History of vaccum casting and metal casting - MK Technology

Early metal casting
The oldest preserved cast parts &#; weapons and cult objects made of copper &#; originate from the Middle East and India. They date back to the period around 3.000 BC. It is possible that metal casting technology, using moulds originated in the Middle East. However, there are suggestions that this process may have been developed in India and China.

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The melting ovens of the early Iron Age can partly be traced back to ceramic burning ovens. The model and mould building was mastered very well from the beginning. Lost moulds made of loam and clay, wax models, single piece-work as well as permanent moulds made of stone and metal for the serial production of casting parts were already used. The production of hollow spaces by using cores, has already been proved by the oldest casting parts discovered.

Metal casting from the Middle Ages to Industrialization
After the great performances in the field of metal casting during antiquity, it took a long time to match the former level in the occidental Middle Ages. However, whereas there is hardly any continuous documentation about casting technology during the antiquity, the German monk Thophilus already examined the forming and casting very intensively around . The &#;fireworks books&#; &#; especially the book by Italian Biringuccio - were written after AD should also be mentioned in this context. Loam, plaster and wax were the most important working materials. Crucible and later flame ovens were available for the melting of copper, tin and lead alloys. Casting by means of forming sand was common for small parts; permanent moulds were of great importance for the serial casting of lead and tin materials. In the beginning, the casting of bells and other clerical equipment was the main focus. Relief casting matched the artistic quality of the antique metal casting at the beginning of modern times.

Early iron casting in China
The Chinese had mastered the melting of iron since 500 BC, 2.000 years before the Europeans. New excavations proved that they succeeded in the mass production of cast tools and farm equipment after the development of iron casting.

European iron casting before industrialization
Around , gun-barrels and bullets were the first iron cast products in Europe. The forming technology for the barrels corresponded to loam forming by means of templates, already developed for the casting of bronze in the Middle Ages. After the loam forming technology used in the beginning for the serial production of bullets, the use of permanent moulds made of cast iron emerged. In the middle of the 15th century items such as water pipes and bells were produced from cast iron. The first period of artistic applications for iron casting started in by producing plates for stoves, ovens, monuments and fountains.

Iron casting during industrialization
The development of new technologies and an increased demand for cast parts gave tremendous impulses to the metal casting industry during the second half of the 18th century.

The artistic design of iron casts was not only limited to the creation of decorative objects but was also used for the production of machine parts and articles of daily use. Since about the automotive industry has been an essential and growing market for cast iron materials. And they have also been successful in manufacturing malleable fittings as heat treated cast iron and to pour steel into moulds.

Casting and artwork
From the early beginning to present day, metal casting has been used to create works of art. And this still applies to modern art.

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It was in Birmingham, England in that Alexander Parkes who used steam to heat and shape celluloid. When cooled Parkes noted that the celluloid maintained its shape.

In the s this pioneering work by Parkes with celluloid, the world&#;s first recognised synthetic plastic, would be taken on by John Wesley Hyatt.

John Wesley Hyatt is seen as the father of modern day plastics, and along with Charles Burroughs, they would use steam, and steel moulds, to make toys and bottles. Hyatt and Burroughs&#; ideas expanded to the manufacture of relief maps, ice cube trays and ping pong balls.

Vacuum forming began to grow before, during and after World War II, this is down to durable, lightweight and synthetic materials being in high demand. The very first thermoforming patents were then filed by H.L Helwig of the Rohm & Hass Company, as well as R.E. Leary, who was an engineer at DuPoint.

In , 2 years since the second World War ended, G.W. Borkland filed a patent for a vacuum forming machine, he then grew the profile of the machine and made advances in its technology and capabilities. This received features in publications such as Modern Plastic Magazine and Plastics World.

During the &#;s, plastics such as Polyethylene Terephthalate (also known as PET) were developed and this is now one of the most used packaging products as is the material used for plastic water bottles. Since , improvements continued to be made both in vacuum forming but also in the development of plastics, for example, high0 density polyethylene was created.

Thermoforming lead the way for household products

Thermoformed plastic products struggled to find their way in to mainstream market due to the inefficiency of the production method. In this changed with the invention of the first reel-fed thermoforming machine by the Klaus B Strauch Company.

Strauch&#;s new machine enabled household products to be made at far higher speed. And speed of production was imperative for a world about to be plunged in to a second world war.

If it was the Victorian post industrial revolution era that first spurred on Parkes, Hyatt and Burroughs it would be the Second World War that would see another industrial revolution in manufacturing processes, materials and innovative products.

The aircraft cockpit was one such product that would exemplify the use of new plastic materials and the employment of new thermoforming techniques. In RJ Mitchell working for Supermarine Aviation Works, a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrong, designed and built the first Spitfire aircraft.

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The Spitfire would go on to become a step change that was to influence aircraft design going forward. The Spitfire was the fastest aircraft in the world and used its speed and agility to great effect as a military weapon.

The secret to the success of the Spitfire was RJ Mitchell&#;s innovative fuselage and wing design, enormous power and lightweight. For the aircraft cockpit Mitchell looked to a new plastic, acrylic, and to the R Malcolm and Company. Malcolm pioneered the thermoforming of clear acrylic for the Spitfire cockpit resulting in a lightweight alternative to glass.

The finished product was seamless, aerodynamic, lightweight and offered protection and excellent all round visibility for the pilot. The product became known as the Malcolm Hood and became the standard across the entire aircraft industry.

The Consumer Boom

Post war Europe and America saw a prosperity boom, a baby boom and a consumer boom. In the Troman Brothers would develop the work of the R Malcolm Company and thermoform acrylic to make the first bath tubs.

Phillips would take the new refrigerator and line the interior with thermoformed PVC. Thermoformed plastic materials were no longer simply an alternative but they were now becoming the standard.

In the first self-service hypermarket was launched by 7-Eleven. This would be replicated in the UK in with the launch of the supermarket by Tesco.

The s saw an appetite for a rapidly growing population for consumer products and the desire for all things new, colourful, and useful. The hypermarket required colourful attractive packaging, whilst there was a huge demand for toys and household products.

In the plastic thermoforming machine manufacturer Illig was established. This was followed by the plastic thermoformer Geiss in . In the first vacuum forming machine was patented. Speed of production and now fine detail could be built into the design of thermoformed plastic products.

The s would see the full embrace of the consumer society for new and innovative materials. This was epitomised by the Jetson cartoon family and the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States of America.

Thermoplastics were now being developed with improved colour, UV stability, impact strength, heat tolerance, chemical resistance and safe to use with food and in medical applications.

The s saw the development of new extruded thermoplastic materials: styrene, high impact styrene, high density polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, and the new versatile ABS used by Lego. Whilst the continuing influence of the 60s hypermarket influenced the development of PET for bottles and packaging.

Modern Thermoforming

Today the thermoforming of plastic products includes the manufacturing processes of plastic vacuum forming, injection moulding, casting, and rotational moulding.

The technology has moved on from the early work of Parkes, Hyatt and Burroughs with Celluloid, the invention of the reel-fed thermoforming machine by Strauch, the Malcolm aircraft cockpit, the Troman Brothers acrylic bath and the cascade of innovative products of the post-war s and s. Plastics now shape the very world that we live in.

Illig and Geiss are still at the heart of the thermoforming industry and their machines power such companies as Ansini. Ansini is recognised as one of the UK&#;s leading and most experienced vacuum forming companies.

Ansini manufactures materials as diverse as acrylic, HIPS, PE, PP, ABS, and PC. As well as specialising in aircraft grade polycarbonates and hybrid materials such as KYDEX. Ansini is at the heart of the 21st Century advancements of CNC design and trimming, high tech aluminium and polyurethane tooling, and the ever expanding catalogue of materials and applications.

Interested in more information on vacuum forming? Read our Complete Guide to Vacuum Forming.

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