Permanent-Mold Casting

a) Material

Water Tap is made up of mainly Brass Copper Alloy (Copper + Zinc)

b) Process

1) Inner Sand mold is prepared and placed inside the permanent mold before pouring
in the molten brass.

2) Product is cooled and removed from the die. Ultrasonic is used to remove the sand
within the water tap.

3) Excessive part is removed and recycled.

4) Product is continued with milling to meet certain product requirement.

5) Polishing and quality control checking is performed.

6) Finally Electrochemical Machining is used to electroplate the product.

c) Advantages & Disadvantages of Permanent-Mold Casting

Advantages
Most prevalent form of casting
Sand as mold material is inexpensive
Recyclable Excessive part
Good Dimensional Tolerance
Environmentally Friendly
Very High Productivity
Disadvantages
Relatively coarse surface finish
High Initial Cost
Involved lots of labor force
Short Lifespan of the mold

d) Alternative Process &Suggestion

First of all, high labor force is induced throughout the manufacturing, so

automation can use to replace human involvement in the process. For example, use
robot to perform mechanical polishing of the product rather than human, to
standardize the polish work. Also, automation improves the productivity and reduces
work piece damage.

Secondly, sensory technology can be used to further reduce human

involvement in the process. For example, use visual sensing to check its perfect,
determine defects and etc.