Analysis of Complex 3D-Concrete Casting

Abstract: Concrete is the second most used material in the world and is primarily used within the construction industry. It is however also used for making decorative and functional smaller products within various industries. Manufacturing with concrete can be done with different manufacturing techniques, the most common technique being concrete casting in molds. This project was conducted at Arclight AB in Stockholm, a company on the verge of starting production of molds for casting concrete products. With many different manufacturing techniques at their disposal, it is however difficult for them to know which manufacturing technique should be used for which type of mold. The goal of this project is to compare the available manufacturing techniques at Arclight and see which are most suitable for mold manufacturing. The background research and preparation resulted in three segments of the casting process which needed to be analyzed: choice of concrete, choice post-processing technique, and choice of manufacturing technique. Results from the trails of these three segments gave invaluable information for the project. Concrete trails resulted in a recommendation of a concrete with high compression strength and high water content to make the concrete viscous and flow easily into the mold. Post-processing trials resulted in different optimal post-processing techniques based on the mold material and manufacturing technique. Manufacturing trails gave in-depth information on processing larger molds and the potential problems associated with casting complex large concrete products. The final result of the project is a spreadsheet which recommends an optimal manufacturing technique based on the geometry type and number of products to be cast. Maximum cost per product, maximum machine time for manufacturing and maximum total production time for the concrete products are also stated to find the optimal manufacturing technique for each specific concrete casting project. Before using this spreadsheet as a basis for manufacturing, it should be formatted for easier use. Additional tests with applying epoxy and polyurethane resin for post-processing molds should be conducted, in addition to testing materials for manufacture of master molds for vacuum forming.