Development of a technology for casting a “swirl” from a heat‑resistant alloy using additive technologies at the production preparation stage

The possibilities of additive technologies for increasing the efficiency of obtaining shaped castings in single, small-scale and medium-scale production are shown. Additive technologies can be successfully integrated with various casting methods in disposable casting molds (sand-clay molds and molds from cold-hardening mixtures) and by disposable models (investment casting). The main stages of mastering the technology of obtaining an experimental casting of complex geometry from a heat-resistant nickel-chromium alloy using additive technologies for the production of model tooling in investment casting are presented. Using FDM technology, models of experimental castings with complex geometry of internal cavities were obtained. To reduce the printing time, reduce the consumption of polylactide-based polymer for supporting structures, and provide the possibility of post-processing the surface, the models were made in two parts and then glued together. Two options for manufacturing model blocks are shown: a wax-polymer model block consisting of an additive-manufactured model and normalized elements of the sprue-feeding system from a standard wax composition; a polymer model block that is completely additive-manufactured. The article describes the features of manufacturing refractory ceramic molds depending on the type of model block. It has been shown that the use of a wax separation coating on the surfaces of the grown model prevents the infiltration of the suspension during the application of the facing layer, which ultimately eliminates surface defects on the casting. The preparation of the heat-resistant nickel-chromium alloy and the casting of the refractory ceramic molds were performed in production conditions. The quality of the structure of the experimental castings was examined using a non-destructive method of control, which did not reveal any hidden defects such as cracks, porosity, or shells.

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