Recently, technologies have gone a notch higher by providing cheaper and less complex manufacturing solutions.
Most vehicle brands in the United States have full aluminum engines. Aluminum is excellent because it reduces vehicle weight, improves fuel efficiency and minimizes ownership costs.
Since all-aluminum engines are popular, there has to be a manufacturing process to fasten production and reduce costs. This is where evaporative pattern casting comes in, also known as the lost foam process or lost foam casting (LFC).
This process is straightforward and works perfectly to create solid parts from molten metal. Vehicle manufacturing industries prefer this process because of its benefits.
The Benefits of Lost Foam Casting
There are many other ways to manufacture engines, but using lost foam casting has these advantages:
- Less machining is necessary
- No additives needed
- Lost foam casting needs less manpower and energy
- Minimum scrap
- There’s flexibility in design
- It is environmentally friendly
- No cores needed
- Reduced cost of production
Lost Foam Casting at Work
Firstly, there is a need to create a foam mold. It starts by cutting a polystyrene foam into the shape of the end product. Power or hand tools are suitable for cutting.
The mold is then put into sheetrock plaster or mud to coat it fully. Once the foam mold is ready, it’s placed in a metal drum full of compacted sand.
When pouring molten metal, it fills the cylinder walls and builds up over the mold. As a result, there’s more pressure and the creation of a thorough casting.
The whole process costs much less. No wonder most die-cast components also use the lost foam casting method. Increased use is thanks to developments in the automotive industry. These advancements include:
- New polymer development
- The discovery of bead expansion techniques
- Better alloys and parameters
It is only natural that technologies will continue to morph to accommodate new inventions. The whole point of growing technologies is to create solutions that make production easier. Lost foam casting is undoubtedly crucial for accelerating technological improvements.
