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Elkhart Industrial Division of Amcast Industrial Corporation uses a patented process called FORMCAST™, to produce near-net shaped automotive components with superior mechanical properties. The very high pressure generated in the complex forming cavity necessitates a need for an inserted tool design to reduce stresses. Previously, at SAE 1998, the usefulness of using a general purpose FEA software was demonstrated using an inserted tooling simulated in 2D. The extension of this technique to 3D is quite demanding but today's computers and software make such a simulation possible and helps in the development of advanced processes without building numerous prototype dies. This paper is intended to demonstrate that by using a 3D case study simulation of tooling for a Miniblock, which is a car air-conditioner component that the simulation to actual results will correlate.

Elkhart Industrial Division of Amcast Industrial Corporation has developed the FORMCAST™ process to manufacture near-net shape components. Tooling used for this process consists of complex shaped cavities subjected to very high forming pressure. It is a common practice to use inserts that reduce stresses in such tooling. This paper will describe how a general purpose Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software can be used to develop inserted tooling designs. FEA simulations will be discussed for two different inserted tooling designs, one using interference fit, and other using slide fit. Data presented in this paper will explain the computer models and analysis iterations used to develop optimal inserted tooling designs.