Processes include shell, lost wax, 3D sandprinting and 3D printing...
Shell moulding
For precision cast iron parts up to approximately 35kg at a medium volume production. The shell moulding process produces castings with a high dimensional accuracy, good surface finish, and excellent reproduction of detail. These qualities often reduce the amount of subsequent machining, assembly and finishing when compared with conventional casting methods and therefore result in cost savings.
Vacuum backed shell moulding
For large precision cast iron parts up to 100kg at medium volume production. Vacuum backed shell moulding offers all the benefits of the standard shell process with the ability to cast larger more complex castings. This is possible because the moulds are supported at high pressure by vacuum pumps to prevent any mould failures. These pumps also aid gas removal and therefore help to produce high quality castings.
Airset casting
Airset casting is used for high quality iron parts which are too heavy to be shell moulded. This process can be used for castings weighing up to 500kg.
Greensand casting
Greensand casting is for basic, low cost cast iron parts up to 22kg at low volume or batch production.
Investment casting
The investment (or lost wax) casting process uses a wax pattern created from a precision mould which is dipped in ceramic slurry and coated with ceramic material. This process is duplicated until a substantial shell is formed. The wax is melted out of the mould leaving a perfect impression which can be filled with metal. This process has many advantages (in addition to cost saving) when creating small parts. These include a uniform series of parts as they are all derived from the same master, high structural integrity, excellent surface finish and a wide range of metals are suitable. Please visit Newby Investment Castings for more information.
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3D sand printing
RapidCast uses an advanced 3D sand printing process which allows for the creation of sand moulds and cores direct from CAD data without the need for tooling. This process has massive benefits for the production of small batch castings in terms of cost and timescales. A wide range of materials and geometries that are impossible to produce using traditional methods can be cast. The maximum build area of this machine is 1500 x 750 x 700mm. We are able to produce castings from this method in as little as 3 days from receipt of final CAD data.
3D printing
Our own in-house 3D printing facilities allow us to produce concept models in as little as 24 hours for a wide range of applications. These include:
-Fit and form validation
-Physical concept models
-Functional testing
-Flow analysis
-3D FEA analysis
-Prototype mould production
-Finished components
Prices are very competitive in comparison with other rapid prototyping methods and further reductions can be achieved depending on the timescale requirements of your project. Maximum build size is 250 x 200 x 200mm, but larger components can be assembled if required.
Hybrid moulding
By combining 3D sand printing and shell/airset moulding we can offer a fast, cost effective method of producing castings which allows for small batch production and quicker time to market for full production batches. Typical applications include the production of complex core assemblies without the need for tooling and production castings to be produced while waiting for full core mould patterns. Custom hybrid prototype techniques can also be developed for customers who require unique casting geometries. |
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