WINNERS


O’Fallon’s Thin, Lightweight Conversion Prototype Garners Aerospace Award


R


ecipient of the Investment Casting Institute’s Aerospace Casting Award, O’Fallon Casting has demonstrated that


an investment cast aircraft chassis for power distribution offers a better manufacturing solution than the dip brazed assembly its seeking to replace. Not only does a single investment casting replace a multi-piece assembly, but the casting is stiffer and dimensionally more stable. The new investment casting is cast in aluminum (A356 T6) and measures approximately 18″ x 8″ x 5.5″. The original dip brazed chassis was not proving to be either rigid or accurate enough to satisfy the customer’s need. When an investment cast alternative was proposed, a prototype was produced using an SLA pattern from the CAD model of original assembly. The part configuration, which favors the dip braze process, is composed of thin (.05″) flat members with little structural rigidity and no contains for fillet radii. O’Fallon representatives indicate a redesign of the chassis will enhance the castability of the configuration and provide the customer greater design flexibility to improve the manufacturability of the end product.


WINNER


O’Fallon Casting


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