How to Cast Platinum Steel-Centrifugal Casting Machine

CDOCAST Centrifugal Casting Machine For Platinum& Stainless Steel

What is centrifugal casting?

Making jewelry with platinum and palladium is a high-end and noble choice because platinum and palladium are precious metals with excellent corrosion resistance and beautiful appearance. In the previous article, we talked about vacuum pressure casting, which is only suitable for gold, silver, copper, etc. For high-temperature metals such as platinum, palladium, and stainless steel, centrifugal casting is required. Centrifugal casting is a process that uses centrifugal force to inject molten metal or other materials into a mold and quickly rotate the mold to achieve filling and solidification. This method can not only produce complex and exquisite designs but also ensure the quality and precision of jewelry.

The advantage of the centrifugal casting Machine:

1. High production efficiency: Centrifugal casting can manufacture multiple parts at the same time, with fast casting speed and high production efficiency.
2. High-quality products: Centrifugal casting can manufacture high-precision and high-quality products, with high surface finish, dense internal structure, and stable mechanical properties of materials.
3. Save materials: In centrifugal casting, the metal liquid is evenly distributed under the action of centrifugal force during the casting process and has good fluidity, which can make the wall thickness of the casting thinner and reduce material consumption.
4. Large parts can be cast: Centrifugal casting can cast castings with larger diameters, and can even cast shaft parts with a length of tens of meters.
5. Strong flexibility: Centrifugal casting can be applied to a variety of metal materials, can also make parts of complex shapes, and can be adjusted and improved according to needs.

The process of centrifugal casting:

The process of centrifugal casting is the same as vacuum-pressure casting. It also requires steps such as mold making, melting&casting, cleaning, polishing, etc. The biggest difference is that the machines used for casting are different. Vacuum pressure casting uses a vacuum pressure casting machine, while centrifugal casting uses a centrifugal casting machine. It usually consists of the following main parts:

Centrifuge furnace body: The centrifuge body is the core part of the centrifugal casting machine, usually consisting of a rotating balance shaft or turntable. The centrifugal force generated by the high-speed rotation of the turntable is used to push the molten metal or other materials into the flask to fill the flask and form the desired shape.

Mold system: The molds are used to contain and form molten metal. The molds are usually made of high-temperature resistant materials, such as quartz, zirconia crucibles, and stainless steel flasks, which can withstand the injection and solidification process of high-temperature metal.

Heating system: The heating system includes a power supply and induction coil, for heating the metal into liquid so that can be filled into the flask.

Control System: The control system is used to monitor and adjust various parameters of the centrifugal casting process, including temperature, vacuum time, melting time, casting, etc. Precise control of these parameters is essential to ensure the quality and consistency of jewelry.

Why choose the CDOCAST centrifugal casting machine?

CDOCAST centrifugal casting machine body is made of stainless steel. The one-piece production process makes the machine’s body smooth and free of welding marks, making the machine more beautiful. The bottom of the machine is equipped with universal wheels for easy movement. The furnace lid is automatic opening type, equipped with a gas handle and a solenoid valve, which makes the lid can be automatically opened and closed according to the program control, very labor-saving.
There is an observation window installed on the furnace lid, through which the working conditions in the melting chamber can be seen. The pressure gauge installed on the lid can directly read the pressure in the melting chamber. The furnace lid handle has a micro-electric self-locking function. When the lid is opened, the centrifugal system does not work to prevent danger caused by misoperation.

If you want to measure the melting temperature, you can choose to install infrared temperature measurement. Since the melting temperature required for materials such as platinum and palladium is relatively high, ordinary thermocouple temperature measurement cannot measure such high temperatures, so infrared temperature measurement must be used, and the measured temperature will be directly displayed on the operation panel.

If you want to measure the melting temperature, you can install an infrared thermometer. Since the melting temperature required for materials such as platinum and palladium is relatively high, ordinary thermocouple temperature measurement cannot measure such high temperatures, so an infrared thermometer must be used, and the measured temperature will be directly displayed on the operation panel.

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The operating system can be a manual operation or a highly configured, automatic operation. The manual operation system has many control buttons on the panel, including a power switch, heating switch, open/close lid, induction coil up and down switch, working indicator light, power display, power regulation, timer, casting start, vacuum pumping, and speed controller. The speed regulator is used to control the operating speed of the centrifugal device.

The automatic operation system adopts Siemens touch screen and PLC control. The panel only has power switch, emergency stop, casting start, power regulation, and reset. The automated system supports both manual and automatic working modes. Usually, the working parameters are set in manual mode and then switched to automatic mode. The machine starts to run automatically, and the screen will display the working data, workflow, and error code.

The size and functionality of a centrifugal casting machine can be selected based on production needs and budget. Large manufacturers may invest in high-capacity centrifugal casting machines, while small studios or individual designers may choose smaller models to meet their production needs. CDOCAST can provide customization according to your needs. Regardless of the scale, the centrifugal casting machine is one of the key equipment that cannot be missed in the modern jewelry manufacturing industry.

Working steps of the centrifuge:

1. Adjust the balance: First, place the flask and the crucible filled with metal material on the balance shaft, then adjust the balance nut to balance the two ends, then lock and tighten the balance nut.
2. Turn on the power and set the working parameters in the manual interface
3. Press “Reset”, wait for the balance shaft to reset, and adjust the position of the balance shaft so that the crucible and coil are aligned.
4. Click “Up” to make the coil rise until it cannot move anymore.
5. Put the metal into the crucible, start heating, and adjust the power to 70-80%. After the metal melts, reduce the power to 30%, put the flask on the rack, and close the lid.
6. The centrifugal casting machine starts to automatically vacuum until the set time and then chooses whether to continue the vacuum or start injecting protective gas according to the vacuum degree at this time.
7. After the protective gas is injected, if the metal is completely melted and the temperature has reached the set value, the coil can be lowered to start centrifugal casting.
8. After the casting is completed, press OK to automatically open the lid and take out the steel cup. In this way, the casting is completed and you can proceed with cleaning, polishing, and other steps.

The centrifuges we commonly use are as follows:

A centrifugal casting machine with a capacity of 3kg of platinum is already a large model, and it is not recommended to make it too large. If the capacity is increased, some mechanical structures such as the balance shaft and the flask frame must be made larger, the production cost increases, and assembly and maintenance are more troublesome. In addition, as the radius increases, the centrifugal force will also increase, and the mechanical structure is prone to vibration. Therefore, although it is theoretically possible to manufacture large-capacity centrifuges, in actual applications it is necessary to comprehensively consider multiple factors such as mechanical design, physical principles, engineering practice, etc. to ensure the performance, safety, and reliability of the centrifuge.

Through the above content, I believe you have a clearer understanding of centrifugal casting. If you are interested in our equipment, please contact us as soon as possible!

Learn about the jewelry vacuum pressure casting