14th WORLD CONFERENCE ON INVESTMENT CASTING

The ceramic core for investment casting :

ingredient or strategic component ?

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 Speakers introduction :

Jean-Paul Detroyes & Didier Dumont

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 Company profile
Company size 7600 sq.meter production / office

Staff 95 people

Production 93% investment casting products (ceramic cores and wax)

7% porcelain & other technical ceramics

Investment casting products 52% aerospace

36% gas turbines
6% medical
4% automotive
3% others

Quality accreditations ISO 9001, EN9100

Principles of ISO 26000 in terms of social responsibilities

Ceramic cores capacities Size : 5mm to 900mm

Weight : 2g to 5kg
Geometry : from the simplest shapes to the most complex

Suitable for casting process EQX / DS / SX

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 Subject presentation

Which strategy for a ceramic core sourcing ?

CERAMIC CORE

Commodity ? Strategic component ?

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 Definitions
What is a commodity ?

Commodity : Raw material or primary product that can be bought and sold such as
copper or coffee => commodity market.

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 Definitions
What is a strategic component ?

Strategic component : Element entering into a set of clever and coordinated actions
aiming at reaching a precise goal.

Skull implant

Car keys

Lawyer’s defence speech

Gears Insurance contract

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 Ceramic core :
commodity or strategic component ?

We have worked on these definitions to find out :

● the major characteristics of these two approaches by comparison

(the following list is not complete)

● a vision with opportunities & threats

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 Comparison of the characteristics
A Commodity is : A Strategic component is :
1 Sold on self service Custom made
2 Sold on stock Manufactured according to special order
3 A multi-customer standard product Dedicated to one customer or one use
4 A finished product or a material Entering into a system or a process

5 Coming from mass production Produced in limited quantities

The result of the needs analysis on a Coming from functional and technical
6
market specifications

7 Sold by Push Sold by Pull

Dedicated to a speculative market with Stable on its market
8
buffer stock Holding a brand name which is not
9 Linked to the product brand name considered as essential
Stable regarding costs (out of Of decreasing cost according to volumes
1
0 speculation) and technology

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 Evolution

e
of valu
lut ion
Ev o

COMMODITY STRATEGIC COMPONENT

ol ution
l ev
at ura
N

Product value is not fixed, it can vary depending on background and time.

A commodity can become of strategic use.

e.g. : value of a glass of water after 2 days in desert

But natural evolution pushes some products towards merchandizing.

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When considering the ceramic core as a
commodity, we can see what can appear as
opportunities :
-- These are standard products,
available.
-=> Procurement is easy,
Suppliers can be changed easily.
-- They are products easy to use, they do not
need any specific skills.
- => They do not require any effort from the user.
-- Commodities are thought to be cheap.
Opportunities & threats
Ceramic core = Commodity
But also some threats:
- Forgetting that casting is a business of process
and experts.
always -E.g. : CAD models of poor quality at the design stage
=> files need to be reworked : additional time and
costs, delay in schedule.
- No technical specifications appropriate to the
specific need.
- Mutual dissatisfactions and/or misunderstandings
due to the fundamentals being forgotten.
- Technology setback / Lack of interest for R & D
- Failures in casting process.
- Loss of vision regarding needs / quantities /
leadtime.
- Loss of the technical relationship customer /
supplier
-- Considering ceramic core as a universal and
valueless product
- Considering this is a simple porous ceramic.

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 Opportunities & threats
Ceramic core = Strategic component
We can proceed with the same analysis for the vision of the ceramic core as a strategic component :
Opportunities :
Threats :
-- Technical and economic partnership
customer / supplier - Developing monosource projects for costs reasons =>
-- Get a common benefit from experience and related risks.
know-how E.g. : in case of major incident by the supplier’s, delivery
-- Share the knowledge and learning and make failure.
this evolve. => Hence necessity of having a reliable Plan for
-- Elaborate « win / win » technical specifications Continuation of Activity.
-- Ensure project success together - A niche market, closed, with only a few experts.
-- Innovate and evolve together - Technical exchanges between experts who are not
-- Identify current and future needs of castings totally involved in business notion, and their exchanges
-- Conduct R & D plans on future casting parts. cannot always be understood by everybody.
- Openness, Confidentiality, Responsibility : risk of
dissatisfaction or misunderstanding due to the project
confidentiality (some information is not disclosed).

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 In case of a new project : have we thought
of the right questions ?

 Have we got all the skills / competences available for:

-- Using a ceramic core ?
-- Making a specific type of cavity ?
E.g. : technical requirements are different between a golf club and a DS/SX turbine blade.

 Are we (coremakers) in a position to make a proposal to investment casters in an efficient way ?

 Have we (coremakers & investment casters) organised skilled teams to work together on the ceramic cores and
casting parts making ?

 Have we (coremakers and investment casters) identified the real targets ?

 Are our organisation systems and the contradictory targets of our several departments (Purchase / Quality /
Production / Engineering) not going to increase the risk of failure for this project ? Who does make the decision ?

 Have we got all the skills / competences available to meet : (see next page)

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 Constraints undergone by ceramic core
in the process & its market environment
LEADTIME
Core Direct ?

Wax die handling,

T Cavity inspection positioning Injection
E
C Wax cooling
H Leaching C
N O
O CERAMIC Wax assembly S
L Metal cooling / CORE handling T
O Shrinkage
G
Y Shell / Drying
handling
Pouring
Cooling Dewaxing
Inspection Shell firing, autoclave
Preheating drying
Casting Handling
Life cycle ?

ENVIRONMENT

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 Approach and questioning proposal

The ceramic core Proposal and study making Using ceramic cores
in investment casting

A multi-purposes product : Sharing and negotiating technical Avignon Ceramic offers its help in
strong and fragile at the same time, specifications (solutions / problems) developing and using ceramic cores
resistant to metal pouring, leachable during the several casting stages.

It is a fired product, its dimensions may Leaving tooling design and Sharing about casting strategy and
vary, « this is not mechanical » ! Must be manufacturing to the experts of this ceramic cores limits to fix the best
agile. business process and the best compromise

It resists chemical reactions. Ceramic cores characteristics are a Opening discussions to find out failure
compromise between several of them : causes and solve problems together
priority decisions have to be made.
This is not a finished product, it is We must inform and train the person we Cooperative research for solutions to
transformed during the casting process are speaking to if necessary, hence continuously decrease ceramic core cost
which must be stable and repeatable regular and direct exchanges are of
utmost importance (EICF, ICI, JFS
conferences, …)
Respect of law and environment must
always be considered.

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 Our commitments
Accepting mistake / Communicating honestly / Respecting confidentiality (NDA)
Investment casting Avignon Ceramic

Understanding ceramic core is not a supermarket ingredient Do our maximum to better know you.
Maintaining and developing skills level in ceramic core use Remaining an independant ceramic core manufacturer

Elaborating together the technical and logistic specifications
Including production leadtime and manufacturer capacities in
its production and procurement plan (the product is unique and
made-to-measure)
Clearly expressing which improvements are needed
Aiming at the excellence for all our departments and skills
Contributing to our customers’ satisfaction
Maintaining a high R&D level
Supporting our customers on site and sharing our experience

Maintaining our accreditations ISO9001, EN9100 and including

all the ISO26000 principles with regards to environmental
responsibility.
Sharing the several stages of the development projects
Making what we promise or saying NO

Bearing in mind human and cultural factors

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 Conclusion

So…

CERAMIC CORE

Commodity ?! Strategic component ?!

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 Thank you for your attention.

Any questions ?
We are looking forward to meeting you in Booth no. 27.

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