In the process of global active response to climate change, towards sustainable development, the integration of 3D printing and casting for the green upgrade of China's foundry industry has brought a key opportunity, this change is closely linked to the dual-carbon goals, it is urgent to carry out systematic planning and promotion from the national policy level, especially combined with China's large foundry industry base and unique manufacturing cluster advantages.

Green casting sand mold made by △3DP sand printing process

Huge base of industry scale

China as a global casting country, has a strong basic industrial volume, there are more than 24,000 casting enterprises, casting production accounted for the world 45%. According to the China Foundry Association data, in 2023, China's total output of all types of castings 51.9 million tons. Such a large industrial scale, the formation and development of foundry industry clusters provide a solid foundation, the agglomeration of many enterprises has produced economies of scale, reducing production costs and improving production efficiency.

Complete industry chain support

The casting industry has a long industrial chain, covering upstream raw material suppliers and equipment suppliers, midstream casting enterprises, and downstream numerous application fields. China's foundry industry cluster within the enterprise division of labor is clear, close collaboration, the formation of a complete industrial chain supporting. For example, in Henan and other places in the foundry industry cluster, not only a large number of foundry enterprises, and the provision of pig iron, scrap steel and other raw material suppliers, as well as the production of foundry machinery, machining equipment, testing equipment, this complete industrial chain makes the transaction costs between enterprises to reduce the shortening of the production cycle to respond quickly to the market demand, and enhance the overall competitiveness of the cluster.

Rich technical and human resources

After years of development, China's foundry industry cluster has accumulated a wealth of technology and human resources. On the one hand, the cluster enterprises in the long-term production practice of continuous exploration and innovation, the formation of their respective core technologies and techniques, such as some areas in the sand casting, precision casting, die casting and other areas with unique technical advantages; On the other hand, the cluster attracted a large number of professionals, including skilled workers, engineers, researchers and so on, they provide intellectual support for the enterprise's technological research and development and innovation. At the same time, the talent flow and technical exchanges between enterprises in the cluster are also more frequent, promoting the dissemination of technology and innovation, and is conducive to enhancing the technical level of the cluster as a whole.

Strong market radiation capability

China's casting industry cluster is widely distributed, and mostly concentrated in economically developed, convenient transportation areas, such as the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, etc. These areas have a superior geographic location and a good market environment, able to radiate the national and even global markets. The Yangtze River Delta casting industry cluster, for example, the production of castings not only to meet the domestic automobile, machinery and equipment industries such as a large number of needs, but also exported to Europe and the United States, Southeast Asia and other international markets, a strong market radiation capacity for the development of industrial clusters provides a broad space, prompting the enterprise to continue to expand the scale of production, improve product quality and market share.

Policy support and industry guidance

The state attaches great importance to the development of the foundry industry, the introduction of a series of related policies, such as the "14th Five-Year Plan" in the foundry industry digital transformation and development of clear goals, including the use of 3D printing technology by 2025 to produce more than 500,000 tons of castings, and so on. These policies provide strong support for the development of foundry industry clusters, guiding the development of industry clusters to high-end, intelligent, green direction, promoting the optimization and upgrading of industrial structure, and enhance the overall competitiveness of the cluster.

Regional brand effect

Some well-known foundry industry clusters have formed a regional brand effect, such as Botou's "China Foundry City", Jiaozuo's cylinder liner, "Henshan Casting", "Linzhou Casting" and so on. These regional brands have a high degree of visibility and reputation in the market, to attract more customers and resources for the cluster enterprises to bring more opportunities for development. At the same time, the construction of regional brands also prompted enterprises to pay more attention to product quality and brand image, strengthened cooperation and self-discipline among enterprises, and is conducive to maintaining the overall interests of the cluster and the market order.

China's foundry enterprises all over the world, forming a number of distinctive characteristics of China's manufacturing clusters. For example, in Henan Province, Xinxiang City has an annual output of 55,000 tons of large cast steel parts, with an export volume of more than 30%, Hui County has more than 100 casting enterprises, with a production capacity of more than 1.3 million tons; Pingdingshan Jiaxian is known as the capital of China's cast-iron pots ......

These clusters in the long-term development process, has accumulated a wealth of production experience and industrial resources, but at the same time also faced with the traditional casting process brought about by high energy consumption, high pollution and waste of resources and other issues. According to statistics, the traditional casting process in the material utilization rate there is greater room for improvement, and energy consumption intensity is higher, which not only increases the production cost of enterprises, but also on the environment has caused greater pressure, and China's dual-carbon goals to achieve a certain contradiction .

3D printing + casting new quality productivity

From the perspective of efficiency, pollution reduction and cost reduction, 3D printing + casting has green attributes and advanced nature:

improve efficiency

- Significantly shorten the production cycle: a company using "3D +" casting process, the production cycle shortened by 60% or more, such as core compressor cylinder production cycle shortened from 48 days to 12 days, the L-shaped bed shortened from 45 days to 15 days.

- Significant increase in capacity: "3D+" casting process capacity increase of 50%, doubling the efficiency, can quickly respond to market demand, improve the competitiveness of enterprises.

- Rapid prototyping: sand 3D printing technology can produce complex sand patterns in a short period of time, and quickly complete the production of prototype parts, such as a new energy vehicle enterprises trial production of water-cooled motor shells for commercial trucks, the use of 3DP sand printing delivered in 10 days, compared with the traditional process of 60 days of the production cycle has been shortened by 83%.

pollution reduction

- Material waste reduction: 3D printing on-demand manufacturing, support sand online recycling, sand utilization rate up to 95% or more, reducing the waste of raw materials in the traditional mold making process.

- Dust pollution reduction: SANDI technology sand 3D printing equipment in the production process can effectively reduce the generation of dust, with recycled sand and other environmentally friendly materials, help foundries to realize green manufacturing.

reduce costs

- Mould cost reduction: In traditional casting, the cost of instrument panel mould is 700,000-1,000,000 RMB, bumper mould is 350,000-700,000 RMB, and engine parts mould is 150,000-600,000 RMB or even higher, while 3D printing sand mould is low cost, flexible in design modification, and does not require expensive mould manufacturing cost.

- Reduced labor costs: The automation of the 3D printing process reduces the reliance on manual operation and human error, reducing labor costs, such as the 3D printing equipment of SANDI Technology can be operated with only simple training, without the need for a large number of manpower synergies.

- Reduced energy consumption: 3DP printing process 3D printing technology consumes less energy than sand core manufacturing and injection molding equipment. Compared with injection molding, 3DP printing sand molding is through the nozzle spray binder will sand bonding molding, without the need for injection molding like the material for a long time heating and melting and other processes, so the energy consumption is greatly reduced. Compared with 3DP printing sand mold, traditional sand core manufacturing in the hot core box method core, need to make the core box to keep at 200 ℃ -300 ℃, let the core sand shot into the core box, ammonium chloride in the higher temperature and the resin in the free formaldehyde reaction to generate acid, so that the core hardened very quickly, the process of energy consumption. While 3DP printing sand mold process, the sand does not need to be heated to such a high temperature, and the equipment itself is relatively low energy consumption.

△Green fast casting plant after upgrading 3DP sand printing process

SANTI Technology helps 3D casting

In this context.3D Printing Technology, Inc.The exploration and practice of the industry provides useful reference for the development of the industry. Three Emperor Technology has achieved remarkable results by acquiring six traditional foundries and introducing 3D printing technology to promote their transformation and upgrading. In the production process, the precise characteristics of 3D printing technology greatly improves the utilization rate of materials, effectively reduces the carbon emissions from the mining of raw materials to the processing of each link, reduces the impact on the environment, which is an important demonstration of China's foundry industry to reduce the intensity of resource consumption, improve the efficiency of resource utilization, and the relevant departments of the state to promote the green development of the industry, optimize the industrial structure of the policy direction of a high degree of compatibility.

Analyzed from the perspective of energy consumption, the repeated processing and correction processes in the traditional casting process lead to high energy consumption, while 3D printing-assisted casting simplifies the production process and reduces energy demand. The country has been committed to the reform and development of the energy sector, introduced a series of policy measures to improve energy efficiency and promote the application of clean energy. Foundry enterprises using 3D printing technology, can better synergize with these energy policies, such as the introduction of energy-saving 3D printing casting equipment, and combined with clean energy power supply, to further reduce carbon emissions, help the foundry industry green optimization of the energy structure, for the realization of the dual-carbon goals of total energy consumption and intensity of "double control" play a positive role. Role.

In the promotion of technological innovation, the development of China's manufacturing industry can not be separated from the depth of the application of emerging technologies in traditional industries and integration of innovation. State in the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other departments have issued "on the promotion of casting and forging industry high-quality development of the guiding opinions" for the development of the industry to point out the direction of the industry, such as the promotion of intelligent transformation, to create intelligent manufacturing demonstration factories; to help the green development, adjusting the production capacity replacement policy; to support the development of high-quality enterprises, cultivate specialties, specialties, new "small giants" and manufacturing single champion; the development of industrial clusters, cultivate casting characteristics of industrial clusters and so on. For 3D printing + casting this innovative model, the relevant state departments attach great importance to the R & D investment, personnel training and technology promotion and other aspects of increasing policy support, continuation and deepening of the "14th Five-Year Plan" development strategy to the "15th Five-Year Plan" and beyond. Stage. Through the establishment of a special R & D fund to encourage universities, research institutions and enterprises to carry out in-depth cooperation between industry, academia and research, and jointly overcome technical problems, accelerate the maturity of green casting technology and application of popularization, enhance the overall technical level of China's foundry industry, enhance the low-carbon competitiveness in the international market, drive the high-quality development of industry with technological innovation, and to realize the transformation from a large casting country to a strong casting country, and specialize in specialties and special new technologies. The practical achievements of "small giants" SANDI Technology also provide a realistic reference for the precise implementation and optimization of the policy.

From the perspective of industrial cluster development, the relevant state departments can give full play to the advantages of China's manufacturing clusters to guide the establishment of 3D printing + casting green industrial park. Based on the foundry purchased by SanDi Technology and the industrial cluster where it is located, attract upstream and downstream related enterprises to move into the park, forming a complete green industry chain ecology. In the park, we centrally configure perfect infrastructure and environmental protection facilities, realize centralized waste treatment and recycling, and build a closed loop of green industry chain. Enterprises share 3D printing technology resources, energy management system, etc., can effectively reduce overall operating costs and carbon emissions, while facilitating the unified supervision and promotion of green casting standards, promote the green and low-carbon synergistic development of enterprises within the cluster, to become a demonstration sample of the green transformation of China's traditional foundry industry under the dual-carbon goal, to promote the comprehensive green change of the national foundry industry, and to realize the carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals for China. Carbon peak, carbon neutral target to provide solid industrial support and strong policy practice examples, and further highlight China's leading position in the field of global green manufacturing and the role of great powers.