Published on: 2026-04-14
Source: KAMAZ – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
At the casting plant “KAMAZ”, the mold cavity volume of castings was increased by using a vertical arrangement of the casting mold. The modified technology made it possible to increase productivity and reduce the cost of each casting.
According to the project manager, deputy executive director for foundry production – Director of the Foundry Competence Center Eduard Panfilov, the increase in efficiency in foundry production is continuous: this concerns productivity, quality, and the cost of products, which ultimately reduces the price of the KAMAZ truck.“The project to increase the casting nest density started a year ago. We have not yet solved tasks of this kind: here both the novelty in approach and the new foundry practice for us.”, – notedEduard Panfilov. The project manager pointed out that modern technologies allow the application of a new approach in foundry production. Within the project framework, technologies utilizing 3D modeling were used to position castings vertically in the foundry mold, and the manufacturing technology – casting and crystallization – was virtually tested. This made it possible to eliminate errors at the early design stage. It saved months of work and the use of a 3D printer – on which cores are printed, assembled into a package, and installed in the mold.
“3D printing allows producing a part in a small series, which is necessary for technology development. It is also possible to manufacture serial products of special complexity and high precision,– toldHead of the technological department of steel casting production Rafik Nurullin. –When developing the 3D printing technology for rods, it is assumed that in the future there will be the possibility of transferring to machine manufacturing of rods using the technology, which provides larger serial volumes.Let’s take an example of individual casting positions: if previously there were eight pieces in a mold, then changing the arrangement scheme of castings in the mold allows placing several times more — up to 60 units. This possibility is provided by core package technology. At the same time, the cost of positions decreases by 18-25%. The accuracy of casting geometry and their defectiveness have also improved.
A new technological base with vertical positioning was applied to an object weighing 1-5 kg. It started with the shaft of a high-pressure fuel pump that has a cylindrical shape. Vertical positioning for this casting from a technological point of view is the optimal solution: if the existing model set allowed placement of 10 units in horizontal orientation, then in vertical orientation — 24.“The main defect of the casting is displacement and shrinkage, periodically occurring in steel casting. The new technology, taking into account our developments, allows these defects to be eliminated and labor intensity to be reduced.”, – told about the advantages of the new methodEduard Panfilov.
There are currently more than 30 positions at the foundry that can be transitioned to the new technology. The annual savings will amount to about 150 million rubles. For the remaining positions, modeling is currently underway, after which the process will be tested in practice and the serial technology will be changed. It has already been tested on a spring pad since the beginning of this year.
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