Lost Foam Casting

[foamcutter]

Hi,
I'm new to casting and this site. I am wanting to cast small aluminum parts. I discovered a couple places that talk about lost foam casting. Does anyone here do this and can you give me any suggestions, hints, tips, etc. I am building a electric furnace to melt with. Any help is appreciated. Thanks Ron

[NeoMoses]

I've done a little casting, so here's some tips.

1. Wear safety equipment. Molten aluminum is hot (duh.)

2. Pour quickly. Pour as quickly as you can without making a mess.

3. Use risers to fight shrinkage.

[castguy2003]

Which ever method you chose, lost foam or traditional green sand, you will need a pattern. In lost foam, the pattern is made of foam and left in the mold. The molten metal vaporizes the foam. It creates a lot of gas so your sand needs to be permeable.
Green sand patterns are removed from the mold and need draft (taper) to draw smoothly. They can be reused many times.
Most people don't realize that molten aluminum is more dangerous than molten iron. Aluminum is poured around 1600 degs while iron is poured in the 2600 deg ranges. at those temperatures, iron will bounce of skin like water drops in a hot frying pan but molten aluminum sticks to the skin.
Always spend the money to buy protective clothing and facewear.

I would like to add to the earlier post, riser size, contact size and placement can be critical. Do it wrong and your results will be negative.

[9566317]

Ive been doing permanent mold process for 3 years now and have very little knowledge of what i'm doing.I use an electric resistence furnace and most molds pouring A356.1 aluminum ispoured around 1300.Gates and risers are your most important requirement but chillers and cooling placement is just as important.

[Woodie1]

Foamcutter, You mite want to check out this Guy,
http://www.buildyouridea.com/

[foamcutter]

Woodie1,
Thanks for the link. Ron

[High Seas]

Yes this is casting metals, but my question is on lost foam casting.
I hope the knowledge/experience base may be here.

I've seen (but lost the location of) Lost Foam Casting with resin and fiberglass.

Process I guess is:
1. Build a mold (plug) Thats the foam part - cnc comes in here
2. 'glass it - this becomes the female mold
3. Cut/split (part lines) whatever
4. get the foam out - what here/how? Carve it melt it?
Won't be pouring in hot molten metals - so thats out.

Ideas? or do I start a new thread?

Thanks & , Jim

[cbcnc]

Jim,

I think that the term "lost foam casting" is what threw us. Usually that refers to making a foam part and either putting plaster around or making a sand mold. Then when you pour your metal in it burns the foam away.
What you are talking about is to make a foam part then glass it and loosing the foam inside to form a new mold. It might work. Once you loose the foam the inside surface is somewhat rough and hard to put parting agent onto.
A better way is to make the foam part and put resin on to firm up the surface and make it non-porus. Sand it really smooth. Apply parting agent and wax. Then make a new mold from that. Your inside surface of the mold will be as smooth as the part you started with.
Try this link: Here

Good Luck,
Chris

[NeoMoses]

Edit: OK, so I couldn't explain it nearly as this website. This is where I learned my lessons.
http://web.umr.edu/~foundry/first.htm

[foamcutter]

Ok Folks,
I first posted on this site back in June looking for information on lost foam casting. You all helped Thanks so much. Back then I knew little about casting and had no equipment. I have since built a small furnace that will melt a little over a quart of aluminum. Yesterday I did my first melt using a foam part coated with plaster. I have learned a lot since June thanks to people here and sites they sent me to and etc.. The parts I cast did not turn out real good but I made some really cool aluminum muffins (stole wifes muffin tin) since I didn't know how much to melt and I melted way way too much. Even though the parts I wanted did not do well I learned a few things and the next melt should go much better. Anyway the reason I am posting now is to say thanks to all that helped and if anyone is interested in seeing what I did so they can try it I will be glad to post more as I go along and get better. I will even try to get some photos posted, I am a professional photographer by day. Ron

[thuffner3]

Hi Ron,
Last year I built my own first furnace, (propane). I've cast several succesful pieces. One of the things I did learn, was to attach in such a way, a larger spru opening of sorts that was not foam. I.E.
I would bury my created piece in loose sand and as my sand reached the top of my piece impose an alum can with the top and bottom cut off. to sort of act as a super spru. What I believe this did was to force the gas from the foam out thru the sand and not back up the spru, thus causing my piece to be flawed by haveing the molten metal be forced back up the spru by the gas so to speak. I've have many more failures than successes, but this method also exacerbated the desire to build my first CNC carver/engraver. To remake all the pieces I'm trashing. Right now I look at this way, as long as I can get the surface I need milled,lathed or otherwise to the place I need it. It does really matter what the rest of it looks like. Sorry for the rant.
If I can be of any help in this method of casting please feel free to drop me a line.

Peace
In GOD
Neil

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

[foamcutter]

thuffner3,
Thanks for the reply Neil. I too have experienced the gas blowback from the melting foam. I am trying to cast a muffler and header for a small gas engine with the aluminum. I am using a foam mold of the muffler that is filled inside with sand so it will be hollow. My biggest challenge with it so far has been to get enough aluminum poured in fast enough for it all to cast. The walls are only about 3mm thick on part of it and the rest is about 6mm thick. Plus I am inserting two steel exhaust stacks in the foam mold to be cast in the aluminum. So I keep adding more risers in different places around the muffler to try and carry aluminum directly to that area and not depend on the muffler wall to carry enough aluminum to that spot. I was coating the foam in plaster to start with but that didn't seem to let the gas out so now I am just lightly ramming up the foam in green sand. The green sand I am using is just play sand with a small amount of oil added to make it stick together. I like the oil better than using water for the green sand since the oil does not create any steam, it just smokes a little from the oil burning out of the sand. I don't know if this makes sense to you. Anyway it's a great learning experience, I too now know several ways it won't work to cast. Have you tried different types of foam? I am looking to try and build a CNC carver also, how is yours built. Have a great Christmas and a Fun New Year. Ron