After the traditional excursion within the scope of the practical course "Foundry Technology 2 - Machine and Plant Casting" had to be cancelled unfortunately due to corona in the last two years, it led the students this year first to the iron foundry Fritz Winter in Stadtallendorf. There, they had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the theoretical knowledge and the processes demonstrated on a small scale during the internship during a tour of the plant on an industrial scale. In addition to the melting plant, the fully automatic core package production left a particularly lasting impression. The core packages produced in this way do not require any green sand at all, which results in technical advantages, such as dimensional accuracy, as well as ecological advantages, e.g. through the regeneration of the pure sand.
After a joint lunch, the students made their way to the Meissner model and tool factory in Wallau. There, the excursion participants were given an insight into toolmaking, which is extremely important for good casting quality. Of particular interest was the presentation of a project sequence for the development of molds, core shooters and grippers for an engine component for aluminum permanent mold casting. This provided an impressive demonstration of the interrelationships between casting and core shooting simulation, including the corresponding iterations, right through to the final mold design.
We would therefore like to take this opportunity to thank the employees of Fritz Winter and Meissner, who contributed to the success of the excursion. We would also like to thank the companies ASK Chemicals, Heraeus Electro-Nite and ExOne, who once again provided material and molds to ensure the success of this year's internship!
