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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.

Over the past several decades, significant gains in automobile fuel efficiency have been achieved through down-sizing, aerodynamic design and drive train improvements. As performance limits are approached in these areas, aluminum is being used to further reduce body weight by up to 40% compared to steel. In anticipation of the continued demand for more fuel efficient automobiles, aluminum sheet component unibody and extrusion and cast component space frame designs have been studied to address joining and structural performance. Joint geometries unique to specific body designs clearly illustrate the need for close linkage of the design and assembly functions. Joining and assembly methods that provide static and dynamic structural integrity, 15 to 20 year durability and that can be integrated into robust manufacturing systems are key to aluminum usage for auto body structure.