Systems and methods for hybrid sand casting
AssigneeMatthews International Corporation
InventorsYurij F. Wowczuk, Jake A. Vargo, Bernard A. Kuhn, Jr., Gregory Allen Geers
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hybrid method of casting a metal product is disclosed. The method includes obtaining a product design, creating a mold insert based on the product design, creating a mold base based on the product design, assembling the mold insert with the mold base to form an assembled mold, casting the metal product with the assembled mold, and post-processing the metal product. In some embodiments, creating a mold insert includes generating printing instructions for a mold insert based on the product design and printing a mold insert configured to mate with a product mold (for example, a mold produced by traditional sand molding processes) based on the printing instructions.
Claims36
A method for creating an assembled mold for casting a metal product, the method comprising:
- receiving, by a processor, product design information for the metal product, wherein the product design information includes one or more customized features for the metal product;
- generating, by the processor, a product model for the metal product based on the product design information;
- generating, by the processor, printing instructions for a mold insert based on the product model, wherein the mold insert is related to the one or more customized features;
- accessing, by a manufacturing device, the printing instructions from the processor;
- and
- creating, by the manufacturing device, the mold insert by an additive manufacturing process according to the printing instructions, and
- mating the mold insert with a mold base to form the assembled mold, the mold base being produced with foundry sand using a casting flask and a molding pattern, and
- wherein the assembled mold comprises a mold cavity configured to cast the metal product including the one or more customized features.
A system for creating an assembled mold for casting a metal product, the system comprising:
- a processor;
- a non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, causes the processor to:
- receive product design information for the cast metal product, wherein the product design information includes one or more customized features for the metal product,
- generate a product model for the metal product based on the product design information, and
- generate printing instructions for a mold insert based on the product model, wherein the mold insert is related to the one or more customized features;
- and
- a manufacturing device operably connected to the processor and configured to:
- access the printing instructions from the processing device, and
- create the mold insert by an additive manufacturing process according to the printing instructions,
- wherein the mold insert is configured to mate with a mold base to form an assembled mold, the mold base being produced with sand using a casting flask and a molding pattern.
A method of casting a metal product comprising one or more customized features, the method comprising:
- obtaining, by a processor, product design information for the metal product including one or more customized features;
- generating, by the processor, printing instructions for a mold insert based on the product design;
- creating, by a manufacturing device, the mold insert by an additive manufacturing process according to the printing instructions;
- creating a mold base based on the product design, wherein creating the mold base comprises:
- filling a casting flask with foundry sand over one or more molding patterns, and
- hardening the foundry sand by one or more of baking and curing to form the mold base;
- mating the mold insert with the mold base to form an assembled mold;
- and
- casting the metal product by adding molten metal to the assembled mold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.