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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in
Jimmy Yang's Blurty:
| Friday, June 24th, 2011 | |
| 1:21 pm | Bimetal BandSaw Blade We has the capacity of annually producing 2300 tons bi-metal steel strips, 10 million bi-metal BandSaw Blades and 3500 sets of metal Cutting Saw Machine, the revenue of main business will reach 500 milion and profit will reach 150 million and become the biggest bi-metal steel strips manufacturer in Asia and main base for producing Bi-metal Bandsaw Blade and Saw Machine in the world. 1/2 " M42 Bandsaw Blades 3/4 " M42 Bandsaw Blades 1 " M42 Bandsaw Blades 15/8 " M42 Bandsaw Blades 5/8 " M42 Bandsaw Blades "CB" Carbide Tipped Saw Blades "HB" High Speed Steel Blades Band saw ,BandSaw Blade ,BandSaw Blades , Band Saw Machine |
| Thursday, March 24th, 2011 | |
| 2:41 pm | Truck Wheels and Jeep Wheels Contrary to what you might believe, while they may be the most stylized of all truck and Jeep parts, wheels aren't all about adding glitz and shine. In fact, choosing wheels deserves lengthy consideration, as the right set of wheels can provide additional performance benefits that make buying them not just a stylistic decision, but a smart one as well. Particularly with regard to off-road oriented Jeeps, choosing the optimum set of Jeep wheels can be as important an item to consider as many other Jeep parts. Steel wheels,Alloy wheel, Wheel accessories, Wheel cover&Hubcap, Alloy Car wheel, Steel Car wheel, Steel Trailer wheel, Wheel center cap, Factors to be Wary of When Choosing Truck Wheels and Jeep Wheels: When choosing a set of truck or Jeep wheels, the first recognition that one needs to make is just how vital they are to a vehicle. The type of wheels chosen can have a direct, significant impact upon ride quality, handling, and safety, and oftentimes prove to be just as crucial as many other essential truck and Jeep parts. Moreover, picking the right wheels and taking proper care of them are crucial factors in maintaining optimum performance, and of course, keeping up that slick look. It is important to remember that wheels are providing stability for an entire vehicle. They are directly connected to the axle, brakes, and suspension system. Should a single wheel falter, this could be disastrous for other components in your vehicle. Corrosion: Ideally, when it comes to having polished, shiny Jeep and truck wheels, it is very important to keep them that way as much as possible. Wheel corrosion should be taken seriously, not only because of the effects on appearance, but for harmful and potentially unsafe consequences as well. There are numerous types of corrosion that can damage or otherwise deteriorate Jeep and truck wheels. Rust can eat away at some wheel metals, causing disfiguration and stability breakage. Corroding brakes can also leak onto the wheel itself, leading to further corrosion. Additionally, brake dust that accumulates on wheels can permanently stain or tarnish certain wheel metals when combined with heat buildup during everyday driving. Finally, for the off-road enthusiasts, rocks, dirt, and sand can scratch sparkling chromes, and sometimes even become entrenched in wheels made of more porous metals, leading to further corrosion. Granted, significant corrosion that results in considerable wheel damage is a rarity; however, this is not to suggest that regular upkeep and cleaning of your wheels can be outright neglected. Bending/Breakage: Bending and breakage are irregular occurrences provided that you exercise caution when driving, but this is not to suggest that they are factors to be taken lightly. Especially for off-road enthusiasts who tackle some of the toughest terrains using low air pressure crawling, wheel bending or breakage can ruin any off-road outing, as driving on one frayed truck wheel or dented Jeep wheel can damage an entire suspension system. Rough driving on bumpy roads or extended driving over potholes or speed bumps can also lead to wheel damage, particularly if air pressure is low, or if the suspension system is not sufficient. Sizing: Essentially, the job of the wheels on your vehicle are to work with the suspension system to keep as much of the tires in contact with the road, particularly during turns and braking. A set of quality truck wheels can mean the difference between a tire catching the road on a rainy day, or spinning out of control on a patch of pebbles on the highway. In order to ensure optimum tire contact, it is important to take truck wheel sizing into major consideration. There are three aspects to wheel sizing that work together with the suspension design: wheel offset, aspect ratio, and tire width. Offset refers to the distance from the very center of the wheel to the mounting surface of the wheel disc at the hub. Wheel offset can be positive, negative or zero. A "0" offset means that the mounting surface of the wheel is in the center of the wheel. This measurement is very important in positioning the tire. This also allows for adequate dual spacing. |
| 2:40 pm | Sharpening a Bandsaw Blade You undoubtedly consider your bandsaw to be one of the most important tools in your workshop. Any woodworker knows that this is one of the easiest and fastest way to cut wood in precise shapes for any number of potential projects. These versatile tools are a staple of the woodworking shop. No matter what brand or model of bandsaw you own, you will inevitably find that as the blade becomes duller, your saw simply doesn't work as well as it should. Of course, if you hit a rock or embedded nail, or are cutting through green wood that is very abrasive, you may find yourself going through bandsaw blades even faster. If you're like most woodworkers, you cringe at the thought of expensive blades, but always assumed you had no other choice once the blade became dull. At $10 to $25 per blade, this expense can add up quickly, whether you're a weekend hobbyist or a full-time professional woodworker. Why not consider sharpening the blades to extend their lifespan? Dull bandsaw blades don't have to be thrown out if you can resharpen them to bring back their precise edge. While it is easiest to sharpen blades with fewer teeth per inch, it is even possible to sharpen fine tooth blades. If you're ever sharpened a knife, the process is essentially the same, and it's even possible for those with no knife sharpening experience to sharpen their bandsaw blades. When sharpening any blade, using proper safety precautions is essential. Sharpening a bandsaw blade requires gloves to protect your hands from the sharp edges of the blade. You must also wear safety goggles. When sharpening the blade of a bandsaw, the first step is to unplug the saw. Then, check for any major defects along the length of the blade, such as a stress crack or major chip. Don't try to resharpen these blades - it's definitely time for a replacement. Band saw ,BandSaw Blade ,BandSaw Blades , Bimetal BandSaw Blade Often, a bandsaw blade is sharpened while still on the saw. It is certainly also possible to sharpen the blade after removing it, and depending on the setup in your workshop, it may be more comfortable to work in this manner. In order to sharpen a bandsaw blade, many woodworkers use a grinding wheel, though there are a couple of other options to consider. Experienced woodworkers may opt to carefully sharpen each and every tooth with a manual method, such as a sharpening stick. Automatic bandsaw sharpeners, however, make short work of what can become a time consuming task. There are machines specially designed for sharpening bandsaws, which will automatically sharpen the blade for you, in addition to grinding wheels and rotary tools such as a Dremel. With your left hand, hold the blade taut and choose a tooth where you will start sharpening. Make a small mark so that you know where to stop as you reach the end of the sharpening process. The right hand applies pressure with the sharpener, whether it is a sharpening rod, a high-speed rotary tool, or some other method. To resharpen the teeth of the blade, you will be lightly grinding the back of each tooth, in one or two light strokes. Always follow the natural contours of the blade. As you sharpen, Bimetal BandSaw Blades , Band Saws For Metal Cutting bright metal should be exposed along the length of each tooth. As you move along the blade, move it downwards with your gloved hand so that you can access the next tooth. |
| 2:39 pm | Wholesale Replica Leather Handbags on Sale Only women understand why fashion is so important. They have their own reasons why they would do anything and everything that they can just to look stylish. A part of their accessories is the handbag. Since we have extra money to enjoy life, we begin to take luxury items into consideration and never stop. As for handbags, I always try to make a clear description too. The living needs, the art creation, the symbol of style, even the best carrier of luxury.I think there is no woman on earth who doesn't like handbags. No matter what happens, women will always love to buy their own handbags. Leather handbag is a popular choice for women when it comes to designer handbags. But women will never resist buying an authentic leather handbag. Leather is one of the best materials used for handbags. This is why a lot of women are dreaming to purchase their own handbags. But handbags made from authentic leather can really cost a lot of money. These are often priced from $1000 and up. For most people, this price is something that is unreasonable. Wholesale replica designer handbags , Cheap replica handbags , Wholesale cheap replica handbags So women try to find cheap leather handbags that they can get. This will save them a lot of money but still get the bags that they want. Because of the high price and limited accessibility, these precious Leather bags are wore by a tiny fraction of fashionistas in the world. Even you have the budget and patience to wait about two years, it is still in little hope to get your hands on a single one. However, there are suppliers who are specializing in making high quality designer replica handbags. It is always a wise investment in them for either using or collecting. |
| Friday, March 4th, 2011 | |
| 10:25 am | The New Commercial Water Meter Program Long Overdue As far back as former Mayor David Ragucci it was one of the city’s best kept secrets that the some of the largest water users in the city were underreporting their water use because of defective water meters or had no meters at all. Various efforts were made by different administrations to take a look at the situation. However, it has taken years for the city to realize it has a water meter reading problem that concerns some of the city’s biggest industrial users of water. The new commercial water meter program initiated by the DeMaria Administration will go a long way to correcting the situation, which, over the years, has cost Everett’s taxpayers millions in unreported or underreported water use. The full installation of new commercial water meters will begin by the end of the summer. A pilot program has already been put into service to test the new meters for durability and accuracy. According to the mayor, there should be an increase in commercial water revenue as a result of the new meters being installed. In the past, large commercial users were responsible for maintaining their own water meters. This led to abuses in the system of reporting water use. Woltman Water Meter, Single Jet Water Meter, Multi Jet Water Meter,Piston (Volumetric) Water Meter, Heating Meter,Batch Control Meter, AWWA Standard Meter, In some case use was underreported or not reported at all. In other cases, the water was coming in nicely but the meter wasn’t operating at all. The city will take over ownership and maintenance of the new meters. This assures the city and its taxpayers that true water usage figures will replace those that were often inaccurate. This bit of conservation and oversight has taken the city almost a decade to finally put into use. It has been a long time coming. Our compliments to the mayor for finally committing to the new commercial water meter reading program. It is a program that will produce millions more in previously lost water revenues. And that’s the way to go. |
| 10:24 am | Mini-Ball Bearing Caster Casters are well-known in the art for facilitating movement and relocation of various-sized articles for a variety of applications. Known caster designs are typically affixed to an article by its manufacturer prior to use of the article by a consumer or end-user. An example of a caster design that is installed during the article's manufacturing process is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,751 to Coyne et al. entitled ¡°Wheel Assembly¡±. Often times in the art it is desirous to utilize a sphere instead of a wheel for the caster design to facilitate ease of movement in any direction on a horizontal surface without changing the orientation of the caster. Moreover, spherical caster design art is typically less complex and expensive to manufacture because they consist of fewer parts. An example of a spherical caster design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,700 to Dunmyer entitled ¡°Mobile Device¡±. The caster design of Dunmyer utilizes a spherical caster to facilitate movement. Its construction is comprised of a caster body and a sphere retained in a circular horizontal groove within a recess of the caster body by use of a ball bearing ring that locks onto the recess. Other caster designs are configured to be attached to an article after the article's manufacturing process. The caster design disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,559,802 to Eidus entitled ¡°Caster Assembly¡± describes a caster that may be easily added to an article by use of adhesive, as opposed to the use of a screw, bolt or other fastening device. The Eidus caster design utilizes a ball bearing retained within a caster block by use of a separate retaining ring through which the ball bearings extends. In another described embodiment, the caster block and retaining ring are made integral, wherein the spherical opening of the caster block flexes to accept the ball bearing. Therefore, there appears a need in the art for an easy to manufacture, easy to use caster that is reliable and avoids the problems of the known art. There is also a need in the art for a caster that is simple in construction and easy to manufacture. These and other objects of the present invention are realized in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, described by way of example and not by way of limitation, which provides for a caster assembly for supporting an article comprising a housing, a ball bearing and a bearing retaining member. In brief summary, the present invention overcomes and substantially alleviates the deficiencies in the prior art by providing a caster comprising a housing with an inflexible opening and a bearing retaining member, both of which retain a ball bearing within a bore of the caster housing. Pulley bearings , Scooter bearings , R series bearings , Sheath , MR series bearings , Roller bearings , Fishing gear bearings Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following more detailed description and drawings in which like elements of the invention are similarly numbered throughout. |
| 10:23 am | What Are Network Patch Panels? Patch panels are used as the central point in a network where all the network cables terminate. It is the grand central station of the network. Networks that use these panels (and almost all modern networks use this technology) are consider "star-networks" or they use the term "star-topology." This is because if you look at a drawing of your network, all the network nodes (nodes are end-points on the network and include things like computers and printer) all connect back to the central "hub" and it looks like a big starburst. Another term is "spoke-and-wheel" where the "wheel" is your hub and patch panel and the individual cables going out to your nodes (computers and printers) become the spokes. They come in various types and configurations from the simple wall-mounted 12-port patch panel block, to elaborate 96-port (and more!) rack-mounted patch panel. As was mentioned above, patch panels are rated for speed. So if you are running Cat 6 cable, you will need a Cat 6 patch panel. Network panels come in various designs and styles. There are patch where the cables plug-in straight (90°), or angled at a 45° angle downwards; there are panels with 110 style punch downs on the back and ones with tool-less punch downs; there are various number of ports on the panels. Check the internet for the vast array of styles available. There are also two different standards for network panels: T568A and T568B mentioned above. Be sure to buy the correct ones for the installation! Patch panel, Keystone jack , Face plate ,Network cabling, Wire management , Network cabling tool , DIP Switch , Clamp Module , Distribution box , Fiber coupler It is best to buy patch panels that are rated for both standards. Since the only difference between the two standards is the order of the colored pairs, most manufacturers rate their patch panels for both standards. They simply have both wiring diagrams affixed to their patch panels. |
| Thursday, March 3rd, 2011 | |
| 3:43 pm | antenna problem with water meters Jim Beard, deputy commissioner and chief financial officer of Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management, said a sampling of 9,193 of the city’s 127,000 water meters revealed the antennas in 25 percent of them were installed upside down in the meter box instead of on top on the lid. Beard said the system is designed to allow meter readers to receive radio signals on the mobile data collectors or hand-held units up to two miles away from the meter. With the antennas upside down, Beard said, the range is drastically reduced, which has forced meter readers to stand directly over the meter box to get a reading. “This is not an operational issue affecting the functionality of the meter,” Beard said. “What it does is affect the meter reading process. This is not a billing issue.” But that does not soothe the hundreds of Atlanta residents who have been hit with high water bills. For nearly a year now, Atlantans have complained about unexpected spikes in their bills, which in some cases have gone from under $100 a month to hundreds and even thousands of dollars. Buckhead resident Bill Lucas, one of the most outspoken critics of the high water bills, said the city is being dishonest in its claim that the antennas do not contribute to the billing issues. “It is preposterous for the city to say that the problem with the antenna is not relevant; it is relevant,” Lucas said. “If the antenna is not working, you are not going to get an accurate reading. This is a plausible explanation.” Councilwoman Natalyn Archibong, who chairs the city utilities committee, also is skeptical of the claim the antenna issue is unrelated to the billing problems. The watershed department is in the process of drafting a full report and audit, she said. Water meters water meters manufacturers,Water flow meters, water meters residential, Plastic water meters "I am not pursuaded," Archibong said. "In my mind the number of complaints and the need to correct the antenna problem is related to the bills. I would be surprised if they were not related." Beard, who joined the watershed department last September, said before the new leadership team was in place somebody within the department allowed the contractor to install the meters incorrectly. |
| 3:42 pm | Woodbury: Water meters work WOODBURY Short of hopping in a time machine, there's no way to determine what really happened last summer that resulted in 69 property owners disputing their water bills. But after spending $2,500 on an outside engineer's report, holding interviews with equipment providers and reviewing an exhaustive report prepared by a few members of city council, it appears the city has come to the conclusion they just have really accurate meters. Councilman Bill Fleming had previously described the apparent problems with the city's water meter system a "mystery" and called some of the unusually high numbers residents were seeing on their bills and usage reports "out of whack" and "preposterous," with other members of council expressing similar opinions. A report from a consultant hired to investigate what was causing the spikes provided no clear explanation. Nor did easy answers emerge from interviews with the company that provided the meters and the company that provided the software to collect the data. So this past weekend, with his family out of the house, Fleming took it upon himself to test the system Ð jamming open flap valves on toilets and letting outside spigots run to see just how much water they actually used. The results? Pretty shocking, according to Fleming, who told city council, based on his observations, a running toilet could waste anywhere from 2,000-5,000 gallons a day and an outside spigot could waste between 5,000-13,000 gallons a day, depending on whether any apparatus Ð like a hose or sprinkler Ð were attached to it. "That certainly changed my mind about what a customer could actually use," Fleming said. "It's clear to me these extraneous flows could build up quickly." He said delays in the transmission of data from a meter to the central computer at City Hall could also account for the excessive consumption, so that a usage report showing, say, 10,000 gallons of water on one day, may not actually reflect just a single 24-hour usage cycle but multiple days of use. Fleming referenced the report from consultant David Monie, of engineering and management consulting firm GPM Associates, that offered three possible explanations for the third quarter consumption readings at the homes of Mike and Joanne Fitzgerald and Joe and Doris Kennedy Ð the most extreme cases, with 83,000 and 105,000 gallons in the third quarter, respectively. The first two explanations offered Ð an electronic or software problem registered different consumption on the meter vs. the billing or the meter malfunctioned and registered more water than was actually used Ð were ultimately ruled out, Fleming said, leaving only one other possible explanation: the consumption shown on the bill was correct. That is, the unusually high numbers shown on the Kennedys' and Fitzgeralds' usage reports and reflected in their bills was water that actually passed through the meter. However, Fleming said, "It seemed to (Monie), as it did to us, that with those kind of extraneous flows, those people living in those residences would had to have known (how much they were using)." Water meter,Water meters, Woltman Water Meter, Single Jet Water Meter, Multi Jet Water Meter,Piston (Volumetric) Water Meter, Heating Meter,Batch Control Meter, AWWA Standard Meter Monie's report concluded the city would likely be successful if it needed to defend the billing in a courtroom, but suggested Ð since there's "no way to absolutely determine" if the consumptions were correct Ð the city make a one-time adjustment to the Kennedys' and Fitzgeralds' accounts. The Kennedys paid their third-quarter bill and are hoping for a reimbursement, while the Fitzgeralds have refused to pay and want their slate wiped clean. City council wasn't prepared this week to consider an adjustment to their bills, but didn't seem opposed to the idea. Councilman Tom Louis said if the city's going to look at forgiving those two accounts, it might want to consider doing the same for the other 67 complaints it received. "I don't disagree with that," said Council President Barry Sloane. Council members also touched briefly on restructuring water rates in light of the more accurate meters, but didn't get very far in that discussion. |
| 3:41 pm | Russia Novaem acquires Alapaevsk Iron and Steel Works t is reported that Russia Novaem group of companies specialized in manufacturing of equipment and supply of tubular goods and rolled metal products to the energy sector has acquired 100% of shares of Russian ferromanganese producer Alapaevsk Iron and Steel Works located in the Sverdlovsk region from the Ukrainian business group Privat Group. The financial details of the deal have not been disclosed. According to the company statement, Novaem plans to resume the plant operations, stopped in 2005 to reach its full capacity utilization level, and later to switch to the development of new production. Novaem said "The acquisition of Alapaevsk Iron and Steel Works is part of our long term strategy. This business fits well into our production chain. We are well aware of those prospects that are opening up in front of the plant." According to local media reports, at the plant Novaem intends to organize the production of pig iron which will be offered to pipemaking companies supplying to Novaem subsidiary Trubmash which is specialized in deliveries of tubular goods, fittings and power equipment for energy, gas and petrochemical companies. This scheme is expected to optimize Novaem costs. Reportedly, the company is currently negotiating with such pipe producing companies as ChTPZ, OMK, TMK and others. Iron Fittings , Pipe fittings , EMT Fittings , Liquid tight Conduit , Cord connectors , Rigid Conduit Fittings |
| Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011 | |
| 10:55 am | What Are Variable Speed Drives? This equipment is mainly used for controlling the speed of the machinery. Two main reasons for maintaining the speed of machinery by using variable speed drives are to control the process and to conserve energy. Though these drives are manufactured for process control, energy conservation has become its prime objective. Many industrial processes need different speed to run different products. We can save energy by controlling the speed of these processes. Since we can select the speed from the pre-set ranges, it is called the "adjustable" speed. This is also referred as variable speed because its output can be changed without undergoing any steps. These are purely mechanical variations. Some advantages of using VSD are, they give smoother operation and acceleration control and allow you to choose different speed for each process, slow down operation for setup purposes, adjust rate of production, control torque, and compensate variables in changing process. BONNY: Hydraulic Motor , Hydraulic Motors , Hydraulic Winch , Planetary Gearbox , Final Drive , Slew Drive , Wheel Drive , Winch Drive , Track Undercarriage , Hydraulic Pump , GFT Series Travel Drive , Radial Piston Hydraulic Motor , 300 Series Planetary Gearboxes , Hoisting Winch , Free Fall Hydraulic Winch , Hydraulic Orbital Motor , Recovery Winch , MS Series Hydraulic Motor Types of VSD: Speed adjustment techniques: Since the invention of electric motors, mechanical speed changers have been used for regulating mechanical power created by water wheels and steam engines. In electrical motors, these drives are used for controlling their speed. Now many different types of drives cooperate with each other like mechanical drives, hydraulic drive and electrical drive. Mechanical Drives: There are two types of mechanical drives. They are variable pitch drives and traction pitch drives. Variable pitch drives consist of pulley and belt in which the diameter of the pulleys is adjusted. Traction drives are those where power is transmitted through metal rollers. The speed ratio is adjusted by the movement of rollers and its diameter of the contact path. Hydraulic Drives: There are three types of hydraulic drives. One is hydrostatic drive that consists of hydraulic motor and a pump. The revolution of the motor is related to a set of volume of fluid which is resolute the displacement despite its speed. The speed is controlled by setting a valve. In hydrodynamic drives, fluid couples are used to regulate speed and the hydroviscous drive speed is controlled by one or more discs connected to the input shaft. Electrical Drives: There are three types of electrical drives. They are DC motor drives, Eddy current drives and AC motor drives. |
| 10:53 am | Crucial Vertical Band Saw Features and Specifications Metal band saws are made as either a vertical band saw or a horizontal band saw. Metal band saws are used to cut curves and hard objects, but is this all they can do? No, they are also great with cutting some smaller rabbets, tenons and re-sawing thin strips. A band saw is simply defined as a power tool consisting of a continuous piece of flexible steel, with teeth on one side or both. Before getting one for yourself, it is necessary you have at the back of your mind some of the features of the particular band saw you want to buy. Before now you might have been wondering, what considerations you need to make before procuring your band saw. This may seem especially complicated to a first timer, but not to worry as only two of these features are seen as primary. The throat of the band saw and depth of cut are the main concerns you should have when you are about to purchase any band saw. The throat is calculated by measuring the distance from the side of the vertical frame to the table. This distance is used in determining the cut width that band saws make. Hunan: Band saw , Bimetal BandSaw Blades , Band Saws For Metal Cutting , Band Saw Machine , Circular saw machine , Special purpose machine The depth of cut on the other hand, is measured by calculating the length from the table to the upper blade guides. The feature is what is usually used by band saw makers to sell their products. It is also this same feature, which tells you the kind of stock (i.e. thickness) your band saw can cut. The other considerations, which should be made by you before procuring your desired horizontal band saw or the vertical type band saw apart from the two main concerns stated above, are the accessories and the tables it needs to have. Every vertical band saw needs to have a steel or an aluminum alloy table, which may be tilted to 45% to make angled cuts. Tables should possess miter track. For the accessories, ensure the band saw you want to purchase has a miter gauge and rip fence, if these items are not already included. They will prove useful when you are re-sawing, ripping and cross cutting. This is especially so for a vertical band saw. A horizontal band saw is not often used by professional handymen as much as a vertical band saw. I guess this is because the horizontal models are easier to use than the vertical models. In spite of this, it is necessary for you to understand how each one is used and what it can do before procuring one. |
| 10:52 am | Air Tool Basics: Setting Up A Pneumatic System For Your Garage or Shop Air tools are great work savers. However, for years most people thought you had to be either rich or a large full time auto repair shop to have an air system. Fortunately for today's consumer, setting up an air system is fairly inexpensive and quick. You can get started with just the basics and gradually add tools as you need them. What You Need: The Basics An air compressor Hose Regultor & Guages Air Tools Next Step: Choosing The Right Compressor When choosing the compressor, you should have in mind the type of tools you'll be using. There should be a tag on the compressor that rates the "Air Delivery". It may say something like "5.9 AVG. SCFM @ 90 psi." Now, on your air tool there is another number, this number is called the "Air Requirement" number. This number will look like "5.5 AVG. SCFM @ 90 psi." All you have to do is make sure the "Air Delivery" number on the compressor is larger than the "Air Requirement" number on the tool or tools that you'll be using. Next Step: Choosing the Right Fittings There are two types of fitting for air tools. Industrial and Automotive. These two types of fittings CAN NOT be interchanged. You'll have to decide before buying components which style you want. You'll also have to determine which size of fitting you want. Fittings are measured by the inside diameter (commonly called the ID). I personally prefer the 3/8ths over the 1/4 inch, but either will work well for the occasional user. pneumatic-esp: Pneumatic , Pneumatic fittings,Hydraulic fittings, Pneumatic air fittings,Pneumatic component,pneumatic fittings and tubing ,Quick fittings,,Hydraulic coupling, Pneumatic tube fittings, One touch fittings,quick coupling,Push in fittings,pneumatic Cylinder,Brass Pneumatic Fittings Be sure to choose the same NPT number on the air inlet of your tool as the fitting NPT number. Next Step: Choosing the Hose System You could just get by with air hoses laying all over the place, but that is dangerous and it makes your Garage or Shop look cluttered. You should invest in either a reel storage system or coil hose if you you won't be far from the compressor. Next Step: The Tools As stated above. Decide early on which tools you'll be using and make sure your compressors "Air Delivery" rating is higher than the tools "Air Requirement" rating. One of the best practices to use it to determine what the largest tool that you will ever use is. For most of us that may be a Air Impact Wrench. |
| Monday, February 21st, 2011 | |
| 4:02 pm | Hydraulic Control Valves For Saving Water Hydraulic valves are in great demand these days due to the amazing benefits provided by it. This type of valves is also known as spool valves. The hydraulic valves are designed in such a way that it is capable of controlling both the supply as well as the return lines of the equipment, which is being operated by the valve. Therefore, with the help of these valves, the equipment will be able to operate in both the directions by reversing high pressure as well as the low pressure connections. If you are looking for more information on the operating system of the hydraulic valves, the below mentioned content will help you. Hydraulic valves are used in most of the heavy load equipments. Most of the factories as well as heavy construction industries use various types of machines, which use a hydraulic system in it. These valves are also used in most of the water control system available in the market today. As these valves are able to operate more efficiently than the normal valves, more and more people are opting for it. This is also one of the main reasons, why the number of hydraulic valve manufacturers is increasing in the market. hanshang: hydraulic valves, Directional Valves, solenoid valve, Flow Control Valves , Pressure relief valves , Hydraulic proportional valves , Mobile hydraulic valves , Hydraulic on-off valve , Hydraulic power units , Hydraulic Pressure Relief Valves, Hydraulic power unit , Hydraulic Directional Valves , Proportional directional valves , Counterbalance valves , Hydraulic Flow Control Valves , Proportional flow control valves , Hydraulic Accessories , Flow regulators valves However, when you are planning to buy a hydraulic valve, there are few important things, which you have to consider. It is also quite imperative to buy a good quality valve from a reputed manufacturer. There are also few manufacturers, who are proving low quality products. Therefore, it is very important to have a basic knowledge of these valves before buying one. This will help you to find water control valves that will suit all your requirements. Therefore, if you are looking for these control valves, opting for an online shopping will be a good option. |
| 4:00 pm | Should You Purchase a Metal Cutting Band Saw? When you buy a metal cutting band saw, you are getting an extremely durable tool that is specially designed to be able to cut many kinds of metals. This is especially useful for those in the metal fabrication business. Although many saws have the capability to be fitted with blades that are able to cut metal, they usually are not designed to cut metal on a regular basis. Doing so habitually could eventually cause damage to your saw, so it would be wise to invest in a metal cutting band saw if you are going to be working with metallic materials often. So what exactly is a metal cutting band saw? Normally, this type of saw works by a belt that is ran between two wheels. When the saw is powered up, the belt starts moving, enabling the user to put materials through the machine to cut. One of the biggest pros of owning a band saw is that they enable the operator to make precision cuts that are very even. This is due to the very equal pressure distribution that a band saw places on the materials being cut. Also, band saws are very popular to many users that frequently make very complex cuts that often are beyond the scope of capabilities of other types of saws. A metal cutting band saw on the other hand, often utilizes a source of lubrication and coolant for the blade that prevents it from overheating while in operation. This function is especially useful when working with thick and tough metallic materials. Water or sometimes a viscous liquid is used for the lubricant. While in operation, the liquid will continuously run over the blade. This is also a useful safety feature which reduces metal slivers from being spewed in the air while cutting. Hunan: Band saw , Bimetal BandSaw Blades , Band Saws For Metal Cutting , Band Saw Machine , Circular saw machine , Special purpose machine Another advantage of the saw is that they have the capability to have brushers installed that will constantly clean the blade while in use so that you get smooth clean cuts every time. This has safety benefits as well as functional benefits such as reducing the possibility of an accident and prolonging the life of the saw blade. So, you've decided that its time to invest in a metal cutting band saw. Now what? You must now decide whether you need a vertical metal cutting band saw or a horizontal one. There are many benefits and sacrifices with each, so you will need to do your research to decide which one is right for you. Metal cutting bandsaws can be found at hardware retailers or from special manufacturers at a variety of prices. Just be sure to compare prices and features of the models you are interested in to make sure that it has the capabilities and features you need for what you intend to use it for. |
| 3:58 pm | An Overview of Hydraulic Motors, Equipment, and Repair Any type of mechanical device that uses fluids to move or power something will contain hydraulic motors. They can be found in everything from a simple lifts system to heavy-duty equipment and wind turbines. Not only does this advancement make moving things easier, but the versatility of this system also makes it ideal for a large number of applications. What Are Hydraulics? This system uses fluid to cause something to charge, swing, swivel, turn, or otherwise move in some manner. In order to do this, the liquid travels through hydraulic motors, cylinders, pumps, valves, hoses, and tubes to condense the molecules and create the pressure that powers equipment. The pressure forces the cylinder on the other side to move, powering whatever it is connected to. Hydraulic Pump This portion of the power system is responsible for moving the fluid along the lines. It collects its power from an engine of some type. Then, it uses various couplers to transfer that power to the rest of the system. While this doesn't sound that strong, this part has ten times the power of its electric equivalent. That's what makes hydraulic pump repair so important; without it, the entire system will be at a standstill. Hydraulic pump repair and systems can involve four main styles. An axial piston type has the ability to vary the amount of automatic pressure control. A radial piston type is best for small applications that require extreme pressure. Two simpler forms of hydraulic pump repair and parts exist as well. This includes a vane style that needs the fluid to flow faster, but doesn't necessarily require a high pressure. The gear style has low pressure, low output, and generally lower efficiency. Valves Another important segment of hydraulic motors and systems includes control valves. Because of the wear and the precision required, it is also one of the most expensive and frequent hydraulic pump repair experts have to make. Many different styles and types exist. To transfer the fluid to the correct actuator, directional styles are used. Sequence valves ensure the fluid runs in the proper order, similar to shuttle valves, which are for function. To keep the amount of pressure under control for safety and efficiency, pressure reducing and pressure relief valves are found in this equipment. Also included for safety reasons, various types of check valves can be found on hydraulic motors and systems. BONNY: Hydraulic Motor , Hydraulic Motors , Hydraulic Winch , Planetary Gearbox , Final Drive , Slew Drive , Wheel Drive , Winch Drive , Track Undercarriage , Hydraulic Pump , GFT Series Travel Drive , Radial Piston Hydraulic Motor , 300 Series Planetary Gearboxes , Hoisting Winch , Free Fall Hydraulic Winch , Hydraulic Orbital Motor , Recovery Winch , MS Series Hydraulic Motor These differ from pumps and other similar systems in that it works with pressure on both sides of the part rather than just one. In all, there are three main styles. The most simplistic of these is a gear and vane style that is used only in small situations. Axial plunger models are used when the system requires a rotating drive at low speeds. The piston style axial plunger motor is the most common style used in this form of power system. To move large amounts of fluid at slow speeds, radial plunger motors are put into place. |
| Wednesday, January 19th, 2011 | |
| 1:52 pm | SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, one aspect of the invention involves a method for forming an investment casting shelling fixture component. A fixture plate is positioned relative to a die. A first material is molded between the die and at least a first surface portion of the fixture plate. In various embodiments, the first surface portion may be along an upper face of the fixture plate. The first material may comprise, in major part, one or more waxes. The molding may provide a predominate essentially planar exposed surface for the first material. The molding may provide the exposed surface with means for locating patterns. The means may include flat elevated areas. The molding may leave a lower face of the plate substantially uncovered. A premolded second material may be secured atop the first material. The first and second materials may comprise, in major part, one or more waxes. The first and second materials may be essentially of similar composition. Another aspect of the invention involves a method for forming an investment casting mold. A shelling fixture component is formed as described above. One or more patterns are secured to the fixture plate. The one or more patterns include a second material. One or more coating layers are applied over at least portions of the one or more patterns and at least a portion of the first material. The fixture plate is removed. The first material and the second material are substantially removed to leave a shell formed by the coating layers. In various implementations, the fixture plate may be a first fixture plate and the method may include assembling a second fixture plate relative to the first fixture plate. The one or more patterns may be secured between the first and second fixture plates. The method may be used to fabricate a gas turbine engine airfoil element mold. NingBo HongYi Machinery Co.,Limited Investment castings , Investment casting , Lost wax casting , Silica sol casting , Sand castings , Aluminum castings , CNC metal machining , Stainless steel investment casting , Steel investment casting , Automotive Castings , Railroad castings , Marine castings , Agricultural castings , Valve castings and pipe fittings , Excavator bucket Teeth , Construction parts(casting) , Engineering parts(castings) , Steel investment casting parts , Marine castings parts , Stainless steel investment casting parts , Valve castings , Steel sand casting , Construction attachment(casting) , Automobile part(Casting) , Pump parts(castings) , CNC machining parts , Bucket teeth , Railroad castings parts , Investment casting manufacturer , Pipe fittings(casting) , Automobile castings parts , Bucket adapters , Aluminum die castings , Iron sand casting , Aluminum alloy castings , Ripper shanks , Scaffolding spare parts(casting) , Investment casting benefits , Bearing seat casting(casting) , Side cutters cutting edges , Power Transmission parts , Aluminum gravity castings , Investment casting process , Hydraulic parts , Teeth for Earth moving , Aluminum sand castings , Link castings Another aspect of the invention involves a method for investment casting. An investment casting mold is formed as described above. Molten metal is introduced to the investment casting mold. The molten metal is permitted to solidify. The investment casting mold is destructively removed. Another aspect of the invention involves a base plate for a shelling fixture. The base plate has opposite first and second faces. A number of holes extend between the first and second faces and are shaped other than as right cylindrical surfaces normal to the first face so as to provide back-locking. A wax material is located principally over at least a portion of the first face and extending into the holes. In various implementations, the wax material may include means for aligning a number of patterns. The holes may have cross-sectional areas intermediate the first and second faces less than cross-sectional areas at the first and second faces. The first and second faces may have primary flat portions. There may be essentially no such wax material on the second face primary flat portion. The wax material may cover a majority of the first face primary portion. Another aspect of the invention involves a die for forming a layer atop at least a first portion of a base plate of an investment casting shelling fixture. The die has one or more surfaces cooperating with at least a first face of the base plate to define a molding material-receiving space. The die has a passageway for introducing molding material to the molding material-receiving space. In various implementations, the die may further include at least one means for registering the base plate. The one or more surfaces may include means for forming the molding material with pattern alignment features. The die may include means for accommodating a handle of the base plate during molding. The die may include a first half for receiving a lower face of the base plate and a second half for molding an upper surface of the molding material. The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. |
| 1:51 pm | DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIG. 1 there is shown a section of a ceramic core 10 which provides an internal cavity for a gas turbine blade made from a nickel-based superalloy. Spaced from the core 10 is a section of a die 12, and the space 14 between the die and the core defines the wall of the hollow blade that is to be cast. Provided in the core 10 is a hole 16 which opens into the space 14. A platinum chaplet 18 is provided as a spacing member between the core 10 and the die 12. The chaplet 18 is mushroom-shaped, having a dome-shaped head 20 extending into the space 14 and an integral spigot pin 22 extending from the underside of the head as a close fit into the hole 16 so as to locate the chaplet in the hole and maintain the chaplet in a fixed position in relation to the core 10. The apex of the head 20 abuts the inner face of the die 12, making point contact therewith, and the base of the head abuts the outer surface of the core 10 around the periphery of the hole 16. It is convenient to have the base of the head 20 conform to the surface of the core 10 in the vicinity of the hole 16 so as to enable good contact between the head and the core, and help maintain the stability of the head in relation to the core. In the casting of a hollow gas turbine blade using the apparatus of the invention, the die 12, a number of platinum chaplets 18, together with the ceramic core 10, which is provided with a number of holes 16 corresponding to the chaplets, are set up as shown in FIG. 1. The chaplets 18 are sized and positioned in relation to the core 10 so as to ensure that the thickness of the blade wall (as defined by the space 14) meets required blade design parameters. Thus, the wall section of the final casting can be accurately controlled. Molten casting wax is then injected into the space 14, and allowed to cool, whereupon the die 12 is removed. The solidified wax, which now occupies the space 14, is then invested with one or more layers of a ceramic slip, which is then fired to produce a ceramic mold surrounding the core 10 and spaced therefrom by the chaplets 18. During the firing, the wax will have volatised, but the platinum chaplets 18 will remain intact. Molten nickel-based alloy is then poured into the space 14 between the mold and the core 10 and allowed to cool and solidify. During this process the head 20 of the platinum chaplet 18 will dissolve in the alloy. Since the chaplets 18 of the invention merely abut but do not penetrate the mold, it will be seen that the resulting casting has no external protrusions requiring removal that are attributable to the chaplets. On removal of the core 10 from the interior of the cast blade, by known caustic alkali leaching methods, or otherwise, it will be appreciated that there may be interior protrusions due to the pins 22 which were located in the holes 16 in the core, but these protrusions do not have any significant effect on the passage of cooling air through the blade. Further, the complete dissolution of the platinum chaplets in the alloy of the blade ensures that no unwanted residual holes are left in the wall of the blade. It is also found, in practice, that the relatively small quantity of platinum used for the chaplets has no significant adverse effect on the metallurgical, physical and chemical properties of the nickel-based superalloy used for high performance gas turbine engines, and does not induce recrystallisation sites in the surface of single crystal castings. It will be understood that the chaplets may be made from materials other than platinum, provided they meet the requirements that they do not melt during the wax casting stage, at least partially dissolve in the casting metal, and have no adverse effect on it. Such materials contemplated for use in the invention with nickel-based superalloys are elements in Group VIII of the Periodic Table and having an atomic number in the range 44 to 78 inclusive, ie ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, and platinum. The chaplet material will be chosen to match the characteristics of the particular casting alloy being used, and combinations of elements may be used. It is not necessary for the chaplets to completely dissolve (although in many instances complete dissolution will be the preferred oprtion), provided that incomplete dissolution does not adversely affect the performance of the component. It is also envisaged that chaplets of the present invention could be used to separate adjacent cores when casting multicore blades. In FIG. 2, for example, a second ceramic core 11 is positioned adjacent the first core 10 to provide an additional cavity in the cast component. The two cores are separated by a chaplet or series of chaplets 18a in much the same way as the core 10 and die 12 in FIG. 1. In an identical manner to the chaplets 18, the chaplets 18a maintain a predetermined distance between the separated cores throughout the casting process. It is seen, therefore, that the invention provides a means for supporting ceramic cores in a directionally solidified or single crystal superalloy casting without the need to remove surface pins, does not induce recrystallisation sites, accurately controls the wall section of the castings, does not introduce harmful impurities in cast superalloys, and utilises a common support for ceramic cores throughout all the critical investment casting process operations. Cheng-casting Copper Casting , Copper Castings, Aluminum Castings , Steel Castings , Casting Manufacturer , Steel Investment Casting , Aluminum Investment Casting , Excavator teeth , Copper Investment Casting , Copper sand Casting , Aluminum sand Casting , Hydraulic Valve Castings , Steel sand Casting , Brass Investment Casting , Zinc Aluminum Investment Casting , Stainless Steel Castings , Construction Castings , Marine Castings , Brass sand Casting , Zinc Aluminum sand Casting , Bronze Investment Casting , Train Castings , Bronze sand Casting , Automotive Castings , Precision Lost Wax Castings The principles of the invention may be applied equally to the investment casting of hollow articles other than hollow gas turbine blades, and made of materials other than nickel-based alloys. Ferrous and non-ferrous alloys are contemplated, as well as castable non-metallic materials such as polymers. In this latter instance the chaplets may be made of polymeric materials which have no adverse effects on the cast polymer. The chaplets of the invention can also be used to maintain internal wall sections between chamber of ceramic cores, and also when an external surface of a casting is created by a ceramic preform and not by an investment shell. |
| 1:50 pm | FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention concerns improvements in or relating to investment casting, and in particular to precision investment casting of a metal or alloy component having an internal cavity. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Turbine blades in high performance gas turbine engines, particularly in those engines used to power aircraft, need to be able to withstand high temperatures. These temperatures may be higher than the melting point of the material of the blade, and this situation is addressed by cooling the surface of the blade by means of a stream of cool air emanating from an interior cavity of the blade through carefully designed and spaced apertures communicating with the surface. The interior cavity is usually made by casting the blade round a ceramic core. Such a ceramic core has a silica base formulation which is sintered at approximately 1100° C. and is designed to give good hot strength for dimensional control. The silica base of the ceramic also enables the core subsequently to be leached from the casting by means of a caustic alkali solution. However, a problem arises when such cores are used in the casting of directionally solidified or single crystal alloys. These alloys are typical of the new generation of nickel-based superalloys now used in the manufacture of high performance blades. The problem is that the casting temperature is about 400° C. higher than the sintering temperature, and the core is accordingly subject during casting to a substantially higher temperature than that at which it was sintered. The core is therefore liable to distortion during the temperature changes of the casting process. In the present established casting process a ceramic core is positioned within a blade shaped die by means of chaplets made of wax or other low melting point material. These chaplets extend from the core to the interior surface of the die. Wax is than injected into the cavity between the die and the core and is allowed to solidify. When the wax has solidified the die is removed and further chaplets comprising cylindrical platinum pins are posted through the wax to the surface of the core. The wax is then invested with a suitable thickness of ceramic slurry to provide a ceramic mold. The platinum chaplet pins extend from the surface of the core into the investment mold. After the requisite thickness of investment coating has been applied the mold is heated so as to fire the investment coating and melt out the wax together with the original wax chaplets. The core is therefore now supported within the investment mold by the platinum chaplet pins which extend from the core into the mold. The casting of the alloy into the cavity between the investment mold and the core is then done. The mold is subsequently removed when the alloy has solidified. It will be appreciated that there is a major disadvantage in that the platinum chaplet pins extend to the surface of the resulting casting, rendering it necessary to carry out extensive dressing of the casting to remove the projecting portions of the pins and correct the external profile. The portions of the platinum pins within the casting will have dissolved in the superalloy. In practice, platinum is not known to adversely affect the properties of the superalloy. At a convenient stage in the process the ceramic core is leached out of the casting in the manner indicated above, to provide the required internal cavity. A process which avoids the surface dressing requirements of the established prior art process is disclosed in UK patent GB 2118078. In this process the metal pins are replaced by chaplets which abut the mold cavity surface. The chaplets used are dimensioned in accordance with the desired wall thickness of the article to be cast, and configured in accordance with line or surface abutment at the mold cavity interface. Because the chaplets are contained entirely within the mold cavity no surface extensions are produced. From a review of this prior art it will be appreciated, however, that the chaplets proposed are not entirely suitable for casting directionally solidified or single crystal alloys. When casting these alloys it is necessary to minimise the contact area between the chaplets and the mold cavity surface. If this area is too great grain growth may initiate at the abutment interface and disrupt the desired grain growth pattern. There is a tendency for this to occur when surface contact and line contact chaplets are used. It is an object of the present invention to overcome the above disadvantages. According to the present invention there is provided in an investment casting process for casting a component having at least one internal cavity, the process comprising the known steps of providing at least one core member corresponding to the shape and size of the cavity, positioning the core member in a removable wax impression die, providing at least one support member for the core, the support member being dimensioned in accordance with a desired wall dimension of the component to be cast, positioning the support member on the surface of the core, injecting a molten wax into the die, removing the wax once the die has solidified, investing the wax in ceramic, firing the ceramic and removing the wax to provide a ceramic mold, and casting a molten material into the mold, the improvement comprising, adapting the suport member for point contact abutment, and positioning the support member on the surface of the core to locate the core in spaced apart relation to an adjacent mold surface by point contact abutment with the adjacent mold surface. It will be understood that "wax" in the context of this specification means not only esters of fatty acids or mixtures of relatively high melting point hydrocarbons that are commonly used in wax casting processes but other, easily melted, polymers that are solid at room temperature and which fulfil the same purpose as a casting wax. Investment Castings , Engineering Parts , Investment Castings , Cnc Screw , Steel Investment Castings , CNC Tool Positioning Pinched Screw , Engineering Steel Castings Parts , Precision Marine Steel Castings , Aluminum Investment Castings , Precision Lost Wax Castings , Precision Hydraulic Valve Castings , Carbon Steel Investment Castings , Precision Castings Steel Castings , Precision Stainless Steel Castings , Precision Train Accessories Castings , High Alloy Steel Castings , Excavator Teeth Castings Parts , Precision Construction Castings Parts , Alloy Aluminum Investment Castings , Precision Automotive Steel Castings It will be seen, therefore, that the present invention provides a cast component that has no externally projecting chaplets pins because the spacing member, which is in effect a chaplet pin, never extends beyond the external surface of the casting defined by the inner surface of the mold. Further, the spacing member, when it dissolves in the casting, leaves no holes. |
| 1:49 pm | Investment casting 1. An investment casting process for casting a component having an internal cavity, the process comprising the steps of: providing a core member corresponding to the shape and size of the internal cavity; positioning the core member in a removable die; providing a plurality of support members, each support member having a spigot, adapted be to located in a corresponding aperture in the core member to retain the support member in a fixed location in relation to the core member, and a head portion, dimensioned in accordance with a desired wall dimension of the component to be cast and adapted for point contact abutment with an internal surface of the die; positioning the spigots of the plurality of support members in the apertures in the core member to locate the core member in a spaced apart relationship to the interior surface of the die; injecting a molten wax into the die; removing the die once the wax has solidified; investing the wax in ceramic; firing the ceramic and removing the wax to provide a ceramic mold within which the ceramic core is positively located by the plurality of support members; and casting a molten material into the mold. 2. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the support member is domed-shaped having a base abutting the core member and an apex abutting the adjacent mold surface. 3. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the support member is made from a material that remains solid when immersed in molten wax but is at least partially soluble in the molten casting material. 4. A process as claimed in claim 3 wherein the support member is made from a material that does not affect to any significant extent the properties of the casting material. 5. A process according to claim 1 wherein the support member has as its principal constituent one or more elements selected from Group VIII of the Periodic Table and having an atomic number in the range 44 to 78. 6. A process as claimed in claim 5 wherein the principal constituent of the support member is platinum. 7. A process as claimed in claim 6 wherein the support member is made entirely of platinum. 8. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the core member is made from a ceramic that is capable of being leached by caustic alkali. 9. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the adjacent mold surface corresponds to an external surface of the component to be cast. 10. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the adjacent mold surface corresponds to an internal surface of the component to be cast. 11. A process as claimed in claim 10 wherein separate cores are located within the mold, and the adjacent surface corresponds to a surface of an adjacent core member. 12. Apparatus for forming an investment casting mold for casting a component having an internal cavity, the apparatus comprising: a removable wax impression die into which molten wax is injected, the die comprising an interior that has an internal surface; at least one core member corresponding to the shape and size of the internal cavity located within the interior of the die; and at least one core support member dimensioned in accordance with a desired wall dimension of the component to be cast, wherein the at least one core support member has a head portion with a profiled abutment surface for point contact engagement with the internal surface of the die and a spigot adapted to be located in a corresponding aperture formed in the at least one core member to retain the at least one core support member in a fixed location to the at least one core member so that a space between the internal surface of the die and the at least one core member has the shape and thickness of the walls of the component to be cast. 13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein the support member is dome-shaped, the apex of the dome being adapted to abut an adjacent mold surface spaced from the core, and the base of the dome being adapted to abut the surface of the core member. 14. A process according to claim 12 wherein the support member has as its principal constituent one or more elements selected from Group VIII of the Periodic Table and having an atomic number in the range 44 to 78. 15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14 wherein the principal constituent of the suppport member is platinum. 16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 15 wherein the support member is made entirely of platinum. 17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein the core member is made from a ceramic that is capable of being leached by caustic alkali. hyinvestmentcasting:investment castings , investment casting,Metal Castings , Precision Casting Products , Sand castings , Aluminum casting , Aluminum Sand Casting , Green sand casting , Automotive investment Castings , Stainless steel casting , Railroad part casting , Aluminum Gravity casting , Alloy Steel casting , Sand casting process , Carbon steel casting , Marine castings , Aluminum die-casting , Agricultural castings , Valve Investment Castings , Excavator bucket Teeth , CNC Machining , Construction parts(casting) , Engineering parts(casting) , Silica sol casting , Lost wax casting , Investment Casting Process , Investment casting benefits , Permanent mold casting |