15th WCIC Agenda
9:35 a.m. – 10:05 a.m. Wireless Sensors for Investment Casting Shell Data Acquisition Nathaniel Bryant, University of Northern Iowa Current investment casting methods include a degree of
process variation that has been the source of casting defects and ultimately delays in product delivery. It is estimated that quality issues including casting defects resulting from process variation can cost manufacturers millions in rejected parts or delivery delays. Determining variations in the shelling and casting process can predict casting success and provide valuable information to improve the casting process. This information can form the basis for foundries wishing to advance into manufacturing 4.0. Data from the shelling and casting process can aide metal casters in refining their processes to higher levels than ever before possible. Sensors within molds can collect process data which include temperature, pressure, moisture, gas chemistries, shift and rotation detection, and the magnetic field. The magnetic field, for instance, may provide insights into the flow of metal in mold cavities or even solidification. The University of Northern Iowa and Youngstown State University have developed a new low cost technology that has the ability to track the investment casting dipping and drying process along with casting data and transmit the results wirelessly for documentation. The technology uses low cost microcomputers and has the ability to sense and measure several critical characteristics simultaneously. The low cost of the technology utilized allows multiple trees to be tracked, individually recording their information.
10:05 a.m. – 10:35 a.m. Advanced Plasma Coating of
Wax Injection Moulds – Eliminating Release Agents from the IC Process Dr. Dirk Lehmhus, Fraunhofer IFAM Investment casting is based on processing large quantities of lost wax patterns. The common process for producing these is wax injection moulding, which requires release agents (e.g. silicone oils) to facilitate the demoulding process. Without these release agents, ejection of the wax patterns without damage is impossible. However, the use of release agents entails a number of disadvantages, among them economic and environmental as well as health issues. These include the cost of cleaning wax patterns to wash away residues of release agents, as well as the contamination of the working environment and thus possible health hazards for employees caused by silicone aerosols. Furthermore, release agents can bring about quality issues in the wax room and necessitate costly efforts at their removal from the injection moulds. In our successfully completed research project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi, AiF IGF 18915N), an innovative, ready- to-use alternative has been developed in the form of a long-term stable plasma polymer release coating which
August 2022 ❘ 31 ®
allows complete elimination of any additional release agent. This surface coating is characterized by its excellent adhesion to the metallic mould and in particular by its high cohesion strength and low surface energy. The coating exactly reproduces the geometry and surface features of the injection mould and does not influence its dimensional accuracy, as the maximum layer thickness is limited to approx. 2 µm. The coating can be applied both on new and already used production moulds. Re-coating has also been demonstrated successfully. In the course of an initial validation in an industrial environment, a German Foundry has produced more than 40,000 wax parts (turbocharger wheel) completely free of release agents. Other pilot customers are already using the coating successfully and profitably in series production.
10:35 a.m. – 10:50 a.m. BREAK
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