Abstract
Traditional Lost Foam Casting (LFC) using expanded polystyrene (EPS) requires the production of expensive specialized tooling and molds. This makes the method cost-effective primarily for high-volume production, while small-batch manufacturing remains prohibitively expensive. This study presents a comprehensive investigation of the LFC process integrated with 3D printing for the fabrication of lightweight gasifiable models. Polylactide (PLA), low-density polylactide (PLA-LW), and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) were utilized as modeling materials to 3D-print thin-walled specimens. Casting of SCh20 gray cast iron was performed using models made of PLA, PLA-LW, PMMA, and traditional EPS. A comparative analysis of the resulting microstructures was conducted. To perform a theoretical analysis of the "mold-model-casting" system, the "PolygonSoft" software suite was employed. For the first time, a casting method using 3D-printed plastic models followed by cast iron pouring is proposed, which completely eliminates the mold machining stage. It was established that the mechanical properties of castings produced via 3D-printed models are equivalent to those of traditional ones. The proposed hybrid technology significantly reduces the time and financial costs of engineering preparation for small-batch production of complex metal castings, while maintaining product quality at the level of traditional foundry production.
Keywords:
Lost Foam Casting (LFC), PolygonSoft, polylactide (PLA), gas permeability, casting microstructure