Lost Foam (EPC) Art Casting

Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Material Molding and Mould Technology National Laboratory

Mr. Shroyer 956 U.S. patent application for solid casting, year-end 1958 was approved. 1962 American University Flemings MIT professor and sculptor, Mr. Duca, in cooperation annual American Foundry Division (AFS) published a paper "Art Casting" (Art casting), this is the earliest introduction of solid casting paper discusses the dozens piece solid casting art. 1980 Mold Casting Lost Foam Casting evolved. I engaged in the EPC study twenty years, seen a lot of LFC (real) casting art, would like to take the text to share with readers.

1. Domestic EPC Art Works

As far as I know: Inner Mongolia University Professor BAOYIN earlier in the lost foam casting artistic practice. During 2002-2003, he was involved in several pieces of artwork created in lost foam casting, the most representative is placed in Inner Mongolia University campus bell cast Ruyi (see Figure 1), the clock is high 1350mm, weighing a tons. Bell frame composed of three steel columns, high-2600mm, also used the EPC. Bells and bell frame weight more than 4 tons. 2004 Anhui Tongling Nonferrous Metals (Group) Company Machinery Plant lost foam casting process used in a short time, the completion of the Shenzhen stock exchange bell (Figure 2), bell high 620mm, weighs about 110kg, under the port diameter 550mm , the minimum wall thickness of 8mm, made of copper ring ZQZn9Sn9. Of course, there must be a lot of domestic EPC works of art come out, only the author ignorant, hope to give the reader added.

2. Germany University of Paderborn, LFC artwork

2004 I attended the Third International Conference on EPC hosted by the University of Paderborn in Germany. Deeply influenced me is this: as much as dozens of bizarre LFC aluminum artwork decorate the venue hall and stairwell rotation. These works are the Paderborn University College of process modeling expertise and materials for student collaboration. Organizers also ingenuity by scoring participants, selected the five winners (see Figure 3), and in the closing session on the spot auction, the LFC Conference climax. 2006, the seventh annual meeting of the National EPC in Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics held in 2009 the Ninth National EPC Annual Meeting was held at the Dalian University of Technology, I have envisioned mobilize students to participate LFC artwork creative and production , for various reasons, can not, did not amount to anything.

3. Hong Kong Times Square Lost Foam Art Statue

In 2006 July, I went to Hong Kong, Macao tourism. Remember that day, in Hong Kong's Times Square for sightseeing and shopping. I see a bench sitting not far from the four statues, approached a look, excited, this four statue of cast iron statue contest is used in lost foam casting. This is I have seen only with the real scale as EPC cast iron statue of a man. In 2009, I will this picture with poetry, participate in National Foundry photography contest, won the third prize. Photograph (Figure 4) and with poetry:

Hong Kong Times Square, four statues of female statue portrayal.

Times Square is bustling with activity, four ladies statue sit on a bench.

Reel right and left in a dream, a shopping paradise recover from fatigue.

Distant view resembles tour passengers, which turn to cast iron arts closely

Exclamation on original EPC, who carved the masterpieces, is a mystery

I won the prize due to the statue of the originators and casting. In 2013 I borrow the EPC and V method casting website (www.xsm-v.com.cn) revision published this light and with poetry, hopes to solve: which artist carve? Which company cast? Website stationmaster Guo Peng soon found clues on the Internet: the statue is a masterpiece of Taiwan famous sculptor Zhu Ming. I find a report of 2006 Zhu Ming Sculpture bid farewell to Times Square. The report published in addition to the sitting bench four female statues, there are several pieces of lost foam casting photo art. I guess: Hong Kong Times Square EPC works of sculptor from Taiwan, the art casting is completed in Taiwan?

4. Japan's Earth sculpture in Front of National Science Museum

5. Advantages and Disadvantages of EPC Art

Based on the bubble look like EPC has more free space and casting design flexibility. This is the art of lost foam casting advantage. With simple tools, foam hand-carved appearance can be completed either rough freehand (Figure 4), can also be carved. Wuhan, there was a strange man Astragalus foam carving was, from 2004 onwards fascinated styling foam carving, creating a lot of foam art, author visits to see many beautiful of the exercises, there is as real fruits and vegetables (Figure 7), there are also unique creativity abstract works, such as Heart corresponding closely (see Figure 8).

With modern three-dimensional modeling and CAD / CAM technology popularization, using CNC machining prototype looks like foam case also began to increase. Figure 9 is a German company CNC machining of several meters high foam figures, Figure 10 for the Nanjing Chenguang Group portrait art CNC machining foam photos.

Lost Foam Casting Art is also very prominent drawbacks: it is not easy to make hollow thin-wall castings, such as foam casting process easy to deformation. Therefore, EPC casting art does not become a mainstream artistic crafts, but as a supplement or adjunct.

Conclusion

The twelfth National EPC and V casting method Annual Meeting in Huazhong University of Science and Technology in October 2015. I dream, in my school after two years at the annual meeting held in the country, providing a showcase artistic styling foam appearance and disappearance of die castings arts arena. For this dream, I will mobilize my school industrial design and materials processing some students participate in professional LFC artwork creative and production. National Society also welcomes the EPC industry friends and college professors who are interested to exhibit their works