Innovative Manufacturing Process Improvements

This SBIR Phase I project will demonstrate both the technical and economic feasibility of using a fluidized bed system, initially developed for heat treatment, quenching, and aging of premium aluminum sand castings, to separate castings from sand molds, to de-core internal passageways in the castings, to reclaim the sand for re-use, and to use the binder resins from the molds and waste sand from mold building as a partial source of energy supply for the operation. The goals include producing higher-quality castings at lower cost in less time and combining this technology with other research to achieve continuous in-line lean manufacturing technology in post-casting processes.