Working backward in sales pitches has become second nature to Wes Byleveld.  To summarize, he tells Exco Engineering's automotive customers that https://www.diecasting-mould.com/aluminum-die-casting aluminum die casting parts made using additive manufacturing can give them a distinct competitive advantage.  A thermally balanced die is created by 3D-printing conformal cooling channels near the surface of these tools, and the benefits of this process cascade into reduced cycle times, lower scrap rates, and reduced labor costs.  He presents years' worth of research to support his claims, including thermal stress simulations and real-world testing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3Z3PCtQN4A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuoKHRNEkFw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USXC3U77FJU The pitch is one that Byleveld has made with considerable success for Exco, where he currently serves as director of additive manufacturing (AM) for the largest high-pressure die cast tool manufacturer in North America. But why is additive manufacturing so closely associated with environmental responsibility? It is anticipated that several powertrain, body, and structural components currently on the road or in the near future will be manufactured using 3D-printed die cast tools as a result of Byleveld and Exco Additive's research and development efforts.  Although more impressive — and more significant to the way we think about additive manufacturing's role in the industrial landscape — is the way Exco has integrated metal 3D printing into one of the most demanding manufacturing environments imaginable. 'It all started with a simple curiosity,' says Byleveld. In his 15 years with Exco Engineering, Wes Byleveld began in the company's die cast department, where he worked on robotic programming projects for die casting processes and workflow issues.  In his words, "it was more out of curiosity than out of need. "Although Byleveld claims he was given broad latitude to incorporate additive manufacturing into Exco's production tools after an initial round of positive benchmarking tests — fueled by the potential to drastically reduce temperatures via 3D-printed conformal cooling channels — he says he has been given limited latitude to do so. In comparison to metal powder-based 3D printing, industrial-scale https://www.diecasting-mould.com/ die casting products — the process of forcing molten metal at extremely high pressure into a mold cavity — is a very inhospitable environment.  In addition to engine blocks and transfer cases, Exco also produces instrument and body panels, wheels, and engine cradles for use in the automotive industry.  Please understand that Exco does not manufacture these parts themselves, but rather dies and tooling for them.  Exco ships dies to customers that can weigh hundreds of thousands of pounds.  One such die is a V8 engine block die, which exco ships to customers. In order to achieve intricate features such as threading and cooling channels, an Exco die typically consists of several components, some of which necessitate complex machining operations.  Because of the geometric complexity of die inserts, they must be machined separately and are then inserted into a pocket in the die when the die is finished, as indicated by the name.  However, while machining inserts as stand-alone components allows the cutting tool to access the part's external faces, the internal cooling channel geometries are still restricted to basic linear forms.  The result of inefficient cooling of the die during and after the casting process is thermal imbalance, which can lead to a variety of problems further down the production line. As Byleveld and his team discovered, the transition to 3D printing die casting inserts was not as straightforward as simply purchasing the appropriate printer and starting the process over.  When selecting a benchmark part, Byleveld chose an engine block water jacket, which is distinguished by its thick base and exceptionally thin walls.  When Byleveld was finished, he sent the water jackets to several 3D printer manufacturers with a challenge attached: "If you can build this part for us, we'll buy your machine," Byleveld stated.  A spokesperson for EOS said, "EOS was the only company that accepted the challenge and stated that they were committed to succeeding no matter what. "  Although defects will persist even in a properly preheated system that has been completed in the proper manner, the result will be a highly unreliable part that may receive a high number of shots one time and a low number of shots the following.  In Byleveld's opinion, "additional production is extremely difficult. "In some cases, the parts printed with H13 are cracked and have a lot of porosity, as you can see in the image below. "When you're injecting metal at 13,000 PSI in 20 milliseconds and you have a waterline 1 mm from the surface, if the water line bursts during the metal injection, the machine is blown open and you have to restart it.  My main concern is my personal safety. "