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A new application of steel sprayed tooling for the manufacture of prototype permanent molds for aluminum casting is discussed in this paper. The prototype tooling is quickly made by spraying onto substrates that define the tooling shell shape. The shell material, structure, and geometry are adequate to withstand, for a limited number of pours, the demands placed on an aluminum permanent mold. An initial demonstration shows the promise of this method.

This paper describes work conducted to understand the process mechanisms which cause electrode deterioration and inconsistent weld quality when welding aluminum auto body sheet. Surface objectives were found to be different at the outer and inner surfaces of the sheet. Various surface treatments were investigated and compared to arrive at an optimum treatment. Best overall results were obtained with a conversion coated inner surface and an arc-cleaned outer surface applied immediately before welding. Results were verified with an extended life test which produced more than 7,000 welds without a dud.