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A cope pattern
and a drag pattern are mounted on a pattern plate. |
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A cope flask
and a drag flask are placed around the matchplate to contain
the sand. Sand is then dumped onto the drag side of the pattern.
An aluminum bottom board is placed on top of the sand to contain
it. |
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The flasks
are then flipped over. Sand is added to the cope side of the
pattern. A press board with a pouring cup attached is placed
on top of the sand. |
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A hydraulic
cylinder is used to squeeze the mold from the top and bottom,
compacting the sand until it is uniformly dense. Notice that
the bottom board and press board have been forced to move towards
the pattern to compact the sand. |
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The cope
flask and drag flask are then drawn away from the pattern plate.
An impression of the cope side of the pattern is left in the
cope (top) half of the sand mold. An impression of the drag side
of the pattern is left in the drag (bottom) half of the sand
mold. |
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If required,
cores can then be placed into the drag half of the mold. Cores
Make features of the casting that generally cannot be part of
the sand mold. |
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The cope
and drag mold halves are then assembled, maintaining precise
alignment. The mold is placed onto a mold handling system, where
a jacket is placed around the mold and a mold weight is placed
on top of the mold. The jacket contains the sand and keeps the
mold from breaking apart when the molten metal is poured into
the mold. The mold weight holds the cope onto the drag, preventing
the cope from rising up when the molten metal is poured into
the mold. |
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Terminology
for the finished mold is shown here. Molten metal is poured into
the pouring cup. The metal flows down the sprue to the well,
then along the runner and through the gate into the mold cavity.
The excess metal (in the cup, sprue, well and runner) is separated
from the casting once solidification has occurred. The excess
metal is recycled (re-melted). The steps required to make a mold
can be completed on our Hunter Automatic Molding Machines in
less than 20 seconds, producing up to 200 molds per hour. |
