Metal Technologies has compiled a small glossary to help you familiarize yourself with the language of metal casting. Please select a range of terms from the menu at the left for listings of common metal casting terms and definitions.
Casting: (v.) The process of pouring molten metal into a mold to create metal parts in shapes determined by the mold.
Casting: (n.) The metal shape, exclusive of gates and risers, that is obtained as a result of pouring metal into a mold.
Cast Iron: Iron shaped using any number of casting processes. Gray Iron is by far the oldest and most common form of cast iron. As a result, it is assumed by many to be the only form of cast iron and the terms "cast iron" and "gray iron" are used interchangeably.
Centrifugal Casting: Process of filling molds by pouring metal into a mold which is spinning or revolving about an axis. Cast iron pipe can be created using this method.
Chaplet: A metal support used to hold a core in place in a mold. Not used when a core print will serve.
Cheek: The portion of a flask placed between the cope and drag when a mold has more than two sections.
Chill: A metal object placed in the wall of a mold, causing the metal to solidify more rapidly at such a point.
Choke or Primary Choke: The part of the gating system that most restricts or regulates the flow of metal into the mold cavity.
Close Over: The operation of lowering a part of the mold over some projecting portion such as a core.
Coke: Coal derivative resulting from the distillation of bituminous coal in the absence of air. The distillation process removes all of the volatile material from the coal so it can be used as a very intense source of fuel in cupola melting.
Cold Box Process: A rapid coremaking process which does not require application of heat to cure the cores. Hardening of the cores is accomplished by chemical reaction rather than by conventional baking. A phenolic resin is added to the sand used to make the core. This resin reacts chemically when exposed to an accelerator (typically an active organic gas) and hardens very quickly, forming an organic bond in the core sand. This reaction occurs at room temperature and does not require special coreboxes or equipment. Additionally, since the bond is organic, the sand collapses readily during shakeout and can be recovered easily from the casting.
Cold Shut: The imperfect junction where two streams of metal meet but do not fuse.
Compacted Graphite Iron: An iron with with elongated graphite particles with rounded edges and roughened surfaces. It possesses characteristics of both gray and ductile iron.
Contraction: Decrease in size due to cooling of the metal after it is poured. Shrinkage is the term applied to the decrease in volume of a metal from liquid to solid stage. Contraction immediately follows shrinkage.
Cope: The upper or topmost section of a flask.
Cores: A separated part of the mold, made of sand and generally baked, which is used to create openings and various shaped cavities in the casting.
Core Box: A mold in which a core is formed.
Core Dryer: A metal form in which the core is baked.
Core Rod: Irons or bars imbedded in a core to strengthen it.
Crucible: A ceramic pot with refractory properties typically made of clay in which metal is melted for casting.
Crushing: The pushing out of shape of core or mold when two parts of the mold do not fit properly.
Cupola: Vertically oriented, tube shaped melting furnace in which the metal is melted in direct contact with the fuel.
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