Journal of Production Engineering

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut ero labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco.

Search
GUIDE FOR AUTHORS SUBMIT MANUSCRIPT
Vol. 28 No. 2 (2025)
Original Research Article

Design and manufacturing of casting molds for the housing of a hand-operated seed grinding machine

FULL TEXT ARTICLE (PDF)
  • Chinwendu Wealth Nwauzi,
  • Sándor Bodzás
Chinwendu Wealth Nwauzi
University of Debrecen: Faculty of Engineering, 4028 Debrecen, Ótemető u. 2-4., Hungary
Sándor Bodzás
University of Debrecen: Faculty of Engineering, 4028 Debrecen, Ótemető u. 2-4., Hungary
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24867/JPE-2025-02-015

Published 2025-12-15

abstract views: 14 // FULL TEXT ARTICLE (PDF): 0


Keywords

  • Casting mold design,
  • Die casting,
  • CNC machining,
  • Finite element analysis (FEA),
  • Agricultural machinery manufacturing

How to Cite

Wealth Nwauzi, Chinwendu, and Sándor Bodzás. 2025. “Design and Manufacturing of Casting Molds for the Housing of a Hand-Operated Seed Grinding Machine”. Journal of Production Engineering 28 (2):15-24. https://doi.org/10.24867/JPE-2025-02-015.

Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Production Engineering

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

This study investigates the design and manufacturing of casting molds for the housing of a hand-operated seed grinding machine, aimed at delivering cost-effective and durable solutions for rural applications. The study began with comprehensive CAD modelling of the housing, segmented into five parts: inlet funnel, cylindrical chamber, vertical support bracket, reinforcement gusset, and mounting base. Mold geometry was optimized for cope and drag design, incorporating considerations such as parting lines, draft angles, cooling channels, gate area, clamping force, and shrinkage to minimize casting defects. CNC milling and EDM were employed to machine tool steel (H13/P20) molds with high precision (±0.01–0.05 mm) and fine surface finishes (Ra 0.1–0.2 μm). Post-processing included heat treatment (~50 HRC) and polishing. Stainless steel 304 was chosen for the final part due to its corrosion resistance. Dimensional accuracy and surface integrity were verified using CMM and profilometry. Trial casting of the inlet funnel confirmed mold functionality. FEA was performed on the AISI 304 housing under fixed-base boundary conditions, internal pressure (12,000 N/m²), a 1000 N vertical load, and gravity. Results showed low stress (24.75 MPa), minimal displacement (0.0633 mm), and a high safety factor (8.35), confirming structural soundness. The optimized mold design enhances part quality and production efficiency, supporting sustainable, low-cost manufacturing of agricultural components.

PlumX Metrics

Dimensions Citation Metrics

FULL TEXT ARTICLE (PDF)

References

  1. Mallik, P. K. (2010). Materials, design and manufacturing for lightweight vehicles. Cambridge: Woodhead Publishing in Materials.
  2. Bennett, L. (2022). Die casting mold: A detailed die cast mold tooling guide. RapidDirect. Available online: https://www.rapiddirect.com/blog/die-casting-mold/ (Accessed November 30, 2024).
  3. Soori, M., Dastres, R., Arezoo, B., & Jough, F. K. G. (2024). Robotical automation in CNC machine tools: A review. Acta Mechanica et Automatica, 18(3), 434–450. https://doi.org/10.2478/ama-2024-0048
  4. Bonollo, F., Gramegna, N., & Timelli, G. (2015). High-pressure die-casting: Contradictions and challenges. Journal of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (JOM), 67, 901–908.
  5. Apelian, D., Paliwal, M., & Herrschaft, D. C. (2013). Casting with zinc alloys. Journal of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (JOM), 33, 12–20.
  6. Dumanić, I., Jozić, S., Krolo, J., & Bajić, D. (2020). Optimization of semi-solid high-pressure die casting process by computer simulation, Taguchi method and grey relational analysis. International Journal of Metalcasting, 15(1), 108–118. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40962-020-00422-5
  7. DieCastor. (n.d.). Die casting gate area calculation. Available online: https://diecastor.com/die-casting-gate-area-calculation/ (Accessed December 29, 2024).
  8. Groover, M. P. (2019). Fundamentals of modern manufacturing: Materials, processes, and systems (7th ed.). Hoboken, NJ, USA: Wiley.
  9. He, W., Qiao, Y., Zhou, Z., Yu, D., Hu, Y., & Zhang, L. (2024). A hybrid-model-based CNC machining trajectory error prediction and compensation method. Electronics, 13(6), 1143. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13061143
  10. CNC Machines. (2025). TORMACH 1100MX CNC Mill. Available online: https://cdn.cncmachines.com/2024/December/TORMACH-1100MX-2022-1735628725091-detail (Accessed April 11, 2025).
  11. Walunj, P., Rokade, A., Tuljapure, P., Survase, S., & Wagh, S. (2019). Review on die design for die casting. Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR), 6(4), 322–327.
  12. Woon, Y. K., & Lee, K. S. (2004). Development of a die design system for die casting. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 23(5–6), 399–411.
  13. Abdulhadi, H. A., Aqida, S. N., Ishak, M., & Mohammed, G. R. (2016). Thermal fatigue of die-casting dies: An overview. MATEC Web of Conferences, 74, 0032.