cast vs machined

M

Mr YODA

Joined
Nov 12, 2001
Messages
790
I hear everyone talking about casting not being as good as machining in regard to balisong handles.

How exactly does casting work? Is liquid metal poured into a mold to form the shape?

And, why is machining better? Is it because the final result is solid and contains no voids?

If I answered my own questions, thanks for reading; if not, any insight would be appreciated.

Matt
 
Yes casting is just pouring the metal into a mold.
CNC machining is computer controlled. I cuts away the material from a solid block of metal....so yes it makes the handles stronger...but is a lot costlier to produce.

Ususally CNC will yield better tolerances.
 
There are less options with casting as opposed to machining. Once the mold is made, in order to change the design you would need a new mold, with machining you just need to change the programming. The up side to casting is there is hardly any waste. You are only using the metal you need and are only removing metal for final finishing and fitting.

Mer
 
Machined handles are made from sheet metal. Liquid metal is poured into mold, pressed (or forged) to render it into the shape. Those processes remove porosity, inner stress, and inconsistensy of construction from simply molded material.

Of course, those processes are invisible to standard user like me. Modern molding process seems just okay, I'm missing BM's machined steel handle partially because of its luxuary while loving to flip ultra light #42 balisong.
 
Keep in mind that a CNCed piece begins life as either a cast or extruded blank.

CNC does no guarantee of no voids.

Now, it is much easier to cast a simple block and end up with no voids (air bubbles trapped inside) than a complex shape. Voids in extrusions are very rare since the metal is forced through the die under pressure, but they can happen, especially if the process isn't well-controlled.

CNC can simply produce a much higher tollerance part and a much more intricate part. In fact, you can't cast a handle for a quality balisong. You can cast the basic shape, but precison features like the pin holes have to be added by machine. A lot of the Charming Chineese Cheapies have purely cast handles and you can see the results. Even CCCs often appear to have some minor post-machining, holes drilled out, for example.
 
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