Development and Enhancement of the South African Investment Casting Industrys Capabilities with rega

1

• Development and Enhancement of the South African
  Investment Casting Industrys Capabilities with
  regards to Complex Light Metals Components
• Aerospace Network Meeting Meeting
• The Radisson Hotel, Cape Town
• 26 April 2006

2
Introduction
This project was proposed under the Advanced
Manufacturing Technology Strategys (AMTS) light
weight materials flagship programme. The
objective is to perform research that are
relevant and that would enhance the capabilities
of our existing investment casting industry.
The ultimate objective is to transfer the
research outcomes to industry in the most
effective manner. These outcomes would be in
the form of Technology transfer, and HR
development
3
Why Investment Casting?

• Process Reasons
• Design flexibility
• Wide choice of alloys
• Elimination of tooling setup
• Reduction in production costs
• Reduction in assembly operations
• Reproducibility of fine details
• Industry Reasons
• Light Metals Research as a national focus is
  supported by DST
• SA has a growing aerospace and automotive
  industry opportunities
• IC can support this growth
• First real initiative for this sector of the
  casting industry

4
Project Objectives

• The main objective of this project is to
  establish the technology and its use for complex,
  near net-shape, high value components in South
  Africa. Specific applications will be the
  aerospace, automotive and electronics industries.
  
• In order to do this, the research will be
  focussed on
• Developing and consolidating investment casting
  capabilities
• Rapid pattern and die making direct shell
  production
• Alloy development and alloy refinement for
  specific applications
• Process quality improvement and development to
  improve cost
• effectiveness
• Process application to produce complex, high
  value and thin walled
• components
• Component optimisation technologies

5
Project Timeframe
Short Term
Long Term
Medium Term
Develop capabilities
Alloy development refinement
Technology
Development
Rapid pattern and die making
Process quality improvement and optimisation
Build World
competence
in light weight metals
Process application to produce complex structures
HRD
LEAP
6
Research Consortium
7
Project Outline
INVESTMENT CASTING
Alloy Development and Refinement Mathematical
Modelling Rapid Tooling Development
COUNTER GRAVITY INVESTMENT CASTING
VACUUM INVESTMENT CASTING
Titanium
Aluminium
Magnesium
Activities Centrifugal Casting Skull
Melting Shell Development Crucible Development
Activities Controlled Filling Shell
Development Gating Research
Joining Technologies Surface Treatment Technologie
s Heat Treatment
8
Investment Casting Interest Group
9
Industry Involvement

• Approve broad thrusts of the research and
  development project.
• Provide guidance relating to industry needs and
  trends.
• Participate in training workshops.
• Make facilities available for practical
  application of research outcomes.
• Provide real components and process issues that
  can be optimised
• through technology transfer.
• Make presentations at annual consortium
  feedback meeting about the
• impact of the project on the industry.

10
Industry Benefits

• Share in all research outputs
• On site training of staff in new IC technologies
• Telephonic consultations relating to the
  research programme
• Subsidised company specific research
• Market opportunity referrals
• Invitations to and sharing in all technology
  transfer opportunities such as
• Training workshops
• Research papers
• International experts

11
(No Transcript)