WAXLESS PRECISION CASTING PROCESS
First Claim
1. A casting process for an alloy component comprising:
- casting a ceramic core into a flexible core mold, the flexible core mold defining a geometry of an interior passageway of the alloy component and a first cooperating alignment feature;
casting a ceramic shell in at least two sections into respective flexible shell molds, the flexible shell molds collectively defining an external geometry of the alloy component and a second cooperating alignment feature;
forming a ceramic casting vessel by assembling the ceramic core within the ceramic shell sections while aligning the first and second cooperating alignment features;
casting alloy into the ceramic casting vessel; and
removing the ceramic casting vessel to reveal the alloy component having the interior passageway.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Alloy products are produced with a waxless casting process. A model of a ceramic casting vessel (34) defining a desired product shape is digitally divided into sections (10, 40, 42). Each section is translated into a soft alloy mater tool (14) including precision inserts (20) where needed for fine detail. A flexible mold (24) is cast from each master tool, and a section of the ceramic casting vessel is cast from the respective flexible mold. The vessel sections are assembled by aligning cooperating precision features (58, 60) cast directly into each section and the alloy part is cast therein. No wax or wax pattern tooling is needed to produce the cast alloy product. Engineered surface features (54) may be included on both the interior and exterior surfaces of the shell sections.
71 Citations
43 Claims
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1. A casting process for an alloy component comprising:
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casting a ceramic core into a flexible core mold, the flexible core mold defining a geometry of an interior passageway of the alloy component and a first cooperating alignment feature; casting a ceramic shell in at least two sections into respective flexible shell molds, the flexible shell molds collectively defining an external geometry of the alloy component and a second cooperating alignment feature; forming a ceramic casting vessel by assembling the ceramic core within the ceramic shell sections while aligning the first and second cooperating alignment features; casting alloy into the ceramic casting vessel; and removing the ceramic casting vessel to reveal the alloy component having the interior passageway. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A casting process for an alloy component comprising:
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forming master tooling defining each of a plurality of sections of a ceramic casting vessel shape, the sections each comprising at least one alignment feature shaped for cooperative alignment with an alignment feature of another of the sections for assembly of the ceramic casting vessel shape; casting a plurality of identical sets of flexible molds in the master tooling, each flexible mold replicating a respective section of the ceramic casting vessel shape, the master tooling being reused for casting multiple identical sets of flexible molds; casting a plurality of sets of identical ceramic casting vessel sections in the plurality of sets of identical flexible molds; assembling a plurality of identical ceramic casting vessels by assembling the respective plurality of sets of ceramic casting vessel sections while aligning the respective cooperative alignment features; casting the plurality of identical alloy components in the plurality of identical ceramic casting vessels; and removing the ceramic casting vessels to reveal the plurality of identical alloy components. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31)
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30. A casting process for an alloy component comprising:
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defining a ceramic casting vessel in a digital model; dividing the digital model into a plurality of vessel sections comprising cooperating alignment features; fabricating master tooling representing each of the vessel sections; casting flexible molds for each of the vessel sections in the master tooling; casting ceramic casting vessel sections in the flexible molds; assembling the ceramic casting vessel sections into a ceramic casting vessel while aligning the cooperating alignment features; casting an alloy component in the ceramic casting vessel; and removing the ceramic casting vessel to reveal the alloy component. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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Specification