Additive Manufacturing – MSOE Rapid Prototyping Consortium 4/17/15
Presentation: Additive Manufacturing Sand Molds and Cores Compared to a Traditional Method
Kelly Coles, chief operating officer, CA Lawton
Sheku Kamara, director, Rapid Prototyping Consortium
Because additive manufacturing molds and cores for individual parts are expensive, sand casting has used them only for projects requiring one to five parts or when lead time is critical. Last year, the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WMEP), along with CA Lawton and MSOE, worked on a project that compared the results of a casting made with a traditional mold to two different additively manufactured molds and cores. The main goal was to understand the advantages and limitations beyond single-piece parts or lead time and to encourage discussion of an industry and state partnership to procure one of these large-format systems.
Currently, sand casting foundries have only three sources in the US for purchasing additive manufacturing molds and cores: ExOne (OEM), Hoosier Pattern, and the University of Northern Iowa (UNI).
Kelly and Sheku will present the study results, analyzing each step as it relates to the manufacturing process.