Aluminum casting is the process of introducing molten aluminum into a cavity to create a part. Aluminum is the most common metal used for casting process because of its relatively low melting point and low viscosity.
There are various types of aluminum casting they include –
- Aluminum Sand Casting – It is the process of forming aluminum into a mold pattern formed in the sand. Almost 60% of all the metals are produced using sand casting process and most aluminum castings are made in sand molds.
Advantages –
- Cost of tooling is low and this makes it cheapest casting method.
- It is ideally suited for lower volume needs.
- Sand moulds can withstand higher temperature and can be used with many different materials
- They are great for prototyping and small production runs
- Sand can be used to create moulds of complex shapes, varied sizes making it useful for large variety of design
- Using the right finish with these moulds can give excellent surface texture
- Patterns used to create moulds can be reused many times with minimal wear during production
- The casting is eco-friendly as sand can be recycled to be reused ensuring minimum waste and cost.
Disadvantages-
- Low strength
- Low dimensional accuracy
- Poor surface finish
- Prone to defects
- Need finishing.
- Aluminum Die casting – It is a process that can produce geometrically complex metal parts using reusable die casting molds, called dies. The process involves use of die casting machine, die, aluminum and furnace.
Advantages –
- The process produces solid and durable parts.
- It produces very light weight parts as aluminum is one of the lightest metals making the process ideal for use in applications where weight is a concern.
- Aluminum is highly corrosion resistance making it apt for applications where exposure to the elements is a concern.
- Sustainable option because aluminum is recyclable material
- Cost-effective and simple process with no requirement of expensive equipment or materials.
Disadvantages-
- Aluminum die casting is a high cost process as they are produced on small batches
- Long lead times
- Offers limited design flexibility
- Susceptible to porosity
- Significant amount of material is wasted during production.
- Aluminum permanent mold casting- The process involves use of reusable molds.
Advantages –
- Has high dimensional accuracy and low surface roughness
- High strength, hardness and abrasion
- Less sand cores and used thus saving modeling materials
Disadvantages-
- Process is tough and adjustment cycle is long
- Not possible to produce large castings
- Metal mold has poor gas permeability
- Aluminum investment casting – It is the process to make investment casting tool to create complex designs.
Advantages –
- High-quality finish
- Complex shapes
- Material reusability
- Complex shapes can be casted
- Tight tolerances
Disadvantages-
- Porosity
- Shrinkage crack
- Misrun
- Deformation
- Cold shuts.
- Aluminum Lost Foam Casting- It is a process to create small to medium complex products from aluminum using castings made of polystyrene foam patterns.
Advantages-
- Suits all shapes – complex or simple
- Freely design castings with complex cavities
- Saves energy
- Minimize costs
- Improves casting quality.
Disadvantages-
- Low volume applications
- More expensive
- Castings are of less strength susceptible easily to damage
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