Additive manufacturing and Wax 3D Printing Applications for Investment Casting

The PhD scholarship is part of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Additive Manufacturing in collaboration with the University of Nottingham, University of Liverpool, Loughborough and Newcastle University.

The studentship starts with a 1 year expert training programme in Additive Manufacturing where the students will be based at the University of Nottingham. The following 3 years will based at Loughborough University where the PhD research program will be carried out.

The focus of this project is on wax 3D printing for the investment casting process.
In investment casting, the wax injection process has traditionally been used to produce wax patterns. However, wax injection moulds are relatively expensive and take a long time to produce.

Additive manufacturing has already been in use within this industry for printing wax patterns. This method offers fast development capability, prototyping opportunity, and cost effective solutions to mass productions of low-quantity orders. However, the disadvantages of the existing printing wax methods are: cost, inability to print large patterns, rough surface finish comparing to injected wax and limited dimensional accuracy.

This research aims to develop an additive manufacturing process for the wax pattern production in investment casting process as an alternative to the conventional wax injection process. The initial phases for this PhD project include:
• Understanding the investment casting process and its requirements
• Understanding the wax injection specs, process and its requirements as reference point for additive manufacturing (alternative solution).
• Design and develop a wax 3D printing process for investment casting application
• Validation of the process in industrial application.

The industrial partner is a French lost-wax casting company with a worldwide reputation in industrial gas turbine industry for manufacturing hot section parts.

Learn more:

Loughborough University is a top-ten rated university in England for research intensity (REF2014). Of the work of Loughborough’s staff who were eligible for REF submission, 66% was judged ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’, compared to a national average of 43%.

You’ll work alongside research leaders and benefit from support from our Doctoral College, including careers advice. http://www.lboro.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/supporting-you/research/

General information about the CDT in Additive Manufacturing can be found at:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/additivemanufacturing/index.aspx

Requirements:

Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2:1 Honours degree (or equivalent) in Engineering, material science or a related subject. A background in additive manufacturing is not essential as training will be provided through the CDT. Experience in manufacturing environments is an advantage. Part of the research (in the 2nd and 3rd year of the programme) may be done at the company’s base, flexibility to travel and stay in France, and French language skill is highly desirable.

Contacts:
For more information about the project please contact Dr Ehsan Sabet ([Email Address Removed])

Applying:

Apply at http://www.lboro.ac.uk/study/apply/research/. Under programme name, select ‘Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing’

Quote reference: AMCDT_InvestCast1