Inserted Tool Design Using FEA - Technique Extended to 3D

Elkhart Industrial Division of Amcast Industrial Corporation uses a patented process called FORMCAST™, to produce near-net shaped automotive components with superior mechanical properties. The very high pressure generated in the complex forming cavity necessitates a need for an inserted tool design to reduce stresses.

Previously, at SAE 1998, the usefulness of using a general purpose FEA software was demonstrated using an inserted tooling simulated in 2D. The extension of this technique to 3D is quite demanding but today's computers and software make such a simulation possible and helps in the development of advanced processes without building numerous prototype dies.

This paper is intended to demonstrate that by using a 3D case study simulation of tooling for a Miniblock, which is a car air-conditioner component that the simulation to actual results will correlate.