Systems, devices, and/or methods for manufacturing castings
View Patent ↗Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a composition, system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, and/or user interface adapted for, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise, after removing a cast device from a stack-lamination-derived mold, said cast device formed from a molding composition, applying a desired shape to said cast device to form a shaped cast device, said molding composition comprising: a ceramic composition comprising silica; an cycloaliphatic epoxy binder composition, said cycloaliphatic epoxy binder composition present in said molding composition in an amount up to 30% by weight of said molding composition; a silicone composition comprising a siloxane resin, said silicone composition present in said molding composition in an amount up to 30% by weight of said molding composition; and a solvent composition adapted to dissolve said cycloaliphatic epoxy binder composition and said silicone composition.
1. A device comprising:
a device composition comprising:
a ceramic composition comprising a plurality of crystalline forms of silica, a first crystalline form of silica from the plurality of crystalline forms of silica being cristobalite in an amount greater than 2.5% and less than 10% by weight of the device composition;
an cycloaliphatic epoxy binder composition, the cycloaliphatic epoxy binder composition present in the device composition in an amount up to 30% by weight of the device composition; and
a silicone composition comprising a siloxane resin, the silicone composition present in the device composition in an amount up to 30% by weight of the device composition;
the device defining a plurality of wall surfaces, a wall surface from the plurality of wall surfaces comprising a plurality of 3-dimensional micro-features, the plurality of 3-dimensional micro-features comprising at least one protruding undercut, the plurality of wall surfaces defining a periphery of a layer-less volume;
the device configured to be substantially carbon-free after sintering;
the device having a post-sintering measured apparent porosity of 15 to 35 percent and a predetermined surface characteristic.
2. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the ceramic composition comprises approximately 6 percent to approximately 10 percent cristobalite by weight of the device composition.
3. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device composition comprises zircon.
4. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device composition comprises alumina.
5. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a photolithographically-derived foil structure substantially surrounded by the ceramic composition.
6. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device is configured to serve as an investment casting core.
7. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device is configured to serve as a core for an investment cast product.
8. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device is configured to serve as a core for an investment cast turbomachine component.
9. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device is configured to serve as a core for an investment cast air foil.
10. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device is configured to serve as a core for an investment cast blade.
11. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device is configured to serve as a core for an investment cast vane.
12. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device is configured to serve as a core for an investment cast nozzle.
13. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device defines a plurality of cooling passages for an investment cast product.
14. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device comprises a first planar surface configured to be transformed into a non-planar surface via thermoforming the ceramic composition.
15. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device is removable, from an ancestor mold having a surface that comprises a plurality of substantially spatially inverted replicas of the plurality of 3-dimensional microfeatures, the mold having an opening defined by an opening cross-sectional area that is smaller than a largest cross-sectional area of the device, without damage to the device and without damage to the ancestor mold.