RCT takes layer-by-layer approach to mold, core production.

In the metalcasting process, shaving even just a few seconds off of the total time it takes to cast a component can make a huge difference. Several steps of the process offer opportunities to gain those valuable seconds. Or, to drastically cut down on the production time, steps can be entirely eliminated. This can be achieved by skipping over the patternmaking process and producing sand molds and cores directly from CAD data.

This idea of rapid prototyping is not new to North American metalcasters, but the process of automatically producing molds and cores layer-by-layer from CAD data is.

The ProMetal $15 from the ProMetal Div. of ExtrudeHone, Irwin, Pa., has the capability to directly convert 3-D solid model data into molds and cores up to 59 x 29 x 27 in. (1,500 x 750 x 700 mm) without patterns or manual setup. The system is capable of producing multiple molds or cores at once. This rapid casting technology (RCT), which is currently operating in just one metalcasting facility in the U.S., allows metalcasters to skip over the manufacturing of tooling and go straight to mold and coremaking, saving valuable time. The technology can be used to cast common ferrous, aluminum and copper-based alloys.

The S15 includes an unloading station that automatically removes the finished molds or cores from the job box, where the actual construction occurs. The system also is fitted with a sand mixer, building platform, roller conveyor and industrial suction equipment.

The process starts by loading the CAD data onto the computer display. The data is then transformed into a .CLI file, which converts the 3-D object into a sequence of slices. The .CLI file is then transferred to the S15 over a standard network connection. Minutes after the design is complete, the RCT can begin fabricating the mold or core components.

The assembly process is done through, "solid free-form fabrication," where the mold or core components are created layer-by-layer. Bulk sand is fed directly into the mixer using compression (such as a vacuum conveyor) and then is mixed with the hardener on demand from the system's process station. The sand used is typical metalcasting facility sand bonded with furan resin.

The sand is transferred to the job box, where the production process begins by lowering the cast iron build platform. Each laver of the mold or core is evenly spread over a given thickness according to the CAD data. The system creates successive cross-sections of molds and cores, allowing for the creation of undercuts, zero draft angle, re-entrant features, surface textures, lettering and graphics.

The binding agent is then applied through the use of an industrial-grade print head at selected locations determined by the CAD data. The hardening agent contained in the sand hardens the binder and creates the object one layer at a time from top to bottom.

Once completed, the job box slides outside of the machine on a powered conveyor system and moves to the unloading station, where an industrial-grade vacuum cleaner separates the parts from the supporting sand. Molds and cores are then able to be poured immediately with no further processing.

Because the patternmaking process has been eliminated, the technology delivers time savings that can often be measured in weeks.

Select No. 001 at www.moderncasting.com/info

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