IN INVESTMENT CASTINGS

SLURRY PREPARATION

PATTERN TREE OR CLUSTER PREPARATION

COATING AND DRYING

5. CERAMIC CORES

CITRIC ACID IS USED COMMONLY.

6. REMOVAL OF PATTERN

7. MOLD FIRING AND BURNOUT

8. MELTING AND CASTING

MELTING EQUIPMENT

CASTING METHODS

9. POSTCASTING OPERATIONS

10. INSPECTION AND TESTING

THE BASIC INVESTMENT CASTING PROCESS AS BELOW:

PROCESS OF INVESTMENT CASTING

1. PATTERN MAKING:

2. ASSEMBLY

3. SHELL BUILDING

4. DEWAX

5. METAL CASTING POURING

6. KNOCKOUT AND CUT OFF

MARKET POSITION

APPLICATION INSIGHTS

REGIONAL INSIGHTS

INVESTMENT CASTING MARKET SHARE INSIGHTS

MARKET GROWTH

INVESTMENT CASTING MARKET SEGMENTATION

SEGMENTATION BY END-USER

PLANT LAYOUT

MANUFACTURERS/SUPPLIERS OF INVESTMENT CASTING

SUPPLIERS OF RAW MATERIALS

SUPPLIERS OF M.S. INGOT

SUPPLIERS OF S.S. BILLET

SUPPLIERS OF WAX

SUPPLIERS OF POWDER COATING PAINT

SUPPLIERS OF PLANT AND MACHINERY

SUPPLIERS OF INVESTMENT CASTING MACHINES

SUPPLIERS OF INDUCTION FURNACE

SUPPLIERS OF EOT CRANES

SUPPLIERS OF DG SETS

SUPPLIERS OF POWER TRANSFORMERS

SUPPLIERS OF COOLING TOWER

SUPPLIERS OF ETP PLANTS

SUPPLIERS OF MEASURING AND TESTING INSTRUMENTS

SUPPLIERS OF AIR POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENTS

SUPPLIERS OF AIR CONDITIONING EQUIPMENTS

SUPPLIERS OF AIR COMPRESSOR

SUPPLIERS OF PLATFORM WEIGHING MACHINE

APPENDIX – A:

01. PLANT ECONOMICS

02. LAND & BUILDING

03. PLANT AND MACHINERY

04. OTHER FIXED ASSESTS

05. FIXED CAPITAL

06. RAW MATERIAL

07. SALARY AND WAGES

08. UTILITIES AND OVERHEADS

09. TOTAL WORKING CAPITAL

10. TOTAL CAPITAL INVESTMENT

11. COST OF PRODUCTION

12. TURN OVER/ANNUM

13. BREAK EVEN POINT

14. RESOURCES FOR FINANCE

15. INSTALMENT PAYABLE IN 5 YEARS

16. DEPRECIATION CHART FOR 5 YEARS

17. PROFIT ANALYSIS FOR 5 YEARS

18. PROJECTED BALANCE SHEET FOR (5 YEARS)