I was looking at an Investment Casting Institute publication entitled Case Studies and Applications which elaborates on the substantial savings realized when fabricated assemblies are converted to One-Piece castings. In that Investment Casting is such an effective manufacturing method for realizing this type of savings one wonders why companies don’t place greater emphasis on achieving them. Perhaps their not knowing a good place to look to find a casting conversion candidate is the answer.
The Investment Casting process provides two main cost benefits to its customers. First is its Near-Net-Shape capability that stems from the dimensional precision of the process and that no draft angle is required. Secondly the Investment Casting process provides an ability to combine multiple pieces into a One-Piece structure with few design constraints and without a major impact to cost. With easily machined alloys, such as aluminum, the One-Piece advantage takes on a greater significance than does Near-Net-Shape.
Considering this, then the most ready opportunities to realize a significant savings from a conversion to an aluminum investment casting is to find situations where components are being assembled together either with a fastener, braze or weld. Weldments and Dip Brazed assemblies are obvious candidates to becoming Investment Castings.
The direct savings from the elimination of an assembly operation can be substantial but the indirect savings from a reduction of Part Count can be even larger. One-Piece cast structures also lower the risk of assembly point failures with the additional benefit of the Near-Net-Shape precision of the investment casting process and potential for component weight reduction.
Investment Castings present a cost effective method for the manufacture of complex and near-net shapes. Replacing fabricated structures with One-Piece castings is a good starting point to achieve substantial savings.
Wednesday, 5 August 2015
Monday, 27 July 2015
O'Fallon Casting Publishes Design Guide
O’Fallon Casting has published its first “Investment Casting Design Guide” which is now available for free download on the OFC Website (www.ofalloncasting.com/design guide/).
Investment Casting is a cost effect method for the manufacture of complex, near-net-shape, products but some specialized expertise is required for their design. The Design Guide is a natural offshoot of O’Fallon Casting’s “IC-101” class on the basics for the design of Investment Casting and addresses that need for information of best design practices.
Engineers prefer Investment Casting as it provides them with more freedom and is the most straightforward foundry process for which to design. The Guide provides recommendations for allowances and other considerations that are generally necessary for the successful design of an investment cast product. Basic information on topics such as linear tolerance, fillet radii allowance, and castable hole sizes, etc. are included in the guide.
The Design Guide does not supplant the need for Concurrent Engineering with a foundry. Castings are cost effective in combining features into One-Piece casting designs that reduce the Part Count of an assembly and consultation with a foundry remains the best way to achieve the most affordable configuration of a cast product.
OFC hopes that the information in the O’Fallon Casting “Investment Casting Design Guide” will assist Engineers take better advantage of the strengths of the investment casting process to design more affordable products for their customers.
Investment Casting is a cost effect method for the manufacture of complex, near-net-shape, products but some specialized expertise is required for their design. The Design Guide is a natural offshoot of O’Fallon Casting’s “IC-101” class on the basics for the design of Investment Casting and addresses that need for information of best design practices.
Engineers prefer Investment Casting as it provides them with more freedom and is the most straightforward foundry process for which to design. The Guide provides recommendations for allowances and other considerations that are generally necessary for the successful design of an investment cast product. Basic information on topics such as linear tolerance, fillet radii allowance, and castable hole sizes, etc. are included in the guide.
The Design Guide does not supplant the need for Concurrent Engineering with a foundry. Castings are cost effective in combining features into One-Piece casting designs that reduce the Part Count of an assembly and consultation with a foundry remains the best way to achieve the most affordable configuration of a cast product.
OFC hopes that the information in the O’Fallon Casting “Investment Casting Design Guide” will assist Engineers take better advantage of the strengths of the investment casting process to design more affordable products for their customers.
Tuesday, 23 June 2015
The Design Engineer's Role in Casting Procurment
It is a well-known axiom that 70% - 90% of the cost of a product is the result of design decisions. Although we might debate as to the preciseness of this estimation the fact remains that design is key element to the manufacturability, availability, reliability and overall affordability of any manufactured product.
Castings are inherently a cost effective method to manufacture shapes that reduces the part-count of an assembly and therefore improves the affordability of that product. However, casting design does require some specialized expertise and appreciation of the strength and weaknesses of the foundry process.
Any poorly designed product as a consequence will incur unnecessary or unexpected costs. For example, the cost of poor product manufacturability might be reflected in late deliveries, short shipments or frequent rejections. These types of design related issues will drive a rise of both Inventory and Administrative costs.
Less obvious is the cost of a missed opportunity where the product might have been manufactured via a superior method. Poor design choices can threaten both the reputation and profitability of an enterprise.
Good casting design accomplishes two things. First the combining multiple parts into a one-piece cast structure will reduce the amount of assembly required to manufacture a product. Such Part-Count Reduction favorably impacts not only the direct manufacturing cost but also reduces inventory and administrative costs. Secondly, because of the Near-Net-Shape capability, castings reduce the cost for secondary machining. Investment Casting is an effective foundry process by which to take advantage of both capabilities.
The Designing of Investment Castings is a relatively straightforward process as there are few constraints on configuration and it requires no consideration of a draft angle. Therefore, anytime two separate members need be assembled together presents an opportunity to combine them into a 1-piece cast structure. Obvious candidates for conversion to casting are dip-brazed or welded assemblies.
Admittedly there are a few casting design “Rules of Thumb” that do need to be taken into consideration and knowledge of those aspects will help to avoid any unintended “Designed–In” costs. O’Fallon Casting readily assists its customers with several services to help enhance the value of their casting designs. First O’Fallon Casting provides its customers a Concurrent Engineering Service to critique their casting designs and offer recommendations for improvement. Secondly, OFC offers to conduct a 3-Hour, IC-101, class on the basics of Investment Casting design at Customer facilities. Thirdly, O’Fallon Casting also offers a 3-Day, IC-201, class held at O’Fallon Casting for customers desiring an in-depth exposure to Investment Casting.
Castings provide an opportunity to enhance the affordability of customer designed products. O’Fallon Casting wants to assist its customers in making the most effective use of castings in their products.
For more information please call your OFC Sales Engineer.
Castings are inherently a cost effective method to manufacture shapes that reduces the part-count of an assembly and therefore improves the affordability of that product. However, casting design does require some specialized expertise and appreciation of the strength and weaknesses of the foundry process.
Any poorly designed product as a consequence will incur unnecessary or unexpected costs. For example, the cost of poor product manufacturability might be reflected in late deliveries, short shipments or frequent rejections. These types of design related issues will drive a rise of both Inventory and Administrative costs.
Less obvious is the cost of a missed opportunity where the product might have been manufactured via a superior method. Poor design choices can threaten both the reputation and profitability of an enterprise.
Good casting design accomplishes two things. First the combining multiple parts into a one-piece cast structure will reduce the amount of assembly required to manufacture a product. Such Part-Count Reduction favorably impacts not only the direct manufacturing cost but also reduces inventory and administrative costs. Secondly, because of the Near-Net-Shape capability, castings reduce the cost for secondary machining. Investment Casting is an effective foundry process by which to take advantage of both capabilities.
The Designing of Investment Castings is a relatively straightforward process as there are few constraints on configuration and it requires no consideration of a draft angle. Therefore, anytime two separate members need be assembled together presents an opportunity to combine them into a 1-piece cast structure. Obvious candidates for conversion to casting are dip-brazed or welded assemblies.
Admittedly there are a few casting design “Rules of Thumb” that do need to be taken into consideration and knowledge of those aspects will help to avoid any unintended “Designed–In” costs. O’Fallon Casting readily assists its customers with several services to help enhance the value of their casting designs. First O’Fallon Casting provides its customers a Concurrent Engineering Service to critique their casting designs and offer recommendations for improvement. Secondly, OFC offers to conduct a 3-Hour, IC-101, class on the basics of Investment Casting design at Customer facilities. Thirdly, O’Fallon Casting also offers a 3-Day, IC-201, class held at O’Fallon Casting for customers desiring an in-depth exposure to Investment Casting.
Castings provide an opportunity to enhance the affordability of customer designed products. O’Fallon Casting wants to assist its customers in making the most effective use of castings in their products.
For more information please call your OFC Sales Engineer.
Monday, 20 April 2015
AFS Metalcasting Supply Chain & Design Summits
O’Fallon Casting had the pleasure of addressing both the American Foundry Society’s Metalcasting Supply Chain Summit and Metalcasting Design Summit held in Chicago on February 3rd and 4th. The AFS held these two Summits as a vehicle to update users of cast metal products as to the State of the Industry and to learn of innovation within the industry. The two summits also provided forums for Industry Experts to interact with the Supply Chain and Engineering Professionals in roundtable discussions of pertinent issues such as Lead Times, Casting Conversions, and Specifications.
At the Metalcasting Supply Chain Summit O’Fallon Casting presented a paper entitled: “Cost Factors of Aluminum Investment Castings”. This presentation provided an overview of the Investment Casting process, summed the major issues as regard to cost and suggested ways that users might optimize the value in their cast metal products.
At the Metalcasting Design Summit O’Fallon Casting presented a paper entitled: “The Role of the Design Engineer in the Supply Chain”. The paper argued that 70% – 90% of Product Cost is the result of Design Decisions and demonstrated how effective casting design can reduce the Part Count and thus the cost of secondary machining and assembly operations in their engineered products. This point was reinforced with an analysis of the exquisite casting design of O’Fallon Casting’s AFS/MCDP “2013-Casting of the Year”.
At the Metalcasting Supply Chain Summit O’Fallon Casting presented a paper entitled: “Cost Factors of Aluminum Investment Castings”. This presentation provided an overview of the Investment Casting process, summed the major issues as regard to cost and suggested ways that users might optimize the value in their cast metal products.
At the Metalcasting Design Summit O’Fallon Casting presented a paper entitled: “The Role of the Design Engineer in the Supply Chain”. The paper argued that 70% – 90% of Product Cost is the result of Design Decisions and demonstrated how effective casting design can reduce the Part Count and thus the cost of secondary machining and assembly operations in their engineered products. This point was reinforced with an analysis of the exquisite casting design of O’Fallon Casting’s AFS/MCDP “2013-Casting of the Year”.
Friday, 9 January 2015
Investment Casting (Al/SiC) Metal Matrix Composites
The particulate Silicon Carbide reinforcement in Aluminum Alloy Metal Matrix Composite enhances this lightweight material with improved mechanical property attributes for stiffness, vibration dampening, wear resistance, high thermal conductivity, and low coefficient of thermal expansion. With its unique set of properties MMC alloys have been employed in diverse applications such as moving structures in high speed equipment for manufacturing, brake rotors for vehicles, heat sinks for electronics and as housings & mirrors for optics.
In the 1980’s and 1990’s cast shapes from MMC ingot was envisioned to be a major enabling technology for manufacture of MMC metal components. This prompted the development of foundry processes and specialized techniques to overcome the natural tendency of the SiCp particles to clump or to precipitate from the aluminum matrix. The inherent abrasiveness of the Silicon Carbide particulates in the alloy, perhaps unfairly, also gave MMC a reputation of being difficult and expensive to machine. For a myriad reasons a broad market for cast and other process shapes has not developed and so despite its many attributes MMC remains an underutilized material option.
As it is with other difficult to machine materials, the near-net-shape capability Investment Casting is an effective counterbalance to help mitigate the cost for machining aluminum MMC. With effective casting designs this capability, combined with the refinements in the alloy and of the secondary machining, makes investment cast aluminum alloy / silicon carbide particulates a viable and affordable option for engineers to incorporate lightweight MMC shapes into their products.
In the 1980’s and 1990’s cast shapes from MMC ingot was envisioned to be a major enabling technology for manufacture of MMC metal components. This prompted the development of foundry processes and specialized techniques to overcome the natural tendency of the SiCp particles to clump or to precipitate from the aluminum matrix. The inherent abrasiveness of the Silicon Carbide particulates in the alloy, perhaps unfairly, also gave MMC a reputation of being difficult and expensive to machine. For a myriad reasons a broad market for cast and other process shapes has not developed and so despite its many attributes MMC remains an underutilized material option.
As it is with other difficult to machine materials, the near-net-shape capability Investment Casting is an effective counterbalance to help mitigate the cost for machining aluminum MMC. With effective casting designs this capability, combined with the refinements in the alloy and of the secondary machining, makes investment cast aluminum alloy / silicon carbide particulates a viable and affordable option for engineers to incorporate lightweight MMC shapes into their products.
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