Case history: rapid casting delivers parts to the Navy with speed.When the U.S. Navy needs to replace a component, it often doesn't have the luxury of waiting weeks for the tooling to be designed and manufactured and the casting to be poured. In addition, the price tag attached to the tooling for a single replaced part is unpalatable. The Rapid Prototyping Building a part one layer at a time using a method of additive fabrication such as 3D printing. Such parts are used for concept modeling to determine if the product design meets the customer's expectations. and Fabrication fabrication (fab´rikā´sh  n),n the construction or making of a restoration. Technologies Div. of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center The Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) is the United States Navy's full-spectrum research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support center for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, and offensive and defensive weapons systems associated with Div. (NUWC Noun 1. NUWC - the agency that provides scientific and engineering and technical support for submarine and undersea warfare systems Naval Underwater Warfare Center ), Keyport, Wash., found a solution with the purchase of a Prometal Rapid Casting Technology (RCT RCT Randomized Controlled Trial RCT Regimental Combat Team (infantry regiment with their own artillery, engineers, medical and tanks) RCT Rollercoaster Tycoon RCT Randomized Clinical Trial RCT Rhondda Cynon Taff ) S15 digital mold and coremaking printer from The ExOne Co., Irwin, Pa. The system creates sand casting Casting is the process of production of objects by pouring molten material into a cavity called a mold which is the negative, or mirror image of the object, and allowing it to cool and solidify. molds with a furan-based binder directly from a CAD file in two days or less. "The Department of Defense, particularly the Navy, has to buy castings in low quantities to perform maintenance of equipment," said Pat Bergen, engineering supervisor for NUWC's rapid prototyping division. "The new printer is able to print molds in a matter of a couple of weeks as opposed to a few months." When a part needs to be replaced, mechanical reverse engineering is performed using laser scanners to produce a CAD file of the part. Because the printer creates the mold layer by 0.011 in.-thick layer, very precise, complex molds can be created. The envelope for NUWC's printer is 57 x 28 x 26 in. (144.78 x 71.12 x 66.04 cm), which is roomy enough for most of the parts it needs to cast. With smaller parts, several molds can be printed at once, along with the cores. Larger molds can be printed in segments and then glued together. Printing a full envelope takes two days, and the equipment can be left unattended while it is at work. "If a mold doesn't work the first time, we can rework re·work tr.v. re·worked, re·work·ing, re·works 1. To work over again; revise. 2. To subject to a repeated or new process. n. it without adding months to our lead time," said Kyle Morris, project engineer for NUWC. After the sand mold is produced, it is sent off to a metalcasting facility, which casts the part. With the printer, the rapid prototyping division at NUWC has been able to reduce drastically the time to furnish replacement parts to the Navy, while lowering the unit price. On average, Morris and Bergen said costs are cut in half for their low quantity runs. Visit www.prometal.com for more information. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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