Our Shell Mold foundry pours many grades of carbon and stainless steels. This process is well suited for medium to higher volume production, but we can also do the lower volumes as well. The shell mold process offers tolerances as close as +/- .030 per inch with excellent dimensional repeatability ensuring consistency from one order to the next.
Shell Molds have a superior surface finish and outstanding dimensional integrity. If you are running that large production run this process can offer significant cost savings. Our main goal is to provide a high quality casting while keeping expensive machining at a minimum, or even eliminating it completely.
Rule of Thumb: “If it can be a shell mold, It should be a shell mold.”
Our Shell Molding Capabilities Include:
- 3-D Simulation Software
- In-house X-Ray
- Advance Quality and Delivery Programs
- Complete High Tech Machining Facility
- Customer “First” Attitude in everything we do
- Consistently ship orders with shortest lead times in industry
- Certified ISO 9001 :2008 – ANSI/ISO/ASQ Q9001-2008
- Pressure Equipment Directive (PED) 97/23/EC 712, Annex I, Paragraph 4.3
- We do not use or purchase any “conflict minerals” to include Cassiterite, Coltan, Tungsten, Tantalum, Tin, Wolframite and Gold from the DRC area.
Utilize our airset molding line to produce low quantity production runs with medium tolerances of +/- .060 per inch. It is also beneficial for providing quick prototypes before a shell pattern is produced.
Advantages of Shell Molding
- Improved flexibility in design and good surface quality.
- Less manpower and molding skill requirements.
- Less foundry space required.
- Able to achieve thin wall and produce more complex castings.
- Very good rough casting dimensional precision.
DIMENSIONAL TOLERANCE STANDARDS
Dimensional Tolerance Standards for Shell and Airset Castings
The following are the normal dimensional tolerances that can be applied to as-cast parts produced from each of the available processes. Any deviation from these guidelines will be considered on a case by case basis. Specific part geometry may require or allow an increase or decrease in tolerance from this standard. Subsequent operations (e.g. grinding, pressing, machining, etc.) may improve tolerances on specific dimensions. Tolerances based on experience and from STEEL CASTINGS HANDBOOK, Steel Founders Society of America.
| LINEAR DIMENSIONS – INCH (MM) | SHELL | ISO 8062 (REF) | AIRSET | ISO 8062 Refe) |
| 0” to 6” INCL (0 to 152 INCL) | +/- 0.030” (0.75) | CT8 | +/- 0.063” (1.60) | CT10 |
| 6” to 12” INCL (152 to 305 INCL) | +/- 0.045” (1.15) | CT9 | +/- 0.094” (2.40) | CT11 |
| 12” to 18” INCL (305 to 457 INCL) | +/- 0.060” (1.50) | CT9 | +/- 0.125” (3.20) | CT11 |
| 18” to 24” INCL (457 to 610 INCL) | +/- 0.090” (2.30) | CT10 | +/- 0.188” (4.80) | CT12 |
| 24” to 30” INCL (610 to 762 INCL) | +/- 0.098” (2.50) | CT10 | +/- 0.251” (6.40) | CT12 |
| 30” to 36” INCL (762 to 914 INCL) | +/- 0.098” (2.50) | CT10 | +/- 0.251” (6.40) | CT12 |
| 36” to 44” INCL (914 to 1,118 INCL) | +/- 0.098” (2.50) | CT10 | +/- 0.251” (6.40) | CT12 |
*3D PRINTED MOLD CASTINGS WOULD FOLLOW AIRSET TOLERANCES.
Misc. Callouts
| SHELL | AIRSET | |||
| ACROSS PARTING LINE–ADD to ABOVE | 0.010” (.25) | 0.030” (.75) | ||
| PATTERN to CORE DIMS–ADD to ABOVE | 0.010” (.25) | 0.030” (.75) | ||
| MISMATCH–COPE to DRAG | +/- 0.020” (.50) | +/- 0.063” (1.60) | ||
| GATE/RISER CONTACTS | +/- 0.063” (1.60) | +/- 0.063” (1.60) | ||
| RECOMMENDED MINIMUM RADIUS | 0.031” (0.75) | 0.063” (1.60) | ||
| MINIMUM WALL THICKNESS | 0.188” (4.76) | 0.250” (6.35) |
*RECOMMENDED MACHINE STOCK FOR FULL CLEAN-UP IS 1/8” PER SURFACE.
Angular Dimensions (Degrees)
| SHELL | AIRSET | |||
| ALL ANGLES | +/- 1 ° | +/- 1 ° | ||
| DRAFT | 1 – 2 ° | 1 – 2 ° |
*DO NOT PUT DATUM LOCATING POINTS ON PARTING LINE OR GATE/RISER CONTACTS
Surface Finishes
- SHELL CAST SURFACE FINISH: 150 – 300 RMS
- AIRSET CAST SURFACE FINISH: 250 – 560 RMS
- 3D PRINTED MOLD CAST SURFACE FINISH: 250 – 560 RMS
We are fully certified to the following standards:
- ISO 9001:2015 – ANSI/ISO/ASQ Q9001-2015;
- Pressure Equipment Directive (PED) Annex I, Paragraph 4.3 of 2014/68/EU or 97/23/EC 7/2;
We also comply fully with the RoHS directive, RoHS2 (Directive 2002/95/EC RoHS Directive and with Directive 2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2011) and the REACH regulation (Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 – Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals)
For more information, request a quote or contact us.