Virtual Die Casting Simulator Disseminated to NADCA Members
CIVS Researcher John “Jack” Moreland presented the final report for the Virtual Die Casting Simulator on February 2, 2023, at the NADCA Research & Development Committee meeting held at the University of California, Irvine. The presentation was a hybrid (in-person and virtual) and included attendees from the die-casting industry, academia, and government organizations.
The report represented the conclusion of the 5-year project, which created an innovative virtual simulator for die-casting companies to reduce the training time of new personnel and improve the capabilities of their workforce. This innovative learning process can improve the operator’s understanding of what is happening inside die-casting machines and melting furnaces. It allows operators to practice common and abnormal situations for operation and maintenance in a controlled environment to improve casting quality, energy, and cost savings, accelerated onboarding of new operators, and improved safety.
One of the highlights of the project is a new learning mode that lets operators see into transparent parts of the machine and view how liquid metal is injected and distributed inside the casting cavity. This feature has been combined with a quiz system that verifies the operator’s understanding of how machine parameters can affect the castings being produced.
The simulator was developed for the Meta Quest 2 headset but is also available in a standard mouse/keyboard version for PC. The simulator will be available to NADCA members and is distributed through the Meta App Lab by a downloadable link.
NADCA is a trade association advancing the North American die-casting industry by providing resources to help members solve technical, operational, and business challenges, while raising overall awareness of the industry’s critical role in manufacturing. NADCA educates key audiences on the die-casting industry’s importance and benefits as well as technologies to support our member’s business initiatives – stability, growth, talent acquisition, fair global competition, and awareness.
