Lost Foam Casting

(Full Mould Casting)

(Evaporative Pattern Casting)

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kerem Altuğ GÜLER

 Introduction

The lost foam casting (LFC) is a unique casting

method in which ceramic coated polymeric foams are
used as the pattern. Generally, loose silica sand is used as
the mold material. The presence of the foam pattern in
the mold until the moment of casting is the most crucial
feature that distinguishes the method from other casting
techniques, and therefore the technique is also referred
to as the full mold casting. Although the method employs
sand as a molding material, it has very different features
than conventional sand casting methods. The lack of
parting lines in the casts, no need for the draft angle, the
elimination of the core concept, and generally, no need
for feeders are among these.
On the other hand, the LFC method is not entirely perfect.
For instance, gaseous products resulting from the
decomposition of the foam during casting can cause back
pressure and contamination. But overall, with the
investments made by major automotive manufacturers,
this casting method has reached an essential point in the
industry. The technique has also been a subject and
foundation of numerous studies in the scientific area. The
fact that the pattern does not need to be removed from
the mold is a significant challenge to the conventional
casting methods, and this feature will make the LFC
method always attractive.
 Historical Perspective

The LFC method was first developed and patented by H. F.

Shroyer in 1958. The first applications of the method are
also known as the F-process. The polystyrene model
material used to be molded without refractory paint by
the use of green sand as a molding material during the
earlier era of the LFC processing T. R. Smith, in 1964,
patented the use of unbonded sand in LFC processes, and
this has revolutionized the LFC applications, and this
technique is often preferred in today's demands.
With the expiration of the patent granted by T. R. Smith in
1981, the increase in the use of the method in the
automotive industry became noticeable. In the early 1990s,
production lines have been established in many automotive
companies, especially from Germany and the USA. General
Motors, Fiat, and BMW stand out as leading companies in
integrating the method into the industry. In the plants
where 3xx series Al-Si casting alloys are formed, cylinder
block and cylinder head production are realized in a
production volume ranging from 5.000 tons to 36.000 tons
per year.
Besides, the product range for the LFC method is not
limited to automotive parts and aluminum alloys. The
method was established in time in the production of
pump bodies in infrastructure systems and the shipping
industry and has been used for the casting of iron-
based and magnesium alloys since the beginning of the
2000s.
Process stages of the LFC process

• Production of the foam beads (Pre-expansion)

• Pattern making
• Pattern assembly
• Pattern coating
• Molding
• Casting
• Demolding and finishing operations.
Production of the foam beads (Pre-expansion)

Polystyrene is the most widely used and cheapest

polymer in pattern production. The polystyrene to be
expanded has a molecular weight of 200 kg/mol and is
impregnated with about 5% pentane as a blowing agent.
While the density of the expandable polystyrene in raw
form is 640 kg/m3, this value should be reduced to 16-27
kg/m3 to be suitable for foam pattern production. The
pre-expansion step is carried out in a steam-heated and
stirred chamber. During this process, while the bead
grains are softened, the gaseous content expands, and
expanded polystyrene (EPS) is produced by the cells
formed in each bead grain.
As a result, density decreases with the increase in grain
diameter. The pre-expanded grains are allowed to cool
and stabilize for 6-12 hours after the treatment. The
final foam pattern density depends on the density of
the beads obtained by pre-expansion and should
remain within the +% 2 limits in the production. In
addition to EPS, expanded polymethyl methacrylate
(EPMMA) is also used in pattern making. This material
is particularly preferred because it reduces carbon-
sourced defects in iron and steel castings, the
expensiveness of the material and encountered
difficulties during the expansion step are the main
limitations. Due to these reasons, EPS and EPMMA are
more widely used together in iron-based.
Pattern making
The patterns used in the LFC method are produced in
two ways: The first is blowing the foam in a closed die,
and the second is block foam machining.
Blowing method:
The polystyrene beads, which are cooled and stabilized
after the pre-expansion, are filled into the hopper of
the pattern molding press. The steps of this process are
filling, fusion, cooling, and ejection, respectively.
Pattern molding presses typically have a mold
placement area of dimensions 800 x 600 mm or 1000 x
700 mm. Foam patterns or pattern components are
shaped by final blowing in the pattern dies.
After it is filled, steam is passed through the molds for
fusing. There are holes and channels in the molds for
steam to enter and exit. Steam heating restarts the
expansion process, and the material softens as in pre-
expanding. The expanded material fills the air voids; the
individual grains merge and form the pattern that takes
the form of the mold.
Cooling is usually carried out by spraying water around the
mold. If the pattern is removed without cooling, the existing
internal pressure in the beads causes the expansion to
continue. Due to this fact, the cooling step also has a
dimensional determination function. After the pattern has
cooled, the mold is opened, and the pattern is pushed out of
the mold utilizing ejector pins, which are moved hydraulically
or pneumatically. The average cycle time of the entire
process is about 1-2 minutes.
After the ejection step, the dimensions of the pattern
coming out of the mold change over time. First, there is an
increase in dimensions; however, this is followed by
shrinkage. This change is a consequence of the diffusion of
the pentane and its displacement by the air, which may last
for weeks or months. To accelerate the stabilization of the
pattern size, the aging process is usually carried out at aged
at 65 °C for 4 hours, and the aging process also eliminates
the residual moisture that may cause casting defects.
Machining method:

This method uses semi-finished foam materials which are

blown in block or plate-shaped molds. This method is
generally preferred for large parts. The pattern or pattern
components of such parts are so large that they cannot be
blown in molding presses. Also, the blowing technique is
suitable for high volume mass production in individual
aluminum molds. However, the production volume of the
large parts is generally low, and it is more economical to
process patterns from blocks. This technique is also widely
used in prototype pattern production. Machining is carried
out on CNC milling machines or hot wire cutters specially
designed for this purpose. Instead of blowed foam blocks,
extruded foam blocks can also be processed to produce
patterns.
 Pattern assembly
In the LFC method, the joining of pattern parts is usually done
using wax or silicone-based adhesives. Industrially, mostly hot
liquid adhesives are preferred. The application temperature
and chemical structure of the adhesive should not damage
the foam pattern’s shape and dimensional integrity after the
application. Evaporation rate and ash content should be
similar to the values of the pattern material to avoid casting
defects. The adhesive used should not break or separate
during coating, transportation, and molding steps. Joining
operations can be performed manually; however, automatic
and semi-automatic systems are also used to increase
production speed and quality. In these systems, special glue
printing-machines are used which apply the hot adhesive to
the surface in a fast and precise manner.
Pattern coating
Although it is possible to make some castings without
coating, the refractory coating is an essential requirement
in the LFC method. This special coating has two vital
functions. First, it acts as a barrier between the smooth
pattern surface and coarse sand. Thus, it prevents the
mold from collapsing during casting and prevents the
deterioration of the surface quality with maintaining
dimensional stability. The second function is providing a
controlled permeability, allowing the gas products formed
by evaporation of the foam pattern to escape away from
the casting into the sand through the coating. The gas
permeability of the coating determines the escaping rate
of the decomposition product gases and air through the
liquid metal - foam interface during the casting process.
As a result, it determines the rate of liquid metal – foam
replacement.
If the gas permeability is too low, high backpressure
builds up at the liquid metal - foam interface, reducing
the speed of metal progression, which may result in
misrun defects. If the gas permeability is too high,
turbulence may occur on the liquid metal front, and the
liquid polymer products may be trapped in the metal,
causing pyrolysis defects. In addition, the thermal
conductivity and heat capacity of the coating affect the
cooling and solidification behavior of the alloy. Low
permeability coatings are preferred for aluminum
castings with a high surface area to volume ratio, for
example, the intake manifolds. Thick cross-section
aluminum and other non-ferrous castings require
medium or high permeability coatings. Iron-based
castings generally require higher permeability coatings
than non-ferrous ones.
The ceramic content of the coating may be silica, mica,
alumina, zircon, or olivine. Silica is highly preferred
because of its low cost. The use of zircon and olivine
based coatings is not common. The solvent options for
the coating materials are limited because the solvent
must be compatible with the foam pattern. Hydrocarbon
and chlorine-containing solvents can be aggressive to
most widely used pattern materials such as EPS. Because
of this situation, the majority of coatings to be found as
water-based.
The application of the refractory coating on the foam
pattern can be made by dipping, spraying, brushing, or
flow coating methods. Generally, small and medium-sized
parts are coated by dipping method, while other methods
are preferred for large parts.
The average thickness of the dried layer is between 0.2 -
0.3 mm. Following the coating, the drying step is carried
out. The drying step may be carried out for 24 hours
under ambient conditions or in a shorter time in an oven
or a heated room. This accelerated drying technique is
carried out at 50-65 °C for 2-6 hours. In very high volume
production, microwave heating can also be used.
Molding
One of the most important features of the modern LFC
method is that the molds made with loose sand.
However, in some cases, bonded sand may be used
partially or completely in the mold making to support
the large molds. Coarse spherical silica sand is
commonly preferred in the LFC molds. Some foundries
use olivine or synthetic mullite sand with low thermal
expansion. Coarse sand is required for high
permeability, as the evaporating gas must rapidly
dissipate. As the pattern coating is used, coarse sand
does not reduce the surface quality. Generally, AFS 35 –
3 screen distribution size sand is preferred for iron-
based castings; on the other hand, AFS 45 – 3 screen
distribution is preferred for non-ferrous castings.
One-piece steel boxes are generally used for molding
step. Coated and dried foam patterns are placed in a
box pre-filled with a sand bed with a thickness of 25-75
mm. Following this step, the loose sand is filled to the
molding box with a sprinkler system. The sprinkler
system ensures that the sand is filled at the same
height and prevents any damage to the delicate model.
Mechanical vibration is applied for proper compaction
during and after the sand filling step. The amplitude
and frequency of the applied vibration may be within a
wide range to provide the necessary compression. The
vibration duration must also be sufficient to ensure
that all gaps in the interior and exterior of the pattern
are filled.
In order to maintain the permeability, fine particles
accumulated in the sand must be separated by sieving.
Some foundries apply thermal reclamation to the sand.
Evaporated polymeric foam products are dispersed in the
sand and condense near the cast part. These residues
adversely affect the flowability, compressibility, and
permeability of the sand. Sand can be removed from this
type of residue by the thermal reclamation process. A
vital element for molding is to allow the sand to cool
sufficiently in the cycle before the next use. If the
temperature is above 50 °C when sand is filled to the box,
the foam pattern inevitably will be damaged.
Casting
In the LFC method, filling the mold with liquid metal is no
different from other casting methods. Casting should be
performed at a speed in which the pouring basin and
sprue will remain continuously filled by ensuring the
continuity of the flow. In this way, the metallostatic
pressure is kept constant on the liquid metal front, gas
and slag are prevented from entering the mold, and the
collapse of the sprue is avoided, and the liquid metal can
reach the whole mold. The casting temperature is critical
and should be controlled more stringently than other
casting methods.
The recommended casting temperature ranges for
aluminum alloys, copper alloys (brass and bronze), and
gray cast iron castings are 705 - 790 °C, 1040 - 1260 °C,
and 1370 - 1455 °C, respectively. Mainly the process is
performed by gravity, and however, vacuum support
can also be used. For the vacuum support, the mold
box is connected to the vacuum pump by a hose from
its base and covered with a polymeric film above.
Vacuum suction helps to remove harmful
decomposition products and prevent casting defects.
After the casting and solidification stages, the mold is
transferred to the tip over zone, and since the binder is
not used, the cast part is separated from the sand by
simply overturning the box.
Flow of Liquid Metal in LFC
In this method, the fact that the pattern is in the mold and
the necessity of liquid metal to replace it makes the metal
flow very different from all other casting methods. Liquid
and gaseous polymer zones are formed at the interface as
soon as the liquid metal contacts the solid foam. The width
and proportion of the gaseous and liquid zones at the
interface depend on the temperature of the liquid metal.
At relatively low casting temperatures (casting of Al and
Mg alloys), the gaseous zone is relatively narrow. The high
casting temperature of iron-based alloys causes this zone
to expand considerably. For this reason, vacuum support in
the LFC method is particularly useful for castings of iron-
based alloys.
Controlled backpressure in front of the liquid metal front
is also useful. In this way, the interface proceeds with a
smooth profile, preventing turbulence and allowing
sufficient time for liquid or gaseous decomposition
products to move away from the coating.
As the liquid metal front proceeds, the temperature
decrease at this point creates a significant temperature
gradient backward, which greatly contributes to the
formation of directional solidification. As a result, feeder
dimensions may be reduced or may not need to be used
at all most of the time
 Video links

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYht8qVcbUs
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3GOV4_Vn3U
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNJt0a8Pn20
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIFuuxWC9rY
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRW_DniO68M
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIsW1aaxMvg
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x57bRbg5bBE
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLB0cq-CEgU