CASTING
DEFECTS
defects in
castings
1- No Casting.
2- Frayed Margin (fins).
3- Bubbles or nodules.
4- Rough surface.
5- Incomplete casting.
6- Porosity.
7- Dark discolored casting that resists pickling.
8- Oversized or undersized restoration.
9- Warped or distorted restoration
1-No Casting.
Causes:
a) Sprue obstruction due to:
Presence of investment fragments.
A metallic sprue former was not removed.
b) The molten alloy was not properly directed to the mold cavity during
casting.
c) Premature solidification of the alloy during casting, which may occur as a
result of:
Low casting pressure.
Cold ring.
Incompletely heated or melted alloy.
d) Fracture of the investment at the base of the ring leading to metal escape
from the other side of the ring (occurs due to increased casting pressure or
thin
investment bridge).
2-Frayed margins
(Fins)
caused by cracks in the
investment that have been
filled with molten metal
These cracks can result from:
1. Premature or rough handling of the ring after investing
(dropped mold).
2. Weak mix of investment (high water-powder ratio).
3. Too rapid heating during burnout.
4. The pattern is suited too close to the periphery of the casting
ring. This
results in a very thin investment bridge that can be easily
cracked.
3-Bubbles or nodules
Bubbles of gas trapped between the wax pattern and the investment produce
nodules on the casting surface.
Bubbles or nodules
Possible causes are:
1. Air trapped during investing procedure.
2. Inadequate vacuum during investing.
3. Improper brush technique.
4. Lack of surfactant.
Large nodule- Air trapped during
investing
Multiple nodules – Inadequate vacum
during mixing Improper
brush technique
Lack of surfactant.
Surface
roughness
4-Rough surface
Surface roughness may be the result of.
1. Rough surface of the wax pattern.
2. Excessive use of the wetting agent or investing was done
before
complete dryness of the wetting agent.
3. Investment material with large grains.
Final crown should be an
accurate reproduction of
the surface of the wax
Surface roughness is relatively fine
spaced surface imperfections
whose height, width and direction
establish the predominant surface
pattern.
• Improper finishing of wax
pattern
• Improper water powder
ratio
• Excess surfactant
• Direct wax pattern
• Raid heating rates
• Underheating
• Too high a pressure during
casting
• Composition of investment
• Foreign bodies
• Impact of molten alloy
• Pattern position
Control of surface
roughness
Wetting agent be
applied in thin layer
Before starting to invest a direct wax pattern taken
from the mouth it should be washed
in water
Mold should be heated gradually, at
least 60 min should elapse during the
heating of the investment filled ring
from room temperature to 700ºC.
5-Incomplete casting
Causes
1. Inadequate heating of the metal.
2. Incomplete wax elimination.
3. use of cold ring.
4. Insufficient casting force.
5. Not enough metal.
Incomplete casting can occur
A) At the margin:
1. Rough margin: is mainly due to presence of foreign material (e.g. piece of
investment) inside the mold cavity preventing completion of the margin.
2. Round and convex margin: It is mainly due to insufficient casting pressure, or casting in
a cold ring.
3. Round and concave: is due to entrapment of air preventing the molten alloy from
entering the mold freely. Usually occurs as a result of:
i) Less venting.
ii) Incomplete wax burnout.
iii) Carbon residues from the wax.
Incomplete casting can occur
b) Perforated casting:
1. Perforation at the sprue attachment:It is mainly due to insufficient alloy.
2. Perforation at thin areas (e.g. veneering surface): Occurs if accessory
sprues were not used or were not enough.
6-
Porosities
Localized shrinkage porosity
Area of porosity in the casting that is
caused by shrinkage of a portion of the
metal as it solidifies from the molten state
without flow of additional molten metal
from surrounding areas
Gas inclusion
porosity
caus
ed ii: Occurs due to entrapment of gas in the molten
alloy
during casting. The source of the gas may be:
1. Blow torch: If the reducing zone was not used.
2. Affinity of some alloys to absorb oxygen during
heating.
3. Vapor may result from heating of the investment.
4. Entrapment of oxides inside the molten alloy.
Back pressure
porosity
Caused by the inability of the air in the mold to escape
through the pores of the investment;
its occurrence is reduced by:
1. Using more porous investment.
2. Proper burnout.
3. Proper water-powder ratio.
4. Adequate mold and casting temperature.
5. Sufficiently high casting pressure.
6. Casting with vacuum technique.
7- Dark discolored casting that resists pickling:
This phenomenon is due to the decomposition of calcium sulphate
binder gypsum bonded investment as a result of overheating.
It gives out sulphur, which combines with copper or silver of gold alloy
during casting. The resultant compound resists pickling of the casting.
The casting must be repeated again.
8-Dimensional Inaccuracies
(oversized, undersized or distorted
restoration)
The final fit of a casting depends on a
balancing out of contraction and
expansion which occurs during its
construction.
8-Dimensional Inaccuracies
(oversized, undersized retoration)
To avoid dimensional inaccuracies
• A standardized procedure is needed in regard to water-
powder ratio.
• speculation the ring liner.
• mold heating
Casting too
large
eliminated
by
use of correct correct type of
temperature investment
Casting too
small
eliminated
by
Heating the mold
sufficiently
Any marked distortion of the casting is
probably related to wax pattern
distortion
Unquestionably some distortion of the wax
pattern occurs as the investment hardens
around it
The distortion of the wax pattern
after its removal from the die is a
function of the temperature and time
interval before investing
Distortion can occur during spruing
the pattern because of the heat
transferred to the pattern
Pattern should be removed carefully from the
die, and should be invested
immediately.
CONCLUSION
Thus, these are the various causes for the
failure of the castings and methods by
which these defects can be avoided,
thereby producing a casting of good
quality
for clinical success.