Castle Air allows the user to calculate and optimize the air vents (including chill-vents and vacuum valve channel) since the early stages of the die design as function of process parameters and venting conditions through an advanced embedded analytical model so that he can perform realistic simulations taking into account the air flow too.
According to the air escape areas calculated with Castle Air, venting channels all around the part can be modelled within Castle up to the vacuum valve or chill vent, while the counter pressure at air is was calculated by the analytical model.
Clogging of air vents is automatically detected from the system when liquid metal significantly fills up the venting channels, allowing the optimization of the venting area in the model.
Castle Air is also helpful to calculate the residual porosity volume in function of the venting area. In this way it is possible to compare passive ventings (ex. chill-vents) with active ventings (vacuum) in order to evaluate the best solutions. Additionally this module optimizes the vacuum strokes (start and stop) and the vacuum level to be set on the vacuum unit.
