The graphite ring in a mold is the heart and Achilles’ heel of the air-casting process.  Over time the pores of the ring tend to plug up and increase the probability of casting defects.  The Billet Mold Testing System checks for this plugging and determines the integrity of the graphite ring after it is installed into a mold and each time the mold is removed from service for whatever reason.  This periodic testing, provides the data which the mold shop and pit crew use to determine when the graphite ring should be replaced. To test a mold, simply connect the mold as shown, switch on the air and push the start button.  The total airflow is displayed on the top meter while the intermittent 20 point uniformity flow is displayed on the bottom.  

For more information about how this was effectively used by a customer, refer to the ET2008 paper “Understanding Key Factors to Improve Billet Surface Quality and Casting Mold Life” by Jean-Philippe Dubé, Aluminerie de Bécancour Inc., Bécancour, Canada.   Start-up assistance is recommended with this product and includes the software disk and cables necessary to connect to the USB port of a customer supplied computer.

Graphite Ring Testing System measures the mass airflow through a graphite ring before it is installed into a mold. The graphic ring is the heart and Achilles heel of the air-casting process yet is only tested at 4 points when manufactured. Our system provides the mass airflow every 25 mm (1") around the inside diameter of the  graphite ring to ensure it is within specification, before it is installed into a mold. This flow data is converted, displayed and stored on your computer using software included with our system. The software program stores all testing data by size, graphite ring number, and displays a graph showing the mass airflow of all tests taken.
Start-up assistance is recommended with this product and includes the software disk and cables necessary to connect to the USB port of a customer-supplied computer.