Application Of MAGMAsoft Into Manufacturing Of Aluminium Pistons In Foundry Practice

Along with the development of computer science and egineering, the technology of numerical simulation for cast progress is been used widely, offering a new tool and solution method for foundry industry. Foundry engineers can optimize technics, improve design scheme by this technology, thereby can obtain the aims of shortening the trail-produce cycl, enhancing the quality and reducing the cost of the castings. This study introduces an experiment of numerical simulation of foundry process on aluminium piston castings by MAGMAsoft. By this means the foundry technics of the products can be optimized prior to the piston mould practicality fabricated. According to the results that have been optimized, the moulds for aluminium piston castings can be rapidly devised and manufactured by CAD/CAM systems. On the basis of these, trail-manufacture period of the piston mould can be greatly shortened and the cost can also be observably cut off. It is significant for the enterprises to improve the quality and reduce the cost of the output.Traditionally, metal moulds are used to produce aluminium piston castings. Namely, the liquid aluminium alloys are filled in the metal mould and subsequently cooled down and solidificated in the mould, from which the piston roughcast is made. It includes many physical processes and phenomena that make crucial influence on the quality of the products. Previously, due to lack of effective measure to directly review the course of pattern designs, the knowledge about foundry process of aluminium pistons is mostly depended on the experience of the devisers. This inevitably lead to mang disadvantageous factors, such as fallacious frame of the mould, unstable cast quality , longer period of mould design and higher cost, etc. In this way, not only the cost of the product is increased, but also the trail-petiod is prolonged so that it cannot meet the need of the marcket in time. Therefore, it highly needs to introduce a mature and reliable computer software tool that is easy to use to overcome a variety of disadvantageous factors caused by the difficulty of directly observation of thefoundry process. With the development of computer numerical simulation, it is posssible for the foundry engineers to design a new mould in short time. The devise or product quality can be improved and trail-period can also be shortened by calculation of the temperature and the flow field which are combined with CAD/CAM system. Because solidification criterion helps to find out the lacuna position of the cast, engineers take corresponding measure to improve the technics.By application of MAGMA software, the results are shown as follows:1. It is precise to simulate the temperature and the flow field during period of filling in the mould by MAGMAsoft. It can effiently forecast the lacuna caused by flowage in the mould, such as gas, deficiency, etc.2. Using MAGMAsoft, cast lacuna position can accurately be located by simulation of the cast process, which helps the cast devisers to improve the cast mould frame and technics, so it helps to increase the quality of the products.3. With the technology of computer simulation being more mature, the foundry tachnique is ever changing from the type of experience to that of scientific theory.4. By integrating the CAD/CAE/CAM system, it is possible to shorten the trail-petiod, reducing the cost and improving the quality of the product.