Direct Investment Casting
Last week we covered some metal casting basics and today we are going to pick up where we left off. Today we will talk about direct investment casting. The direct investment casting process moves straight from creating a pattern to surrounding that pattern with investment material. Since the wax injection method of creating a pattern requires multiple steps, it is considered indirect. Direct investment casting is best for short runs of parts or initial testing of a part concept, as each printed part will require some finishing steps. Direct investment casting is also a good choice for large parts or parts with thick cross-sections that may be more difficult to mold successfully in wax due to warping and shrinkage. Direct investment casting is valuable for producing parts with geometries that are too complex to be molded or for parts with extensive undercuts and fine surface texture details, where molding is possible but carries high tooling costs. Cast parts from SLA patterns printed on a Form 2 in Clear Resin. Traditionally, patterns for direct investment casting are carved by hand or machined if the part is a one-off or expected to be only a handful of units. With the advent of 3D [...]
Mastercam 2020 Migration
Today we will outline how to update your previous Mastercam version resource files to Mastercam 2020 using the Migration utility. To start, create a temporary source folder for the Migration utility to access called “update.” You will use this to hold copies of the contents of the Shared Mcam folder, which will leave the previous installation undisturbed. You can remove all but the files that have custom settings from these copied folders (if you are confident in doing so). Next, launch Mastercam and go to File - Convert - Migration Wizard. Select the Advanced option and the screen will change to display the File Location selection options. Check the box labeled Migrate Shared Mcam files and use the browse button to navigate to the Update folder. Make sure to check the box labeled include subfolders then click next. It is important to review the file types branch and de-select files you don't need for maximum efficiency. Click next, de-select the unused versions, and click next again. On the Finish tab make sure to carefully review the source and destination folders, the file type, and version summaries, then click Finish. A progress indicator window will pop up and you may at times see items [...]
HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing Shortens Time to Market
Rapid Prototyping In the mad rush to get a new product to market, every hour counts, and as time passes, competition waxes while customers wane. In recent years, technological advances have dramatically accelerated the traditional product manufacturing lifecycle. Innovations in advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and digitization are enabling companies to get new products to market faster than ever before. To keep up with increasing speed to market and shorter product lifecycles, many companies are turning to 3D printing to stay ahead of the competition. While 3D printing has long been used as a prototyping tool, new advancements have helped increase the speed, helped improved the mechanical properties, and helped lower the cost of the technology. Specifically, with the introduction of HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing, companies are reaping the benefits of rapid prototyping and easier transitions to full production. Ultimately, with HP Multi Jet Fusion technology, customers are embracing a technology that enables them to move at the speed of their ideas. Accelerating design & iteration Innovation requires iteration: Designers can cycle through dozens of ideas before deciding on a final design, making iterations time consuming and expensive. Thankfully, with HP Multi Jet Fusion technology, designers have the freedom to produce multiple prototypes [...]
Investment and Sand Casting Processes Part 1
Metal Casting Basics For applications where parts require fine features or complex geometries, casting remains a cost-effective and highly capable manufacturing process, producing critical components for aerospace, automotive, and medical applications. Metal casting dates back to at least 3200 B.C., progressing through many cycles of innovation to become the reliable, modernized process it is now. Today, industrial metal casting processes are used to make everything from knee implants to tractor parts. The basic process to create cast metal parts has a few steps common across different techniques: A manufacturer creates a pattern that represents the part, either as a removable element to make an impression in a material like sand, or left inside of the mold material and subsequently burned or melted out. In either case, a cavity in the shape of the pattern is left behind, and molten metal is poured in. The molten metal cools, and the mold is either opened up or broken apart to retrieve the casting. Cast parts have vestiges of the process where vents, gates, and feeders that direct gases and molten metal during casting. To finish the cast parts, a foundry worker trims away excess material, and files, grinds, machines, or sandblasts parts to achieve final [...]
Mastercam Router 2020 Released
Latest Advancements in World’s Leading CAM Software Designed to Streamline the Manufacturing Process Mastercam 2020 Router was recently released and it increases router cutting productivity and reduces overall production costs. It offers new 2D through multiaxis automation features, CAD and model preparation improvements, improved Machine Configuration, 3D Tooling, and many more enhancements designed to streamline manufacturing from job setup to job completion. CNC Programming Mastercam 2020 meets the need for CAD/CAM software to increase productivity and programming efficiency, while reducing overall production costs, with a series of automated 2D through 5-axis toolpath improvements. Drag-and-drop expansion in select toolpaths streamline programming changes and automated multiaxis deburring speeds complex edge break operations. 3D tooling has also seen many usability improvements such as 3D tool icons in tool lists, stop-on-contact functionality when mating insert to holder, and auto-populating compensation point when defining 3D tools. Job Preparation and Setup Mastercam 2020 increases efficiency and reduces job setup time and the preparation needed for part machining and programming. This includes the ability to filter inserts and holders by attributes as well as the ability to track associativity. Chaining enhancements include faster, easier chaining for Wireframe and Solids in addition to chain display and behavior improvements. Validation With improvements [...]
HP Leads Digital Manufacturing Forward
New HP Jet Fusion 5200 Series 3D printing solution unleashes manufacturing predictability, breakthrough economics, and new applications; Industry leaders BASF, Jaguar Land Rover, Materialise, Siemens, and Vestas lean in with HP; New HP Digital Manufacturing Network for high-quality parts at scale. HP Inc. recently unveiled a series of innovations and partnerships helping its customers accelerate their digital manufacturing journey. HP is expanding its industry-leading 3D printing portfolio with the new Jet Fusion 5200 Series 3D printing solution, an industrial 3D printing system bringing new levels of manufacturing predictability, efficiency, repeatability, and quality to customers scaling to full production. To further enable customers digitally transforming their manufacturing, HP is also expanding its strategic alliances with industrial leaders BASF, Materialise, and Siemens, and launching the HP Digital Manufacturing Network, a new global community of proven, large-scale 3D printed parts providers. “The Fourth Industrial Revolution is one of the most transformative forces in our lifetime. New technology innovations will be required, new partnership models will emerge, and new modes of doing business will unfold,” said Christoph Schell, President of 3D Printing and Digital Manufacturing at HP Inc. “HP is committed to helping customers with diverse manufacturing needs turn change into opportunity by delivering the most innovative [...]