Bühler the global leader in Die casting machines organised a symposium in association with ALUCAST ( Aluminium Casters Association ) on the topic “ New Ecoline Multi Step Die Casting Machine and Lost Core Pressure Die Casting Process “. The first of the series, seminar was organised at Hotel Chancery Pavilion in Bangalore on 30th April and later on 2nd May in Pune at Hotel Deccan Rendezvous, 3rd May in Ahmedabad at Hotel Radisson Blu and on 4th May in Gurgaon, New Delhi at Hotel Galaxy.
Symposium organised at Bangalore
It was well attended by over 50 people from the Automobile OEM’s and Aluminium Die Casters. Mr. Nikam, President, Alucast, Bangalore centre welcomed all the participants and introduced the top management team from Bühler Switzerland and Bühler India.
Mr. Dipak Mane, President, Bühler South Asia welcomed & addressed the gathering and gave a short overview on the New Die Casting Ecoline machines and new innovations on the Lost Core Process. He also spoke on the Bühler’s other product range on the Food side.
New Ecoline Multi Step Die Casting Machine
Mr. Pagitz Rudolf, Head of Sales – Die Casting Division, Bühler AG, Switzerland made a presentation on the New Ecoline Multi Step Die Casting Machine. The newly developed Bühler Multistep Casting Technology now offers even more flexibility for the filling process. Six freely programmable velocity steps for the first phase make it possible to adjust the casting profile to meet the requirements of each part. The casting profile can now be programmed in absolute units, thanks to Multistep. This makes it even easier to handle the die-casting machine and makes the casting process more transparent. The expanded capability of the Ecoline Multistep machine also includes the “fill test”, programmable break point at the end of second phase for flash free castings and “ Production start Program”. Now with the help of “filling test” user can interrupt the pre-programmed metal filling cycle to verify the filling pattern of the part at a specific shot piston stroke. The “Production Start-up Program” automatically adjusts the shot profile to minimize damage to the die during warm-up shots. Multistep technology is now available on all the sizes of Ecoline series die casting machines.
Lost Core Technology and Structural parts for automobiles.
New die casting technology opens up a wide range of applications
Mr. Marcello Fabbroni, Head of Product Management & Marketing, Bühler AG, Switzerland made a detail presentation on the new Bühler patented Lost Core Technology Process and the process developed by Buhler for making structural parts. A detail video was shown on the whole lost core die casting process and samples of the casting done on lost core were distributed among the participants to have a look & finish for the first time.
Structural Parts
Current trends such as lightweight construction in the automotive industry & the pressure on the automobile manufacturers to produce better products at lower cost require creative die casting solutions. An innovative answer to this is the "Structural Parts" technology. Structural parts are Al castings made by using special technology developed by Buhler. Structural castings replace the conventional steel pressed parts used in the forming of chassis of an automobile. These castings are weld able. Use of structural parts in the automobile chassis reduces the weight of an automobile resulting in to less consumption of fuel and reduction in air pollution. Thanks to its completely new possibilities which allows for a diverse range of applications. More than 200 users were able to learn about these multifaceted opportunities at a symposium organised in Bangalore, Pune, Ahmedabad and New Delhi.
Salt Cores (Lost Cores)
What the automotive industry is calling for is cost reduction, integral design (reduction in the number of components) and higher productivity. The Lost Core technology opens up diverse opportunities for this. It has enabled die casting industry to cast hollow parts on pressure die casting machine, which was possible to cast only with gravity or L.P. casting process before. With this technology certain parts of the component to be cast are recessed with a salt core, after the casting the salt core is removed with high pressure water Jet. This makes it possible for permanent mold cast and sand cast components to be replaced and at the same time the full benefits of die casting such as material savings, shorter cycle times and reduced post-processing can be reaped. Lost Core also enables the development of completely new components. The internal shaping can comprise complex designs, the combination of multiple components into one single unit enables high function integration, and the increased design freedom allows for a completely new component design.
Lost Core technology in the Bühler process
The Bühler Lost Core process begins with the component design for the salt core application, followed by the mold, aluminium part and salt core concepts. The behaviour of the liquid salt and aluminium in the mold as well as the quality of the component can currently be simulated by software. This eliminates the need for subsequent costly adaptations of the mold. In the creation of the salt core which determines the internal shaping, the optimal salt solution plays a crucial role in ensuring the stability of the core while simultaneously enabling its subsequent removal.
The salt core and the aluminium component are produced on a die casting machine with real-time control. This prevents damage to the core during re-casting. The core is removed by pressurized water. Bühler has the necessary know-how and equipment for the successful application of Lost Core technology and is in a position to support the complete process from the initial idea to the production stage.
A well-attended Symposium
In view of its diverse possibilities, there is naturally great interest in the new technology. This was also demonstrated by the well-attended Bühler symposium. The 200 plus participants, including prominent representatives of the automotive industry and its suppliers, were won over by the advantages of the Bühler Lost Core process. The Bühler India management team consisting of Mr. Niranjan Toraskar, General Manger – Die Casting Sales, Mr. Sagar Kulkarni – Head of Advanced Materials & Mr. Ramakrishna – National Sales Manager replied to all the questions raised by the partipants.
The economic aspects were also discussed. A further highlight was that the participants were also able to meet the key people behind the lost core technology, view the video and personally interact with them during after the presentation. The final round of discussions provided an opportunity to talk about what was seen and heard in greater depth, to share experiences, and to discuss the potential of this technology. As a result all of the participants were in agreement: Lost Core will fully open up new opportunities in the coming years and is therefore a promising business opportunity lies ahead.
