Sand Casting Project. |
In this project, I designed a 3D printed part for sand casting. There were many restrictions in sand casting a component, so my design had to meet specific standards, such as smooth fillet, avoid sharp vertices, and small gaps. The parting line is designed to be on a flat plane so that it is more economical and accurate when produced. In addition, the pattern has a draft angle of 2°, enabling the product to be easily removed from the weak and brittle molding sand. Moreover, to avoid vulnerable zones and points of high stress resulting from hot spots, sharp corners of the pattern are rounded with a 0.05-inch fillet. However, there are still some places that I could improve, such as narrow gaps between some features. This increases the difficulty in removing the sand pattern before pouring the molten metal into the cavity. Left sand in the gaps can cause inaccurate parts. As a mechanical engineer, it is crucial to design a component that meets all the requirements, but sometimes the part is impossible or too expensive to produce. Engineers must compromise that either have a very accurate machined component or using other methods to provide an affordable but slightly less precise part. Therefore, knowing all the necessary design constraints and procedures for different manufacturing methods is beneficial.
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