1. Pattern Making. A pattern is a reproduction of the contour of the casting. Patterns are essential to success in expendable metal casting; they require calculations to make pieces fit and work together in the later casting process.
  2. Core Making. An additional core made from sand or metal is necessary for a hollow casting to shape the internal form. A core remains in the mold during the molten metal pouring process. Therefore, it has to be solid yet breakable to be removed from the casting outcome. In designing the core, the accuracy of the casting and the possible shrinkage during the casting process are primary concerns.
  3. Molding. It is a multistep process that will form a cast around the pattern using molding sand. In casting, a mold is contained in a frame called a flask. Greensand, or molding sand, is packed into the flask around the pattern. This approach is known as metal sand casting. Once the sand is packed tight, the pattern can be removed while the cast will remain. Alternatively, a two-piece, non-destructible metal mold can be created so that the mold can be used repeatedly to cast identical parts for industrial applications.
  4. Melting and Pouring Molten Metal. After the metal is melted, the molten metal is poured into the casting mold and left to cool down and harden. Different metal elements for alloys are mixed in this stage.
  5. Shake Out and Cleaning. In this step, the casting is removed from the mold and then trimmed. Once the cast is solidified, the molds go through a shaking process to remove sand from the casting. The VIBRA-DRUM® Solutions might be used to obtain optimal casting outcomes. This tumbling process gently turns castings and accelerates the casting cooling process. This process of separating sand from castings removes and cools sand and allows a gentle shakeout of fragile castings. The advantages are a quicker cooling process and minimized casting damage. During trimming, the object is cleaned of any molding material, and rough edges and surfaces are smoothed.
  6. Heat Treatment. The finished castings might need heat treatment, which changes the physical and chemical properties of cast alloys.  The purpose of treatment is to affect the alloys’ characteristics such as strength, hardness, ductility, conductivity, impact resistance, and elasticity of the castings. As a result, they are more suitable for the target applications. The techniques for heat treatment include annealing, precipitation strengthening, tempering, case hardening, normalizing, and quenching.
  7. Inspection. The finished castings are subject to quality inspection. The inspection items can include material analysis, destructive testing, and non-destructive testing.