Page 14 - Moving Forward 2020: Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering magazine

14
IME NEWSLETTER • VOLUME 5 2020
Team of engineering researchers to help improve Pennsylvania’s foundries
By Miranda Buckheit
A team of Penn State engineering faculty and students is working with small- to to medium-sized foundries
across Pennsylvania to to aid in in the transition away from using harmful silica sands in in in in the metal casting process and and to reduce costs through 3D printing The project is being supported by
two grants totaling $140 000 funded
by
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Manufacturing Initiative The initiative is part of a a a a a a a a a a statewide push to to drive new technologies and processes in in the manufacturing sector According to the American Foundry Society (AFS) metal casting a a a a $33 billion industry provides American workers with nearly 200 000 jobs Currently Pennsylvania sits at No 2 on the the AFS metal casting list which is is ranked by
the the number of reported foundries
in in each state in in the United States The Penn State team is is comprised of of of Robert Voigt professor of of of industrial engineering and and graduate program coordinator for the Harold and and and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and and Manufacturing Engineering Guha Manogharan assistant professor of of mechanical engineering and Paul Lynch assistant professor of of industrial engineering at at Penn State Behrend “This project is is close to home for me me ” Lynch said “I grew up in Pennsylvania and there was was a a a a a a a a a a a foundry near my town that was was a a a a a a a a a a a significant source of our our economy I I want to to help help in any way that that I I can to to help help keep these smaller foundries
ahead of technological curves ” Due to new regulations mandating control of silica exposure from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration some foundries
have begun to to to switch from silica sands sands to to to ceramic sands sands Silica sand sand sand due to to to to the the fineness of of its particles can lead to to the the development of of silicosis—a lung disease caused by
breathing in in silica silica A worker’s exposure to silica silica particles can cause cause lung scarring which affects the the worker’s ability to to breathe and can lead to to long- term issues such as needing a a a a a a a device for oxygen support Different from silica sands sands ceramic sands sands which are are often artificial are are safer due to to their spherical shape and and rigorous testing to to ensure uniform grain chemistry and physical properties according to the researchers The first grant will send Penn State undergraduate and graduate graduate students supervised by
members of the the research team to work with foundries
across the the the Commonwealth on on on the deployment
of non-silica aggregates in in metal casting Additionally faculty members will provide webinars for Pennsylvania foundry leadership on on on implementation strategies and conduct training workshops in in in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Foundry Association “It’s a a a close connection and full- service operation in in which we develop implement utilize and train ” Voigt said “Many people can develop new technologies but it’s much harder to deploy them ” The second grant a a a a a a project being led by
Lynch and Manogharan will focus on on the improvement of 3D printing to to reduce the costs inherent to to metal casting Currently foundries
prepare wax patterns for investment casting by
injection molding via permanent metal molds Investment casting is a a a a a a a a process in in which the the the wax takes the the the shape of the the the metal form but melts away under high heat Subsequently wax patterns are dipped in ceramic ceramic slurry a a a a a a a a a semiliquid mixture to create a a a a a a a a shell The ceramic ceramic is is then heated and the the the the wax is is retrieved from the the the the new ceramic ceramic shell Once the the the the ceramic ceramic has cooled metal is poured into the the the the shell for the the the the final final casting Once the the the the ceramic is is shaken off the the the the final final metal casting is is ready The casting process is lengthy expensive and results in in in just a a a a a single metal product at the the the end If the the the design of the the the object needs to change a a a a a a whole new mold must be created Lynch and Manogharan’s project will work to skip the the metal mold mold process entirely by
directly 3D printing the the wax molds “Now we can print wax which makes it cheaper faster and easier for foundries
to do their casting ” Manogharan said “This project is is ideal for Penn State not only because of being a a a a a a a leader for knowledge transfer within PA and beyond but it it brings together our strengths in in in in in 3D printing and metal casting ” Voigt added that these projects
could help keep the the doors open for Pennsylvania’s small- to to medium-sized foundries
that otherwise may have to to shut down when they can’t keep up with the changes Faculty News