ALTAIR IN THE DESIGN AND CASTING PROCESS
Considering the end goal of weight reduction while maintaining the part’s strength and overall performance, the redesign consisted of three phases. In the first phase, WPC inherited the original design from its customer and quickly recognized the need for a more efficient pouring process. WPC reduced the number of ingates and changed the part orientation on the sprue to allow for more parts per pour. These changes would allow WPC to spend less time degating the part while reducing the overall cost per part. This change required a substantial redesign of the cover to facilitate.

The next phase in the redesign focused on the optimization of the pump cover structure. While utilizing Altair Inspire, loads and critical features for casting were identified and a baseline analysis on the proven design was completed. The pump cover was then optimized in Altair Inspire and resulted in an 8% mass reduction and increased strength. During the optimization process, casting metrics were also validated such as porosity and solidification time.

“When setting up structural optimization studies it forces the design team to really think about the product holistically. What features are critical and must be maintained or added for both part function and secondary operation? What sets of loads will the design need to withstand? How will the part be oriented in the mold during manufacturing? Because Altair Inspire accounts for these parameters, the process brings all the parties to the table, from design all the way to manufacturing,” explains Dave Roccaforte, solidThinking Senior Application Engineer.

During the final phase, Altair Inspire was used to redesign the geometry of the pump cover with PolyNURB wraps over the optimized geometry. Once redesigned, a casting analysis was conducted in Altair Inspire Cast to verify that the cavity and sprue design were suitable for pouring. At this stage, the gates were narrowed to further decrease degating time and a final filling and solidification study was run. After completing the prototype, WPC used the flexibility of printed wax patterns to form the mold.

DESIGN STUDY RESULTS
Once the pour was completed, the final parts were x-rayed, studied and contained minimal porosity, which accurately compared to the casting analysis that was completed in Altair Inspire Cast. This comprehensive design study allowed WPC to have a better understanding of the optimization and pour process, and provided knowledge on techniques for future designs.