Simple Solutions That Work! Issue 5

While many people think of additive (3D) manufacturing as a relatively new technology, it has actually been around since the 1980’s. The applications have largely been focused on plastic and metal printing. It has not been until recent years that additive (3D) manufacturinghas become amore soughtafter technology inthemetal castings industry, predominantly for the printing of sand cores and molds. While the majority of the metal castings industry is starting to adopt this technology, it still has a long road to travel when compared to other markets in which end parts are printed directly for utilization. However, printing finished castings is also becoming a growing market, especially for highly specialized and low volume parts. This articlewill be focusedon some of the advantages of additive (3D) manufacturing, advancing resin technology and exploring the future of this innovative manufacturing technique. 3D PRINTING INTO THE FUTURE ADVANTAGES OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING OVER CONVENTIONAL CORE/ MOLD MAKING PROCESSES Several authors and equipment suppliers have shown many advantages of adopting additive (3D) manufacturing to the core and mold making process. Some major advantages are as follows:* 1 Comp l ex core mak i ng manufacturing at competitive costs and with a higher degree of consistency 2 Zero or negative draft 3 Ability to re-design parts in near real-time 4 No tooling investment required 5 Technology compatible with other modeling software’s 6 S i gn i f i c a n t s a v i ng i n development stages Comp l e x co r e pac k age manufacturing sheds light on a very important advantage of additive manufacturing. Traditional methods requirea seriesof steps,whichcould include such things as producing a complex core geometry in many individual parts, assembling these parts (many times by gluing them together), and placing them on a holding base. Each of these steps opens the door for potential errors or inconsistencies fromcore tocore, aside from the time and labor that takes tocomplete thecorepackage. Using additive manufacturing, the core can be made as a solid piece regardless of the intricacies providing a staggering level of consistency (density, hardness, resin amount, permeability). Enhanced consistency means much tighter tolerances, which is amust for high performance castings. In today’s market, there are several equipment manufacturers that offer a wide array of printer options depending on the size, complexity and volume of the parts needed. OEM’s, equipment suppliers, core- shops, and universities have made important investments in this field and have adopted this technology whether it be for educational, R&D, or commercial means. According to Travis Frush, Project Manager at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) Metal CastingCenter, it wasn’t long ago that these printers could only be used with a single type of aggregate and resin system. Due to market demand to produce cores and molds with the same materials currently used on the production floor we now see advancement in the use ofmanymoldingmedia and 28 SIMPLE SOLUTIONS THAT WORK! Ayax Rangel & Sara Hutchinson HA-International, LLC Article Takeaways: 1. Availability of foundries to adopt this technology is rapidly increasing 2. The market will see a more abundant binder selection 3. Technology Centers will play large role in advancement of technologies