The material characteristics of sand castings are affected by the cooling velocity during casting. Conventionally, the cooling velocity could not be increased because of the limited mold structures, and manufacturing of high strength and large/thinned castings had its limit. On the other hand, additive manufacturing technologies have been improved in recent years, and it is becoming possible to manufacture molds with a high degree of freedom in shape. By utilizing these technologies, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) developed a mold design technology that allowed production of castings having characteristics that could not be obtained in the past. This report describes the details and application effects of the developed technology.
