Sand Casting
This article is a reprint from the Formlabs blog. In the last segment of this casting basics, we will discuss sand casting. In the sand casting process, a foundry worker fills containers known as mold boxes or flasks with a mixture of sand and binder, then packs sand around the pattern. The pattern is removed to leave a negative impression of the pattern behind, and molten metal is poured into the cavity. An open-faced mold may be used for parts with features on a single side. Parts with features on multiple surfaces require closed cavity molds, with upper and lower mold boxes, referred to as cope and drag. Grey Resin printed pattern and finished aluminum casting from an open-faced sand mold. In a closed mold, metal travels through a gating system before reaching the part cavity. This gating system is carefully designed to minimize structural and aesthetic imperfections resulting from improper metal flow. Closed cavity sand molds sometimes make use of suspended cores to create internal cavities in the finished castings, as in the case of engine blocks or pump housings. We hope you enjoyed our 4-part series on casting.
Mastercam 2020 Analyze Entity Association
There is a new feature inside of the Analyze Entities function in Mastercam 2020 that makes it easier to figure out associations between geometry and toolpath. This new feature makes it easy to check to see how and where geometry is being used. To illustrate, we are going to use a file that has many toolpaths and multiple machines. Most of the work has been programmed for a milling machine, however, there are two features that cannot be milled out. These would have to be completed with wire EDM. When we begin to analyze some geometry using the icon shown below or the F4 shortcut key shown in the balloon window . . . Mastercam will display information about the properties of the geometry that was selected, whether it be wireframe surface or solid. Dimensional properties, colors, and levels are reported and updated if you continue to select more entities. Note that in some cases a new button appears called Association. We can use this to see how this geometry is related to the toolpaths. The dialog box below lists all geometry, planes, dimensions, 3D annotations, and operations that are associated with the selected entity. The solid body shows that it is used [...]
HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing Shortens Time to Market – Part 3
Last week we discussed the “value of functional prototypes” in rapid prototyping and today we are going to continue with a discussion about the color capabilities of the HP Jet Fusion technology. Color Capabilities of HP Jet Fusion Technology There are many ways to improve the value of a prototype, but one that is often overlooked is the addition of color. With the HP Jet Fusion 580/380 Color 3D Printers, it is now possible to print fully functional, color 3D parts. Adding color to prototypes is one way to test final part colors, but there are other ways to use color in prototypes. “One application we see is in aerospace,” said Ken Burns, the Technical Sales Director for Forecast 3D, a custom manufacturing and 3D printing service bureau. “Color can be used to differentiate the functional and the placeholder parts in an assembly. Red would be a great indicator for this since it draws attention.” Color also can be used to easily label or differentiate segments of a prototype, for example, in a part where fluids flow through different channels. Even simple text labels like a prototype revision number or the name of the designer who created the part can be incredibly valuable [...]
Indirect Investment Casting
This article is a reprint from the Formlabs blog. So far we’ve covered some metal casting basics, as well as direct investment casting in our blog series on casting. Today we are moving to indirect investment casting. The process of making patterns from molds or tooling is referred to as indirect investment casting because it requires creating molds for producing the patterns in addition to final investment molds. Rigid molds for wax (often referred to as tools) are commonly fabricated by machining aluminum or steel. Machined metal molds cost thousands of dollars to produce and take weeks of machining and polishing work before first shots can be run and pattern parts evaluated within a casting process. By directly printing tooling, engineers and designers can reduce the time between concept and first tests from weeks to a matter of days. A 3D printed mold in Clear Resin for wax injection. Molds for producing wax patterns can be printed with High Temp Resin. For optimal surface finish of molded parts, treat the interior surfaces of the mold by sanding and polishing for a smooth look, or bead blasting if a uniform matte look is desired. To ensure the final cast parts are dimensionally [...]
Adding New Toolpaths to Defaults File in Mastercam 2020
This article will show you how to add new toolpaths to your defaults file in Mastercam 2020. If you have used the migration utility to update a previous version default file you may have encountered the error message below. This can be fixed easily by following a few simple steps. If you select a new toolpath, for instance, the Surface High-Speed Blend toolpath that same warning message will appear. If you click OK, Mastercam will still make the toolpath but will repeat that same error message again the next time you try to use it. This is happening because migration merely updates files to make them compatible with a new version. It cannot retroactively add things like new toolpaths. Instead, it reads the data from a backup location. We can take advantage of this to make our fix. First, expand the Machine Group and click on the Files tab. Next, click the exclamation point icon shown below and the defaults file will open for editing. For this example, we will position the insert arrow in the 3D HST group at the end of the list. Then right-click and select the missing toolpath from the menu. Click OK in the toolpath window and you [...]
HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing Shortens Time to Market – Part 2
The value of functional prototypes Picking up where we left off on our article about “How HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing customers shorten their time to market” today we will discuss the value of functional prototypes. In addition to print speed, the material properties of parts from HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing Solutions are ideal for prototyping and enable customers to make decisions about their final parts. HP Multi Jet Fusion technology allows for the creation of highly isotropic parts, or parts that have similar properties when measured in the X, Y, and Z dimensions. “Isotropy is important so that the designer does not need to take the time to communicate extra design intents, like where strength and dimensional accuracy are most important in the part,” says Boyes. “In other additive processes, it is important to orient the part such that the strength is not needed between layers. In terms of strength, parts produced with HP MJF technology are not as sensitive to orientation, so less time is spent from engineering to getting the parts in hand that can be used in production.” Furthermore, HP prints with engineering-grade thermoplastic and has the capability to print with high dimensional accuracy. This enables customers to [...]