Precision investment casting process based on microwave technology - Process Technology (Europe) Ltd

Process Technology (Europe) Ltd为InvestmentCasting行业提供了一种新的工艺“Microwax工艺”，该工艺以一种完全创新的方式使用微波能量（24kW）取代了高能量（150kW）和时间依赖的制造工艺。已经进行了成功的微波能量实验室试验来证明这一概念。该项目的目的是开发一种预生产演示器，以证明该技术的技术和商业可行性。这项发明被国际公认的行业专家Stuart Blackburn教授描述为“改写铸造行业”，Stuart Blackburn教授是伯明翰大学卓越中心IRC的负责人。该技术可应用于所有失蜡工艺，艺术铸造厂和陶瓷芯。主要精密熔模铸造制造商主要用于航空航天，国防，汽车，核，医疗和商业铸造行业。这个过程可以在世界各地的每一个熔模铸造厂使用，并将提供大量的节省资金成本，能源，和工艺时间。工艺成本可降低40%，二氧化碳排放量降低80%，能耗减少75%，所需工艺时间减少75%。新工艺受英国、欧洲和世界专利保护。微波脱蜡法只需要在需要时使用，因此不需要在200℃的温度下永久保持高压。这项创新的优点是，它可以通过在蜡中添加可控制百分比的介电材料来在微波炉中脱蜡，从而控制蜡的分阶段熔化，而不会破坏外壳。这消除了在此过程中需要高能量和时间相关的高压灭菌器。自购买24KW微波炉以来，这使得食品，陶器，砌块铸造，木材处理和专业保护膜干燥等行业的加工时间缩短了80%以上。

Process Technology (Europe) Ltd has a new process “Microwax process” for the InvestmentCasting industry that replaces a high energy(150kW) and time dependant manufacturingprocesses by using microwave energy(24kW) in a totally innovative manner. Successfulmicrowave energy laboratory trials have been carried out to prove the concept.The aim of the project is to develop a pre-production demonstrator to prove the technical and commercial viability of this technology.This invention was described as “re-writing the casting industry” by internationally recognisedindustry expert Prof. Stuart Blackburn Head of the IRC at the Centre of Excellence at theUniversity of Birmingham.The technology can be applied to all lost wax processes, Art foundries, and ceramic cores. The major Precision Investment Casting manufacturers are predominately for the aerospace, defence, automotive, nuclear, medical and commercial casting industries. This process could be used in every investment casting plant world wide and would offer substantial savings on capital costs, energy, and process time.Process costs could be reduced by 40%, CO2 emissions lowered by 80%, 75% less energy used and 75% less process time required.The new process is protected by GB, European and World patents. The de-waxing microwave method is only required to be used as and when required so there will not be a requirement to permanently maintain high pressure at 200C temperature.The advantages of the innovation are that it allows de-waxing the shell in a microwave oven by adding dielectric material at controlled varied percentages into the wax that allows controlled staged melting out of the wax, without cracking the shell. This eliminates the need a high energy and time dependant autoclave in this process.Since purchasing a 24KW microwave oven this has led to improvements in excess of >80% les process time in sectors covering food, potteries, block casting, wood treatment and specialist protective film drying and many others.