A world made of metal

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• Aluminum Casting...
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Aluminum Casting Technologies Aluminum Casting Technologies and Cost Modelling of Fluid Flow Inside a Die Cavity effectiveness Using  Smoothed  Particle  Hydrodynamics Aluminum is the established metal of choice To develop a simulation technique to assist for the production of light weight components industry in design and optimisation of dies in the automotive, aerospace and transport and  products. industries. Casting liquid aluminum alloys into metal moulds using processes such as This year has seen extensive developments in gravity, low pressure and high pressure die the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) casting is a cost effective means of code along with testing undertaken to improve producing complex shapes that require minimal the robustness and speed of modelling. machining. Australia's automotive industry Enhancements were also made to the supports a strong local aluminum die casting visualisation techniques used to display industry, producing parts that include results from SPH's three dimensional (3D) automotive transmission housings, cylinder simulation results. 3D SPH isothermal heads, inlet manifolds and engine sumps.(Ref: simulations and animations of parts from Nissan and Metaldyne showing complex filling Growth in world automotive markets for patterns were completed. Observations by aluminium die cast components is creating staff at Nissan Casting of the casting's significant opportunities and challenges for filling pattern during production were the Australian industry, which is positioning consistent with the SPH modelling itself as a global player. Through predictions. partnerships between our research organisations and key automotive participants Water analogue images from a clear perspex such as Nissan and Ford, CAST has developed model of a servo piston die casting part and innovative and novel technologies that have digitised short shots of an aluminium casting benefited our partner's productivity. In were completed for validation with flow turn, these technologies have created IP that predictions from SPH. The validation process is poised on the verge of commercialisation. and further computational speed improvements An example featured is CASTcoat a project will be completed next year. Further that began as postgraduate research at CSIRO developments of the SPH code particularly in and The University of Queensland. It was the areas of heat transfer, solidification, developed further under CAST project funding surface oxide prediction, robustness and at CSIRO with industrial trials at Nissan, speed  are  planned  in  future  work. Ford, Merne Products, Castalloy and others. Now it is a provisionally patented Tailoring of reform's New Die Coat for LPDC technology.  (Ref: and  GDC Cycle  Time  Reduction To commercialise the die coat technology for low pressure and gravity die casting and Automated Fault Detection in Aluminium Die further  improve  die  coat  properties. Casting Industrial trials were carried out Modelling of Fluid Flow Inside a Die Cavity successfully in several low pressure and Using  Smoothed  Particle  Hydrodynamics gravity die casting plants. Its performance was enhanced in low draft angle areas of the Tailoring of CAST's New Die Coat for LPDC and die by application of a sealer. Two GDC provisional patents covering inventions related  to  have  been  lodged. Integrated  Gravity  Die  Design  Methodology Integrated  Gravity  Die  Design  Methodology Improved Quality Aluminium Automotive Castings To develop an integrated die design methodology for gravity die casting that can Reduction in Metal Pressure in the HPDC achieve optimal die filling, optimal feeding Process and  yield,  and  dimensional  stability. Cycle  Time  Reduction A new design of feeders to address the root cause of shrinkage porosity defects in an To increase productivity of high pressure die inlet manifold casting was implemented on a casting by reducing casting machine cycle customer's die and resulted in excellent time  by  30%. outcomes. A study was completed on the use of "squeeze pins" to reduce or eliminate More than a 20% reduction in cycle time has shrinkage defects in a gravity test die. The been achieved and implemented on selected squeeze pin technique demonstrated that parts at two industry partner plants. The surface shrinkage can be effectively project has involved identification of eliminated and associated internal micro opportunities to reduce the process cycle shrinkage can be significantly reduced in the time, performing research to prove the locations tried. The squeeze pin concept was concept and then carrying out the actual extended to include application as a trial to prove the theoretical findings. This mechanical squeeze/shear gate to reduce necessitated the involvement of shopfloor fettling requirement. The mechanism staff in order to implement changes to the implemented on a test die allowed the process. Such trials are often in conflict shearing of the gate before full with the day to day production of parts and solidification, with adjustment to produce only through true cooperation has it been variable  gate  widths. possible  to  achieve the project objectives. The final part of the methodology to be The third year of this project has shown the developed is optimal die filling through development of true cooperation between variable tilt pouring from a ladle. To ensure researchers and industrial partners where the smooth flow, the variable tilting motion can latest research findings obtained through be programmed to match the filling rate with modelling and simulation have been changes in the instantaneous flow area. Flow implemented on the shopfloor with the help evaluation is done by real time X-ray and support of staff from Ford and Nissan. radiography on a test die. The effect of die The changes, once trialed during a production geometry, especially wall thickness, on die period, have been implemented as part of the distortion will be investigated using process, hence providing ongoing cost computer simulation that models thermal benefits through a reduction in the time stresses  in  casting  cycles. required  to  produce  each  component. Improved Quality Aluminium Automotive An example of implementation is a reduction Castings in cycle time at Nissan on a gearbox side cover produced in a twin cavity die that has To improve the overall performance of low shown successful production results over many pressure die casting operations by months from an original cycle time of 75 implementing improved tools in design and seconds down to 60 seconds. Whilst research process  control  to  reduce casting defects. at Ford on a converter housing casting has shown successful implementation of cycle time Successful development of appropriate tooling reduction  from  90  seconds  to  74 seconds. design and process control has been achieved for the low pressure die casting (LPDC) In future work we will look for further process to cast small automotive components. opportunities with current stakeholders and A multi-cavity die design was selected and the die casting industry in general, to optimised by solidification simulation. implement the horizontal deployment of cycle Several dies of this design are being used to time reduction across other machines and produce high-volume, high-integrity parts. parts. Casting parameters were also investigated to improve the casting quality and reduce the Automated Fault Detection in Aluminium Die cycle time. Die trials were conducted on an Casting LPDC research die to investigate the effect of casting geometry and process parameters on To develop and implement an automatic fault shrinkage defects in castings having several detection system for surface and sub-surface fundamental features of cylinder heads. The defects. die trial successfully produced castings with shrinkage defects in one particular area A fully automated fault detection machine sandwiched in the sand core, as predicted. called CASTvision has been developed and a Analysis of castings made on the LPDC prototype system is ready for extended pseudo-cylinder head research die will be in-plant on-line trials. This project is in completed to establish relationships between its third year and exciting results are now porosity  defects  and  process  parameters. emerging. The results from the algorithm, which was designed and developed during the Reduction in Metal Pressure in the HPDC second year of the project, have been put to Process the test this year. Through prototyping, the CAST team have designed and developed a To investigate the role of metal pressure on working system, CASTvision. For Ford's the production of quality parts in high converter housing casting the off-line system pressure  die  casting. can detect and discriminate between defective and good parts. The prototype system is In the final six months of this project, capable of identifying blocked holes on any effort was focused on innovative of the holes on this complex casting. technologies. One such technology was Off-line systems have also been developed designed to absorb impact pressure spikes where hot tears and cold shuts can be that cause detrimental flashing and the other detected  on  Ford's structural sump casting. technology involved revamping the hydraulics of ageing die casting machines to improve Work at Nissan on their pump cover casting product quality. A novel shock absorbing has resulted in a CASTvision prototype system technology was developed that utilised for in-line fault detection. The system is existing casting overflows. Die casting able to capture images and identify certain trials at CSIRO confirmed the effectiveness categories of defects on the surface of the of this technology in absorbing impact part. This project has demonstrated that pressure shocks upon cavity filling. Through advances in machine vision applied to fault in-plant trials at Nissan Casting Plant the detection of aluminium castings can be taken limits of hydraulic valve timing and circuit from the concept stage through to a working functioning were confirmed. A proposal for a prototype very successfully. The next step revamp to improve intensification pressure for this project is to take the concepts from response was put forward. The project single part to multi part systems able to concluded in December 2001. Ford Australia handle more complex shapes and surfaces. This may adopt the reduced pressure operating outcome will be a strong candidate for future parameters for the production of their new commercialisation. Barra model engine sumps later in 2002. 1 A B C D 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 95 96 97 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109