A process for producing a coupler knuckle and an improved coupler knuckle design are provided. The process produces a coupler knuckle by constructing a mold having the shape of the coupler knuckle. The mold is coated with a material that is resistant to melting at the molten melt temperatures of the molten metal used to form the knuckle. With the mold coated, the cavities in the mold interior are filled by placing an inert material therein. The molten metal used for forming the knuckle contacts the mold and consumes it, while the coating serves to provide a shape for the knuckle.

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 mold assembly for use in forming a component having an outer wall of a predetermined thickness is provided. The mold assembly includes a mold that includes an interior wall that defines a mold cavity within the mold. The mold assembly also includes a jacketed core positioned with respect to the mold. The jacketed core includes a jacket that includes an outer wall. The jacketed core also includes a core positioned interiorly of the jacket outer wall. The jacket separates a perimeter of the core from the mold interior wall by the predetermined thickness, such that the outer wall is formable between the perimeter and the interior wall.

Methods for forming metal articles are provided. The methods include forming foam casting molds from polylactic acid for use in lost foam and sand casting processes. The PLA-based foam casting molds advantageously reduce cycle time, reduce overall cost, increase reusability of the foam casting molds, reduce costs associated with shipping the foam casting mold, and improve yield and quality of cast metal articles.

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.

An improved method of forming components by hot isostatic pressing (HIP) involves making a can for the HIP process from a ceramic mold, reducing the need for welding & machining in the production of the can.

A bearing housing, or integrated turbocharger housing, with the oil, and optionally air and water galleries, included as as-cast features, thereby avoiding the problems, design limitations and expense associated with conventional post-casting machining. The method of casting preferably uses lost foam casting, or a technique similar to lost foam casting but in which a ceramic shell is formed on the foam form prior to metal casting, but can use any of a variety of casting techniques or a combination of two or more techniques.

A method to manufacture reticulated metal foam via a dual investment solid mold, includes pre-investing a precursor with a diluted pre-investment ceramic plaster to encapsulate the precursor; and investing the encapsulated precursor with a ceramic plaster within an mold of a varied cross-section. A varied cross-section mold includes a mold thickness adjacent to an outer periphery of a pattern at a top of the varied cross-section mold is between 200-500% a thickness between the outer periphery of the pattern at a base of the varied cross-section mold. A varied cross-section mold includes a trapezoidal prism shape with a pour cone in a top, the top larger than the base.

A method of manufacturing a coupling segment including: obtaining a mold having an interior and an exterior, the interior defining an interior surface, the interior surface defining a cavity, the cavity including a border line at an outermost edge of the cavity; placing a material in liquid form into the cavity in the mold; and removing a coupling segment from the mold, the coupling segment formed from the material, the coupling segment including an outer surface, an inner surface, a first end, a second end, and a parting line extending along the border line of the cavity of the mold prior to removal of the coupling segment from the mold, the parting line offset from a top surface of each end.

The invention relates to a process for casting castings, in which a metal melt is poured into a casting mold, The casting mold, formed as a lost mold, consists of one or more casting mold parts or cores which are formed from a molding material consisting of a core sand, a binder and optionally one or more additives for adjusting certain properties of the molding material. In the course of the method according to the invention, the casting mold is provided. The casting mold is enclosed in a housing, forming a filling space between at least one inner surface section of the housing and an associated outer surface section of the casting mold. The filling space is filled with a pourable filling material which has such a low bulk density that a gas flow can flow through the filling material package formed there from the filling material after the filling of the filling space, and the metal melt is poured into the casting mold. The casting mold begins to radiate heat as a result of the heat input caused by the hot metal melt, and wherein as a result of the heat input caused by the metal melt the binder of the molding material begins to evaporate and burn, so that it loses its effect and the casting mold disintegrates into fragments. In accordance with the invention, the filling material has a filling material temperature of less than 100? C. when it is filled into the filling space, so that the rapid and energy-efficient decomposition of the casting mold can be achieved with reduced effort.