Advanced Technologies for Discrete-Parts Manufacturing

Through efforts on an NSF-funded project, MSOE has demonstrated the ability to produce castings at a resolution and complexity finer than known metal casting processes. The project, “Design and Fabrication of Components with Optimized Lattice Microstructures,” began in 2002 with initial efforts focused upon what casting processes were available and what would be required to produce complex lattice structures; this effort led to a stringent list of requirements. As a result of this effort a new metal casting process has been developed; Compressed Mold Pressure (CMP) Casting process, when combined with Solid Freeform Fabrication (SFF) works extraordinarily well for producing complex castings and is expected to provide significant benefits for foundries and DLA interests in advanced investment casting in the future. The Hybrid combination of these two processes, CMP-Hybrid, has much unexplored capacity to achieve multiple desirable targets not obtainable by existing technology. This is attributable to the processing method which leads to unparalleled isostatic compressive mold stress during casting. During this project CMP-Hybrid will be adapted to the standard investment casting foundry and casting of nickel alloys above and slightly below liquidus temperatures will be conducted.