Methods of Additive Manufacturing used in the Technology of Skeleton Castings

Abstract

Abstract Rapid development of the methods of additive manufacturing (AM) introduces a number of changes to the design of foundry equipment. AM methods are of particular importance in the development of technology to make small lots of castings or single cast items of complex shapes, such as skeleton castings manufactured also by means of other technologies [1]. AM methods create the possibility of making single-use moulds, cores and wax patterns, as well as patterns made from plastics for repeated use. The development of AM techniques gives theoretically unlimited possibilities in the choice of the designed casting configurations. This fact can be used during the analysis of casting mechanical properties based on the methods of topology optimisation [2], [3], [17], when the said optimisation carried out at the initial stage of design ”matches” the shape of parts to the field of stresses or displacements caused by external load and fixing mode. The article discusses the possibilities and advantages that result from combining the new methods of shaping the casting endurance with AM technologies.