Additive Manufacturing and Casting Technology Comparison: Mechanical Properties, Productivity and Cost Benchmark

Abstract

The casting technology is one of the oldest production technologies in the world but in the recent years metal additive manufacturing also known as metal 3D printing has been evolving with huge steps. Both technologies have capabilities to produce parts with internal holes and at first glance surface roughness is similar for both technologies, which means that for precise dimensions parts have to be machined in places where precise fit is necessary. Benchmark tests have been made to find out if parts which are produced with metal additive manufacturing can be used to replace parts which are produced with casting technology. Most of the comparative tests have been made with GJS-400-15 grade which is one of the most popular cast iron grades. To compare mechanical properties samples have been produced using additive manufacturing and tested for tensile strength, hardness, surface roughness and microstructure and then the results have been compared with the samples produced with casting technology. In addition, both technologies have been compared in terms of the production time and production costs to see if additive manufacturing is competitive with the casting technology. The original paper has been written in the Latvian language as part of the Master Thesis within the framework of the production technology study programme at Riga Technical University.

Influence of heat input on microstructure and mechanical behaviour of austenitic stainless steel 316L processed in wire and arc additive manufacturing

“…When compared to the casting component, it is impossible since the cooling time differs, resulting in greater values for thicker portions and lower values for thinner sections. 50 As a result, when the primary parameters (WFS and TS) are changed, it is reasonable to conclude that micro-hardness samples are consistent from the bottom region to the top region. Additionally, the rapid heat dissipation and high crystal cooling rate of the substrate boosted the tensile and hardness qualities, while maintaining good overall properties.…”

A Comprehensive Review of Additive Manufacturing in Construction of Electrical Machines

“…The bonding strength is particularly important when considering high-speed motor applications. Some techniques on how to assess the diffusion bonding are discussed in [63]. Also, the authors report approximately 80% and 10% increase in output power for the wavy profile rotor with cladding, as compared to the solid and a more conventional squirrel cage rotor designs respectively.…”

“…AM has been successfully employed in a large variety of applications, which is evidenced by a plethora of press announcements and researcher publications [1]- [63]. The ability to create virtually unconstrained, three-dimensional Rafal Wrobel and Barrie Mecrow are with Newcastle University, School of Engineering, Merz Court, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7UR, UK (e-mails: rafal.wrobel@newcastle.ac.uk and barrie.mecrow@newcastle.ac.uk).…”

Optimization approach of DED process to fulfil the requirements on material properties and component performance of waterjet impeller

“…Sand casting is a proven technology for different metals and sizes, but the major disadvantage is the complexity of the process and the long casting cycle involving, patternmaking, core making, molding, melting, pouring, and finishing [1]. Additive Manufacturing by Directed Energy Deposition (DED) represents a promising alternative to sand casting, particularly for customized production [2]. For on-demand manufacturing, DED enables significant reduction of the production time due to the reduced manufacturing steps and the very high build-up rates.…”

“…Although the material properties of parts produced by DED are in many cases comparable with the material properties of parts produced by conventional manufacturing [2][3] [4], there is still a critical need to understand the effect of the DED process on material properties to improve the quality of DED manufactured parts and to prevent defects such as anisotropy, porosity, lack of fusion, voids, poor surface, part distortion, and residual stresses. The aims are to optimize the control and increase the reliability of the DED process and guarantee the quality requirements of manufactured parts.…”