Automated Casting and Modeling Production of Automotive Clutch Castings

In July 2018, we provided automated sand mold molding equipment to a foundry in Hebei Province, China, specializing in the production of truck clutch pressure plate castings. The foundry purchased a set of casting sand processing lines with a processing capacity of 20 tons per hour, matched with an automatic molding machine with a size of 610mmX710mm sand box for automated molding of sand molds. During the day, workers used the machine to complete the molding of sand molds and lay them flat on the workshop floor. At night, smelting workers used medium frequency electric furnaces to melt molten metal iron and pour the sand molds uniformly, which to some extent solved the shortage of sand mold molding workers faced by the foundry, improved the yield of castings, and reduced the production cost per ton of castings. At the same time, it also increased the production cost per ton of castings. The casting output of the enterprise makes it more competitive in the market. After the equipment of the casting enterprise was successfully put into operation and applied, seven casting enterprises in and around the area that produce clutch parts also followed suit and purchased our equipment for casting production.

During 2019, due to environmental requirements in the region, foundry companies needed to upgrade and reduce exhaust emissions. We modified the original ground casting operation method and equipped it with a tracked casting production line based on the casting process and cooling requirements of this type of casting. Each of the three casting lines can hold 86 sand molds, and the molding speed of the main machine is 82 sand molds per hour, ensuring that the cooling time of the casting is over 90 minutes. We also installed bag dust removal equipment in the casting area to collect and filter the exhaust gas generated during the casting process;

The clutch pressure plate casting made of gray iron material is molded using an automated sand mold molding machine. The weight of a single casting is about 35kg, with a pouring port for molten metal in the middle. Several sand mold exhaust needles are installed on the upper sand box compaction plate of the molding machine, which can function as exhaust without connecting the mold cavity. The overall height of the sand mold is 180mm-200mm, and the pouring process of this casting needs to use a horizontal pouring method to ensure the dynamic balance processing of the casting in the later stage. At the same time, a long cooling time is required. Otherwise, the casting in the sand mold will come into contact with external air too early and cool too quickly, which will result in high hardness of the casting and be unfavorable for processing;

The clutch pressure plate castings with smaller diameters are arranged in 3 to 4 rows, with a 40mm diameter pouring port at the center of the sand mold and a 30mm diameter sand mold exhaust hole at the center of each casting; Under stable factors and tacit cooperation among personnel, the flatness rate of castings can be controlled at 98%; After users become familiar with the operation and use of various equipment in the later stage, the production speed can be maintained at 90 sand molds per hour;