Investigation on moist silica sand’s circulation for sand mold printing with line-forming

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the circulation of moist silica sand to provide appropriate feeding modes and references for designing the coating device when printing sand mold with line-forming. Design/methodology/approach First, this paper briefly introduces sand mold printing with line-forming and the circulation problem brought by moist silica sand. The outlet may be choked due to poor flowability and solidification characteristic, resulting in poor dimensional tolerance and even production failure. Then, based on circulation modeling, a series of feeding modes is proposed to guarantee adequate feeding, avoid solidification and ensure successful fabrication. Finally, the GUI of control software is developed, including slicing, path planning and the function of virtual printing. Findings Several feeding modes of moist silica sand are put forward to avoid the choke. Research limitations/implications The authors will further investigate the flowability of furan no-bake sand based on experiments. Originality/value This paper is going to provide references for the novel design of nozzle, prototype and sand mold printing, influencing significantly on mold manufacturing and the casting industry. This research applies equally to equipment having the circulation of high moist particles with solidification features.