A protection system for preventing foreign material from lodging in a channel between and/or damage to adjacent ceramic core features during a core processing operation is disclosed. The system includes a gasket sized and shaped to self-lock within the channel and prevent foreign material from lodging within the channel during the core processing operation. A method may include determining a geometrical characteristic of the channel and adjacent ceramic core feature; fabricating a gasket to fit and self-lock within the channel; positioning the gasket within the channel; and performing the core processing operation. The gasket prevents the foreign material from lodging in the channel, reducing subsequent damage to the ceramic core compared to the channel without the gasket.

A casting core assembly includes a metallic core, a ceramic core having a compartment in which the portion of the metallic core is received, and a ceramic coating at least partially covering the metallic core and the ceramic core.

The invention relates to a method for producing a ceramic core (4, 4)and to a core produced by this methodfor preparing the production of a casting having hollow structures which the ceramic core is configured to form, making use of a 3D model of digital geometric co-ordinates of the casting, wherein the method comprises the following steps: a) Producing by means of casting technology at least one first portion (4) of the ceramic core including at least one first joining structure (24) in a surface of the portion; b) Producing by means of casting technology or 3D printing technology at least one second portion (4) of the ceramic core including at least one second joining structure (26) matching the first joining structure, in a surface of the portion, wherein the production by means of casting technology comprises the following steps: i. Unpressurized or low-pressure casting of a ceramic core blank, and specifically with an oversize relative to the core (4, 4) according to the geometric co-ordinates; ii. CNC processing of the core (4, 4), according to the 3D model, in a first CNC processing method; c) joining the at least one first and at least one second portion of the core at the matching joining structures to form the core according to geometric co-ordinates of the casting.

An airfoil includes leading and trailing edges; first and second sides extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge, each side having an exterior surface; a core passage located between the first and second sides and the leading and trailing edges; and a wall structure located between the core passage and the exterior surface of the first side. The wall structure includes a plurality of cooling fluid inlets communicating with the core passage for receiving cooling fluid from the core passage, a plurality of cooling fluid outlets on the exterior surface of the first side for expelling cooling fluid and forming a cooling film along the exterior surface of the first side, and a plurality of cooling passages communicating with the plurality of cooling fluid inlets and the plurality of cooling fluid outlets. At least a portion of one cooling passage extends between adjacent cooling fluid outlets.

A mold assembly cell for sand mold production comprising a turntable wherein sand cores and other mold parts (which together cooperate to define the casting cavity of the sand mold) are automatically and progressively assembled following a sequential pre-programmed schedule by programmable robots located in proximal relationship with the turntable and a core shooting machine. The assembly turntable rotates clockwise or counterclockwise to permit placement of progressively more-complete mold packages in each of at least three assembly stations to allow the robots to reach the molds being assembled at different angles for simultaneously setting the sand cores and other parts of the mold according to said pre-programmed assembly schedule. Also a mold assembly line comprising a plurality of the foregoing assembly cells to form sand molds for casting complex-geometry aluminum parts, such as aluminum engine blocks and cylinder heads, with greater flexibility, efficiency and productivity.

The present invention relates to a foundry core, which has the base form of a hollow body, with the foundry core being formed from a moulding material consisting of a mixture which is formed from a moulding sand and a binder and optionally from additives added to set its properties and a method for its manufacture. The foundry core according to the invention can be easily manufactured. This is achieved as a result of the foundry core being divided into at least two sub-segments and forming elements interacting with one another in a positive-locking manner being provided on the edge sides, with which sub-segments arranged adjacent to one another abut on one another, or in proximity to these edge sides, via which forming elements the sub-segments arranged adjacent to one another are fixed by positive locking immovably against one another at least in one direction.

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 casting apparatus includes: a mold including a first mold segment and a second mold segment; and a transfer device that is configured to transfer a core to the first mold segment and place the core in the first mold segment, and to receive and transfer a casting. The transfer device includes a support part, a robot arm, a core grasping mechanism being provided on the support part, and a casting receiving part being provided on the support part. The transfer device is configured such that the robot arm moves the core grasping mechanism so as to place the core in the first mold segment, and moves the casting receiving part so as to receive the casting by the casting receiving part.

The present invention relates to a device for shooting a foundry core which surrounds a free inner space on its outer boundaries, with the device having a mould cavity representing the foundry core, which circulates around an inner slider extending along a longitudinal axis and is delimited on its outer side by an outer slider circulating around the mould cavity, with the clear width of the mould cavity being determined by the distance of the inner surface of the outer slider, assigned to the mould cavity, to the outer surface of the inner slider. The device according to the invention allows for operationally-safe manufacture of foundry cores that are tubular in their base form, but finely-structured in their walls and also on a large scale. This is achieved by the inner slider segments being displaceable between a removal position, in which they are positioned approximated in relation to one another and to the longitudinal axis of the inner slider and the clear width of the mould cavity present between the inner slider and the outer slider is increased, into a shooting position approximating the outer slider, in which the clear width of the mould cavity corresponds to a target specification for the foundry core to be shot.

A component is formed from a component material introduced into a mold assembly. The mold assembly includes a mold that has a cavity defined therein by an interior wall. The cavity receives the component material in a molten state to form the component. A multiple component core assembly is positioned with respect to the mold and has a first core component attached to a second core component at a core split line. A core connection component is attached to each of the first and second core components at the core split line, such that the first core component is held adjacent the second core component at the core split line. The core connection component is formed from a connection component material that is at least partially absorbable by the component material.