Development of an Extraction Hood and Substructure for Extracting Emissions from Foundry Moulds in High-Pressure Die Casting of Al Alloys

As part of the diploma thesis, they became familiar with the process of designing a hood and substructure for extracting emissions from foundry moulds in high-pressure die casting of aluminium alloys. First, they described the field of work and defined the problem. They presented the company that deals with the manufacture of hoods and the sale of oil and lubricants, and then focused on the extraction system in high-pressure die casting.

Problem

As part of the diploma thesis, they became familiar with the process of designing a hood and substructure for extracting emissions from foundry moulds in high-pressure die casting of aluminium alloys. First, they described the field of work and defined the problem. The purpose of the diploma thesis was to improve the extraction of emissions that are released during the coating of foundry moulds.

Solution and Method

They presented the company that deals with the manufacture of hoods and the sale of oil and lubricants, and then focused on the extraction system in high-pressure die casting. They highlighted its importance for the health of workers in production. They described the devices that are present on the market and the operation of the filtration unit.

They emphasised the importance of the filter cassette and stated for which type of extraction it is used. The high-pressure die casting (HPDC) process is frequently used for the manufacture of a wide range of products with high dimensional accuracy, producing thin-walled and highly detailed parts from light alloy with high productivity. They described the process of casting aluminium alloys by the high-pressure die casting method and showed the equipment required for this.

They presented the operation of a high-pressure machine with a hot and cold chamber. In casting, the use of release coatings for moulds is very important because the surface of the die is cooled by spraying lubricant. The coating process is crucial for the quality of castings, but during it emissions are released that are harmful to the working environment and workers.

They also showed the lubrication of the mould in different casting processes. In order to obtain the best method of filtration, we must dimension the hood according to certain guidelines and calculations. They showed how to arrive at a sufficient amount of air extraction in the hood and how to determine the size of the hood and substructure.

For the design concept of the hood and substructure, the computer tool SolidWorks was used. They endeavoured to ensure that assembly and transport are simple, as it is important that assembly is carried out in the shortest possible time. Maintenance is also important in preserving the service life of the device, so they described the course of maintenance of the hood and substructure.

They also highlighted the safety and environmental importance of extracting harmful emissions.