Process for making reusable tooling
AssigneeFord Motor Company
InventorsJames Todd Kloeb, Harold Sears, Lawrence E. Ellis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A reusable, low investment tool for making parts is made by a process in which a mixture of sand and an activator is applied as a layer onto which a printed resin is deposited to form a base and a pattern. A plurality of sidewalls may also be provided on the base using the same process. The tool is coated with a curable resin to form a protective shell. The reusable tool may be used as a dump box or as a vacuum forming tool for forming parts. A stamping die may be formed by drawing a vacuum through the sand layer as the resin coating is applied to more fully permeate the stamping die.
Claims12
A reusable tool for making parts comprising:
- a base wall formed by a plurality of layers of foundry sand to which a resin binder is applied;
- a box defined by a plurality of side walls that extend from the base, the side walls are formed by a plurality of layers of a foundry sand to which a resin binder is applied;
- a pattern of a part formed on the base by a plurality of layers of foundry sand to which a resin binder is applied;
- and
- a coating of a low viscosity resin shell applied to all surfaces the base wall, the box and the pattern that penetrates the surfaces to a limited depth.
A method of making a stamping die for a fluid cell press comprising:
- depositing a plurality of layers of foundry sand and an activator mixture and applying a printed resin to each layer to form the stamping die;
- coating the stamping die with a penetrating resin;
- drawing a vacuum through the plurality of layers of foundry sand and drawing the penetrating resin through the plurality of layers of foundry sand to a depth of more than one millimeter;
- and
- curing the penetrating resin after the resin is absorbed into the stamping die.
A method of making a part comprising:
- sequentially applying a layer of a mixture of sand and an activator and applying a printed resin to the mixture to form a base wall, a plurality of side walls on the base wall and a pattern on the base wall to form a dump box;
- forming a shell of curable resin on the base wall, side walls and pattern;
- and
- using the dump box to form the part.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.