Glossary of Casting Terminology "A"
This glossary lists in alphabetical order casting industry terms and their explanations.
| Word/Expression | Explanation |
|---|---|
| abrasion resistance | The capability of a metal surface to resist wear when mechanical abrasion is applied to it. |
| accumulator | A pressure vessel used for raising the injection pressure of a die casting machine in high-pressure die casting. Nitrogen gas is generally sealed within the vessel. |
| Acurad die cast method | A variant method of high-pressure die casting. Pushing a secondary plunger located at the center of the primary plunger shortly after injection filling applies additional pressure to help create a casting with excellent quality. |
| additive | A compound or element added to a metal to alter its properties. |
| adhesion | A state in which two objects are connected via an electrical, chemical or physical coupling/bond to prevent them from being separated. |
| aging | The process of using solution treatment and water quenching when heat-treating aluminum to deposit compounds that have dissolved onto the aluminum by keeping it at a certain temperature. The aging process makes it possible to enhance a metal's mechanical properties (e.g., tensile strength). |
| air pocket | A casting defect in which part of the mold cavity for the product is left unfilled during the pouring process. This differs from a misrun and occurs when air has nowhere to go, when there is a large temperature difference between the mold and the molten metal, and other factors. It is called kirai (dislike) in Japanese because the result looks as if the metal had an aversion for some part of the mold. |
| air vent | A component or part of the mold that serves to remove air or core gas from the mold during the pouring process. When filling the mold with molten metal, the air therein is compressed, so the air vent is used for expelling the air or gas inside and allows the molten metal to flow smoothly. In gravity casting or low-pressure casting molds, gas is generated by the sand core and needs to be removed via an air vent in order to prevent the occurrence of gas defects in the cast pieces. (Same as gas vent) |
| airtightness | A state where the casting is sealed so that air inside does not leak out when pressure is applied to the interior. |
| allowance | The largest and smallest values of difference from the prescribed dimensions, strength, etc., allowed in a finished product. |
| alloy | A metal formed by melting together different metallic elements and solidifying the mix to produce a metal with different properties. |
| angular pin | The pin set at an angle in a stationary mold that moves a movable slide using the opening/closing action of the die without the need of the hydraulic cylinder of a die-casting mold, etc. |
| annealing | A heat treatment for improving several properties of a metallic material. This may include eliminating inner stresses caused by work-hardening, reducing structural hardness, greater structural uniformity, improved ductility and fracture prevention. |
| appearance | The surface state of a product such as a casting when it is examined a short distance from its exterior. |
| appearance inspection | To examine the surface of a product such as a casting to detect flow lines, cold shuts, misruns, sand drops and the like. |
| as cast | A casting as it was cast from a mold, with no heat treatment or machining applied to it. |
| aspirator | An apparatus for producing decompression with the Venturi effect. One example of use during gravity casting or low-pressure die casting is to vent gas generated in the mold core or remove air from areas with insufficient run within the mold cavity. |
