These are the designs of a typical 3-D printed sand core. All dimensions are in inches.
with metallic foams result in higher plate bending stiff ness and lower weight. Foam materials have been made from base materials such as polymers, ceramics and some met- als such as aluminum and titanium. Aluminum and titanium foams are becoming popular in the aerospace and automotive industries. Steel is one of the most widely used engineer- ing materials by the designers, and yet there is no commercially available foam using steel as the base metal. As a result, applications of steel foams in civil structures have not yet been demonstrated. T is opens the opportunity for
material with properties that are superior to solid steels in selected applications. Maynard Steel has been exploring cost eff ective steel foam and now can cast the mate- rial with consistent densities with predictable properties with hardness values ranging from 100-400 BHN. T e properties could be attractive for ballistic-resistant applications not only in military structures but also in civil engineering structures such as buildings and bridges. Maynard Steel hopes the innova-
tion opens a new area of research for material scientists to carry out material characterization and property deter- mination with the availability of test material of any desired density and properties with a hardness range of 100-400 BHN. Before Maynard Steel performs
further testing to definitively determine the process’ feasibility, it is looking for a partner to focus its efforts. As of now, the product is not
considered ready for the market.
Variable Density Lightweight Steel Foam At Maynard Steel, steel foam is
Shown is a variable density lightweight steel plate with 80% weight compared to a solid plate.
made using nobake sand molds and 3-D printed cores of proprietary design to incorporate the desired porous structure in the steel cast- ings. The method includes the steps of: providing a 3-D printed sand core bonded with a furan nobake binder system, placing the 3-D printed sand core in a sand mold bonded with ester-cured nobake binder system, providing a suitable gating system for entry of molten steel into the mold, de-coring the casting after shakeout, and providing suitable heat treatment after the casting is separated from the gating system. The manufacture of steel foam plates and components with consistent desired densities and predictable properties on an in- dustrial scale with a low-cost con- ventional sand casting process is unique. Maynard Steel envisions the new process could change how future designs of steel structures
Jan/Feb 2017 | METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING | 43
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