High-Performance 3D Sand Printing Process Using Interlayer Heating

Abstract

Sand mold 3D printing technology has been recognized as a digital, high-quality, and promising sand mold forming method. However, sand mold 3D printing technology has drawbacks, such as single molding material and long curing time, which limit its further industrial application. Therefore, this study proposes a method for forming composite sand molds based on a layer-stacking structure and a strengthening method based on interlayer heating. The influence of the process parameters on the properties of traditional and composite sand molds was systematically studied. Experimental results demonstrated that when the heating temperature was 150 °C, the enhancement of the sand mold was obvious, with an increase of approximately 20% compared to untreated sand mold. When the composite sand mold with a laminated thickness of 1.5 mm was heated at this temperature, its tensile strength reached 1.53 MPa, and compressive strength reached 5.80 MPa, which met the casting requirements. The composite sand mold printed by interlayer heating has excellent casting performance and economic advantages, which provide theoretical guidance for the high-performance printing of sand molds.