Sand Casting

aPriori Training

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Sand Casting Process Overview

TOOLING
Make Core Boxes Make Patterns Custom Mold Parts ( If needed) Tooling Materials Preparation Steps

MELTING
Core Sand & Additives Purchased Metal

Process Steps Optional Steps

SAND PREPARATION
Binders, New Sand, Additives Sand Preparation

Metal Charging Melting Alloying Recycle Waste Metal (Sprues, Gates, Risers, Runners,

CORE MAKING
Core Making

Scrap

Mold Making -Pack Sand - Set Cores -Add risers, gates, filters

CASTING PROCESS
Pour Solidification & Cooling Shakeout Cleaning Finishing In-line Inspect

Recycle Mold Sand

SECONDARY
Heat Treat Off-line Inspection Secondary Processes (Machining, ) Heat Treat

2009-2010 aPriori Confidential, all rights reserved

Sand Casting Mold Elements

Chaplets

2009-2010 aPriori Confidential, all rights reserved

How aPriori Works Sand Casting

Configured Data Layer

aPriori VPEs
Process Capability & Routing Rules

Customer VPEs
Physical Manufacturing Capabilities

Supplier VPEs

Cost Accounting Data

aPriori User Interface

aPriori Geometry Assessment

P

Geometric Cost Drivers

Process Routing Engine

P

Physics Based Mechanistic Models

P

Cost Models
P

Non-Geometric Cost Drivers

2009-2010 aPriori Confidential, all rights reserved

Patent Protected aPriori IP

Sand Casting GCDs: Draw Direction

Draw Direction Click to Override Current parting line (orange)

Possible parting planes (blue)

Advanced parting line option

2009-2010 aPriori Confidential, all rights reserved

Sand Casting GCDs: Holes, Voids, Thickness

Holes Evaluated for core or other operation based on size, shape orientation and tol.

aPriori Geometry Assessment

P

Voids Candidates for core

Min & Max Thickness Mold and part feasibility

2009-2010 aPriori Confidential, all rights reserved

Sand Casting GCDs: Combo Voids

Combo Voids = Voids merged with Holes Combo Voids are considered as a single feature in the casting process You can Merge and Unmerge Holes from a Combo Void This may result in a different routing, part cost, and tooling cost

aPriori Geometry Assessment

P

2009-2010 aPriori Confidential, all rights reserved

Sand Casting Process Routings

Dashed = Optional Process

Process Routing Engine

P

Melting

Core Making

Mold Making, Pouring, Cooling

Shakeout

Cleaning

Finishing

In-line Inspection

Oil Core

Vertical Automatic
C02 Cured Hot Box Isocure Gas No bake Shell Stock/Extruded None or all of these can be part of the process Mold Making Pouring Cooling

Horizontal Automatic
Mold Making Pouring Cooling

Manual Standard
Mold Making Pouring Cooling

Manual Floor
Mold Making Pouring Cooling

* Only one of these four is part of the process

2009-2010 aPriori Confidential, all rights reserved

Selecting Molding Type and Machine

Process Capability and Routing Rules Configurable Data Layer Selected VPE

Process Routing Engine

32 x 6 x 6

X X X X X X

Molding Type Selection -Compares part size to machine flask size for each machine in the mold type -Selects first feasible machine -Calculates the number of cavities that will fit in the mold

2009-2010 aPriori Confidential, all rights reserved

Patent Protected aPriori IP

Sand Casting Machine Selection

Melting Lowest conversion cost Cleaning Selects first feasible based on machine capacity (# of parts) and size Finishing Selects first feasible based on part weight and machine capacity

Process Routing Engine

P

Molding Selects first feasible based on part and machine size Core Making Selects first feasible process that can fabricate all cores based on core box size

Cooling, Shakeout, Inspection VPE default machine

2009-2010 aPriori Confidential, all rights reserved

Pour Selects first feasible based on part weight and ladle capacity

How aPriori Works Sand Casting Cycle Time

Physical Manufacturing Capabilities Configurable Data Layer Selected VPE

aPriori Geometry Assessment

P

Physics Based Mechanistic Models

P

Time Calculations -Calculated for each feasible routing -Machine Cycle Time -Machine Setup Time -Labor Handling Time Material Calculations -Yields -Material Utilization
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How aPriori Works User Overrides with Process Setup Options

Number of Cavities Calculated value based on mold size Direct user override

Check for Drafts Compares drafts on part to variables in VPE

Check Minimum Thickness Compares minimum wall thickness of part to minimum allowable wall thickness from material table

Check for Rounds Compares sharp corners on part to variables in VPE

Recommendation: leave draft, rounds, min thickness unchecked until design matures
2009-2010 aPriori Confidential, all rights reserved

How aPriori Works Sand Casting Cost Model

Physics Based Mechanistic Models
P

Cost Accounting Data Cost Models

P

Configurable Data Layer Selected VPE

Variable Costs Material Labor and Overhead Setup Capital Investments Pattern Making Core Box Amortized Investments Investment per Part Expendable Tooling Sand for cores and molds
2009-2010 aPriori Confidential, all rights reserved

Tips for Use Sand Casting

Check the Parting line There can be multiple good parting line assignments depending on part geometry Parting line assignment affects the number of cavities (as seen in the Process setup screen) Look for Combo Voids and unmerge features if appropriate Apply Machining with One-Click-Costing Apply tolerances/roughness to individual features As the part design matures, verify the cavity count and machining requirements User can override cavity count via Sand Casting Process Setup For as-cast designs: do Draft, Rounds, and Minimum Thickness feasibility checks toward the final stages of design As manufacturing details are known about the part, verify mold making routing, machine selection and coring process User can override coring process down to the individual GCD if they have requisite knowledge or info
2009-2010 aPriori Confidential, all rights reserved

Tips for Use NX Machined Castings

2010 R1.1. Improvement for NX files with a single subcomponent and Machining cuts Behavior in aPriori 2010 with the NX beta configuration property
aPriori always recognized these files as assemblies (not parts)

Behavior in aPriori 2010 R1.1

Users can control aPrioris behavior based on an additional property: apriori.free.bodies.preserve.CAD=false
Set to false, aPriori opens those files as machined parts Set to true, aPriori opens those files as Assemblies with 2 subcomponent parts (cast part and machined part)

Limitation: If a model contains a machined part, its cast version AND other subcomponents, aPriori will still interpret it as an assembly.

2009-2010 aPriori Confidential, all rights reserved