Letterbox.Innovations in Metalcasting Technology Abound in November Timeline MODERN CASTING is to be congratulated for the November 2002 article "Timeline of Casting Technology," which reviewed the innovations that have kept our industry serving the world and "changed the face of the casting process." Sometimes we forget just how good this "mature" technology really is. However, I think the article missed a couple of major innovations that originated in the investment casting investment casting Precision casting for forming metal shapes with minutely precise details. Casting bronze or precious metals typically involves several steps, including forming a mold around the sculptured form; detaching the mold (in two or more sections); coating its industry. Directional solidification Directional solidification is a series of measures applied to control the feeding of castings. As most metals and alloys solidify, changing from the liquid state to the solid state they will undergo an appreciable volume contraction. and single crystal casting technology, pioneered at United Technologies in the early 1960s, showed that we could control grain structure in castings far more precisely than anyone had thought. More than that, it allowed U.S. aircraft engine makers to dominate the world aircraft engine markets. The production casting technology, developed at then TRW TRW The Real World (TV reality show) TRW The Right Way TRW Tactical Reconnaissance Wing TRW The Retriever Weekly (University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD) TRW Thompson Ramo Wooldridge Inc Metals (now Precision Castparts Corp. Airfoils) by Don Fleck, Frank Hem and Dick Chandley, put U.S. foundries in the lead in this multimillion dollar market. In addition, the principles developed are now beginning to be applied in other cast products. Another innovation was the development of a method to cast titanium alloys Titanium alloys are metallic materials which contain a mixture of titanium and other chemical elements. Such alloys have very high tensile strength and toughness (even at extreme temperatures), light weight, extraordinary corrosion resistance, and ability to withstand extreme at Precision Castparts Corp. in the 1960s. This market now includes prosthetics pros·thet·ics n. The branch of medicine or surgery that deals with the production and application of artificial body parts. pros , as well as aircraft components. This ability to cast titanium may, sooner rather than later, be applied to automotive components. Be sure to keep the history file active: there are bound to be more innovations to keep our industry going. Tom Piwonka Retired Director of Metalcasting Technology Center University of Alabama The University of Alabama (also known as Alabama, UA or colloquially as 'Bama) is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA. Founded in 1831, UA is the flagship campus of the University of Alabama System. |
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