Editing Metal casting (section)

===Plaster mold casting===
{{Main article|Plaster mold casting}}

Plaster casting is similar to sand casting except that [[plaster of paris]] is used instead of sand as a mold material. Generally, the form takes less than a week to prepare, after which a production rate of 1–10&nbsp;units/hr-mold is achieved, with items as massive as {{convert|45|kg|lb|abbr=on}} and as small as {{convert|30|g|oz|abbr=on|0}} with very good [[surface finish]] and close [[Engineering tolerance|tolerances]].<ref name="met">{{harvnb|Kalpakjian|Schmid|2006}}.</ref> Plaster casting is an inexpensive alternative to other molding processes for complex parts due to the low cost of the plaster and its ability to produce [[near net shape]] castings. The biggest disadvantage is that it can only be used with low melting point non-ferrous materials, such as [[aluminium]], [[copper]], [[magnesium]], and [[zinc]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Degarmo|Black|Kohser|2003|p=315}}</ref>