able to produce an actual cast- ing. The CAD model from the designer typically does not take into consideration the draft that must be present on the pattern in order to make a mold for the casting. In addition, the quality of the casting that the customer wants has a lot to do with the confi guration of the rigging for the mold, as well as the attitude from which the mold is poured. So, prior experience and
“ We use Unigraphics NX6 for sketching models. We also use
casting suppliers for general information on design.
”
—Jimmy King, Casting Commodity Strategist, FMC Technologies Inc., Stephenville, Texas
a good understanding of the casting process and all that is involved with it is the most important tool when designing cast- ings. Solid modeling software all work equally well for the modeling of cast- ings. The proper development of a CAD model can translate into a lot of savings for the building of patterns and cores, especially when building steel patterns or cores on CNC machining equipment. The various solidifi cation
products will give you a general idea if you are on the right track for the gating and rigging of a casting. When you’re dealing with an exceptionally diffi cult casting, a collaboration of coworkers is always a great place to start. You never know where the best idea will come from. Trade group websites, the internet
The Tool Roundup T
he designers surveyed by Metal Casting Design & Purchasing mentioned a variety of tools on their drafting table (or on their computers). Following is a look at the different tools that were mentioned:
Magmasoft
Solid Works Unigraphics NX6
Pro/ENGINEER ASM Metals Handbooks
NovaCast TopSolid
Trade Organization Websites Miscellaneous Web Resources
Supplier Help MSC Nastran Finite Element Analysis MSC Fatigue
ADAMS Working Model
Adobe Photoshop Corel Painter
Clay Models
ICEM Surf Stereolithography
CNC Machining Equipment University Assistance SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010 METAL CASTING DESIGN AND PURCHASING 45
in general and local colleges are all good places to start for additional information on how to design castings. Other indus- try members, and well-known suppliers to the metalcasting industry, are all good places to obtain information.
Designer: Steven Moyer COMPANY: Energy & Resource
Technology Hub, a unit of Harsco, Camp Hill, Pa. POSITION: Mechanical Designer I use the standard Pro/EN- GINEER 4.0 Wildfi re package
to create my cast parts.
Designer: Edward Vinarcik LOCATION: West Lafayette, Ind. POSITION: Product Engineer At this time, we perform no solidi-
fi cation modeling using software. We use a CAD product for modeling, and we manufacture rapid prototypes us-
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