Manufacturing a Profit - Minimizing Costs and Maximizing Yield with a Simulation Approach for Casting Methods Development

Casted parts need to meet rigorous quality, safety and performance standards, but the traditional approach which relies on the past experience of specialist metallurgists, can results in expensive trial and error practices. Hadleigh Castings wanted to explore the potential of a simulation approach to their methods development to build a more future proof process, less reliant on individual experiences. By adopting Altair Inspire Cast, Hadleigh Castings is now able to experiment with the methods prior to manufacture, identify common casting defects and rectify them ahead of any physical molds being created. Since adopting the technology, the company now has a 100% record of getting their castings right first time, with simulation now a standard part of Hadleigh Castings services, even supplying clients with simulation reports as part of their services. Inspire Cast has enabled the company to minimize raw material wastage, and reduce the cost of its methods development.

Research Report: Simulation-Driven Design for Manufacturing (SDfM) Experiences

Product engineers are under consistent pressure to reduce the costs, improve the quality and increase the throughput of manufacturing processes. This fast-paced environment is not well suited for trial-and-error manufacturing engineering. How are engineers responding to these challenges? Is simulation and simulation-driven design for manufacturing (SDfM) well established across the industry? When simulation is deployed, does it deliver on the promises of reducing costs while improving throughput and quality? And what are the barriers to the adoption of simulation during the early stages of product development? In this 2021 survey report conducted by Engineering.com, we discuss those questions and discover: • Top design priorities • Top benefits of SDfM • Top barriers to expanding and adopting SDfM • Risks to staying competitive in the market

Developing defect free casting component using virtual validations for GDC

The filling and solidification process of molten metals are very complex in nature and the phenomenon of these process lead to casting defects.​  The defects like shrinkage cavity, porosity, cold shut, and sink, etc. should be identified, and at the same time, there should be a solution to overcome that prior to going for manufacturing.​  There should be an alternate approach for addressing these issues before manufacturing and an alternate approach should be fast, reliable, and user-friendly.​  The shown casting part made of SS304 and having Porosity defects inside it, which weaken the part structurally and creating problems at the functional area.​So, with the help of Inspire Cast identified porosity as well as overcome it up to a useable extent.​

Altair® Inspire™ Cast - A unique experience in the development of cast parts and casting processes

In this session, you will get an overview of Inspire Cast and learn how it provides users with a unique experience for casting and process development, especially in the early design phase. New features, such as improvements in mold filling, will also be presented. Early in the design phase, users can visualize and fix typical casting defects to avoid costly downstream corrections. Guided process templates take you to simulation in five easy steps. The two-phase finite element formulation allows you to capture the filling and solidification process with great precision.

Optimizing Investment Casted Parts with Simulation and 3D-Printing

Investment casting is a valued manufacturing process known for its ability to produce detailed components with accuracy, repeatability, and in a variety of different metals, waxes, and high-performance alloys. Producing high-quality casted components is less prone to common design errors when a simulation-driven approach is used, leading to easier, more accurate analysis and optimization during the design phase.

Webinar: How to Reduce Resolve Casting Defects and Improve Yield

This free-to-attend webinar, held in association with the Cast Metals Federation, will demonstrate how leading manufacturers are utilising Altair Inspire Cast, a revolutionary casting simulation environment, to solve their real world production challenges. Our speakers will show how the solution is allowing them to rapidly visualise production defects and efficiently rectify issues to avoid downstream production issues.

From Know How to Know Why! - Digital Twin Design Process opening new horizons for Investment Casting

Development based on experience often means that you know what happens, but you don‘t know why! The use of Digital Twins in development helps convert empirical knowledge into physical. This creates a valid basis for optimization and caters the need for rising performance, lightweight or cost requirements.
Watch the webinar recording "From Know How to Know Why!" - Digital Twin Design Process opening new horizons for Investment Casting presented jointly with Feinguss Blank, one of the leading investment casting foundries in Europe and the EICF.
In this webinar recording you will learn how Feinguss Blank applies smart cast processes to address development challenges. The presentation will:

• demonstrate the application of simulation-driven design and additive manufacturing to drive next generation lightweight designs through an investment casting process.
• show an integrated workflow on simulation-driven-design and manufacturability, to obtain lightweight parts in a single environment.
• feature how to apply this digital twin platform for investment casting, sand-casting and within additive manufacturing or hybrid manufacturing processes.

Using Altair Software for Manufacturing

Altair offers a unique set of simulation tools to evaluate product feasibility, optimize the manufacturing process, and run virtual try-outs for many traditional, subtractive, and additive manufacturing processes. Users can validate designs early in the manufacturing process with the simplicity and affordability of the simulation software, as well as use optimization technology with specific manufacturing constraints to design better, more efficient products.

Learn more at altair.com/manufacturing-applications.

Optimization-enabled Structural and Multiphysics Analysis

Simulation-driven design powered by topology optimization was created by OptiStruct over two decades ago. Its success has changed the CAE/CAD industry as today all vendors have embraced this trend.

Altair Inspire Cast - Casting Simulation

Altair Inspire Cast is a fast, easy, accurate and affordable casting simulation environment focused on creating high quality components with increased profitability through a highly intuitive user experience. In this short video, we'll demostrate a typical setup workflow.

Driving Design from Concept to Manufacturing with Inspire

Altair Inspire has rapidly advanced from a topology optimization tool for designers to a design environment spanning industrial design, structural simulation and optimization, motion analysis and manufacturing simulation.

Altair for Manufacturing Applications

Altair offers a unique set of simulation tools to evaluate product feasibility, optimize the manufacturing process, and run virtual try-outs for many traditional, subtractive, and additive manufacturing processes.e

Training - Simulation Driven Design & Manufacturing For Casting Components Using Altair Inspire Cast & Structure

Simulation Driven Design & Manufacturing For Casting Components Using Altair Inspire Cast & Structure

Altair Inspire Cast – Filters for Gravity Casting

Filter is one of the crucial components of filling system in Castings used for multiple purpose as: • Maintain metal flow at gate. • Avoid turbulent behavior of liquid metal during filling. • Retain impurities, foam and slag from the metal. • To avoid sudden impact of metal in the cavity due to head height.

Altair Inspire Cast Overview Video

Altair Inspire Cast software is a fast, easy, accurate and affordable casting simulation environment focused on creating high quality components with increased profitability through a highly intuitive user experience. It is the only tool that caters to beginners and experts alike, from product designers to foundry engineers.

Designing for Profitable Casting (South African Case Study)

Several prototype castings, scrap material and low quality castings cost foundries valuable time and money. Simulation and non-destructive testing offers technology to reduce the time from CAD concept to successful casting, and helps to minimise typical loss drivers in casting profitability. Nic Minnaar, Application Engineer at Altair & Prof. Anton du Plessis from the CT Scanning Facility at the University of Stellenbosch, will present a case study to explain how Altair Inspire Cast and CT scanning enables the design of efficient casting processes. This South African case study will demonstrate the collaborative value of Inspire Cast and CT scanning for profitable casting.

From Die Design to Defect-Free Castings: Shiva Tool Tech Achieves 80% Time Reduction with Altair Inspire Cast

Shiva Tool Tech is an automotive manufacturing focused, industrial powerhouse based in Pune, India. With over 25 years of experience in designing and manufacturing of gravity die casting (GDC), low-pressure die casting (LPDC), high-pressure die casting (HPDC) Dies, the company supports customers from manufacturing process design to the production stage. Manufacturing processes include milling, drilling, hardening, grinding, Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining, Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM), inspection and polishing to get the final assembly of the casting die.

Inspire Cast 2019 Introduction

In this course, you will have the opportunity to learn about the Inspire Cast 2019 interface along with tools and workflows contained within Inspire Cast. Modules contained within the course provide detailed descriptions of the tools and workflows within Inspire Cast. You will also have the opportunity to watch and perform hands-on exercises within each module.

Inspire Cast - Getting Started

A course to help users get started using Inspire Cast including an interface tour and workflow training/videos.

How to Design Die-Casting Parts with Altair Inspire Cast

Presentation by El Abidi Ahmed, CAE Manager - Senior Expert at U-Shin Group.

Altair Inspire Cast High Pressure Die Casting Component Model

Downloadable high pressure die casting component demo model for Altair Inspire Cast.

Altair Inspire Cast Low Pressure Die Casting Component Model

Downloadable low pressure die casting component model for Altair Inspire Cast.

Altair Inspire Cast Tilt Pouring Demo Model

Demo model for tilt pouring for Altair Inspire Cast.

Altair Inspire Cast Datasheet

Altair Inspire Cast was developed with its end users in mind. We strive to make casting simulation as easy as possible by using ‘foundryman’s language’ in our software. Every word in the interface comes from the casting process world. Not only is the software incredibly easy to use, it is also highly accurate and powerful. Get started with Inspire Cast today to further investigate and explore your casting process with just a few clicks.

Wisconsin Precision Casting Corporation

Wisconsin Precision Casting Corporation, an investment casting manufacturer utilized Altair Inspire and Altair Inspire Cast. for a design study that focused on the redesign of a regenerative turbine pump cover.

Altair Inspire Cast Gravity Casting Model

Downloadable gravity casting model for Altair Inspire Cast.

U-Shin Ltd.

U-Shin is currently employing Altair Inspire Cast to perform testing and optimization to create sound, redesigned automotive parts.U-Shin has seen significant time and cost savings by utilizing Altair Inspire Cast.

Woodland/Alloy Casting Inc.

Woodland/Alloy Casting is simulating and testing aluminum casting projects in Altair Inspire Cast. By running simulations in Altair Inspire Cast, Woodland/Alloy Casting can more accurately predict defect-free castings, while reducing time and cost in the overall casting process.

Altair Offers Flexibility and Enhancement for Casting Process Design and Optimization

The goal of the project outlined in this paper is to get the optimal gating system (size and position of ingate) to help avoid porosity and other common defects in the produced parts, achieving the final design to begin casting the component.

3D Printing for Innovative Mold Making Combined with Simulation Driven Design Inspiration Push the Limits for High Performance Castings

Bringing design optimization, fatigue analysis, casting, and 3D printing together addresses the challenges of lightweight design and enables the creation of an innovative design and manufacturing process that enhances performance and efficiency.

Start-up Success with Simulation

Startup company amprove employs a series of cutting-edge simulation techniques to develop high-performance parts tailored towards a variety of manufacturing methods including, but not limited to, additive manufacturing and casting. As a result, amprove generates optimized parts, which enable them to meet the performance and economic needs of customers. In order to reach their goals, amprove needed an optimization solver they could rely on to provide accurate results. Having used Altair OptiStruct™ previously, they decided to reach out to Altair to pursue a potential partnership. During this process, the Altair team was pivotal in helping them join the Altair start-up program. Through the use of manufacturing simulation software such as Altair Inspire Cast and Altair Inspire Print 3D, amprove has been able to provide more polished solutions for their customers. Utilizing OptiStruct provided the opportunity to attain ideal designs with significant weight reductions, leading to a lower cost for amprove’s customers.