Metal Casting and Extrusion

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Metal Casting and Extrusion (MCE)- metals from the waste stream, and eventually aluminum from clay - may be turned into valuable forms or extruded profiles. Engine blocks, structural metals, wire, and many other uses abound. This is doable with local compressed gas sources as the source of heat.

Contents

Introduction

Project Specification

The open source foundry must be able to melt aluminum and cast iron.

Melting point of aluminum
~1,220 °F (660 °C)
Melting point of cast iron
2,192 °F (1,200 °C)

Babington Burner Research

Warning: if you coil your supply fuel line around your combustion tube for preheating, then if your fuel supply runs out or the pump stops, the fuel in your fuel line will heat up to the temperature of the burner (about 1200 degrees F), which is above the flashpoint for most fuels. If your fuel flow stops for more than a few seconds, is it safest to wait 10-15 minutes until everything cools, then try restart the burner. I once didn't wait, and had superheated oil flow into my sump and start it on fire - not good![1]

Babington burners on Green-Trust.org.

Foundry Research

Casting Furnaces

There are several types of casting furnaces which include Electric Arc furnaces, Blast furnaces, Cornwall Iron Furnace, etc. The electric arc furnace can be described as a furnace heating charged materials by the way of an electric arc. The Blast Furnace can be referred to as a kind of metallurgical furnace, through which the process of smelting takes place.

Blast Furnaces produce metals, normally iron. These furnaces trace their origin to China (around 500 BC). Electric Arc furnaces exist in all the sizes, from the smallest one having a capacity of around one ton to the largest one having a capacity of 400 tons. The former is used in foundries to produce cast iron products, whereas the latter one is used for secondary steel making.[2]

Collaboration

Review of Project Status

Current Work

Developments Needed

General

Specific

Background Debriefing

Information Work

Hardware Work

Sign-in

Product Definition

A method of home smelting to turn aluminum cans, nails, other waste metals into reusable blocks/prefabbed forms.

General

General Scope

Product Ecology

Localization

Scaleability

Analysis of Scale

Lifecycle Analysis

Enterprise Options

Development Approach

Timeline

Development Budget

Value Spent

Value available

Value needed

Deliverables and Product Specifications

Industry Standards

Market and Market Segmentation

Salient Features and Keys to Success

Technical Design

Product System Design

Diagrams and Conceptual Drawings

Pattern Language Icons

Structural Diagram

Funcional or Process Diagram

Workflow

Technical Issues

Deployment Strategy

Performance specifications

Calculations

Design Calculations

Yields

Rates

Structural Calculations

Power Requirements

Ergonomics of Production

MCE -Time Requirements

Economic Breakeven Analysis

Scaleability Calculations

Growth Calculations

Technical Drawings and CAD

CAM Files

Component Design

Diagrams

Conceptual drawings

Performance specifications

Performance calculations

Technical drawings and CAD

CAM files whenever available

Subcomponents

Deployment and Results

Production steps

Flexible Fabrication or Production

Bill of materials

Pictures and Video

Data

Documentation and Education

Documentation

Enterprise Plans

Resource Development

Identifying Stakeholders

Information Collaboration

Wiki Markup

Addition of Supporting References

Production of diagrams, flowcharts, 3D computer models, and other qualitative information architecture

Technical Calculations, Drawings, CAD, CAM, other

Prototyping

Funding

Preordering working products

Grantwriting

Publicity

User/Fabricator Training and Accreditation

Standards and Certification Developmen

Other

Grantwriting

Volunteer grantwriters

Professional, Outcome-Based Grantwriters

Collaborative Stakeholder Funding

Tool and Material Donations

Charitable Contributions

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