Keeping up with process simulation technology: this casting process modeling software roundup provides metalcasters with details on the latest advancements. Visit www.moderncasting.com for more information.

While many aspects of the metalcasting industry evolve gradually into the future, fire exception is casting process modeling software. In the heart of the technology age, it is imperative to keep up with the latest advancements. But that can prove to be a more difficult task than it sounds. Even in the last few years, advancements in process modeling simulation has changed the face of the metalcasting industry.

In a time when reductions in cost and leadtimes are vital to a metalcasting facility's success, simulation software is helping metalcasters keep pace. But with technology changing so rapidly, what should factor into your decision when purchasing a software package?

Attempting to compare software packages to each other is almost impossible. Each offers its own unique capabilities. Price is typically a major concern, but it can't be when looking at simulation software. Some software packages otter users more than others and ill turn cost more.

When starting the selection process, a detailed analysis must first be performed. Just as each software package offers different capabilities, each metalcasting facility has different needs to fill The trick is matching the metalcasting facility's needs with the software's capabilities. This can be done after an analysis of your facility and the software package's abilities.

On the following pages is a look at software packages available today. Since most of them have been on the market for several years and many metalcasters already know what they can do, a description of the software's newest feature is included. Following that is a case history, relating that new feature to real-world experiences.

Since the subject is so complex, it would be impossible to detail every advantage of every software package available. This round-up will give an idea of what to look for, but for further detail, visit the For More Information section at www.moderncasting.com to learn more about the individual software packages featured in this article.

Capcast

EKK Inc.

100 N. Pond Dr., Suite A

Walled Lake, MI 48390

Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone]

Web site: www.ekkinc.com

Email: [e-mail]

Contact: Kathy Longo

Newest Feature--Capcast includes a finite element stress analysis capability for casting and dies. This module is a non-linear stress simulation solver designed with a focus on the problems specific to metalcasting. Capcast can simulate both thermal distortion and stress as well as applied loading cases as in traditional product stress analysis. Recently, Capcast has been enhanced to include the capability to locate gaps between the casting and die during solidification. The amount and location of gap formation can automatically be incorporated into the thermal analysis module.

Case History--Engineers at Hayes Lemmerz have been using Capcast for the last 10 years to optimize its vacuum riserless casting/pressure riserless casting process. Recently, the firm simulated die cracking problems on its automotive crossmember tooling. Hayes first performed a thermal cyclic simulation on this proprietary low-pressure process using Capcast. The firm resorted to its traditional general purpose FEA code for the thermal stress analysis.

The tooling FEA model was too large for the general purpose FEA code to handle (the number of elements in a die is typically 5-10 times larger than those in a casting) so it was necessary to create a new die FEA model with fewer elements and to write a temperature translator from the original thermal model to the new stress model. This cumbersome strategy worked, and the firm successfully identified the high-stress areas corresponding to the cracks. The problem was a lengthy process. It took more than 24 hrs. of computer time for thermal stress analysis alone and additional time to create and translate the new model for the die.

As an alternative, the engineers at Hayes Lemmerz decided to try Capcast's stress module. Not only was the firm able to use the same mesh for the thermal stress analysis as was used for the casting simulation model, but it took only 30 min. to run the stress analysis. The results were practically identical to those generated from the general purpose stress code, and they successfully identified the cracks.

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Visit the For More Information section at www.moderncasting.com to find out more about Capcast.

ProCast

ESI Group

36800 Woodward Ave

Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304

Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone]

Web site: www.esi-group-.com

Email: scott.hayward @esi-group-na.com

Contact: Scott Hayward

Newest Feature--ProCast offers new graphical user interfaces and improved performances in speed, accuracy and modeling capabilities. It includes automatic mesh generation, thermal analysis including radiation effects, flow analysis for mold filling, fully coupled thermal, flow and stress analysis, and advanced metallurgical options. Software manager allows direct access to different modules and automatic creation of project directories. MeshCast user interface is available on all platforms. The volume meshing algorithm has been improved in order to generate fewer elements for an optimal mesh quality. The PreCast pre-processor provides interactive tools for model manipulations, material database handling and process definition.

Case History--With the help of ProCast, Umicore was able to fine-rune the diecasting of a zinc alloy thin-wailed spool. The spool, a component integrated in a safety belt mechanism, was previously made of zinc and weighed between 230-270g. Eventually, aluminum replaced zinc because of its lower weight. However, with higher operating temperatures during aluminum casting, the lifetime of the mold did not exceed 50,000 cycles.

Umicore developed a zinc spool weighing less than 120g that met the required technical specifications of extending the operating temperature range from -35-80C (-31-176F) while achieving a minimum part life of 12 years.

To manufacture the component in high-pressure diecasting, the overall part thickness had to be reduced due to weight and spokes had to be positioned to guarantee in-service performance. Internal tests and studies were conducted, and decisions were based on ProCast's analysis. Umicore performed several simulations to optimize the mold design. The initial prototype mold proved successful.

The part is produced at a competitive price in different countries for a production series of more than I million units. An advantage of the zinc spool is the reduced operating temperatures. Because of the lower melting point, the die lifetime is 10 times longer than with the aluminum spool.

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Visit the For More Information section at www.moderncasting.com to find out more about Procast.

SolidCast

Finite Solutions Inc.

4769 Highland Park Dr

Slinger, WI 53086-9441

Tel: [phone] or 877/644-0785, Fax: [phone]

Web site: www.finitesolutions.com

Email: [e-mail] or [e-mail]

Contact: David Schmidt

Newest Feature--SolidCast offers a new series of built-in "Wizards," known as the Gating Design Wizard and the Riser Design Wizard. Using these new features, the Riser Design Wizard can analyze a 3-D CAD model of a casting and suggest the number, location and size of risers or feeders, whether unsleeved or sleeved with insulating or exothermic risers. The Gating Design Wizard can suggest an optimal pouring time and calculate the correct sprue, runner and gate sizes for both horizontally and vertically parted molds.

Case History--Initial casting results for a nitronic 50 stainless steel component were disappointing. The component was relatively large and flat with a number of isolated bosses. The production process involved a shell of zircon sand backed up by poured concrete with exothermic sleeves on all risers. Due to the nature of the specialized alloy and process, each casting was worth several thousand dollars. X-ray images of the initial results showed shrinkage in almost all of the isolated bosses even though exothermic sleeves were used. Essentially, no porosity could be allowed in any portion of the casting due to customer requirements.

Using FlowCast for flow simulation and SolidCast for solidification simulation, a series of experimental simulations were run in which the size of the cylindrical pad on the bosses and the size of the sleeved riser were varied to determine the optimum configuration. Six complete simulations were performed within a week and a half. These simulations showed that an isolated hot spot formed in the casting just underneath the riser contact in the original configuration. Analysis of the results of this experiment showed that a specific increase in the diameter of the pads and a different increase in the diameter of the risers would produce the optimum results in terms of eliminating porosity. X-ray images of the castings produced with the redesigned process showed no detectable porosity anywhere.

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Visit the For More Information section at www.moderncasting.com to find out more about SolidCast.

Flow-3D

Flow Science Inc.

683 Harkle Road, Suite A

Santa Fe, NM 87505

Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone]

Web site: www.flow3d.com

Email: [e-mail]

Contact:Tom Jensen

Newest Feature--Version 9.0 of Flow-3D from Flow Science Inc. has a new capability to model the six-degrees-of-freedom motion of solid objects, fully coupled to metal flow. The General Moving Object (GMO) capability is a natural extension of the code's filling and solidification models that is not limited by the complexity of shape or motion of objects, allowing users to extend simulation analysis to modeling innovative casting systems that have not been possible before.

Case History--A process that will benefit from this capability is an automated pouring system, in which metal is delivered to the molds by a robotic manipulator. The molds, or ingots, move along a conveyor, and the metal is delivered by a tilting ladle or furnace.

Of special interest in such systems is the behavior of the free-falling metal jet, which flows out of the ladle and impinges onto the capturing reservoir on top of every mold before entering the sprue. The flow of metal is highly transient and depends on the speed at which the ladle rotates and the amount of remaining metal in the ladle. Depending on the height of the ladle above the molds, the area traversed by the jet can be significant, requiring large capturing reservoirs and conservative estimates of the pouring speed. The system can be optimized with respect to the speed of the conveyor and the ladle to increase efficiency, improve the capturing reservoir and reduce spills.

Previously, hand calculations using simplified Bernoulli-type approaches and water models were used to study the metal flow. The GMO model offers a highly accurate and affordable analysis tool. The detailed information extracted from a simulation can be used to program the robots manipulating the moving parts.

Flow-3D's oxide and air entrainment models can be used to improve the quality of the pouring process with respect to defects that may originate from excessive splashing.

The GMO model can be applied to other casting-related processes that involve both moving and stationary parts--rotating furnaces, stopper rods, high pressure diecasting shot sleeves, and liquid and semi-solid stamping.

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Visit the For More Information section at www.moderncasting.com to find out more about Flow-3D.

ADSTEFAN

Hitachi America Ltd.

34500 Grand River Ave

Farmington Hills, MI 48335

Tel: [phone]Fax: [phone]

Web site: http://dm.hap.com

Email: [e-mail]

Contact: Harsha Badarinarayan

Newest Feature--Quick and accurate computation with relatively low memory occupation is one of the main features of ADSTEFAN (ADvanced Simulation TEchnology for Foundry Aided by Numerical simulation). One unique feature is that large-scale filling simulations (which can involve mesh sizes of more than 100 million elements) can be solved on a desktop PC.

Case History--Simulations were run to predict the quality" of a magnesium Thixomolded personal computer case casting. For the casting, alloy AZ91D was shot using a 650-ton machine. The shot speed at the spree was 3m/sec. with a 0.02 sec. filling time and a total cycle time of 75 sec. Figure 1 shows the location of the defects that were observed when parts were made with initial gating and runner designs. Figure 2 shows the simulation results, which predicted that insufficient venting of air and a temperature drop caused areas of porosity. This area is the same as shown in Fig. 1, confirming a close correlation between the actual and simulated results. The defect was caused due to the asymmetric gating design between the upper and lower regions. The molten metal flow' was predominant through the lower gate as opposed to equal flow through both the regions. One of the obvious solutions to prevent air entrapment in the region would be to set the overflow in this area, but due to the restriction in the configuration of the die design, this was not feasible.

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A new gate and runner system (Fig. 2[2]) was proposed to compensate for the flow in the upper region and a new overflow was put in place (Fig. 2[3]). The resulting simulation had a marked improvement in quality, which was confirmed when the components using this design were made.

The mesh sizes used for the simulations were in the order of 15 million elements, and the computation time for flow was 4 hrs.

Visit the For More Information section at www.moderncasting.com to find out more about ADSTEFAN.

Magmasoft

Magma Foundry Technologies

2340 S. Arlington Heights Road

Arlington Heights, IL 60005

Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone]

Web site: www.magmasoft.com

Email: [e-mail]

Contact: Tim McMillin

Newest Feature--Success comes from understanding the variables that lead to defects. These same variables, when properly controlled, allow for optimization of the casting process. To achieve this, the newest version of Magmasoft and its modules can: predict microstructure and mechanical properties; perform mold line optimization, including shakeout determination; consider effects of different sands and other materials on casting quality; determine residual stresses, including cracking and tearing; transfer data to FEA; automatically optimize gating, rigging and other process aspects; evaluate the use of filters, sleeves, chills and other feeding aids; and go from a CAD file to simulation start in minutes.

Case History--Magma has developed simulation capabilities to consider specific metallurgical compositions, metal treatment practices and other important process parameters, allowing for the prediction of microstructure development and the resulting mechanical properties.

Metal Technologies recently applied Magmasoft and the Magma iron module to a ductile iron hub casting. The specific iron composition and metal treatment was characterized within the software. The resulting microstructure predictions include nodule count results and the percent pearlite/ferrite.

Metal Technologies compared casting samples pulled from the production line to the Magmasoft results. The simulation predictions directly correlated with production.

Figure 1 shows the prediction of pearlite throughout the castings and Fig. 2 charts the samples taken from production and compares them to the predicted results.

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The result was the accurate prediction of the microstructure, yield strength, elongation and Brinell hardness. This allowed Metal Technologies to assess these castings in advance and guarantee they would exceed the customer's requirements.

Visit the For More Information section at www.moderncasting.com to find out more about Magmasoft.

WinCast

Simtec Inc.

3663 Broadmoor SE

Grand Rapids, MI 49512

Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone]

Web site: www.simtec-inc.com

Email: [e-mail]

Contact: Don Wade

Newest Feature--Through rapid fire iterations made possible by built-in CAD system, solutions can be reached rapidly and precisely. Using the unique, validated stress module, casting distortion, mold distortion, and thermal and mechanical stress analysis can be utilized.

Case History--Lindgren-Pitman Inc. is a supplier of equipment to the long-line fishing industry. The firm supplied equipment for use in the movie, "The Perfect Storm." Lindgren-Pitman owner Pete Lindgren wanted to redesign his existing reel to reduce cost while improving aesthetics, fit and function, as well as manufacturability.

This casting was a "Clean Sheet," optimized fishing reel design that includes two aluminum castings that are 40 in. in diameter and weigh 215 lbs. each. They are attached to the ends of an 8-ft. long hollow cylinder, or spool, that is 22 in. in diameter and helps withstand up to 1.3 million lbs. of accumulated load from Lip to 50 nautical miles of 1,000-1b. test nylon fishing line with 1,000 hooks attached.

Using finite element simulation modeling from Simtec Inc., a design was created around the stress field experienced by the reel. Rapid development technology established the optimum material, process and casting design validation.

In conjunction with engineers at Eck Industries, a final casting design evolved, and a mold design was created from the 3-D model. Process parameters were determined and cooling lines were designed into the mold. The low-pressure permanent mold casting process was chosen with special considerations given to insulating the sprue area and to metal flow through the feed paths. Stress and distortion studies were simulated to ensure that this A356 aluminum alloy casting with T6 heat treatment would not distort, resulting in minimized machining costs. Successful castings were produced on the first trial run, resulting in a total cost savings of $700/reel. Fit and function also improved.

This project demonstrated that one finite element software package could be used for all functions of cost-effective optimization. The software demonstrates the flexibility to import any CAD data; the capability to modify the data and add gating and risering; the ability to perform mold fill and solidification simulation; the capability to measure residual stress and distortion of part and mold; and the capability to perform stress analysis of thermal and/or mechanical loading.

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Visit the For More Information section at www.moderncasting.com to find out more about WinCast.