What is the Magnetic moulding process?

Answer 1

magnetic moulding, is an innovative process in which an expendable model is used that is surrounded by metallic particles bonded together by the action of an induced magnetic field. Once the cast metal has solidified the magnetic field is interrupted so that he would collapses by itself, the part is recovered and the particles can be reused in the subsequent castings. The innovative process combines the advantages of the lost foam process and the permanent mould processes; it is environmentally friendly, cost competitive and suitable to produce high quality parts with very complex shapes with a large range of sizes and materials. The components produced do not need any parting lines and the metallurgical and mechanical properties obtained are better than those obtained in lost wax, lost foam and sand casting due to the fine grain structure obtained through the fast solidification phase derived from the use of the metallic particles that form the mould. The potential impact of the new foundry technology is therefore large as it will enable European sand casting and investment casting foundries to offer complex shaped parts with high metallurgical quality through a knowledge based foundry process. The concept on which the magnetic moulding is based was born in Europe together with the lost foam process concept. The maturity of the lost foam process and the results from the investigations in the magnetic moulding concept of the last years finally makes it possible now to approach the proposed project to develop the new foundry process up to the industrialisation stage. The two RTD performers in the group have experience in the lost foam process and one of them has already had the first positive experiences in the magnetic mould concept at lab scale.