Non-Contact Multiscale Analysis of a DPP 3D-Printed Injection Die for Investment Casting

Arkadiusz Kroma,Michał Jakubowicz,Paweł Popielarski,Michał Mendak,Bartosz Gapiński

doi:10.3390/ma14226758

Arkadiusz Kroma, Michał Jakubowicz + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14226758

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Journal: Materials	Publication Date: Nov 9, 2021
Citations: 11	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Poznań University of Technology

Abstract

The investment casting method supported with 3D-printing technology, allows the production of unit castings or prototypes with properties most similar to those of final products. Due to the complexity of the process, it is very important to control the dimensions in the initial stages of the process. This paper presents a comparison of non-contact measurement systems applied for testing of photopolymer 3D-printed injection die used in investment casting. Due to the required high quality of the surface parameters, the authors decided to use the DPP (Daylight Polymer Printing) 3D-printing technology to produce an analyzed injection die. The X-ray CT, Structured blue-light scanner and focus variation microscope measurement techniques were used to avoid any additional damages to the injection die that may arise during the measurement. The main objective of the research was to analyze the possibility of using non-contact measurement systems as a tool for analyzing the quality of the surface of a 3D-printed injection die. Dimensional accuracy analysis, form and position deviations, defect detection, and comparison with a CAD model were carried out.

Highlights

The competitiveness of enterprises is very often associated with the implementation of the newest manufacturing techniques and corresponding control techniques, which translates into easier and faster satisfaction of the increase in customer requirements for manufactured products
In the case of the investment casting method discussed by the authors, additive technique is most often used as a substitute for the traditional method of producing wax models [5], which in the so-called classical method are formed by injecting a liquid or semiliquid wax mixture into a reusable form called an injection die
The maximum standard deviation of the measurement series was reported for circle 3 diameter, measured using BLS (0.028 mm)

Summary

Introduction

The competitiveness of enterprises is very often associated with the implementation of the newest manufacturing techniques and corresponding control techniques, which translates into easier and faster satisfaction of the increase in customer requirements for manufactured products. The development of 3D-printing technologies made it possible to design and manufacture elements with geometries impossible to obtain with traditional methods, while meeting the requirements of dimensional, shape, and position tolerances These methods are used primarily in the field of rapid prototyping and tooling. In the case of the investment casting method discussed by the authors, additive technique is most often used as a substitute for the traditional method of producing wax models (wax patterns) [5], which in the so-called classical method are formed by injecting a liquid or semiliquid wax mixture into a reusable form called an injection die These injection dies can be made of metal alloys (mass production) or elastomers such as rubber or silicone (unit/small series production) [2]. Since the quality of injection dies is reflected in the quality of the models, which directly affects the quality of the castings, it is very important to verify the real shape of obtained geometry at the stage of production start

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