A SHINING EXAMPLE The “Viseum” in Wetzlar, Germany, is featuring
a 7.5-ft. cast bronze, nickel-plated spoon sculpture produced using the selective laser sintering (SLS) method. Watch a video demonstrating the 3-D
printer’s RP process at
http://www.voxeljet.de/en/systems/vx1000/#. SLS prototypes can be used for sand and investment
casting.
It took approximately 10 hours for the machine to bind thousands of 0.00591-inch (0.15 mm) powder layers together.
The CAD data of this nickel-plated bronze sculpture was transferred to a printer, which produced a plastic model of the bowl of the spoon.
The printed polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) model was used to produce a sand mold that was cast in bronze.
greater design fl exibility, as the elimina- tion of the tooling step removes some limitations from the process of achieving the desired geometry. One of the newest rapid manu-
facturing approaches is for molds and cores to be computer numerical control (CNC) machined from a block of bonded sand. It skips the patternmak- ing step for prototyping and short production runs, and allows designers to test a casting before creating the permanent tooling. T is method off ers a particular benefi t for larger parts that cannot be produced in one piece using additive RP equipment. In addition,
robotically automated production lines can produce machined molds quickly.
A Diecasting Difference For diecasting, the options for rapid
manufacturing are machined tooling, laser-based die insert fabrication and plaster molding. T e rapid manufacturing method
most often employed for diecasting production is plaster molding. Depending on the required surface fi nish and accuracy of a diecast part, an RP-generated pattern can be used to create a rubber mold, which is then fi lled with plaster to form a mold the metal is
28 | METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING | Nov/Dec 2012
poured into to produce a casting. Plaster castings often are used to eliminate hard tooling costs for parts with tolerances suited to this method, as well as for prototyping or testing. T ey also are employed as a temporary substi- tute while the hard tooling is prepared.
@
ONLINE RESOURCE
“Rapid Tooling Opens New Diecasting Doors,” at
www.metalcastingdesign.com.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60