<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n--Customers want to do small quantities of trial parts, do a metal mold to 200,000, the result of the order is only 50 pieces, a calculation found that the mold cost more than the money earned, can only give up the order!
--The customer had an order for an aerospace part with honeycomb structure, and the traditional sand core assembly error was bigger than the part size, so it was a big headache to stare at the scrapped casting!
--Competitors with 3D printing took a well-known automotive battery pack orders, their own offer is lower than others 30% or did not win the bid, and finally inquired about the delivery of people faster than us 2 months, very helpless!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
--Customers do not move to change the design of the warehouse piled up more than 300 sets of scrap molds, checking the accounts found that the mold inventory occupied half a year of profit, which is too painful to taste!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
--Customers sent a complex structure of the pieces over, and said that the price is not a problem, an assessment found that the traditional casting process can not be done, looking at such a high value-added orders can only be given up!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Below we help all bosses one by one to sort out clearly, an article to let you fully understand the 3D printing sand casting technology!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>What is sand 3D printing?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nSand 3D printing is a relatively new technology, simply put, is like building blocks, with special materials layer by layer \"pile\" out of the casting sand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the past, the traditional method of making sand molds may need to make molds first, and then use the molds to shape, the process is more complicated, and if you want to make some sand molds with very strange and complex shapes, it will be particularly difficult and costly. But sand 3D printing is different, it works with a 3D model in your computer. You input the data of the 3D model of the designed casting into the 3D printer, and the printer will, according to the shape and structure of the model, put special sand or sand-like materials, according to the layer by layer in a precise way and bonded up, just like using countless thin \"sand pieces\" gradually built into a complete sand mold. In this way, no matter how complex the shape, as long as it can be designed in the computer, it can be printed out, and the speed is quite fast, and do not need to make complex molds like the traditional method, can save a lot of time and cost it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Principle of Sand 3D Printer<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nSand 3D printing is usually done usingBinder Jetting (BJ)<\/strong>The basic principle is as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- spread sand<\/strong>: The printer spreads a specific casting sand (e.g. silica sand, ceramic sand or coated sand) evenly over the printing platform.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- spray binder<\/strong>: The spray nozzles precisely spray the binder according to a computer model (CAD data) to bond the sand grains in a specific area.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- pile up repeatedly<\/strong>: The platform is lowered, sand is spread again and the binder is sprayed, curing and molding layer by layer until the entire sand print is completed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- reprocess<\/strong>: Remove unbonded loose sand, harden and clean the printed sand model, which can then be used for metal casting.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>What are the core problems addressed by 3D printed sand casting?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe existence or birth of each technology must have its \"mission\". Commonly known as a solution to a particular problem, to meet market demand, this is the value of its existence. Below we take a look at the sand 3D printing technology to solve the thorny problems encountered in the traditional casting, as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Manufacture of complex shaped parts<\/strong>Traditional sand casting to manufacture complex shapes is difficult and costly, such as aviation engine blades inside the fine cooling channels, traditional processes are difficult to accurately mold. 3D printing sand based on digital models, can easily turn complex shapes into reality, from the dense concave, raised automotive engine block sand, to have a subtle biomimetic structure of the shell of the medical device sand, can be perfectly rendered.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- long production lead time<\/strong>Traditional sand casting need to go through a long process of designing molds, manufacturing molds, debugging molds, large-scale mold manufacturing cycle often exceeds a few months. 3D printing sand without mold production, directly according to the digital model printing, design modification is only required to operate the model on the computer, reprinting can be, can significantly shorten the production cycle. Such as research and development of new automotive engine block, the traditional casting mold scrap remake at least two weeks, 3D printing sand can be completed on the day of the new model printing, the next day can be put into casting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Difficulty in cost control<\/strong>Traditional casting mold manufacturing material waste is serious, the utilization rate of complex mold materials is less than 30%, and high labor costs. 3D printing sand on-demand printing, accurate sand, material utilization rate of more than 90%, reduce waste. High degree of automation of the printing process can reduce labor costs. Take a small foundry as an example, with an annual production capacity of 5,000 pieces of small pipe fittings castings, after the introduction of 3D printed sand, the material cost will be reduced by 150,000 yuan per year, and the labor cost will be cut by 200,000 yuan.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Low precision of castings<\/strong>The traditional sand mold due to mold wear, parting surface fitting error, casting size deviation often exceeds \u00b11mm, subsequent machining allowance, material waste, and prone to local loosening, sand entrapment and other defects, resulting in uneven mechanical properties of the casting. 3D printing of the sand model by the digital model of the precise drive, sand size accuracy of up to \u00b10.5mm, can achieve uniform compactness, to avoid uneven sand loose, and at the same time optimize the solidification process to significantly reduce shrinkage holes, shrinkage, to ensure reliable internal quality of the casting. At the same time, the solidification process is optimized, greatly reducing shrinkage holes and shrinkage loosening, and ensuring stable and reliable internal quality of castings.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- High environmental pressure<\/strong>Traditional casting mold manufacturing produces a large amount of waste metal, waste plastic, sand processing waste sand piles up. 3D printing sand production, unused sand can be recycled and reuse, very little waste, and the printing process does not require a large number of chemical binders, reducing the emission of hazardous gases, and improve the workshop environment. According to statistics, after the adoption of 3D printing sand mold, the casting workshop waste emissions reduced by more than 80%, dust, harmful gas concentration of environmental standards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n