. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CASTING INNOVATIONS
After making the changes, Epcor
re-ran the simulation and saw the gating filled evenly and reduced the metal turbulence as the alloy fi lled the cavity. The casting facility worked with its customer to discuss the simulation results and review the proposed casting changes.
With the okay from its customer,
Epcor cut the tooling for the core boxes and patterns and ran a few sample parts. “The mold produced good parts
that exceeded the customer’s require- ments from the very fi rst casting,” Maratta said. “The quality is good,
and the cost was reduced since we were able to eliminate the chill. Most important, we were able to make a better part right out of the gate, shortening the development and startup time.”
METAL
Visit
www.esi-group.com for more information.
Patternless Moldmaking Works for Large Parts
A
new moldmaking technol- ogy, Nopatech, makes it possible to produce proto- type and short-run castings in one to two weeks using
a nine-axis robot to machine blank sand molds. The process produces cores and molds from 20 x 20 in. (50.8 x 50.8 cm) to 115 x 115 in. (292.1 x 292.1 cm) without patterns. Iron casting facility Fonderie Sa-
guenay, Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada, recognized instances where end-users were using machined or welded pro- totype parts in cases where castings would perform better because the cost and time associated with pat- ternmaking were too high. Using robotics and innovations in soft- ware technology, Fonderie Saguenay, which exports worldwide, began developing its Nopatech method to produce large gray and ductile iron short-run and prototype castings quickly. With the sand machining
method, parts can be cast one or two weeks after the recep- tion of a customer drawing. Because investment in pattern tooling is not required, short production runs, prototypes and urgent repairs can be produced with cost savings between 30 and 80% compared to the traditional pat- tern/casting scenario. According to Jean-Phillippe Lefebre,
pattern shop supervisor for Baldor- Maska, Sainte-Claire, Quebec, Canada, the manufacturer of power transmission components recently saved money and time on a part that couldn’t wait the typi- cal time needed for pattern fabrication.
50 METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING “One of our clients needed a part on
an urgent basis,” he said. “We received the cast part one week after order- ing, and when we measured it, the dimensions were as good as it would
A nine-axis robot machines a large sand mold in Fonderie Saguenay’s Nopatech process.
This 710-lb. iron sheave was pro- duced without a pattern.
have been with a pattern. The surface fi nish was also good.” The Nopatech process breaks the molding sand grain
apart, whereas in traditional molding, the sand is compacted. Fonderie Saguenay uses a wash on the molds to achieve 500 RMS
surface fi nish on its castings. According to Fonderie Saguenay,
the patternless moldmaking pro- cess is an alternative to polystyrene foam pa t t e r ns or we ldment prototypes.
METAL
Visit
www.nopatech.com for more information.
JULY/AUGUST 2011
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