Abstract:
This research focuses on the design of the gating system for the case study of a Body OTC Steady part, which is a component of CNC machines made from AISI 4140 steel using the investment casting process. The software Cast-Designer was used to simulate the behavior during the molten metal filling process in the mold. The scope of the research focuses on analyzing design variables to reduce shrinkage porosity in the workpiece. The design variables considered are as follows: changing the cross-sectional shape of the gate (Gate1), adding a gate (Gate2), changing the height of the gate (HG2), changing the runner spacing (WR), changing the runner length (HR), and changing the runner angle (DR). The analysis includes the behavior of molten metal flow, fill time, solidification time, and the shrinkage porosity. The results showed that the design variables improving the workpiece quality include a rectangular cross-section for the Gate1, using two the Gate2, a gate height (HG2) of 20 mm², a runner spacing (WR) of 86.32 mm², a runner length (HR) of 284.85 mm², and a runner angle (DR) of 10 degrees. The simulation results revealed that the molten metal flow became more uniform and smoother. The fill time increased from 5.158 seconds to 7.385 seconds, while the solidification time decreased from 433.797 seconds to 276.753 seconds due to the reduction in the workpiece volume by 1,899.14 cm³. Shrinkage porosity volume decreased from 13.04 cm³ to 7.19 cm³, a reduction of 44.86%.