DIRECT SHELL PRODUCTION CASTING (DSPC)

DSPC produces the actual ceramic molds for metal castings directly from 3-D CAD
designs. No tooling or patterns are required. DSPC uses Three Dimensional Printing
technologies to produce the ceramic molds for metal casting using a layer-by-layer
process.
1. DSPC is a combination of three processes: computer aided casting design; selective laser
sintering, which is a close tolerance laser sintering of a fusible powder-like material; and the
shell mold process.
2.Although each of these three processes are currently used by metal casters, uniting them
enables foundry men to produce a prototype casting with physical and metallurgical properties
virtually identical to a metal casting produced with sand cores and molds.

3. The shell molds is built in a ceramic allowing the direct production of investment shells
from CAD data.

4. A CAD file is used to define the required cavity, the system modifies this file to suit the
requirements by introducing fillets and removing machined features such as holes in the computer
helps in controlling the system and the model of the shell generation.

5. Layer of powder is deposited, spread, and compressed on a pallet with the help of roller
arrangements
6. The material for the layer is fused using a print head that moves in a horizontal direction
over sand sprays adhesive in required spots.
7. Repeat until done.

8. The un fused powder is not removed, and thus supports the rest of the part

9. When complete the powder is removed and reused

A print jet projects a fine stream of colloidal silica in the required plan of the slice onto the
powder coating. This solidifies and also adheres to the previous layer. Once the slice of shell has
been drawn the machine bed lowers and the process is repeated until the entire shell has been
formed. As with the SLS process the excess powder acts as a support while the shell is being
produced. On completion the shell is removed from the bin and excess powder removed from
within the cavity.

the resu 6. lt is a shell that can be used in casting.

ADVANTAGES OF DSPC

1. produces good castings directly

2. the variety of usable common powders is large
3. Silicon carbide, alumina, zircon, silica& aluminum oxide allows tests using metal parts
for strength and fit
4. Eliminates costly time consuming intermediate stages to casting
 5. can produce very complicated molds
6. no warping or distortion
7.

DISADVANTAGES OF DSPC
1. Rough surface finish: details down to 0.175mm; tolerance +/- 0.05mm
2. Unbound powder can clog in hidden cavities
3. The printing jet tends to clog.
4. Not commercially available yet
5. Small work envelope
SPECIFICATION
Work volume is 8" by 12" by 8"

Resolution of print head 0.007"

Direct Shell Sand Rapid Prototyping (DSS RP) - has emerged from the prototyping methods
that produces metal castings available for accurate evaluation and testing.

Introduced in Europe in 1995 under the title of Direct Croning Laser-Sintering Process, DSS
RP is developed and marketed outside of the U.S. by Electro Optical Systems (EOS)-Zeiss
Group, Munich, Germany. In the U.S., DSS RP technology is distributed by DTM, Corp.,
Austin, Texas under the trademarked name of "Sand Form."

The process begins with a CAD file being converted to a stereolithography (STL) file. The
prototyping equipment utilizes the STL format. After the STL file transfer to the prototyping
equipment is complete, the prototype mold and/or core is formed via selective laser sintering
of the sand grains. DSS RP can make sand cores and/or molds with either silica or zircon sand
that has been pre-coated with a B-staged phenolic/novolac resin. (A B-staged thermosetting
plastic is one that has been partially cured or polymerized and requires additional
polymerization through exposure to heat to reach the final cured stage, or the C-Stage.)

A thin layer of coated sand is applied over the entire surface of the build area within the
prototype machine by a spreading device. After deposition, the sand, which will become part
of the mold and/or core, is heated with a C[O.sub.2] laser beam [ILLUSTRATION FOR
FIGURE 1 OMITTED]. As the coating melts on the outside surface of the sand it adheres to
adjoining sand grains. This bonds the grains, one layer at a time, to the agglomerated shape
being formed below. As subsequent layers are bonded together and harden, a specific shape is
formed within the confines of the build volume. With the application of each successive layer,
the build platform is lowered into the machine until the height of the build is completed. The
total amount of material in the build volume is comprised of the specific bonded sand shape
formed by the agglomerated grains, surrounded and supported by uncured, free flowing resin-
coated shell sand.
Upon completion of the building process the build platform is raised, and the partially cured
and uncured sand is removed from the machine. The cured sand mold and/or core is then
separated from the loose sand by simply brushing and blowing it away from the cured sand
part. Upon separation from the uncured sand, the partially cured mold and/or core is post-
cured. If sections are to be attached together, this is done after post-curing. Then it is set up
to be poured.

It should be noted that any loose, unbonded sand removed from the process is reusable and
can be recycled back into the machine. Silica and zircon sand is currently the standard
aggregate used in DSS RP. However, nearly any sand used in the "standard" shell process
can be employed. Typically, silica sand from about 90-110 AFS/GFN and zircon sand from
about 100-120AFS/GFN is employed.

Process Advantages

* DSS RP has virtually no limitations on part complexity;

* almost any geometry can be built within the dimensions of the machine's build volume;

* castings with dimensions larger than the build volume of the machine can be fabricated
by assembling the mold sections together;

* cores can be built into the mold at the same time that the mold is fabricated, allowing
precise locating of the cores within the mold (prevents finning and locating dimensional
inaccuracies);

* undercuts can be built into the core and mold package;

* no draft angles are required;

* casting wall thickness as low as 1.4 mm can be produced without any problems;

* cores can be formed in the unit for use in another casting process;

* any metal utilized in the shell sand process can be used in DSS RP.

The time required between CAD and the first casting using conventional foundry methods,
even with the help of standard RP tools, is typically 2-5 weeks. For DSS RP, the build time
for a 1-cylinder head is two days, and for a 4-cylinder head it is less than 1 week. Even with
the additional design time required for the mold's runner and gating system, the total
processing time for a new cylinder head can be significantly reduced.

In addition to the time saving consideration, the DSS RP-produced cylinder heads are
virtually identical in all metallurgical and mechanical respects to the sand-cast components
that will be produced during the production phase. This means that test engines can
undergo evaluation using parts with physical, mechanical and metallurgical properties
similar to those parts that will be manufactured in the final production phase of
manufacturing.

Limitations

Despite the benefits the technology provides, DSS RP equipment can be costly for a
foundry. But an option available to foundries interested in the process is the use of service
bureaus. These resources often own the equipment as well as the expertise to operate it.
Service bureaus also have various processes and applications at their fingertips, allowing
foundries to do some one-stop shopping.

Another limitation to the technology, as is the case with most RP generated curved surfaces,
is the apparent "stair-stepping" on the outside of the part as the height increases. Stair-
stepping is caused by layers of sand being applied during the z-axis layering operation in
such a way that the new layers are not as wide as the ones below it. When the narrower
layer is cured, a step is formed between the edge of the previous layer and the top edge of
the new layer.

These steps continue along all concave and convex surfaces, but can be virtually eliminated
by orienting the part to eliminate stair-stepping during the planning stage, or minimized by
building with thinner layers. Unfortunately, thinner layer building extends the build time,
and the thickness is limited to the diameter of the thickest coated sand grain. Another
solution is sanding the sharp edges, which can minimize jagged appearance of the stair-
stepping.

Although DSS RP doesn't have many limitations on part complexity, it does have an
apparent limit on mold and/or core size based on build volume. The two-laser EOS machine
has X, Y and Z build volume dimensions of 28x15x15-in. respectively. The DTM machine,
which operates with a single laser, has build volume dimensions of 13-in. in diameter by 15-
in. in height. Restrictions caused by mold build size limitations don't pose insurmountable
obstacles. If the goal is to make parts larger than the build volume dimensions, multiple
cores and molds sections can be fastened together prior to pouring, as shown by the mold
assembly of BMW and VAW Mandl & Berger (see The Results of DSS RP sidebar).

A RP Breakthrough

Prior to the recent introduction of DSS RP, most foundry prototypes involved the need for
secondary tooling to produce a prototype part. This resulted in cast metal prototype
components that could only be made through a series of steps, which often led to extensive
time delays. Other metalforming processes, such as weldments and hand fabrication, could
be produced and quickly submitted for evaluation. This put the supplier of a sand casting in
a disadvantageous position because once the initial testing program was underway, the
customer was generally not anxious to start it over again. The development of DSS RP
 allows sand casting foundries to compete on a faster level and quickly translate mold and/or
core ideas into functional sand cast prototypes available for evaluation of their physical
characteristics, metallurgical properties and part performance.

GM's Advanced Development Lab Displays Step-by-Step the Making of a Prototype Casting
Using DSS RP

GM Powertrain, Saginaw, Michigan introduced DSS RP to its Advanced Development Lab

(ADL) in January. Its goal was to decrease lead times and costs associated with casting
product development. The laboratory installed a DTM Sinterstation 2000 to use in
conjunction with shell sand material. GM Powertrain selected this new process to avoid
some of the previous secondary operations that were encountered with its investment cast
prototyping method.

PROCESS DESCRIPTION

The CAD file of the designed part is transferred via modem or magnetic tape to the Shell
Design Unit (SDU) of the DSPC system. The SDU operator then designs the ceramic mold for
casting the metal part by adding the gating system to the part geometry and converting the
updated file into a cavity file in CAD space. This is a one time process after which many
identical ceramic mold could be generated. The cavity file for the ceramic mold is then used to
automatically generate the ceramic casting mold.

The ceramic mold is created in layers. The fabrication process involves three steps per layer.
First, the ceramic shell model is "sliced" to yield a cross-section of the ceramic mold. Second, a
layer of fine powder is spread by a roller mechanism. Third, a multi-jet printhead moves across
the section, depositing binder in regions corresponding to the cross-section of the mold.

The binder penetrates the pores between the powder particles and adheres them together to form
a rigid structure. Once a given layer is completed, the ceramic shell model is sectioned again, at
a slightly higher position, and the process is repeated until all layers of the mold are
concretized. The DSPC mold is then cleaned of excess powder, fired and poured with molten
metal.

A DSPC mold may contain an integral ceramic core, producing a hollow metal part. Virtually
any molten metal can be cast in DSPC molds. Automotive parts have already been
manufactured in aluminum, magnesium, ductile iron, and stainless steel.
The DSPC machine is like a three dimensional printer that uses the designer’s Computer Aided
Design to create the actual ceramic casting molds. Consequently, it expedites the design and the
functional testing of new automotive components such as engines, transmissions and
turbochargers. First article parts, made directly from the customer’s CAD, are delivered in days.
Importantly, any design change is easily incorporated in CAD space, which provides the
ultimate configuration control and assures that all design changes are properly documented.

With DSPC, production tooling (dies, patterns and core boxes) are cast as net shape tools from
the CAD file of the approved part. This tooling is now created only once, guaranteeing a
smooth and cost effective transition from the first article part to production. The need for
temporary (prototyping) tooling is eliminated, and so are the huge monetary outlays associated
with prototype tooling that previously had to be considered. With DSPC, an indefinite number
of design iterations, including testing the design with different alloys, can be created without the
costly and time consuming need to produce tooling with each step.