Research On The Process Of Integrated Ceramic Casting Mold For Hollow Impeller Blades Based On Rapid Prototyping

As aircraft engine parts, hollow impeller blades were the most critical components, its work environment determines the specific of its making process. Up to now, hollow impeller blades is made by investment casting, the procedures are: firstly, make core and concave respectively, and then assembles them together for casting. This method is not only the long cycle, but also high cost. as well as the assemble errors and holes and deflect occuring . So current process is not adaptable for development of contemporary air industrial. Therefore, a new making process is put forward for making integrated hollow impeller blades ceramic casting in this paper based on rapid prototyping technology.Firstly, the photosensitive resin prototype of integrated hollow impeller blades were made with SLA which is complex in structure and shape. Using SLA to make the prototype, the manufacturing cycle is shortened, the cost is reduced and the precision is enhanced. Secondly, based on particle size grading technique, Analyses for the flow features of ceramic slurry and forming process parameters were done by means of orthogonal test. Based on obtained optimum ratio of ceramic slurry and making processes, an integral ceramic mold was made by SEM. Finally, the prosperities of the ceramic mold were anglicized by experiments. The results show that at room temperature, the bending strength of green body was up to 37MPa, and at 1550℃, the bending strength also reached 10MPa, density of ceramic was 2.65g/cm3, drying and firing shrinkage rate can be respectively controlled under 0.7%, 0.6%, and the total shrinkage rate was about to reach 1.2 %. It can meet the requirements of casting alloys. The results is of certain reference value for actual production.