Aluminum cast panels forSmithsonian National Museum of African American History and

Culture in Washington D.C.

Morel IndustriesCNC MachinistDecember 2014-February 2015Supervisor: Steven Morel, Owner(206)784-0855

Objectives: Prepare cast aluminum panels shaken from molds for deburring by removing all excess

material Coordinate with partner to maximize spindle utilization time Edit program to increase daily production rate, reduce daily operational costs, and change

toolpaths quickly for partial panels Plan production schedule for successful completion of contract

Tools/equipment used: Haas GR 510 vertical gantry CNC mill MIG aluminum wire fed welder Renishaw probe, HSS cutters, collets, face mill using inserts 4’ pry bar and sledgehammer for removing flashing

Challenges to overcome: 1500 panels had been finished in previous year, 1500 remained with 3 months left to

finish Problems with the casting and pouring created bottlenecks, requiring the daily demands

to increase from 12 panels to 35+ per 10 hour shift Partners needed for loading/unloading had little previous experience or were easily

distracted Hard deadline of 02/14/2015 to avoid $50,000 daily fine

Figure 1-Furnace used for melting 356 Aluminum bar for sand casting

Figure 2- Panels after casting

Figure 3-Panels stacked after removing flashing and high spots with pry bar and hammers

Figure 4-Panel after manual prep

Figure 5-Part was loaded onto vices with crane and bolted to the table

Figure 6-Close-up view after loading machine and bolting to table

Figure 7-Part during operation

Figure 8-Panel loaded on table, top view

Figure 9-Finished parts had to be dried, cleaned of debris, and inspected for errors

Figure 10-Small defects were filled in using MIG welder

Figure 11-Final 300 parts needed revised program to enable efficient machining Figure 12-Partial panels were of all

combinations of rails

Figure 13-Extra material I turned into a spear