Evaluating AM to Improve Casting Efficiency

A research project at Pennsylvania State University is due for a $1.5-million grant to develop practical methods for improving metalcasting efficiency by integrating automation and digital tools in use for additive manufacturing. The research team is proposing Digi-FOCUS: a simulated “digital twin foundry” that will work in parallel with additive manufacturing and casting systems.

Digi-FOCUS will evaluate production methods used in five additive manufacturing processes (3D printing sand, ceramic, polymers, wax and foam, plus different metal alloys), and also adaptive robotics systems, to gather insights they will use to streamline parts of the metalcasting workflow, like inspection and material handling.

Also, the research team will introduce sensors to additive manufacturing systems to track information such as printing conditions, metal temperature, or molten-metal flow velocity, and feed that data to a digital twin to simulate and model the foundry activity.

The digital foundry will model the actual processes in real-time, using advanced data collection and analysis to provide researchers detailed information about where casting can be optimized.

The Penn State project is led by Guha Manogharan, associate professor of mechanical engineering. It is proceeding as part of a larger project underway by the IMPACT 3.0 program under the Office of the Secretary for Defense Manufacturing.  He is also the co-director of the Center for Innovative Materials Processing through Direct Digital Deposition.

Penn State has well established metalcasting resources, as well as a Foundry Educational Foundation chapter, and also participates in METAL, the Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeship and Learning program under the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), where the objective is to develop future leaders for industries like metalcasting that require particular understanding and skills.  

“At Penn State, we have resources for traditional foundries capable of casting and molding metal into a variety of components, alongside strengths in additive manufacturing,” Manogharan explained. “This project will join these assets — using the digital tools offered by additive manufacturing to improve traditional casting, while greatly enhancing our capabilities for additive manufacturing-augmented casting.”

“Casting is well-established, and additive manufacturing is rapidly gaining ground, but turning a foundry into a smart, digital platform is entirely new,” stated Vittaldas Prabhu, professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering. “Our goal is to transform casting into a connected manufacturing service that will not just automate workflow, but enable real-time insights, predictive control and adaptive decision-making across the entire supply chain.”

The $1.5-million financing comes from the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute (i.e., America Makes) - the public-private partnership that promotes additive manufacturing - and from the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining, a non-profit R&D center that focuses on improving weapon and support systems for the U.S. Dept. of Defense.