선박용 프로펠러는 선박 추진 성능과 연비에 직접적인 영향을 미치는 핵심 부품으로, 제작 과정에서 높은 정밀도가 요구된다. 사형주조는 복잡한 형상의 금속 부품 제작에 널리 사용되는 공정이지만, 주조 과정에서 발생하는 열적 팽창과 냉각 수축은 최종 치수 오 차와 가공 비용 증가를 초래하는 주요 원인이다. 본 연구에서는 사형주조 과정에서 발생하는 열팽창 및 수축 현상을 정밀하게 예측하고, 이를 고려한 최적의 치수 여유 설정을 통해 연마 작업을 최소화하는 설계 방안을 제안하였다. 알루미늄 청동 합금(ALBC3)을 사용한 프로 펠러를 대상으로 열팽창 공식과 유한요소해석(FEM)을 적용하여 블레이드, 허브, 전체 지름 등 각 부위별 변형을 정량적으로 분석하였다. 분석 결과, 블레이드 너비와 두께는 약 1.9%, 허브 직경은 1.5%, 전체 지름은 2.0%의 여유를 두는 것이 적절한 것으로 나타났다. 이러한 최 적 치수 여유를 적용한 결과, 최대 23kg의 재료 절감, 30만 원 이상의 제작 비용 절감, 작업 시간 50~60% 단축 등의 정량적 개선 효과가 확인되었다. 최적 설계를 적용함으로써 추가 연마 작업과 재료 손실을 줄일 수 있으며, 이에 따른 비용 절감 효과도 기대된다. 본 연구 결 과는 선박용 프로펠러 제작 과정의 품질 향상과 생산성 제고에 기여할 수 있을 것으로 판단된다.

Among the Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies, the Binder-Jetting printing technology is a method of spraying an adhesive on the surface of powder and laminate layer by layer. Recently, this technique has become a major issue in the production of large casting products such as ship-building, custom vehicles and so on. In this study, we performed research to make actual mold castings and increase mechanical property by using special sand and water-based binders. For use as a mold, it has a strength of more than 3MPa and permeability. Various experiments were carried out to obtain suitable them. The major process parameters were binder jetting volume, binder types, layer thickness and heat treatment condition. As a result of this study, the binder drop quantity was measured to be about 60 pico-liter, layer thickness was 100μm and the heat treatment condition was measured about 1,000℃ and compressive strength were measured to be more than 5MPa. The optimum condition of this experiment was established through actual casting of aluminum. The equipment used in this study was a Freeforms T400 model (SFS Co., Ltd.), and the printing area of 420 * 300 * 250mm and resolution of 600dpi can be realized.

Sand casting 3D printing uses a binder jetting method to produce a mold having complicated shape by spraying a binder on sand coated with activator. Appropriate heat treatment process in sand mold fabrication can increase the degree of polymerization to improve flexural strength. However, long heat treatment of over 24 hours decreases flexural strength and reliability due to chemical bond decomposition through thermal degradation. The main role of the activator is to control the reaction rate between the polymer chains. As a result, when the activator composition is increased from 0.15 wt% to 0.25 wt%, the flexural strength is increased by 218 N/cm2. However, excess activator (0.40 wt%) has been shown to decrease reliability without increasing flexural strength. The main role of the binder is to control the flexural strength of the specimen. As the binder composition is increased from 2.00 wt% to 4.00 wt%, the flexural strength increases to about 255 N/cm2, indicating the maximum flexural strength increase. Finally, the reliability of the flexural strength of the fabricated specimens is evaluated by a Weibull plot. Weibull modulus calculations are used to evaluate the flexural strength reliability of the specimens, and maximum reliability value of 11.7 is obtained at 0.20 wt% activator composition. Therefore, it is confirmed that this composition has maximum flexural strength reliability.