Allied Machinery has introduced a new MAGMA solidification software that sets them apart from competitors. Allied Machinery is mostly using this unique software for the design of new products. The introduction of this has saved them money on time and tooling costs. Before its introduction, solidification was basically done through trial and error. This new software allows you to get it right the first time.

“For us, MAGMA and Solidworks go hand in hand with each other, because we use Solidworks to work with the customer-supplied models of the parts,” says Shane Lueschow, Product Development Engineer at Allied Machinery. Solidworks is another software that Allied Machinery uses. MAGMA allows them to upload 3-D models from Solidworks into a Geometry section of MAGMA.

After starting with geometry, the MAGMA software goes to different sections: Mesh, Definitions, Optimization, Simulation and Results. Throughout these processes, they can adjust different variables and identify the ones that they want to be tested. These could be anything from the size of risers, to iron composition, to solidification process, and everything in between.

The Results section can give them a lot of information about what is going to happen in the pouring and solidification process. Some results they are able to get from MAGMA are: how the metal will flow into the cavity through the filling process and at what temperature, how the casting will solidify, how effective the risers or chills will be and if there are going to be any areas of air entrapment. There are also many more different results that they are able to get from MAGMA that are not listed.

In short, Allied Machinery is able to see how the system will work and operate before they even start building a pattern. This allows them to try many different methods without having to make adjustments to it on the floor, which is why this system saves them so much time and money. They are also able to use the software to simulate current quality issues to figure out what is causing them and how they can fix them, or test process improvement ideas.

By using MAGMA, Allied Machinery can get a better understanding of what is actually happening when they pour molds and how different variables can affect the outcome. The software is an excellent way of eliminating the trial and error methods that were done in the past.