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8-Ball · 05-05-2003, 04:35 AM

A WORD OF WARNING!!!!

A student was killed here at Oxford trying to sand cast Aluminium when the mould hadn't been given enough time to dry.

The temperature instantly boiled any remaining moisture in the mould, and as previousl explained, it exploded.

He probably would have only been injured if he hadn't turned and run. A large portion of the molten aluminium was thrown into the air and landed on the back of his neck, running inside his protective clothing.

I need not go into any more detail.

As for being able to make intricate patterns in the block. This will only work if you can control the filling of the mould very accurately. The design of the mould will also take considerably more time than producing a CAD drawing for CNC machining. There are many factors involved in producing a successful mould for casting, and without using very expensive techniques, the results won't be that great. That means you will need a large amount of finishing. This will have to be done on a milling machine. And to be honest, if you're doing that, then you may as well mill the whole thing.

8-ball

05-05-2003, 04:35 AM	#25
8-Ball Cooling Savant Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Oxford University, UK Posts: 452	A WORD OF WARNING!!!! A student was killed here at Oxford trying to sand cast Aluminium when the mould hadn't been given enough time to dry. The temperature instantly boiled any remaining moisture in the mould, and as previousl explained, it exploded. He probably would have only been injured if he hadn't turned and run. A large portion of the molten aluminium was thrown into the air and landed on the back of his neck, running inside his protective clothing. I need not go into any more detail. As for being able to make intricate patterns in the block. This will only work if you can control the filling of the mould very accurately. The design of the mould will also take considerably more time than producing a CAD drawing for CNC machining. There are many factors involved in producing a successful mould for casting, and without using very expensive techniques, the results won't be that great. That means you will need a large amount of finishing. This will have to be done on a milling machine. And to be honest, if you're doing that, then you may as well mill the whole thing. 8-ball __________________ For those who believe that water needs to travel slowly through the radiator for optimum performance, read the following thread. READ ALL OF THIS!!!!