Metalcasting Processes

CONTENTS

Page

Introduction

1

CurrentSituation

5

ImprovedMetalcastingDesignCapabilities

9

A. WorkshopOverview B. Challenges C. OrganizationofthisReport

A. MetalcastingInBrief B. EnergyUseinMetalCasting C. MarketOverview

A. MaterialPropertyData B. Design-ProcessInterrelationship C. DesignCompetitiveness

2 2 3 5 6 7

9 12 15

ImprovedMetalcastingProcesses

21

CrosscuttingApplications

31

A. B. C. D.

InnovativeProcesses Variability IntelligentProcessing ManagementIssuesandSystemsApproach

AppendixA:RoadmapWorkshopAttendees

21 24 26 27

A-1

i

INTRODUCTION ThisRoadmapoutlinestechnologydevelopmentpathwaysforimprovingenergy-efficiencyand competitivenessinthemetalcastingindustry.Specifically,theMetalcastingIndustryTechnology Roadmapoutlinesthetechnicalchallengesandresearchstrategiesneededtoachievethegoalsset forthinAVisionfortheU.S.MetalcastingIndustry2002andBeyondpublishedinMay2002.The Visionpresentsgoalsandchallengesidentifiedbyindustryleadersthatmustbeaddressedoverthe next20yearstomaintainahealthy,andvibrantmetalcastingindustry.Visiongoalsareshownin Exhibit1. Exhibit 1 Vision Technical Goals

• Throughimprovedcastingdesignmethods,alloyproperties,alloyperformancedata, andcastingperformancesimulationtechniques,annualmarketgrowthratesfor metalcastingshipments(basedonvalueofshipments)willaverage3%ormorethrough 2020. • By2020,thecombinationofaveragemeltingandmoldyieldforeachmetalcasting alloy/processfamilywillincreasesignificantlysothat,inaggregate,themetalcasting industry’syieldswillincreaseby20%fromcurrentlevels.Rejectedcastingrateswillbe cutby40%fromcurrentindustryaverages.Ontime/completedeliveryperformancefor thefullspectrumoforder/releasequantitieswillbesustainedabove95%acrossthe metalcastingindustrywhilethecombinationofin-processandfinishedinventoryin metalcastingplantswillbeslashed50%. TheCastMetalsCoalition(CMC)developedthisRoadmapwithsupportfromtheU.S.Department ofEnergy(DOE).TheCMCrepresentsthethreeleadingtechnicalsocietiesoftheU.S.metalcasting industry.Itwasformedtofostertheresearchanddevelopmentneededtohelptheindustry becometechnologicallyadvancedandgloballycompetitive.ThemembersocietiesoftheCMCare: • • •

AmericanFoundrySociety(AFS) NorthAmericanDieCastingAssociation(NADCA) SteelFounders’SocietyofAmerica(SFSA)

Toremaincompetitiveandtosustainaviabledomesticmetalcastingindustry,significant challengesmustbeovercome.Design,process,andmaterialimprovementsareneededforthe industrytorealizeitspotential.Technologicaladvancescansimultaneouslyimproveproductivity, energyefficiency,andenvironmentalcompatibility.Thevastmajorityofmetalcastersaresmall businessesthatdonothavetheresourcestoperformtheadvancedresearchanddevelopment (R&D)necessarytoremaincompetitive. TheCMC,inpartnershipwiththeU.S.DepartmentofEnergy(DOE),hasdevelopedasuccessful advancedresearchpartnership.Thispartnershiphasbroughttogetherindustry,academia,and governmenttoimplementaportfolioofresearchprojectsthatisvitalforimprovingefficiencyin theindustrywhilemaintainingcompetitiveness.Thispartnershiphasinvolvedhundredsof industrycompanies,universities,andlaboratories.Thepartnershiphasalsohelpedtotrain hundredsofstudents.Asignificantpercentageofthesestudentshavepursuedcareersinthe metalcastingindustry.Significantprocessandproductivityimprovementsinmetalcastingare helpingimproveenergyefficiency.ThepartnershipsbetweentheCMCmembersandDOEisvital tothissmallbusinessmanufacturingindustryandisoneofthemostsubstantiveresourcesfor casting-relatedR&DintheUnitedStates.ThisRoadmapprovidesguidanceforthisR&Dbythe U.S.DepartmentofEnergy,throughtheCastMetalsCoalitionanditsmembers. 1

A.

WorkshopOverviewandStructure

InJanuary2003,theCMChostedatechnologyR&Droadmapworkshoptooutlinetheresearch pathwaystoachievethetechnicalgoalssetoutinAVisionfortheU.S.MetalcastingIndustry2002 andBeyond.Industryleaders,technologyspecialists,researchers,andgovernmentparticipants contributedattheworkshop.Theworkshopwasorganizedaroundtwoofthekeytechnical challengesoutlinedintheVision: •

Design:Thechallengetodesignnewcastingsfornewmarketsandapplicationswhilemaintaining currentmarkets.

•

Process:Thechallengetoimproveprocessesforreducingscrap,decreasingproductioncosts,and improvingproductperformance.

Workshopparticipants,whoareexpertsindesigning,processing,andapplicationofcastproducts, participatedinbreakoutsessionsdesignedtomapR&Dpathwaysforovercomingeachchallenge. Participantsidentifiedtheexistingbarrierstoimprovingdesignormanufacturingprocesses.They identifiedthenear-,mid-,andlong-termresearchactivitiestoovercomethosechallenges. ParticipantsalsoprioritizedtheresearcheffortsneededtoachievetheVisiongoals.Insightsfrom industrymemberswhowereunabletoattendtheworkshopwerecapturedthroughapre-roadmap workshopquestionnaire.Thequestionnairewasdesignedtoelicitinputonhowtobestachieve thedesignandprocessgoals.Thisvaluableinputwasextensivelyincorporatedintothe developmentofthisRoadmap. B.

Challenges

ThisRoadmapdiscusseschallengesspecifictothebreakoutsessiontopics:designimprovements andprocessimprovements.Interestingly,similarchallengeswereidentifiedinthebreakout sessionsandinaplenarysessioninvolvingallworkshopparticipants.Thesemaybespecificto bothdesignorprocess,orgeneralinnature.Yettherepeatedreferencetothesechallenges emphasizestheirimportancetotheindustry.Commonindustrychallengesincludetheneedto: • • • • • • • • • • • 2

Acceleratetherateofchangeamongmetalcasters.Toaccomplishthis,theindustrymust increasetrainingandtechnologytransferandmotivatemetalcasterstoadoptnew advancesandtechnologies. Identifyandprioritizefactorsthatreducevariabilityanddevelopmeasurestoreducetheir occurrences. Ensurecastingqualityandperformanceatthedesignstage.Incorporateandimprove AdvanceQualityPlanning(AQP),DesignFailureModesEffect&Analysis(DFMEA),and ProcessFailureModesEffect&Analysis(PFMEA). Developmeasurestoimproveprocesscontrolincastingoperations. Improvetheefficiencyandcontrolofmeltingprocesses,whichincludesupstreammetal preparationanddownstreammoltenmetalhandling. Developstandardsforquantitativemeasurementofinternalandexternalcastingquality attributesbasedonobjectivestructuralperformanceandsuperficialappearance requirements. Developmoreeconomicalprocessesforproducingcastingsinanoxygen/contaminant-free environment. Improveautomationinthecastingprocessandreducethenumberofprocesssteps. Improvesafetyperformanceandreduceenvironmentalimpact. Developnewpatternmaterialswithlesscarboncontentforlostfoamcasting. Developthecapabilitytoproducemis-run-free,thin-wallcastings.

EachofthesechallengesisdescribedinmoredetailinSectionIII“DesignCapabilities”(pg.9)and SectionIV“Processes”(pg.21)oftheRoadmap. C.

OrganizationofthisReport

ThisRoadmapprovidesanoverviewofthecurrentsituationofthemetalcastingindustry(Section II)andtheresultsoftheroadmapsessions(SectionsIIIandIV). SectionIIIdescribesthevariousobstacles/barrierspreventingtheindustryfromobtainingitsgoal ofimprovedmetalcastingdesign.Itoutlinesnear-(