Systems, devices, and/or methods for manufacturing castings

• US 9,315,663 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2009
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rtx Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mikro Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Appleby, Michael, Fraser, Iain, Paulus, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Watkins, III, William P
• Application Number:
  US13/121,086
• Publication Number:
  US 20110189440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,399 Days
• Field of Search: 295/271
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4258 for detecting non x-ray radiation, e.g. gamma radiation A61B6/037 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B22C 9/04 Use of lost patterns
• CPC Class Codes: B22C 9/10 Cores; Manufacture or installation of cores breaker cores B22C9/084
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 15/246 Laminated dies
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/301 Modular mould systems [MMS], i.e. moulds built up by stacking mould elements, e.g. plates, blocks, rods B29C33/0088 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/38 characterised by the material or the manufacturing process B29C33/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/3835 Designing moulds, e.g. using CAD-CAM
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 63/00 Compositions of epoxy resins; Compositions of derivatives of epoxy resins
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 83/04 Polysiloxanes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24479 including variation in thickness

Abstract

Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a composition, system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, and/or user interface adapted for, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise, after removing a cast device from a stack-lamination-derived mold, said cast device formed from a molding composition, applying a desired shape to said cast device to form a shaped cast device, said molding composition comprising: a ceramic composition comprising silica; an cycloaliphatic epoxy binder composition, said cycloaliphatic epoxy binder composition present in said molding composition in an amount up to 30% by weight of said molding composition; a silicone composition comprising a siloxane resin, said silicone composition present in said molding composition in an amount up to 30% by weight of said molding composition; and a solvent composition adapted to dissolve said cycloaliphatic epoxy binder composition and said silicone composition.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

after removing a cast device from a stack-lamination-derived mold, said cast device formed from a molding composition, applying a desired shape to said cast device to form a shaped cast device, said molding composition comprising;

a ceramic composition comprising a plurality of crystalline forms of silica, a first crystalline form of silica from the plurality of crystalline forms of silica being cristobalite in an amount greater than 2.5% and less than 10% by weight of the molding composition;

an cycloaliphatic epoxy binder composition, said cycloaliphatic epoxy binder composition present in said molding composition in an amount up to 30% by weight of said molding composition;

a silicone composition comprising a siloxane resin, said silicone composition present in said molding composition in an amount up to 30% by weight of said molding composition; and

a solvent composition adapted to dissolve said cycloaliphatic epoxy binder composition and said silicone composition

wherein;

said molding composition, responsive to being cross-linked at a predetermined cross-link temperature, is configured to allow said shaped cast device to be substantially re-shaped upon exposing said shaped cast device to a temperature above said predetermined cross-link temperature; and

said shaped cast device is configured to be substantially carbon-free after sintering; and

said shaped cast device having a post-sintering measured apparent porosity of 15 to 35 percent and a predetermined surface characteristic.

2. A method comprising:

after removing a cast device from a stack-lamination-derived mold, said cast device comprising a reduced solvent version of a molding composition, applying a desired shape to said cast device to form a shaped cast device, said molding composition comprising;

a ceramic composition comprising a plurality of crystalline forms of silica, a first crystalline form of silica from the plurality of crystalline forms of silica being cristobalite in an amount greater than 2.5% and less than 10% by weight of the molding composition;

an cycloaliphatic epoxy binder composition, said cycloaliphatic epoxy binder composition present in said molding composition in an amount up to 30% by weight of said molding composition;

a silicone composition comprising a siloxane resin, said silicone composition present in said molding composition in an amount up to 30% by weight of said molding composition; and

a solvent composition configured to dissolve said cycloaliphatic epoxy binder composition and said silicone composition;

wherein;

said shaped cast device is configured to be substantially carbon-free after sintering; and

said shaped cast device having a post-sintering measured apparent porosity of 15 to 35 percent and a predetermined surface characteristic.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

firing said shaped cast device.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

sintering particles of said ceramic composition in said shaped cast device.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

coupling said cast device to a part.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

coupling said shaped cast device to a part.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

casting investment material around said shaped cast device.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein:

said cast device defines a plurality of wall surfaces, a wall surface from said plurality of wall surfaces comprising a plurality of 3-dimensional micro-features that substantially spatially invertedly replicate an ancestor mold surface defined by a plurality of layers of a metallic foil stack lamination ancestor mold, said plurality of 3-dimensional micro-features comprising at least one protruding undercut, said plurality of wall surfaces defining a periphery of a layer-less volume.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein:

said shaped cast device defines a plurality of wall surfaces, a wall surface from said plurality of wall surfaces comprising a plurality of 3-dimensional micro-features that substantially spatially invertedly replicate an ancestor mold surface defined by a plurality of layers of a metallic foil stack lamination ancestor mold, said plurality of 3-dimensional micro-features comprising at least one protruding undercut, said plurality of wall surfaces defining a periphery of a layer-less volume.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

casting investment material around said shaped cast device to form an investment cast part.

11. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

after casting investment material around said shaped cast device to form an investment cast part, removing said shaped cast device from said investment cast part.

12. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

casting investment material around said shaped cast device to form an investment cast part, said investment cast part defining a plurality of wall surfaces, a wall surface from said plurality of wall surfaces comprising a plurality of 3-dimensional micro-features that substantially spatially invertedly replicate an ancestor mold surface defined by a plurality of layers of a metallic foil stack lamination ancestor mold, said plurality of 3-dimensional micro-features comprising at least one protruding undercut, said plurality of wall surfaces defining a periphery of a layer-less volume.