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What is SOLIDCast?
SOLIDCast is the worlds best-selling casting process modeling software from Finite Solutions, Inc. This package, formerly sold as AFSolid 2000, is now in use in more than 400 companies and schools in over 40 countries around the world. SOLIDCast is a PC-based software tool that simulates the pouring of hot metal of virtually any casting alloy into sand, shell, investment or permanent molds, and the subsequent solidification and cooling process.
You can also use chills, insulation, exothermics and cooling/heating channels in permanent mold dies.
This screen capture of the Mold Tab shows typical properties for a cast iron chill. All common molding sands are included, plus insulating and exothermic materials. You can add, modify or remove materials at any time.
The Casting Tab has additional data, since the casting alloy will change from a liquid to a solid during the simulation.
The Solidification and Shrinkage curves define the freezing behavior for each casting alloy. These can be modified by the user, and cast iron curves can be developed based on chemistry and molding method.
Heat Transfer Coefficients(HTCs) are used to define how heat flows across surfaces. They are most often used in permanent mold casting, to show coating effects, and in investment casting, to show radiation effects from the hot shell.
This model of a cylinder head was created using 4 STL files, one for the casting, two for core assemblies and one for the sleeves.
The 2D DXF file shown above became the 3D solid shown at the right. Sections from the CAD file were extruded, rotated and blended to create 3D geometry.
With a digitizing tablet and a blueprint, you can trace 2D sections that will be rotated, extruded or blended into 3D models, such as the investment cast valve bodies shown at the right.
This aluminum permanent mold casting took over a day to build, using only a blueprint and 2D CAD. However, the improvements made due to simulation saved the foundry over $700,000 per year on this part alone! (Note that the die pieces have been removed for clarity.)
Run Simulation
Once you have the Materials List and the casting geometry, you can put the two together in a process called Meshing. The meshed model is a series of cubes, called nodes. Each node has different material properties, as defined in your materials list.
The meshed model is like a big series of Lego bricks, all of which are shaped like cubes. A meshed model may have millions of cubes, and the heat transfer equations are applied to each cube, over and over.
This pictures shows a meshed model of casting plus risers, including insulating and exothermic sleeves and chills. The number of cubes used in a mesh is limited only by available memory.
This picture shows the mold cavity as it is being meshed. This can be done automatically using SOLIDCast.
During the mold filling simulation, Temperatures During Filling Sequence the relative temperatures are shown on the screen, so you can see hot and cold spots develop. Heat is being lost to the mold and surrounding air.
After mold filling is complete, you can watch the progression of Temperatures Duringsolidification. Gray areas show Solidification Sequence solidified metal, and temperatures can be seen in the cooling metal. Notice that volumetric feeding is calculated at the same time as temperature.
Interpreting Results
Once a simulation is complete, you can look at various pieces of data to decide whether you have made a good part or a bad one. Since this decision may be based on different factors for each casting, SOLIDCast provides many types of data for your use.
Time
Liquidus Critical Fraction Solid 100% Solid Local Solidification
Iso-Surface Plot
Surface at a given value Surrounds worse values Good for time or density plots
Cut-Plane Plot
2D slice from the 3D model Good detail, plus individual data
CastScan Movies
Color plot on a transparent casting Progressive or rotating
Progressive Solidification
(CastPic Plot)
This CastPic plot show the progression of Critical Fraction Solid (CFS) Time on a valve body casting. The casting has been cut in half so you can see what is happening internally.
This screen is an iso-surface plot of the FCC Criterion, used to predict microporosity in castings. Notice that the tendency towards shrinkage varies depending on position in the mold.
This is a Cut Plane Plot. You can drag the cut plane through the model, and a 2D plot will be created instantly.
This plot also shows CFS Time, which shows when feeding ends.
The figure on the left is the initial rigged geometry. The iso-surface plot on the right shows material density. You can see shrinkage-prone areas moving from the gating system into the casting.
The final model, with a top ring riser, gives acceptable results. Note that shrinkage was not completely eliminated in this case, but was reduced and moved into an acceptable area of the casting.
High Volume Brake Component 7% Shrinkage Rejects on Machining Now <0.4% Rejects $700,000/Year Savings
With the original gating, the last place to freeze was in the casting, not the riser. When this area was bored out, the shrinkage was exposed and the casting was scrapped.
By changing the riser shape and increasing the contact size, the last point to freeze was moved into the riser, and the casting is now shrink-free.
Without simulation to show the hot spots, this casting was over-risered, yet still had unacceptable shrinkage.
Simulation pointed out where the real problems lay, allowing an intelligent risering scheme to be applied, resulting in higher yield AND higher quality.
This gray iron compressor body was cast in the green sand process, but had internal porosity.
By switching to a no-bake process, the mold was more rigid and shrinkage was eliminated.
Email: FiniteIL@aol.com
Larry Smiley Phone: 513-821-5220 Email: LSmiley1@aol.com
Or visit www.finitesolutions.com