An investment casting process for manufacturing a cast component is provided. The investment casting process includes forming a core, casting the cast component about the core such that a core positioning feature provides a location of an anticipated pilot hole in the cast component, removing the core from the cast component once the casting is completed, locating, forming and sizing a pilot hole to form a resized pilot hole that can receive a sealing plug and installing the sealing plug into the resized pilot hole.

A tool for reforming a core pattern. A method of reforming a core pattern comprises opening a core reformer tool. The core reformer tool has a first portion and a second portion facing the first portion. The first portion includes a concave member and a first adjustable pin. The second portion includes a convex member and a second adjustable pin. The method includes positioning the core pattern in the core reformer tool and closing the core reformer tool. The method comprises adjusting at least one of the first adjustable pin and the second adjustable pin to alter a surface of the core pattern. The method includes directing cooling air through the core reformer tool to solidify the core pattern and opening the core reformer tool to remove the core pattern.

A mold assembly for use in forming a component having an outer wall of a predetermined thickness includes a mold and a jacketed core. The jacketed core includes a jacket that includes a first jacket outer wall coupled against an interior wall of the mold, a second jacket outer wall positioned interiorly from the first jacket outer wall, and at least one jacketed cavity defined therebetween. The at least one jacketed cavity is configured to receive a molten component material therein. The jacketed core also includes a core positioned interiorly from the second jacket outer wall. The core includes a perimeter coupled against the second jacket outer wall. The jacket separates the perimeter from the interior wall by the predetermined thickness, such that the outer wall is formable between the perimeter and the interior wall.

A core pattern reformer system for adjusting and setting a core pattern for use in casting a gas turbine blade has a first portion having a first internal face with a concave portion. The first portion is coupled to a second portion. The second portion has a second internal face with a convex portion. A plurality of adjustable pins is positioned along the internal faces of the first portion and the second portion. The pins have a height that is adjustable with respect to the internal faces. A locking mechanism is included for securing the first portion to the second portion. The system includes one or more air inlets and one or more air exits and a source of cooling air coupled to the one or more air inlets.

An investment casting method includes providing a stock investment casting core, bending the stock investment casting core to thereby form a production investment casting core that conforms to a design cooling passage shape, and casting an alloy around the production investment casting core to form a cast article.

A core pattern reformer system for adjusting and setting a core pattern for use in casting a gas turbine blade has a first portion having a first internal face with a concave portion. The first portion is coupled to a second portion. The second portion has a second internal face with a convex portion. A plurality of adjustable pins is positioned along the internal faces of the first portion and the second portion. The pins have a height that is adjustable with respect to the internal faces. A locking mechanism is included for securing the first portion to the second portion. The system includes one or more air inlets and one or more air exits and a source of cooling air coupled to the one or more air inlets.

An investment casting method includes providing a stock investment casting core, bending the stock investment casting core to thereby form a production investment casting core that conforms to a design cooling passage shape, and casting an alloy around the production investment casting core to form a cast article.

Provided is a molding device for manufacturing a molded product having an arc-shaped bent inner space, wherein the molding device includes: a pair of molds which is joinable to each other and separable from each other, and is capable of forming a cavity C which has a shape corresponding to an outer shape of the molded product in a joined state during molding; a core which has a shape corresponding to an inner shape of the molded product, and is disposed in the inside of the cavity C which the pair of molds forms during molding; and a rotation member which is joined to a terminal end of the core, and is rotatable together with the core after molding. Compared to a conventional molding device, the molding device of the present invention becomes a molding device capable of suppressing the occurrence of a defect on a molded product having an arc-shaped bent inner space at the time of taking out the molded product.

A method of forming a casting with a flow passage may include filling a tubular pipe with a filler to form a smart core; inserting the smart core into a mold having a cavity corresponding to a shape of the casting to be formed; injecting a molten metal into the cavity through a casting process; and removing the filler from the smart core, wherein a hardness of the tubular pipe is 70 Hv or more.

The present invention relates to an eco-mold apparatus for manufacturing a piston, a mold apparatus for manufacturing a piston, and a piston manufacturing method, which mold each part of a piston while decreasing the weight of the piston, and the apparatus may comprise: a first eco-mold part which may move forward or backward in a first direction to shape a portion of an eco-part of a piston; a second eco-mold part which may shape-match with the first eco-mold part to mold another portion of the eco-part of the piston; and a piston pickup part which picks up the piston over the second eco-mold part, so that the piston pickup part can separate the piston from the second eco-mold part.