The aerospace industry has always demanded the highest quality. That has come with increased costs as well, such as extensive machining and the use of several or even more than a dozen core boxes for a single casting. Iwamet, through the use of innovative machines such as ExOne's S-Max Pro 3D printer, as well as its extensive experience in casting technology, decided to meet the demands of the casting industry while reducing production time and cost.
The solution was to print a single monolithic core, which made it possible to replace six other cores, as well as replicate the shape in the casting that had previously been made by machining. The 3D printed core is implemented in a sand mold, also printed using 3D printing technology.
A number of benefits are realized by this approach. The high precision, tight dimensional tolerance and repeatability of 3D printing, together with the technological experience of Iwamet, allowed the company to shorten the casting time by 32% and also reduced the consumption of molding compound by 42%. Machining time was also reduced. Thanks to further technological optimizations and the use of innovative metallurgical solutions derived from Iwamet's experience, very good casting properties were obtained, exceeding the minimum requirements.
The energy as well as material requirements at individual production stages were also reduced. Due to the high quality of the 3D prints obtained and the repeatability of the process, both the first and subsequent castings met the requirements, and dimensional accuracy was maintained at a high, repeatable level.
Tests are currently underway to further reduce material consumption, as well as to reduce the time required to produce a casting that meets aerospace requirements. 3D printing technology in sand is a highly innovative and progressive solution for the foundry industry, and its only limitation is the limitation of engineers' imagination. This is the technology of the future, which not only increases the level of technological advancement and production capabilities of foundries, but also has positive aspects in terms of ecology and environmental protection.
Customer: Iwamet
Industry/Products: Foundry Industry
Headquaraters: Stalowa Wola, Poland
Employess: 600
Customer spectrum: Industries such as aerospace, defence, healthcare, e-mobility, transportation, energy, commercial vehicles.
Website: https://iwamet.com.pl/
Machine: ExOne 3D S-Max Pro
Application: Lightweight housing for aerospace industry
Material: aluminium
Size: 550 x 550 x 460 mm
About Iwamet:
Established 2003. We belong to the leading global producers of precise aluminium alloy casting and CNC precision machining parts. Our high position in the market has been achieved thanks to consistently pursued development policy, the responsibility of our high skills staff, modern equipment and design, production and technology research.
who wants to learn more about iwamet, we recommend the webinar about sand 3D printing by ExOne’spolish reprenstative Colmex. In polish only.
Przykłady zastosowań druku 3D z piasku na rynku Polskim oraz zagranicznym (exone.com)
