| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2025 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Aluminum Cast Shop Supplier Forum
|
| Presentation Title |
Conventional sow casting and the disruptive innovation of automated guided vehicle (AGV) sow casting; a comparative study |
| Author(s) |
Nicolas Bauret, Herve Charbonneau |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Nicolas Bauret |
| Abstract Scope |
Sow casting is a widely used, cost-effective method for creating remelt products. The shape of the molds favors solidification and makes release, handling and stacking of the sows easier. Current automated sow casting machines use circular carousels to move a chain of molds from the casting to the stacking stations. Though such systems perform adequately, they occupy a lot of space and cannot be easily modified to meet increased production requirements. The disruptive innovation presented here proposes to use fully automated guided vehicles (AGVs) instead of circular mold carriage systems to move molds individually from one station to another. The presentation will highlight the cost effectiveness of this innovative solution as well as its comparative advantages over current systems, such as a greatly reduced footprint, simplified installation work, more adaptable and expandable layout, shortened cold startup times, easier mold maintenance and repair, and increased productivity. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Undecided |
| Keywords |
Aluminum, Process Technology, Solidification |