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Casting Design Services — Design for Manufacturing
DESIGN REVIEW · ALLOY SELECTION · SOLIDIFICATION SIMULATION
Most casting problems are designed in. A section too heavy to feed, a wall too thin to fill, a machined face with no stock to clean up: each shows up later as scrap, rework or a tooling change after the pattern is made. Kormax reviews your component before tooling is made and recommends the changes that make it castable, machinable and cost-effective to produce.
Design review is how every Kormax casting project starts. Send a drawing or 3D model and we come back with manufacturability feedback, an alloy and process recommendation and, where the part needs it, a solidification simulation.
Casting Design at a Glance
| What we review | Components you plan to have cast, and machined if required, by Kormax |
|---|---|
| Not offered | Standalone design or consultancy work |
| Processes | Sand casting and investment casting |
| Send us | 2D drawing or 3D model (STEP), alloy or service conditions, expected quantities |
| You receive | Manufacturability feedback, alloy and process recommendation, simulation results where required |
| Simulation | MAGMASOFT®: mold filling, solidification and defect prediction |
| Cost | Simulation is included in the initial design cost where the part requires it |
Send a drawing or a 3D model. We will come back with manufacturability feedback and the alloy and process we would recommend.
What a Design Review Covers
Wall sections.
Keep walls as uniform as the function allows and change thickness gradually. Isolated heavy sections cool last and are where shrinkage porosity forms.
Fillets and radii.
Sharp internal corners concentrate stress and are prone to hot tearing. Generous fillets at junctions improve both castability and fatigue life.
Draft.
Sand castings need draft on surfaces parallel to the pattern draw so the pattern can be removed cleanly. Investment castings generally need little or none.
Machining allowance and datums.
Faces to be machined need extra stock, and the casting needs defined datums so the machine shop can locate every part the same way.
Cores and internal passages.
Every core adds cost and risk. We look at whether internal features can be simplified, supported and cleaned out reliably.
Tolerances where they matter.
Tight tolerances belong on machined features. Holding them on as-cast surfaces adds cost without adding function.
Design services include
Alloy and Process Selection
The right alloy depends on how the part is loaded, what it is exposed to and how it will be cast. Casting alloys combine a base metal, such as iron, copper or aluminum, with alloying additions that change strength, toughness, corrosion resistance and castability. Small changes in composition can make a large difference to how a part performs and how easily it fills and feeds.
Our metallurgists recommend an alloy from our casting alloys range and the process that suits it: sand casting for larger parts and lower volumes, investment casting for fine detail and near-net shapes.
What we weigh when recommending an alloy
Casting Simulation in MAGMASOFT
For parts that need it, Kormax simulates the casting in MAGMASOFT before tooling is made. Simulation shows how metal fills the mold, how the casting solidifies and where defects are likely to form, so the gating, feeding and design can be corrected on screen rather than on the foundry floor. Read more about methoding and gating simulation.
What the simulation shows
Simulation is included in the initial design cost where the part requires it.
Quality: PPAP and QC
Design review is the first step of Kormax’s PPAP and QC process. The same drawing and specification we review at the start are what every casting is inspected against before it ships.
From Design to Finished Part
Design review is step one of a Kormax casting project. It is not sold on its own.
STEP 01 · YOU ARE HERE
Casting design
Manufacturability feedback, alloy and process, simulation where the part needs it.
STEP 02
Sand or investment casting
Size ranges, alloys and what each process suits.
STEP 04
Inspection and delivery
Checked against your drawing under our PPAP and QC process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Before any tooling or pattern is made. Changes are cheapest at the drawing stage.
Simulation is included in the initial design cost where the part needs it. We will confirm what applies when we quote.
A 3D model in STEP format and a 2D drawing with tolerances, material specification and quantities.
MAGMASOFT, for mold filling, solidification and defect prediction.
No. Design review is part of a Kormax casting project: we review parts we will produce for you.
Have a part in design? Send the model or drawing and we will tell you what we would change before the tooling is made.
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Offering diverse production capabilities and a broad range of alloys to numerous industries. Download The Castings Book.