Introduction
In this case, there is a necessity for a Riyadh Titanium Castings Company to select a casting process to fabricate a number of seamless titanium pipes for a large oil and gas company. There is a set of requirements to the parts intended to manufacture that should be considered during decision making. This essay will examine the properties of pipes, justify the choice of the most suitable one, and discuss health and safety considerations and cost and profit factors, and address environmental concerns.
Justification for a Casting Process
Discussion of the Properties Required
The specification of pipes and requirements for the manufacturing process is a base for the further choice of the casting process. The parts are to be made from commercially pure (CP) Titanium that is a non-ferrous metal, not many casting methods are suitable to work with. The number of pipes equals 500, which is a large series. The weight of each part is 390 kilos that also limits the choice of casting processes. Dimensions that are 0.500 meters and 0.375 meters show that the size of a pipe is large, limiting the choice. The finish of surfaces is crucial, while mechanical properties indicate the need for the pipe to sustain pressurized and corrosive fluid. The chemical resistance required (up to 250℃) adheres to the requirement for a correctly manufactured titanium metal part. With respect to the inspection of pipes, it is necessary to select a method that would produce minimum sub-quality pipes that would also lower costs and maximize profit.
Selection of a Type of Casting
It is possible to outline requirements for a casting process based on the properties discussed. It should be suitable for large-sized seamless parts and capable of working with non-ferrous metals. It is preferred that a method is intended for the production of pipes only, as it is beneficial from a cost of production perspective. Centrifugal casting is the most appropriate one as it unites the quality of the finished pipe with respect to the requirements outlined above and the comparatively low cost of manufacturing (Olsen, 2020a; Olsen, 2020b). Centrifugal casting is intended for such parts as requested, as it is applicable to configurations that can be developed with an axis of rotation (Olsen, 2020a, para. 5). Limitations of the method are: parts that lack symmetry, or require complicated internal shaping, are not related to pipes.
Health and Safety Considerations, Cost and Profit Factors, and Environment Concerns
There are significant concerns associated with the production of non-ferrous materials. The chosen method, as well as others, produce foundry waste in the process. Also, there is a medical hazard for workers involved in metals casting, which are air pollutants generated when materials are subjected to high temperatures (Environmental Issues, n.d.). In addition, based on the previous discussion of the cost of the methods discussed, Centrifugal casting is the most optimal one from the perspective of the number of pipes and their quality.
Conclusion
It is possible to justify the choice based on the properties of the titanium and the requirements for the pipes. Among the all existing casting processes, the most appropriate is the centrifugal one. This method is potentially dangerous because of the need to work with non-ferrous metal under high temperatures. Centrifugal casting is a cost-effective method as it is not universal and intended for the production of pipes only.
References
Olsen, D. (2020a). Casting processes: When to use which method. Web.
Olsen, D. (2020b). What Is Centrifugal Casting and how does It work? Web.
Environmental Issues. (n.d.). Web.