The KamAZ foundry has introduced a vertical arrangement of castings in molds. The modified technology has increased productivity and reduced the cost of each part.
The project started a year ago. Technologists used 3D modeling to arrange the castings vertically, virtually worked out the pouring and crystallization. This helped to eliminate errors at an early stage. The use of a 3D printer for printing cores saved months of work: if earlier the form contained eight castings, the new core package technology allows you to place up to 60 units. The cost of parts decreased by 18–25%, the accuracy of geometry improved and the defect rate decreased.
The new approach was applied to parts weighing 1–5 kg. For example, the high-pressure fuel pump drive shaft — a cylindrical casting — when vertically arranged, is placed in the form in the amount of 24 pieces instead of 10 when horizontal. According to the project manager Eduard Panfilov, the new technology allows eliminating defects typical for steel casting — displacement and shrinkage — and reducing labor intensity.
Currently, the foundry has identified more than 30 items that can be transferred to the new technology. The expected annual savings are about 150 million rubles. For the remaining items, modeling is already underway, then the process will be tested in practice and the serial technology will be changed.
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