Additive Manufactured Mold with Non-Line-of-Sight Features
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional casting methods are time-consuming and expensive, requiring multiple steps and complex processes to create molds, especially for complex workpieces with internal cavities and non-line-of-sight features, which are difficult to machine or fabricate using conventional techniques.
Innovation Solution
The method involves additive manufacturing of at least part of the mold, including a core and outer shell, which can be made as a unitary piece with non-line-of-sight features, allowing for the creation of complex geometries and internal structures without the need for extensive machining, using techniques like Direct Metal Laser Sintering or Selective Laser Melting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional die casting or investment casting methods are used to create molds, then the mold can be manufactured with conventional machining techniques, but the manufacturing time and cost increase significantly, especially for complex workpieces with internal cavities and non-line-of-sight features
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical machining processes with additive manufacturing technology to create mold cores and shells. This substitution enables direct fabrication of complex geometries including internal cavities and non-line-of-sight features without requiring extensive machining operations, thereby reducing both manufacturing time and cost while maintaining or improving mold quality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the third dimension in additive manufacturing to create complex mold geometries that cannot be achieved through conventional 2D machining. By building molds layer-by-layer, the process can incorporate internal cavities, non-line-of-sight features, and complex surface geometries directly in the manufacturing process, eliminating the need for multiple machining steps and tool access from multiple directions
2Shape
If traditional machining techniques are used to create mold cores with internal cavities and non-line-of-sight features, then the mold structure can be formed, but the complexity and difficulty of fabrication increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical machining operations with additive manufacturing to create mold cores with internal cavities and non-line-of-sight features. This substitution simplifies the manufacturing process by eliminating the need for complex toolpaths, multiple setup operations, and specialized machining equipment, while directly achieving complex geometries through digital modeling and layer-by-layer fabrication
3Shape
If investment casting processes are used with wax models and ceramic molds, then the workpiece can be cast with complex geometries, but the number of manufacturing steps and associated costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the mold core and shell fabrication processes by using additive manufacturing for both components. This consolidation eliminates several steps in the traditional investment casting process, including separate wax model fabrication, multiple dipping and stuccoing cycles, and extensive drying and preparation steps. The additive manufacturing process directly creates both the core and shell as green bodies that are then sintered together, significantly reducing manufacturing time and improving productivity while maintaining the ability to produce complex workpiece geometries
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces the time and cost of mold manufacturing while producing more robust and complex mold structures, enabling the production of workpieces with directional grain microstructures and non-line-of-sight holes that would be challenging to achieve with traditional methods.
Implementation Method 1
using techniques like Direct Metal Laser Sintering or Selective Laser Melting
Implementation Method 2
Direct Metal Laser Sintering
Implementation Method 3
Selective Laser Melting
Data Source
AI summary
A mold for manufacturing a casted workpiece is, at least in-part, manufactured utilizing an additive manufacturing process. The mold may have a core having non-line-of-sight features that are additively manufactured and in contact with an outer shell of a wax mold and/or an outer shell of a casting mold of the mold. The outer shell of either the wax or casting molds may also be additively manufactured, and the shell of the casting mold may be additively manufactured as one unitary piece to the core.