Casting is one of the oldest manufacturing processes in the world. It involves pouring a liquid material into a hollow mould, whereby the liquid solidifies. The solidification is the casting process. Once solidified, the object is then ejected or removed from the mould and the process is complete.
Casting is commonly used to create cast iron pieces, but it's also a process used to create parts and products made from epoxy, clay, plaster and concrete, as well as a range of different metals. One of the oldest surviving cast pieces is a copper frog dating back to 3200BC.
Casting is often used to create metal parts - especially for cars, trucks, planes and various mechanical engines and products. Casting is used because it is reliable and easily repeated - to create multiple copies of the same part or product, the metal can be poured over and over again into the same mould. It's also incredibly easy to create multiple moulds, ensuring that each and every product is completely identical and that each product can be replicated over and over. Moulds also ensure an incredibly high level of accuracy, which is imperative for machinery and various other parts and products.
Strong metals, such as aluminium, copper and iron are often used during the casting process. However, cast iron is a little bit different. In cast iron, pig iron, scrap iron and various pieces of scrap metal are melted together and a number of undesirable contaminants are removed, resulting in a strong iron toughened with silicone or carbon, depending upon the application required.
Casting iron is more often than not used for decorative pieces in and around the home - for things like fireplaces, candlesticks, hanging baskets and much more. Because cast iron is an amalgamation of many metals, it tends not to be used for machinery and is an attractive black hue.
Many cast pieces will require treatments or painting once manufactured. Cast metal, especially cast metal mixes or cast concrete/epoxy is not particularly attractive, and so cast pieces are often blasted and treated or painted according to application or the desired end result. For example, in an engine displayed in the back of a car, the mechanics and engine parts will need to be treated and/or painted so that they are aesthetically pleasing.
The casting process may be simple, but it is still one of the most popular manufacturing processes there is. It's fast, effective and
