No matter how a component was originally manufactured, needs change and sometimes a redesign is in order. Per- haps there is a need for added strength, or reduced weight, or to produce the part for lower cost.
Although not conversions from other processes, several components shown in this article illustrate how the flexibility of investment casting process can be used to solve a customer problem.
Consolidated Casting Corporation Redesign Saves Customer $300,000+ per Year
One component, currently manufactured by Consolidated Casting Corporation (Figure 1), was been previously designed by the customer with help from the former caster. The original two-piece investment cast manifold and cover assembly was welded together by an outside subcontractor and machined and pressure-tested by a third party, which resulted in a multitude of quality and delivery issues.
The customer challenged Consolidated Casting Corporation to produce the entire assembly in house, establish a single source of responsibility to eliminate problems, and achieve a higher quality product.
A cooperative effort between Consolidated and the customer resulted in a new more efficient, higher quality design which reduced the weight and cost of the assembly; improved stability, weldability and quality; reduced lead times, and ultimately saved the customer more than $300,000 per year.
|
This is classic example of what investment casters can achieve using creative design engineering which takes advantage of the flexibility investment casting has to offer.
|
Figure 1
Redesign taking advantage of investment casting flexibility saved the customer in excess of $300,000 per year. INSET– completed assembly before and after
redesign. |
As a side note, because the part was not feasible to cast using preformed coring techniques, a two-piece weldment was necessary. Consolidated recommended using a less expensive stamping for the cover of the component, thus creatively incorporating the advantages of investment casting where they were needed and using another metalworking process where these advantages were not necessary.
More and more investment casters, like Consolidated, are offering value added support which provides a single source of responsibility and which made such a great difference in this application.
|
