Patent Application
20110036967
1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to a mold, particularly, to a mold having a ceramic coating for molding metal articles at high temperature and method for making the mold.
2. Description of Related Art
Titanium, magnesium, and aluminum alloys are typically processed to form articles. During the process, a corresponding metallic base alloy is placed into a mold. The mold is heated to a temperature generally higher than 800° C., softening the base alloy. The mold is usually made of metal or ceramic materials. Ceramic molds are good at surface oxidation and corrosion resistance, but have bad shock resistance. Metal molds are strong and shock resistant, but have bad surface oxidation and corrosion resistance. Additionally, at high temperatures, the surfaces of metal molds tend to be oxidized and adhesive.
Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.
Many aspects of the mold and method for making the mold can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present mold and method for making the same.
The substrate 12 is made of metal, such as heat resistant alloy steel. The substrate 12 has an inside surface 121 and an outside surface 123.
The ceramic coating 14 is formed on and covers the inside surface 121 and a bottom portion of the outside surface 123. Thermal spraying, e.g., flame spraying or plasma spraying can be used to form the ceramic coating 14. By weight, the ceramic coating 14 comprises about 89% to 93% chromic oxide (Cr2O3), about 6% to 10% silicon dioxide (SiO2), and about 0.5% to 1.5% alumina (Al2O3). In an exemplary embodiment, the amount, by weight, of the chromic oxide, silicon dioxide, and alumina are respectively selected as 91%, 8%, and 1%. The thickness of the ceramic coating can be about 0.05 to 0.15 mm, and in an exemplary embodiment is about 0.10 to 0.12 mm.
An exemplary method for making the mold 10 may include the following steps.
The substrate 12 is provided and pretreated, during which the substrate 12 is degreased using an alkali-based cleaning solution to remove oil stains. The degreased substrate 12 is roughened; for example, by abrasive blasting to achieve an average surface roughness (Ry) of about 40 to 100 μm.
The substrate 12 is preheated to a temperature of about 150 to 200° C. The molten spray material to form the ceramic coating 14 may have a temperature of about 2500° C. The preheating of the substrate 12 ensures good bonding between the substrate 12 and the ceramic coating 14.
A ceramic coating 14 is formed on the substrate 12 by a thermal spraying method, e.g., flame spraying or plasma spraying. A wire material is used in the flame spraying. The flame spraying process is carried out using: a pressure of oxygen flow of about 0.4 to 0.44 MPa, a pressure of acetylene flow of about 0.14 to 0.18 MPa, an air pressure of about 0.45 to 0.5 MPa, a feeding velocity of the wire material of about 0.45 to 0.48 m/min, and a moving speed of the spray gun of about 1000 mm/s The oxygen and the acetylene are the fuel gas. The air is used for deliver the sprayed material.
The present mold 10 having the ceramic coating 14 can be compared with molds not having ceramic coatings, and molds coated with different ceramic coatings, for example a ceramic coating comprising titanium oxide (TiO2) and chromic oxide (Cr2O3) (hereinafter referred to as the “titanium oxide coating”). The three distinct molds are tested to mold one hundred titanium articles, such as by super-plastic forming or blow molding under a molding temperature of about 800 to 900° C.
Referring to
Results:
a) No Ceramic Coating: After the molding, oxidation to the inside surface of the mold not having any ceramic coatings is obvious. Furthermore, some portions of the oxide film on the inside surface have peeled off.
b) Titanium Oxide Coating: After repeated molding processes, the titanium oxide coating of the titanium oxide coated mold substantially peeled off. Portions of the surface where the titanium oxide coating peeled off are obviously oxidized.
c) Coating according to the Exemplary Embodiment: By contrast, the ceramic coating 14 on the mold 10 has no obvious changes. The articles molded by the mold 10 have very smooth surfaces of even color and glossy luster.
It should be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structures and functions of the embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200910305587.6 | Aug 2009 | CN | national |
