Vulcan Global Manufacturing Solutions

Gravity casting

Gravity casting is a process in which permanent molds are used and is sometimes called Permanent Mold Casting. In this process, a mold used to create the pattern for the part.

The mold is typically a permanent steel tool which is CNC machined to produce the pattern of the finished part.  Molten material is poured by ladle into the mold. The mold can be heated or cooled based on specific needs and geometry of a part. When the part has frozen (set), the tool is opened and the part is removed. In this process, tools can have pins, cores, slides and other moving parts to create specific features.

Vulcan GMS can also use plaster tools and sand cores for some applications. Plaster or sand tooling allow for prototypes, low volume or some special geometry needs that can not be achieved with permanent steel tooling.

Vulcan offers insert tools for our multiple vertical and horizontal casting platforms. These are hydraulically driven allowing for faster cycling and better tolerance. This works well for various part sizes and can be completed with a lower total cost since the master tools are owned by Vulcan. As a customer, you are only in need of insert tooling.  This is a hybrid process Vulcan has developed which is in between die casting and gravity casting, providing versatility to our customers.