Cyclone – die neue Technik zur superschnellen Schalenherstellung beim Feinguss

Abstract

Rapid Prototyping for metallic cast parts requires fireproof casting moulds which can be manufactured swiftly. In the case of low melting point materials, e.g. aluminium, cell technology used in the jewelry and dental industries has usually been applied in the past owing to the view that the shell technology alternative applied in the area of industrial casting would take too long to manufacture. One fact has however been established: better casting quality and larger cast parts are possible using shell technology. Accordingly, neither cell technology nor slip-casting technology are suitable for ceramic shell casting in the RP timeframe as both procedures display specific disadvantageous features. This is where the developments by MK Technology come in. An aerodynamically-optimised wind tunnel was constructed permitting high-speed drying. Using a special cyclone in which the pre-dried air is accelerated at up to 4 metres/second and additional heat radiation, the drying time is reduced from anything up to 24 hours to approx. 30 minutes. The entire multilayer shell construction only takes around four hours and leads to considerably improved stability of the ceramic shell when compared to other established procedures.