A Seminar Report on

sand casting
Submitted for partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of technology in manufacturing technology

By

RAJ KUMAR

1018941030
Guided by Ms. priti singh

Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Affiliated to GAUTAM BUDDHA TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY, LUCKNOW, U.P

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It gives me a gre at pleasure to tender my deep sense of gratitude to respected Ms PRITI SINGH for invaluable encouragement, inspirations and continuous support. We are very much indebted to him for the generously, expertise and guidance we have received from him while working on this project. I will remain ever thankful to for precious support, guidance and co operation. Without his support and timely guidance the completion of seminar report would have seemed a farfetched dream. In this respect I find myself lucky to have him as our guide. He guided us not only with subject matter, but also taught us the proper style and techniques of documentation and presentation.

RAJ KUMAR

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the Seminar entitled, SAND CASTING, which is being submitted here with for the award of B.Tech, is the result of the work completed by RAJ KUMAR under my supervision and guidance within the four walls of the institute.

Guide:Ms. PRITI SINGH

Examiner

TABLE OF CONTENT

Acknowledgement Certificate Abstract Introduction History What is EDM Principle of EDM Working principle of EDM Types of EDM Equipment Process parameter Characteristics of EDM Application of EDM Advantages and Disadvantage Conclusion References 1 2 3 4 6 5 8 9 10 11 14 15 16

ABSTRACT

The traditional method of casting metals is sand casting; it is used to make large parts. There are six basic steps in making sand casting patternmaking, core making, molding melting and pouring cooling and solidification, cleaning. Pattern making a cavity in sand is formed by using a pattern which is typically made out of wood, sometimes metal. The pattern is physically model of casting used to make the mould. In core making core is a sand shape inserted in to mould to produce the internal features of the part such s holes or internal passages. Cores are placed in cavity to form holes of desired shape. Molding consists of all operations necessary to prepare a mould for receiving molten metal. It usually involves placing a molding aggregate around a pattern held with supporting frame, withdrawing the pattern to leave mould cavity, setting the core in mould cavity and finishing and closing mould. In melting and pouring the preparation of molten metal for casting is done. It is usually dine in specific area of foundry. Molten motel is poured in poring cup, which is part of gating system that supplies the molten metal to the mould cavity the vertical part of gating system connected to the pouting cup is sprue. like nearly all materials, metal is less dense than a liquid than as a solid and so casting shrinks as it cools-mostly as it solidifies but also as a temperature of solid material drops. Cleaning refers to all operation necessary to the removal of sand, scale and excess metal from the casting. The casting is separated from mould and transported to cleaning department. Burned on sand and scale are removed to increase surface appearance of casting. Excess metal in the form of fins, wires and parting lines, gates is removed. Casting may be upgraded by welding or other procedures. Inspection of casting for defects and general quality.

INTRODUCTION
Electric discharge machining (EDM), sometimes colloquially also referred to as spark machining, spark eroding, burning, die sinking or wire erosion, is a manufacturing process whereby a desired shape is obtained using electrical discharges (sparks). Material is removed from the work piece by a series of rapidly recurring current discharges between two electrodes, separated by a dielectric liquid and subject to an electric voltage. One of the electrodes is called the tool-electrode, or simply the tool or electrode, while the other is called the workpiece.When the distance between the two electrodes is reduced, the intensity of the electric field in the

Volume between the electrodes becomes greater than the strength of the dielectric (at least in Some point(s)), which breaks, allowing current to flow between the two electrodes. This Phenomenon is the same as the breakdown of a capacitor (condenser) (see also breakdown voltage). As a result, material is removed from both the electrodes. Once the current flow stops (Or it is stopped depending on the type of generator), new liquid dielectric is usually conveyed Into the inter-electrode volume enabling the solid particles (debris) to be carried away and the Insulating proprieties of the dielectric to be restored. Adding new liquid dielectric in the interelectrode volume is commonly referred to as flushing. Also, after a current flow, a difference of potential between the two electrodes is restored to what it was before the breakdown, so that a new liquid dielectric breakdown can occur.

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HISTORY

In 1770, English physicist Joseph Priestley studied the erosive effect of electrical discharges. Furthering Priestley's research, the EDM process was invented by two Russian scientists, Dr. B. R. Lazarenko and Dr. N. I. Lazarenko, in 1943. In their efforts to exploit the destructive effects of an electrical discharge, they developed a controlled process for machining of metals. Their initial process used a spark machining process, named after the succession of sparks (electrical discharges) that took place between two electrical conductors immersed in a dielectric fluid.

The discharge generator effect used by this machine, known as the Lazarenko circuit, was used for many years in the construction of generators for electrical discharge. Additional researchers entered the field and contributed many fundamental characteristics of the machining method we know today. In 1952, the manufacturer Charmilles created the first machine using the spark machining process and was presented for the first time at the European Machine Tool Exhibition in 1955. In 1969 Agie launched the world's first numerically controlled wire-cut EDM machine. Seibu developed the first CNC wire EDM machine 1972 and the first system manufactured in Japan.

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WHAT IS EDM

Electrical discharge machining is a machining method primarily used for hard metals or those that would be very difficult to machine with traditional techniques. EDM typically works with materials that are electrically conductive, although methods for machining insulating ceramics with EDM have also been proposed. EDM can cut intricate contours or cavities in pre-hardened steel without the need for heat treatment to soften and re-harden them. This method can be used with any other metal or metal alloy such as titanium, hastelloy, kovar, and inconel. Also, applications of this process to shape polycrystalline diamond tools have been reported.

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PRINCIPLE OF EDM

Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) is a controlled metal-removal process that is used to remove metal by means of electric spark erosion.

In this process an electric spark is used asthe cutting tool to cut (erode) the workpiece to produce the finished part to the desired shape. The metal-removal process is performed by applying a pulsating (ON/OFF) electrical charge of high-frequency current through the electrode to the workpiece. This removes (erodes) very tiny

pieces of metal from the workpiece at a controlled rate.

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TYPES OF EDM
WIRE EDM- is used primarily for shape cut out of a flat sheet or plate of metal. With a wire EDM machine, if a hole needs to be machined, an initial hole must first be drilled in the material. Then the wire can be cut and fed through the hole to complete the machining.

FIG2 SINKER EDMs - are generally used for very small piece where conventional milling is not practical or very difficult due to hardness of material, such as die cast tooling . For example, they can cut a hole in to the work piece without having a hole pre-drilled for the electrode.

FIG3

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WORKING PRINCIPLE OF EDM

EDM, a potential difference is applied between the tool and workpiece. Both the tool and the work material are to be conductors of electricity. The tool and the work material are immersed in a dielectric medium. Generally kerosene or deionised water is used as the dielectric medium. A gap is maintained between the tool and the workpiece. Depending upon the applied potential difference and the gap between the tool and workpiece, an electric field would be established. Generally the tool is connected to the negative terminal of the generator and the workpiece is connected to positive terminal. As the electric field is established between the tool and the job, the free electrons on the tool are subjected to electrostatic forces. If the work function or the bonding energy of the electrons is less, electrons would be emitted from the tool (assuming it to be connected to the negative terminal). Such emission of electrons are called or termed as cold emission. The cold emitted electrons are then accelerated towards the job through the dielectric medium. As they gain velocity and energy, and start moving towards the job, there would be collisions between the electrons and dielectric molecules. Such collision may result in ionisation of the dielectric molecule depending upon the work function or ionisation energy of the dielectric molecule and the energy of the electron. Thus, as the electrons get accelerated.

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Fig. shows schematically the basic working principle of EDM process.

the high speed electrons then impinge on the job and ions on the tool. The kinetic energy of the electrons and ions on impact with the surface of the job and tool respectively would be converted into thermal energy or heat flux. Such intense localised heat flux leads to extreme instantaneous confined rise in temperature which would be in excess of 10,000 C. Such localised extreme rise in temperature leads to material removal. Material removal occurs due to instant vapourisation of the material as well as due to melting. The molten metal is not removed completely but only partially. As the potential difference is withdrawn as shown in Fig. 1, the plasma channel is no longer sustained. As the plasma channel collapse, it generates pressure or shock waves, which evacuates the molten material forming a crater of removed material around the site of the spark. Thus to summarise, the material removal in EDM mainly occurs due to formation of shock waves as the plasma channel collapse owing to discontinuation of applied potential difference. Generally the workpiece is made positive and the tool negative. Hence, the electrons strike the job leading to crater formation due to high temperature and melting and material removal. Similarly, the positive ions impinge on the tool leading to tool wear.
o

In EDM, the generator is used to apply voltage pulses between the tool and the job. A constant voltage is not applied. Only sparking is desired in EDM rather than arcing. Arcing leads to localised material

removal at a particular point whereas sparks get distributed all over the tool surface leading to uniformly distributed material removal under the tool.

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EQUIPMENT

EDM machine has the following major modules Dielectric reservoir, pump and circulation system Power generator and control unit Working tank with work holding device X-y table accommodating the working table The tool holder The servo system to feed the tool

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PROCESS PARAMETER
The process parameters in EDM are mainly related to the waveform characteristics. Fig. shows a general waveform used in EDM /

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the waveform is characterised by the The open circuit voltage - Vo The working voltage - Vw The maximum current - Io
off

The pulse on time the duration for which the voltage pulse is applied - ton The pulse off time - t The gap between the workpiece and the tool spark gap - The polarity straight polarity tool (-ve) The dielectric medium External flushing through the spark gap.

CHARACTERISTICS OF EDM
(a) The process can be used to machine any work material if it is electrically conductive (b) Material removal depends on mainly thermal properties of the work material rather than its strength, hardness etc (c) In EDM there is a physical tool and geometry of the tool is the positive impression of the hole or geometric feature machined (d) The tool has to be electrically conductive as well. The tool wear once again depends on the thermal properties of the tool material (e) Though the local temperature rise is rather high, still due to very small pulse on time, there is not enough time for the heat to diffuse and thus almost no increase in bulk temperature takes place. Thus the heat affected zone is limited to 2 4 m of the spark crater (f) However rapid heating and cooling and local high temperature leads to surface hardening which may be desirable in some applications (g) Though there is a possibility of taper cut and overcut in EDM, they can be controlled and compensated.

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APPLICATION OF EDM

Prototype production

The EDM process is most widely used by the mold-making tool and die industries, but is becoming a common method of making prototype and production parts, especially in the

aerospace, automobile and electronics industries in which production quantities are relatively low. In Sinker EDM, a graphite, copper tungsten or pure copper electrode is machined into the desired (negative) shape and fed into the workpiece on the end of a vertical ram.

Coinage die making

For the creation of dies for producing jewelry and badges by the coinage (stamping) process, the positive master may be made from sterling silver, since (with appropriate machine settings) the master is significantly eroded and is used only once. The resultant negative die is then hardened and used in a drop hammer to produce stamped flats from cutout sheet blanks of bronze, silver, or low proof gold alloy. For badges these flats may be further shaped to a curved surface by another die. This type of EDM is usually performed submerged in an oilbased dielectric. The finished object may be further refined by hard (glass) or soft (paint) enameling and/or electroplated with pure gold or nickel. Softer materials such as silver may be hand engraved as a refinement.

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EDM control panel (Hansvedt machine). Machine may be adjusted for a refined surface (electropolish) at end of process.

Master at top, badge die workpiece at bottom, oil jets at left (oil has been drained). Initial flat stamping will be "dapped" to give a curved surface. Small hole drilling

A turbine blade with internal cooling as applied in the high-pressure turbine.

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Small hole drilling EDM machines.Small hole drilling EDM is used in a variety of applications. On wire-cut EDM machines, small hole drilling EDM is used to make a through hole in a workpiece in through which to thread the wire for the wire-cut EDM operation. A separate EDM head specifically for small hole drilling is mounted on a wire-cut machine and allows large hardened plates to have finished parts eroded from them as needed and without pre-drilling.

Small hole EDM is used to drill rows of holes into the leading and trailing edges of turbine blades used in jet engines. Gas flow through these small holes allows the engines to use higher temperatures than otherwise possible. The high-temperature, very hard, single crystal alloys employed in these blades makes conventional machining of these holes with high aspect ratio extremely difficult, if not impossible. Small hole EDM is also used to create microscopic orifices for fuel system components, spinnerets for synthetic fibers such as rayon, and other applications. There are also stand-alone small hole drilling EDM machines with an xy axis also known as a super drill or hole popper that can machine blind or through holes. EDM drills bore holes with a long brass or copper tube electrode that rotates in a chuck with a constant flow of distilled or deionized water flowing through the electrode as a flushing agent and dielectric. The electrode tubes operate like the wire in wire-cut EDM machines, having a spark gap and wear rate. Some small-hole drilling EDMs are able to drill through 100 mm of soft or through hardened steel in less than 10 seconds, averaging 50% to 80% wear rate. Holes of 0.3 mm to 6.1 mm can be achieved in this drilling operation. Brass electrodes are easier to machine but are not recommended for wire-cut operations due to eroded brass particles causing "brass on brass" wire breakage, therefore copper is recommended.
Metal disintegration machining

Several manufacturers produce EDM machines for the specific purpose of removing broken tools (drill bits or taps) from work pieces. In this application, the process is termed "metal disintegration machining".

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ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Some of the advantages of EDM include machining of:

Complex shapes that would otherwise be difficult to produce with conventional cutting tools Extremely hard material to very close tolerances Very small work pieces where conventional cutting tools may damage the part from excess cutting tool pressure. There is no direct contact between tool and work piece. Therefore delicate sections and weak materials can be machined without any distort.

A good surface finish can be obtained.

Very fine holes can be easily drilled.

Some of the disadvantages of EDM include:

The slow rate of material removal. The additional time and cost used for creating electrodes for ram/sinker EDM. Reproducing sharp corners on the workpiece is difficult due to electrode wear. Specific power consumption is very high. Power consumption is high.

"Overcut" is formed. Excessive tool wear occurs during machining. Electrically non-conductive materials can be machined only with specific set-up of the process.

Current Research Trends in EDM Development

There are two kinds of EDM research trends: the modeling technique and the novel technique.2 1. The modeling technique deals with mathematical modeling, artificial intelligence and optimization techniques like regression analysis, artificial neural network and the genetic algorithm. They are used to validate the efforts of input parameters on output parameters, because EDM is a complicated process. It has controlled input parameters like machining depth, tool radius, pulse on time, pulse off time, discharge current, orbital radius, radial step, offset depth and output parameters. It is similar to the MRR and SQ.2 2. Novel techniques deal with other (unconventional) machining principles (such as ultrasonic) that can be incorporated into EDM to improve efficiency of the process by offering better MMR and SQ 14

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CONCLUSION
electric discharge machining is useful un-conventional machining techniques by which we can machine hard metal or those that would be impossible to machine with traditional techniques . wire EDM is very useful for shape cut of a flat sheet or plate of metal.

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REFRENCES

^ Elman C. Jameson, Electrical Discharge Machining, page 1, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, 2001 ISBN 087263521X. ^ The History of EDM, http://www.atlantaedm.com/articles/a8-history-of-edm.php, retrieved 2010-08-05 K. M. Moeed Electro Discharge Machining

Version 2 ME, IIT Kharagpur

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THANK YOU

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