# US 11,027,329 B2 · Systems and methods for producing manufacturing molds for metal casting > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,027,329 B2 - Document ID: US11027329B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/593,964 - Filed: 2017-05-12 - Published: 2017-11-16 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2016-05-12 - Assignees: Matthews International Corporation - Applicants: Matthews International Corporation - Inventors: Yurij F. Wowczuk; Greg Geers - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11027329B2 ## CPC - B22C 9/02: Sand moulds or like moulds for shaped castings - B22C 9/22: Moulds for peculiarly-shaped castings - B22C 13/00: Moulding machines for making moulds or cores of particular shapes - B22D 25/02: by its peculiarity of shape; of works of art {(cylinders, pistons B22D15/02)} - B29C 64/386: Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing - B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing - B33Y 30/00: Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor - B33Y 50/00: Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing - B33Y 50/02: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes - B33Y 70/00: Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing - B33Y 80/00: Products made by additive manufacturing - G05B 19/4099: Surface or curve machining, making three-dimensional [3D] objects, e.g. desktop manufacturing - B29L 2031/757: {Moulds, cores, dies} - G05B 2219/35044: Tool, design of tool, mold, die tooling - G05B 2219/49023: 3-D printing, layer of powder, add drops of binder in layer, new powder - Y02P 80/40: Minimising material used in manufacturing processes - Y02P 90/02: Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] - B22C: FOUNDRY MOULDING (moulding refractory materials in general B28B) - B22D: CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES (shaping of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29C; metallurgical processing, selection of substances to be added to metal C21, C22) - B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00) - B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - B29L: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract Methods and systems for creating a mold for a cast memorialization product are described herein. In a process for creating a mold, a three-dimensional (3D) model of a product design is generated. The product design includes customized features for a memorialization product. A mold design is generated based upon the 3D model of the product design. Printing instructions for creating the mold are generated and accessed by a processing device. The mold is created according to the printing instructions. A product, such as a bronze memorialization product, can be cast using the mold. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for creating a mold for a cast memorialization product, the method comprising: generating, by a processing device, a three-dimensional (3D) model for each of one or more product designs, wherein each product design includes customized features for a memorialization product; generating, by the processing device, a mold design for each product design based upon the 3D model of the product design; generating, by the processing device, printing instructions for creating each mold; optimizing, by the processing device, the printing instructions for each mold according to a nesting strategy, thereby generating nested printing instructions; accessing, by a manufacturing device, the nested printing instructions from the processing device; and creating, by the manufacturing device, the mold for casting each memorialization product according to the nested printing instructions. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein generating the 3D model comprises: receiving, by the processing device, product design information, wherein the product design information contains polygonal information; converting, by the processing device, the polygonal information to voxel information; determining, by the processing device, an acceptable resolution for the 3D model; and generating, by the processing device, the 3D model based on the voxel information at the acceptable resolution. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein determining the acceptable resolution for the 3D model is based upon voxel sizes resulting from the conversion of polygonal information to voxel information. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein generating the mold design comprises: orienting and positioning, by the processing device, the 3D model; determining, by the processing device, one or more support structures for the mold design; determining, by the processing device, one or more slicing patterns for the mold design; performing, by the processing device, path planning for the mold design; optimizing, by the processing device, the mold design; and generating, by the processing device, the mold design. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein determining one or more slicing patterns comprises determining an adaptive slicing pattern for the mold design. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein optimizing the mold design comprises at least one of: determining a wall thickness to prevent blow-out defects; determining a minimum mold height to achieve an independent and stable pour velocity; determining a pour cup strategy; and determining a venting strategy. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the customized features for the memorialization product comprise one or more of customized text, images, borders, and decorations. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein creating the mold comprises using an additive manufacturing process to create the mold. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the additive manufacturing process uses sand to create the mold. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising casting the memorialization product by adding molten metal to the created mold. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein optimizing the printing instructions for each mold according to a nesting strategy comprises nesting each mold design for the one or more product designs within a single work area. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein nesting each mold design comprises nesting each mold design within the work area to optimize one or more of material usage and production speed. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein optimizing the printing instructions is based on one or more of sizing information, profile information, depth information, surface roughness information, feature complexity information, and font information. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more product designs comprises a plurality of product designs. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein creating the mold for casting each memorialization product comprises creating the molds for each of the plurality of product designs simultaneously in a single batch process.