Abstract
Many mass-produced goods are manufactured using a mold. In order to understand the behavior of melted alloy ejected into a mold, various efforts have been made to improve simulation technologies. However, the molding process is not easily understood since most molds are opaque, and direct observation of the melt flow phenomenon in the mold is important because it changes significantly in an actual casting field depending on the mold. In this study, a small die casting machine for low melting point metals utilizing a 3D-CAD/CAE/CAM system was developed for educational classes on casting, die casting and injection molding. The die casting machine is small and easy to use. An arbitrary shaped mold was made from transparent acrylic resin to visually observe the melt flow phenomena in the cavity, and a low melting metal was used for safety reasons. The speed of injection is important for filling the mold cavity, and specifications of the machine were determined by trial-and-error experiments. A questionnaire on the improvement of casting knowledge was distributed to the fourth-, fifth- and advanced-level students of our school who passed the actual experiment. Results showed that the students' level of understanding in casting improved Thus, the machine is a good teaching material in mechanical engineering.
