SOLIDCast UNIT 3: Setting System

Parameters

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When you first install SOLIDCast it is a good idea to check out and properly set your System
Parameters. A moment spent now making sure things are correct can head off many problems
before they get a chance to start. From the main SOLIDCast menu click on Tools…System
Parameters.

There are 5 tabs; Alloy Curves, Model Colors, Model & Sim, Directories and FLOWCast.

The Alloy Curves tab, as shown below, lets you set up default values for new materials in your
casting alloy database. These will also be applied if you ever reset material properties to defaults
in the Materials List.

The Default Critical Fraction Solid %(CFS) is the value assumed to be the end of feeding, or
metal movement, for a casting alloy. As freezing begins, the metal becomes thicker and pastier,
until, at the CFS, it stops moving altogether. If feed metal hasn’t been available to counteract
any shrinkage that has been occurring, it will not be able to get to that point after it has reached
the CFS. This value varies by alloy type and section size, but good starting points would be:

Plain Carbon Steels: 50% for large sand castings to 35% for small investment castings

Alloy Steels: 45% for large sand castings to 30% for small investment castings
Aluminum: 20% – 30%

Copper Base: 25% – 35%

Cast Irons: Adjusted by the software

The Default Niyama Point % is the percent solid at which the Niyama value is calculated. The
Niyama Criterion is made up of the Temperature Gradient at a point, divided by the square root
of the Cooling Rate at the same point. This value is an indicator of the degree of directional
solidification and the likelihood of shrinkage formation. The lower the value, the greater the
potential for shrinkage formation. This is normally calculated at a point just after the CFS. A
good starting point is 5% after the CFS point.

The Default Solidification Shrinkage % is the amount of expansion or contraction that a metal
undergoes during the cooling and solidification process. A negative value indicates overall
shrinkage, or contraction, while a positive value indicates expansion. Most materials will shrink
on cooling, so the value should be negative in most cases. A typical value would be 7% for
shrinking alloys. Cast irons are a notable exception, and the shrinkage curves for gray and
ductile cast irons are modified by the software.

The Model Colors tab, shown below, gives you full control of how the colors of a casting/mold
model are displayed. There are special colors for Casting, Riser and Fill materials. Mold materials
have 8 different colors. If more than 8 mold materials are used in a single model, the 8 colors
will be reused in order.

There is also a color selection for the currently selected shape, which is used to highlight a
model piece during editing.

You can change these values to any of a set of standards, or create your own color in a
customized palette.
The Model & Sim tab, shown below, contains the defaults for measurement system, snap and
the time step interval for Volumetric Calculations. It also has entries for the maximum number of
facets displayed in an iso-surface plot, a toggle for displaying data graphically during simulation,
and the redraw interval for the graphic display.

The system default for measurements is English units, that is, inches. If you check the Use Metric
Measurements box, units will convert to millimeters. Temperatures will be in degrees C, rather
than degrees F, and all other units will convert as well.

Snap to Grid allows you to set a snap value for the Model Builder, so that you can draw to a
specific interval. For example, you could set the snap increment to every 1/8 (0.125) inch, or to
every 2 millimeters.
The Volumetric Calculation Interval defaults to every 10 time steps, which means that 1
volumetric feeding calculation will be done for every 10 sets of temperature calculations.
Volumetric calculations are more involved and take longer to do than temperature calculations.
For longer simulations, this number can be increased. It is recommended, however, that this
number be at least at a 1% increment during solidification. For example, if a simulation will take
5000 time steps, a 1% increment would be every 50 time steps. Of course, you don’t know the
number of total time steps BEFORE a simulation runs, so this value will be based on experience
with similar simulations.

The Iso-Surface Maximum Facets value tells your system when to automatically change the
detail value when plotting iso-surfaces. By limiting the maximum value, you can keep plotting
times down. If this number gets too high, complicated models can take quite some time to plot.
A good starting point for this is 1,000,000, and since graphics cards are getting more and more
powerful, the time factor is constantly reducing.

Display Temperature Data Graphic During Simulation and Graphic Display Interval control the
picture shown during a simulation. If the Display checkbox is cleared, only a summary text
screen will be displayed. If checked, a color picture of the filling and solidification is shown. The
Graphic Display Interval tells the system to redraw the temperature distribution after the listed
number of time steps. The larger the interval, the fewer times the screen will be redrawn and the
faster the simulation will run. For the fastest possible simulations, turn off the Graphic Display.

The Directories tab, shown below, lets you set up default locations for Projects and Import Files.
Click on the Browse… button to navigate to a new directory. When you see the open folder in
the Select a Path window, you know that is the current directory.

It is a good idea to set up the Projects path to an existing directory, such C:\Projects. Then, when
you create new projects, the system will create new directories underneath this one.

The Import Files path is usually set to where you keep your STL CAD files, if you will be bringing
them into SOLIDCast. This is also where the system will store movie files created by the movie
functions in SOLIDCast.
The FLOWCast Tab, shown below, sets default values for the FLOWCast fluid flow simulation, if
started by SOLIDCast.

Save Time Step interval This tells the system how often a full save of data will be done. A full
save allows you to restart a fluid flow simulation at any saved increment. It also determines how
many frames, or pictures, can be put into a filling movie. If the save interval is smaller, then more
data is saved and more pictures can be created for a movie. At the same time, the overall file
size will be larger.

Warmup Mesh interval This is the point at which data is saved for a warmup mesh in a
permanent mold simulation. In general, we do not need data during the warmup phase of a
permanent mold simulation, and are mainly concerned with only the temperature distribution in
the die. The default value of 99 means that only one time step is saved during fill of the warmup
mesh.
SOLIDCast UNIT 4: Selecting the
Casting Alloy

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If Model does not appear on the menu bar, select File New Model.

Select Model, and then select Materials List.

Click on the Casting Material tab. You will see a display similar to the following:

This shows the currently-selected casting alloy and its properties. Note that Initial Temperature
refers to the pouring temperature of the alloy. You should adjust this to match the actual
pouring temperature in your foundry. The values listed in the database for Initial Temperatures
are just place holders, and should NOT be considered as recommended pouring temperatures.
Now, to select a different alloy, click on the button marked From DB. You will see the following
appear:

>

This screen allows you to select an alloy from the SOLIDCast material database. Cycle through
the materials by clicking the up and down arrows in the window on the left side. When you have
selected the alloy, click on Use This Casting Material. If you would like to use this casting alloy as
a chill in the mold, click on the Use in Mold button, and the material will be added to the Mold
Materials List. You can permanently delete a material from the database by clicking the Delete…
button.

The box labeled Show Curve turns on and off the display of the solidification and shrinkage
curves.

Note that after you have selected an alloy from the database, you can change its properties
(such as Initial Temperature) just by clicking on and changing that item.

If you click on the Mold Materials tab, you will see something similar to this:
From this point you can select the materials that will be in the mold, such as molding sand,
chills, sleeves, filters and the like.

This screen allows you to select any material from the SOLIDCast mold material database. Cycle
through the materials by clicking the up and down arrows in the window on the left side. When
you have selected the material, click on Add to Materials List. You can permanently delete a
material from the database by clicking the Delete… button.

SOLIDCast UNIT 5: Cooling Curves

and Volumetric Change Curves

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To see the cooling curve and the curve describing the volumetric change (shrinkage or
expansion) of the selected alloy, click on Model… Materials List and then click on the Cooling
Curve tab. You will see a window as follows:
The white line indicates the cooling curve (Percent Solid vs. Temperature), where temperatures
are read from the scale on the left. The black line indicates the volume change (in %), read from
the scale on the right. A positive value indicates expansion and a negative value indicates
shrinkage.

The dark blue area on the left corresponds to the liquid state. The lighter blue area in the middle
represents the transition from liquid to solid, and the dark area on the right is the solid state.

The vertical line with a C is the Critical Fraction Solid Point, and the vertical line with an N is the
Niyama Point (where Temperature Gradient and Cooling Rate are calculated during a
simulation). The L and S lines are the Liquidus(start of freeze) and Solidus(end of freeze) lines.

If you want to make sure that the curves are set according to the System Parameter settings,
click on the Reset button.

COOLING CURVES and CRITICAL FRACTION SOLID

A cooling curve describes how a single point in a casting behaves as it cools, when its
temperature is plotted against time.

We start at some initial time, with the liquid casting alloy at some initial temperature, typically
the pouring temperature. This is the initial point on the curve. As the casting loses
heat(superheat) to the mold, it cools down, remaining a liquid until it begins to solidify. The
point that signifies the onset of solidification is called the liquidus point, and it shows up on
our cooling curve as follows:

Once the alloy hits the liquidus point, it begins to solidify. At first, only a small fraction of the
casting alloy is solid, but as the casting continues to lose heat, it becomes more and more solid.

During this transition from liquid to solid, the rate of cooling generally slows down. The reason
for this is a quantity known as the Latent Heat of Fusion. As a metal solidifies, it releases heat
due to the formation of the crystalline structure of the metal matrix. This release of heat
prevents the metal from cooling as rapidly as it does in either the fully liquid or fully solid states.

The transition from liquid to solid appears as follows on our cooling curve:

Once the alloy is completely solid, we say that it has reached the Solidus Point. After reaching
this point, the metal begins to cool more rapidly as a solid again, because no more latent heat is
being released. Thus, the cooling in the solid state shows a steeper slope on our cooling curve,
as follows:

In SOLIDCast, the Liquidus Point and Solidus Point are designated by vertical lines, one with an L
and one with an S at the top of the screen, as shown in the following picture:

As the casting solidifies, it gradually changes from a fully liquid material to a fully solid material.
We depend on the flow of liquid feed metal to feed any contraction that may be occurring, to
avoid shrinkage porosity in the casting. As the metal alloy becomes more and more solid, there
comes a point where the liquid feed metal can no longer flow. We call this point the Critical
Fraction Solid Point. It is usually expressed as a percentage of full solidification, and appears on
our cooling curve as shown here:
The significance of the Critical Fraction Solid Point can be appreciated by studying the following
picture. Metal that is above the CFS Point is liquid enough to flow from one area of the casting
to another, so if a section of the casting is solidifying and contracting, and the feeding path to
that area from the riser is open (i.e., above CFS) then feed metal can be provided and no
shrinkage should form.

On the other hand, if the feeding path has cooled below the CFS point, no feed metal can flow
and you have an isolated pocket of liquid metal in the casting. As this liquid metal cools and
contracts, since there is no possibility of feeding from the riser, internal shrinkage porosity is
likely to form.

In SOLIDCast, you can create a completely customized cooling or volume change curve by
actually drawing with the mouse.
Suggested Starting Settings for CFS and Niyama Points

CFS Niyama

Plain Carbon Steels 50% 55% for

large sand castings

Plain Carbon Steels 35% 40% for

small investment castings

Alloy Steels 45% 50% for

large sand castings

Alloy Steels 30% 35% for

small investment castings

Aluminums 20-30% 25-35%

Copper Alloys 25-35% 30-40%

Cast Irons See Unit 6: Customizing Curves for Cast Irons

SOLIDCast UNIT 6: Customizing

Curves for Cast Irons

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For ductile irons and gray irons, the system allows you to customize the cooling curves based on
the specific composition of Carbon, Silicon and Phosphorus in your alloy. The system also
calculates the CFS point and overall amount of shrinkage during solidification and makes
automatic adjustments to the shrinkage curve, based on the cooling of an unrigged casting.

Cast Iron is one of the most complex alloys in terms of how it solidifies and how volume
changes affect the likelihood of shrinkage porosity. Following is a description of current
methodology
in regard to modeling iron castings in SOLIDCast, and how to best customize the data for your
process.

Alloy Selection

In the standard SOLIDCast database, there are two base alloy selections for ductile iron, and
three for gray iron, as follows:

CI DI Ferr

CI DI Pearl

CI GI 3.5 CE

CI GI 4.0 CE

CI GI 4.4 CE
These represent generic cast irons, and should be modified, as explained below, for use in your
own shop. It is possible to customize these alloys for specific compositions, casting types and
processes.

As an example, suppose that we have a Ferritic Ductile Iron hub casting(shown below) with the
following composition:

C 3.25%

Si 2.50%

P 0.03%

We would first go to Model Materials List, click on the Casting Materials Tab, then click on the
From DB… button. If necessary, scroll down the list of alloys and select the CI DI Ferr material
from the SOLIDCast database. Once the material is highlighted click the button that says Use
This Casting Material. You will be asked if you want to:
Click Yes. Then adjust the Initial Temperature to an appropriate pouring temperature, in this
case 2500F. The entry should look something like this:

At this stage you do not need to make further adjustments to the material, since we first need to
run a simulation of the unrigged model to obtain cooling rate information. Additional steps to
set up the simulation are given in units 7, 8, 13 and 16.

Once this naked simulation is complete, double-click the simulation icon in the Project Tree to
load the simulation results. You should get a summary screen like this:
Click the Close button to close this window, then select Simulation Riser Design Wizard. This will
allow us to calculate the effective casting modulus for the part, which will be used to help adjust
the curves.

From the introductory screen, click the Next> button to begin calculations.
Click the button that says Calculate and Display Casting Modulus, then click the Next> button.
This will bring up a screen for plotting the modulus values. Just click Next>. The next screen will
show the range of Modulus Data. If you are in English units, the modulus will be in inches. If you
are in Metric units, the modulus will be in centimeters.

At present, we are interested in the maximum modulus, which is 0.478 inches.

Since the modulus information is all we need, click the Cancel button to cancel the plot, then
click on the Finish button to exit the Riser Design Wizard. We have the information we need to
adjust the curves for our iron alloy.

To get back to the Materials List, we need to reload the model. Do this by clicking on the model
icon in the Project Tree on the left side of the screen. Then click on Model Materials List. Then
click on the Iron Calculation Tab. This will bring up the following screen, which will have data on
it from the previous calculation.

Here, we enter the C, Si and P contents as percentages.

This approach recognizes that castings of different section modulus will behave differently in
regard to volume changes. The modulus is the maximum calculated by the Riser Design Wizard.
In this case the value is 0.478 inches.

The calculations, which are based on the German Foundry Society s VDG Nomograms also
require an estimate of the average temperature of the iron in the mold. This is NOT the pouring
temperature. In general, it could be estimated that iron loses, say 75 F to 100 F during the
pouring process. This means that the entry here should generally be pouring temperature less
75 F to 100 F. So if we have a pouring temperature of 2500F the estimate of metal temperature
in the mold might be 2425F.

There are two slider bars, one for Metallurgical Quality and one for Mold Rigidity. Values can
range from 1 to 100 for both factors. In general, the better the process control, inoculation, etc.,
the better the metallurgical quality. And the harder and stronger the mold, the higher the mold
rigidity. This example uses middle values of 50 for each factor.

After entering the above information, we click Calculate Iron Properties and see a screen
similar to this:

The software shows a thumbnail of the adjusted solidification and shrinkage curves, and allows
you to go directly into the cast iron riser design function, or you can click Close. When you exit
this function, the new curves are automatically saved in the Materials List.

You can now go to the Casting Material screen, enter a unique name for this alloy, and click the
Add to DB button to add this to your database as a customized alloy.

Interpretation of Results

Interpreting the results of a cast iron simulation generally involves looking at two different kinds
of shrinkage porosity: Primary Shrinkage and Secondary Shrinkage.

Primary Shrinkage

Primary shrinkage is due to the liquid contraction of the alloy during the initial stages of
solidification, and is predicted in SOLIDCast by using the Material Density function. This shows
formation of primary shrink cavities as well as piping of risers. Critical values of Material Density
are usually considered to be in the range of around 0.995. In other words, if a part of the casting
has a Material Density value of less that 0.995, there should be some discernable shrinkage in
the casting at that point.

Secondary Shrinkage

Secondary shrinkage generally occurs late in solidification, and is mainly the result of expansion
pressures opening cavities within the casting. These cavities are usually found in the thermal
centers of the casting. The quality of the iron will generally determine whether secondary
shrinkage is a problem or not. If the iron is well inoculated and within spec for chemistry, then
graphite expansion will normally continue long enough during solidification to prevent the
occurrence of secondary shrinkage. However, if the iron quality is less than desirable, secondary
shrinkage is more likely to occur as graphite expansion in thermal centers may not continue
long enough to counteract the expansion pressure. Fluctuating iron quality usually will result in
intermittent appearance of shrinkage in castings.

SOLIDCast can be used to indicate thermal centers where secondary shrinkage is likely to
appear. The best indication of thermal centers can be seen with the FCC Criterion. To use this
after a simulation has been run, from the Simulation menu select Calculate FCC Custom
Criterion , then plot the Custom-High output. When you select Custom-High, the system will
display the range of FCC values, which may be different for each casting. We have found that, to
establish a starting point, a good procedure is to plot about 40% of the total range as a critical
value. For example, if the range is 0 to 3.6, you might start plotting at 3.6 X 0.4 = 1.44. Plotting
above this number shows more severe indications, below this number would be less severe. For
subsequent design iterations, use the same critical value to compare the result of one simulation
to the next in order to evaluate changes.

Riserless Castings

Riserless castings are even more complex than risered castings when it comes to modeling and
prediction of shrinkage. We have found that in many cases, feed metal flows from thermal
centers rather than under the influence of gravity.

It is possible to adjust SOLIDCast so that feed metal flows from thermal centers instead of
downward under gravity influence. This can be done by running the SOLIDCast Simulation
Parameters utility and checking the box labeled Thermal Center Feeding (for Riserless Iron
Castings). Once you check this box, click the Apply button. Then click Exit. Once you have done
this, all subsequent simulations will be done using Thermal Center Feeding.

When Thermal Center Feeding is active, all feed metal flow would be considered to be from
thermal centers rather than downward under the influence of gravity.

When using this approach, the range of Material Density values is generally different than
normal. You may end up with a range of something like 0.954 1.0. To plot the predicted areas of
shrinkage, plot values that are at the lower end of this range.
In order to go back to normal feeding, go back into the SOLIDCast Simulation Parameters utility,
clear the Thermal Center Feeding box, click Apply, then click Exit.

SOLIDCast UNIT 7: Selecting Mold

Materials

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To select materials for use in the mold, from the menu bar select Model… Materials List and then
click on the Mold Materials tab. You will see a window that appears as follows:
In this screen, the materials that are available to use in a model are shown in the left-hand
window. The object is to build a list of materials from the available materials in the database.
This is normally done by clicking on the From DB button and selecting existing materials from
the database and adding them to the Materials List. Just highlight the desired material and click
the button labeled Add to Materials List.

You can enter your own mold materials by clicking on the New button. This will open up a new
entry in the Materials List, as shown on the next page. You can then enter appropriate values for
the material properties. If you want to save the new material permanently, click on the To DB
button to save it to the mold materials database.
One of the entries for a new material is the Material Type. There are five types of mold materials
that can be simulated in SOLIDCast, as described in the following list:

Normal: This is a material that changes temperature as the simulation progresses.

Exothermic: This is a material that burns for a period of time at constant temperature
and then changes temperature like a normal material. It may have an elevated ignition
temperature.

P.M. Core: This is a special material used to indicate consumable cores used in
permanent mold simulation.

Constant This material remains fixed at the given temperature during the
Temperature: simulation.

Cooling This material activates a cooling (or heating) channel, under the control of
Channel: either a timer or a thermocouple inserted in the mold.

You may select up to 48 different materials to use in one model.

SOLIDCast UNIT 8: Heat Transfer
Coefficients

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Heat Transfer Coefficients are values that indicate how well or how poorly heat is transferred
across a SURFACE, as opposed to heat flow WITHIN a material.

For most sand and investment castings, we are concerned primarily with how well heat is
transferred from the exterior surface of the mold. The internal HTC s are masked by the low
thermal conductivity of the mold material. In permanent mold applications, we want to model
the effect of mold coatings on the die surfaces, so we TURN ON internal HTC s and enter
appropriate values in the HTC table.

To set Heat Transfer Coefficients, from the menu bar select Model… Materials List and then click
on the tab labeled HT Coefficients. The following shows a screen that would be typical for a
sand casting simulation:
Here there is no check mark in the box labeled Use Internal HT Coefficients, so the system is
considering only external surface HTC s.

Suggested values for the external HTC for sand casting would be about 1.5 BTU/hr-sqft-F, and
for investment casting would be around 8-20 BTU/hr-sqft-F.

For permanent mold applications, we would click on the box labeled use Internal HT
Coefficients, and then set HTC s between different materials as shown here:
When Use Internal HT Coefficients is selected, is necessary to specify an HTC between ALL
materials in the model that are in contact. To do this, select the first material in the left-hand
window, select the second material in the middle window, and then enter the HTC in the right-
hand window.

Some suggested values for use in typical permanent mold applications are:

BTU/hr-ft 2-F W/m 2-K

Mold to Casting 200 1135

Mold to Riser 125 710

External Mold Surface 6-8 35-45

Water Cooling Channel 225 1275

Air Cooling Channel 25 140

Cores to Mold 150 850

Cores to Casting 150 850

The HTC Calculator utility can be used to estimate HTC values for a number of situations, such
as air and water cooling channels, convection, radiation and insulating coatings. Full instructions
for this utility are given in Unit 46 of this workbook.
SOLIDCast UNIT 9: Importing STL
Files

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The primary method for importing three-dimensional CAD data into SOLIDCast is through the
use of STL files. STL files were originally developed for rapid prototyping (STL = STereo
Lithography). They consist of a representation of the surface of a part as a series of small
triangles. Most 3D CAD systems can output an STL file of a solid model.

To import an STL file into SOLIDCast, first select File… New Model. Then click on the icon that is
called out as “Add a shape to the model” .

The shape selection window will appear and the STL file should be the first choice on the menu.
An expanded view of the Add Shape window is given on the next page.
Now that STL file has been selected, you will see a button labeled File Click on this button and
navigate to the STL file that you want to load.

When the file is selected, you will see its name appear under the File button. Note that you can
select the Material type and also the shape priority before completing the import operation.

Now click on Add Shape to import the STL file.

The shape will appear in the model space, as per the following example:
Notes on importing STL files:

1. An STL file can represent only ONE type of material. You cannot subdivide an STL shape into
multiple pieces or materials. Therefore, if you have cores, sleeves or chills as STL shapes,
each DIFFERENT MATERIAL TYPE must be contained in a different STL file, as a minimum.
2. The Add Shape window remains active until you click on the Close button. This makes it
easy to import several STL files one after the other. Navigate to a folder and load an STL file
from that folder, then without closing the Add Shape window you can again press the File
button to go directly to that same folder to add another STL file.
3. There is no code in an STL file to indicate whether the file is in inches or mm. So you may
need to load an STL file and view its dimensions in order to determine whether it has been
properly interpreted. For example, suppose that you are working in English units. You load
an STL file that you know to be about 10 inches in length. After loading and doing a Zoom
Full, you switch to an orthogonal view (XY, XZ or YZ) and, by looking at the coordinates at
the bottom of the screen as you move the mouse, you determine that the system thinks
that this part is about 254 inches in length. This indicates that the STL file was in mm. At this
point, you need to delete this shape, and re-import the file; this time, however, PRIOR TO
SELECTING THE FILE, on the Add Shape Window, under the label STL File Units , click mm.
The system will assume that the STL file dimensions are in mm, and they will be converted
to inches as part of the import process. The opposite scenario may be true if you are in
Metric units and are importing an STL file that was created in inches.
4. There is a utility that can scale a SOLIDCast model. This may be useful to correct an error of
interpretation. Suppose your system is set to English Units and you import STL files which
 are in mm, but do not tell the system to convert them. SOLIDCast will then interpret the
dimensions as inches. Your model will then be much larger than actual size. You could user
the utility program to scale the model down to the correct size (in the case, the scale factor
would be 0.03937), without having to start over with the import operations. This would be
quite useful if the model contained multiple STL files. For complete instructions on using
this utility see Unit 46: Stand Alone Utilities.
5. STL files may be created with different levels of tolerance. A tight tolerance results in a large
file with many surface facets. These files take a long time to load and display. A looser
tolerance results in fewer surface facets. These files load quickly. It is a good idea to use
looser tolerances. You can estimate the number of surface facets in an STL by dividing the
file size, in bytes, by 50. MOST commercial castings can be well represented with under
20,000 surface facets. Models in excess of 50,000 or 60,000 surface facets will begin to show
degradation in loading and response time in the system.
6. Some systems can produce both Binary and ASCII STL files. Use Binary files, since they are
smaller and will load and edit faster than ASCII files. At the present time SOLIDCast will only
recognize Binary STL files. There is, however, an ASCII to Binary STL conversion utility
program included with the stand-alone utilities. See Unit 46, Stand Alone Utilities, for full
instructions on using this program.

SOLIDCast UNIT 12: Display

Controls

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In SOLIDCast, the display controls are located as icons across the top of the model window.
These display controls appear in a bar as follows:

The meanings of these icons are as follows:

Switches between a shaded rendered view and a wire-frame view of the casting.

Toggles the background between black and white.

Centers the model in the current window.

Reverses the current 2D view. From top to bottom, front to back, or side to side.

Displays an XZ view of the casting model (this is the default view when you load a file).

Displays a YZ view of the casting model.

Displays an XY view (looking down) of the casting model.

 Allows the user to freely rotate the casting model to any orientation, by using the mouse
with the right button depressed.

Add a shape to the casting model.

Select a shape to hide or delete.

Move the model on the screen by clicking on two points.

Zoom on a portion of the model by drawing a box around the portion to be zoomed.

Zoom up or down a fixed percentage.

Example Orthogonal Views:

XZ View
YZ View
 XY View

SOLIDCast UNIT 13: Generating a

Mesh

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Once you have a model loaded and materials selected, the next step before running a
simulation is to generate a mesh. This is done by selecting Model… Create Mesh… from the
menu bar.

The system will display the meshing screen. This is where you describe how the mesh is to be
generated, and it may appear as follows:

Here you can enter a descriptive name for the mesh. You can also select either the Number of
Nodes (elements) or the size of the Nodes (in inches or mm). Generally, most simulations are
run with between 500,000 and 20,000,000 elements. A “chunky” casting will generally require
fewer elements, while a thin-section casting will require more elements. The maximum number
of elements allowed depends on the amount of installed RAM.

The system will automatically create a mold around the casting if you want it to. (Note: You can
create the mold as part of the model, in which case you would NOT use the automatic mold
creation feature.) You have three options here:

Rectangular

Shell

None

If you are going to have the system create a mold, you can select the Mold Material, the Mold
Thickness (this is the minimum thickness in the case of a rectangular mold, or the shell thickness
in the case of a shell mold) and also whether or not the top of the mold is to be considered
open.
After making these selections, click on OK.

The system will first mesh the casting model and display the mesh as it is being created, as seen
here:

Next, the system will mesh the mold around the casting, as shown below (in this case, a
rectangular mold):
When the meshing process is complete, the mesh name will appear on the project tree on the
SOLIDCast main screen.

SOLIDCast UNIT 14: Weight

Calculations

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To calculate weights, you must have previously meshed a model. The mesh name appears on
the project tree on the left side of the screen, as shown below:
To perform a weight calculation, highlight the mesh name and select Mesh Weights. The
following window will appear:

Note: To obtain a highly accurate weight estimate for a casting, you can create a mesh with no
mold material and a high number of nodes. This may often be the first step in developing a cost
estimate for a casting. Once you have gotten the weight information, you can delete the mesh
to save space on the hard drive.
SOLIDCast UNIT 15: View Factor
Calculations

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When castings are made by the investment casting or permanent mold process, a considerable
amount of heat is lost from the surface of the hot shell or die in the form of radiation. The
amount of radiant heat loss varies according to whether various surfaces face the ambient
surroundings or other hot shell or die surfaces. When facing other shell or die surfaces, the
temperature difference is smaller and the amount of radiant heat loss is less.

This variation in radiant heat loss can be simulated by a process of applying View Factor
calculations to the mesh. The View Factor Calculation takes into account the visibility of all shell
or die surfaces to all other shell or die surfaces as well as the surrounding environment, and
adjusts the conditions at each surface accordingly.

View Factor Calculations are applied to a mesh, AFTER a model has been meshed.

As an example, consider the following model of an investment casting with two castings on a
tree:
The first step in the View Factor Calculation is to select Model Materials List and click on the HT
Coefficients tab. The value that you place in the External HT Coefficient box will be the high
value used for radiation heat transfer. This number is related to the temperature of the shell or
die, and is typically about 5-7 BTU/hr-sq ft-F for permanent mold dies and 10-20 for investment
shells. Values for use can be calculated using the HTC Calculator utility.

Once the External HTC is set, mesh the model by clicking on Model Create Mesh. Meshing this
example casting with a shell mold results in the following investment shell:

Now, having created the shell by meshing, we can apply the View Factor Calculation to take into
account the variation in radiation heat exchange around the surface of the shell.

To do this, we first click on the Mesh icon on the project tree to highlight the mesh. Then, on the
menu bar at the top of the window, select Mesh and then View Factor Calculation. The
calculation will be performed and displayed as shown on the next page:
In this view, the dark areas on the shell are losing heat most rapidly due to a high rate of radiant
heat exchange with the surroundings. The lighter areas are those that see mainly other portions
of the hot shell, and those areas are losing heat more slowly as they exchange radiant heat with
those other portions of the shell.

After having performed the View Factor Calculation, you can go on to the next step and run a
simulation. The View Factor adjustments are now built into the mesh.

By the way, multiple View Factor Calculations will not change the mesh. So, if you can t
remember whether you did the calculation or not, select it again to be on the safe side.

In the same way, the View Factor Calculation can be applied to a permanent mold casting. The
view factors are applied to every surface in contact with ambient conditions, so it doesn t matter
if the die/shell is created as a part of the model, or by meshing.

In general, View Factor Calculations are of limited use in sand casting simulations and would not
be applied to such a model, due to the low temperatures on the outside of the mold during
solidification. A possible exception would be the shell molding process, where the mold
thickness can be quite small compared to part thickness.

SOLIDCast UNIT 16: Running a

Simulation

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To run a simulation, you must have previously created a mesh. The mesh name will appear on
the project tree on the left side of the SOLIDCast main screen. Highlight this mesh name, then
from the menu bar select Mesh… Start Simulation. The following window will appear:

You can select to run either a single cycle (such as a sand or investment casting) or a multiple-
cycle permanent mold simulation.

If you have added Fill Material to a model and if you have the FLOWCast Fluid Flow module
installed, you will have a box labeled Fill Algorithm, and will have the choice of using the simple
SOLIDCast fill algorithm, or the FLOWCast Quick or FLOWCast Full algorithms.

You can also select the criterion that the system uses to stop the simulation and consider it to
be complete. The most common stop criterion is for the system to end the simulation when the
casting and risers are 100% solid.

To start the simulation running, click on OK.

If you selected the SOLIDCast fill algorithm, you will see a graphic picture of the casting filling
while the simulation is running, such as in the following image:
Once filling is complete, the display will switch over to a summary screen, showing the relative
temperatures in the model and other information. If you have unchecked the box in System
Parameters that controls the graphic display during simulation, you will see a text screen which
lists a summary of simulation progress. A sample simulation screen is shown here:
You can minimize the windows associated with the simulation and use the computer for other
programs such as word processing while the simulation is running.

Once the simulation is complete, you are ready to start plotting results.

Stopping and Restarting Simulations

In order to stop a simulation such that partial results can be plotted, or so that the simulation
can later be restarted from the same point and completed, it is necessary to view the project
tree that the simulation is running.

When you run a simulation, you will notice that two windows appear. One window is titled
LASTIT (this is the window pictured on the previous page) and the other is titled SIM5QW. In
order to view the project tree, you need to minimize both of these windows. This can be done
by clicking on the “Minimize” button (the button with a short horizontal line) in the upper right
corner of each of these windows. This will minimize these windows so that they appear on the
Windows Task Bar, and the SOLIDCast window with the model and the project tree will appear
on the screen. This may appear as follows:
On the project tree, which appears on the left side of this screen, you will see an entry for this
simulation. To stop the simulation, double-click on the icon next to the simulation on the project
tree. A window similar to the following will appear:

To stop the simulation, click on the button labeled Stop Sim. This will cause the simulation to
stop, and the system will create data that can be plotted to show whatever results are available.
Note that at this point it is possible to exit from the SOLIDCast system without losing any data.
At any later point in time, it will be possible to load the project and restart the simulation to
allow it to continue to completion.

To restart a simulation, double-click on the simulation icon on the project tree. You will see a
window similar to the following:

By clicking on the button labeled Restart Sim, the simulation will be restarted and will run from
the point at which it was interrupted.

Note that if you plot intermediate data from an interrupted simulation, the data may be
incomplete and the plots may appear to be incomplete. For example, plotting Solidification
Time for the above incomplete simulation shows the following result (Note: See following units
for details on how to plot Solidification Time):
This plot obviously has some data missing, due to the fact that the simulation has not
completed, and only partial data is available. However, this type of image may often be enough
to establish a general idea of what is happening inside the casting, and may be used to obtain a
preliminary answer as to whether a given rigging design appears to be working. Sometimes this
may be enough to evaluate a design and indicate whether a redesign is necessary, before a
simulation has completely finished.

SOLIDCast UNIT 37: Making Movies

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SOLIDCast allows you to create movies from the results of running simulations. These movies
are in the form of WMV files. WMV files are standard animation files that can be viewed on any
Windows system, as long as the Windows Media Player program is installed. Media Player is a
Windows system accessory and is normally found in most Windows installations. A current
version of the Media Player can be downloaded from the Microsoft web
site, http://www.microsoft.com.

There are several types of movie files that can be created in SOLIDCast, as noted below. Each
type is then described in a following section.

Iso-Surface Movies – Each frame of the movie is an iso-surface plot. The progression works
best on time-related data. For example, an iso-surface movie of solidification time would show
the progression of solidification in a casting. The surfaces would show what metal had not yet
solidified at that point in time.

Cut-Plane Movies – Each frame of the movie is a cut-plane plot. A cut-plane plot is a 2D plot,
taken from a slice of the 3D model. Again, this progression works best on time-related data. This
movie shows only the 2D cut plane, and not the full 3D model.

CastPic Movies – Each frame shows a CastPic plot. This is 3D and in color, and can be cut into
up to three directions to show internal features. The plot can be set to go gray when outside the
plot area, or to fade to blue . This can be quite effective in showing a casting cool down after
solidification.

CastScan Movies – CastScan movies come in two flavors, Progressive and Rotating. Progressive
CastScan movies plot a different range of data in each frame, to show, for example, the
progression of solidification. Rotating movies, on the other hand, plot the same data in each
frame, but the view is rotated in each frame, to give the impression that the casting is moving
about, as on a rotating turntable. You can specify many colored layers, which give a very
attractive visual effect.

ISO-SURFACE MOVIES
Iso-surface movies are a series of iso-surfaces at progressive values in a casting model. Each iso-
surface plotted becomes a single frame or picture in the movie. At the end of the movie creation
function, all individual images are included in a single WMV file.

Creating an Iso-surface movie is similar to plotting a single Iso-surface plot (see the section on
Iso-surface plotting). Load your simulation. Then rotate the casting to the angle want displayed
for the movie. Now, double-click on the simulation icon on the Project Tree to display the
Simulation Summary box, then close the Simulation Summary box and select Simulation… Plot
Iso-Surface from the main menu. Select the data item that you want to plot.

For Iso-surface movies, the type of data that is plotted is usually either Critical Fraction Solid
Time or Solidification Time, since both of these are time-based criteria and making a movie of
progression of time makes the most intuitive sense.

If you select Critical Fraction Solid Time, for example, you will see a window like this:
Notice on this window that there is a small box labeled Movie. If you click this box, some
additional fields appear in the window as shown here:

Now there are items labeled “Ending Value”, “Movie Filename”, “Frames” and “Fps” .

“Plot This Value” indicates the value of the iso-surface plot in the first frame of the movie.

“Ending Value” indicates the value of the iso-surface to be plotted in the final frame of the
movie. Typically you might want this to be slightly less than the Maximum value, so that the final
area to solidify will appear with a definite shape in the last movie frame.

“Movie Filename” refers to the name of the WMV file that will contain this movie. In this
example, the movie file will be called Sample CFS.WMV. This file will be placed into the current
folder where the System Parameter for Import Files is set.

“Frames” refers to the number of individual pictures that will make up the movie. The more
frames that are specified, the smaller will be the change from one surface to the next, however,
with more frames it will take longer for the system to make the movie and the size of the WMV
file will be larger.

“Fps” stands for frames per second, and controls how fast the individual images are displayed.

After specifying the above information, click on OK. The system will display a window showing
the progress of the movie creation. An example is shown here:

Note that for Iso-Surface movies, the only plot color available is a dark blue. Future versions of
SOLIDCast will allow for other colors.

Once the movie is complete you should see a screen like this:
You can click on the icons to run the movie in the Windows Media Player or go to the movie
folder. The normal procedure is to set your movie player to repeat, so you can see the movie
several times without having to restart it manually each time. Once you have finished watching
the movie, close the Media Player to return to SOLIDCast.

Note: While a movie is being created, you can still do other things, either in SOLIDCast or in any
other software package. The movie creation process takes place in the background.

Any time that you want to later view the movie, or send it to another person to view, you just
need to locate the WMV file that was created and double-click its icon to start viewing, or send
the file as an email attachment to another person. When the other person receives the file, they
can just double-click the icon to view the movie. It is not necessary to have SOLIDCast installed
on a computer to view these movie files.

CUT-PLANE MOVIES
Cut-Plane movies show the progression of a selected type of data on a single 2D slice cut
through a casting model. A series of images are created which show the progression of the
chosen data item on the cut plane. At the end of the movie creation function, all individual
images are included in a single WMV file.

Creating a Cut Plane movie involves first creating a Cut Plane plot on a chosen plane(see the
section on Cut Plane plotting). A simulation must have been completed. Double-click on the
simulation icon on the Project Tree to display the Simulation Summary box, then close the
Simulation Summary box and select Simulation… Plot Cut Plane from the main menu. Select the
data item that you want to plot, minimum and maximum plot values, and the direction of the
cut plane. For Cut Plane movies, the type of data that is plotted is usually either Critical Fraction
Solid Time or Solidification Time, since both of these are time-based criteria and making a
movie of progression of time makes the most intuitive sense. Now click on OK to create a Cut
Plane plot. You can now use the slider bar to position the Cut Plane where you want it to be in
the model. As an example, you should see something like the following on the screen:

Notice on this window that there is a small box labeled Movie. If you click this box, a small
window will appear as follows:

Notice there are items labeled “Movie Filename” , “Frames” and “fps”.

“Movie Filename” refers to the name of the WMV file that will contain this movie. In this
example, the movie file will be called Cut Plane Movie – CFS.WMV. This file will be placed into
the current folder where the System Parameter for Import Files is set.
“Frames” refers to the number of individual pictures that will make up the movie. The more
frames that are specified, the smaller will be the change from one surface to the next, however,
with more frames it will take longer for the system to make the movie and the size of the WMV
file will be larger.

“fps” stands for frames per second, and controls how fast the individual images are displayed.

After specifying the above information, click on OK. The system will display a window showing
the progress of the movie creation. An example is shown here:

Once the movie is complete you should see a screen like this:
You can click on the icons to run the movie in the Windows Media Player or go to the movie
folder. The normal procedure is to set your movie player to repeat, so you can see the movie
several times without having to restart it manually each time. Once you have finished watching
the movie, close the Media Player to return to SOLIDCast.

Note: While a movie is being created, you can still do other things, either in SOLIDCast or in any
other software package. The movie creation process takes place in the background.

Any time that you want to later view the movie, or send it to another person to view, you just
need to locate the WMV file that was created and double-click its icon to start viewing, or send
the file as an email attachment to another person. When the other person receives the file, they
can just double-click the icon to view the movie. It is not necessary to have SOLIDCast installed
on a computer to view these movie files.

CAST PIC MOVIES

CastPic movies show the progression of a selected type of data in the form of CastPic images of
a casting model. A series of CastPic images are created which show the progression of the
chosen data item on the model surface. At the end of the movie creation function, all individual
images are included in a single WMV file.

Creating a CastPic movie involves first creating a CastPic plot of a model at a given angle of
rotation. (See the section on CastPic plotting). A simulation must have been completed. Double-
click on the simulation icon on the Project Tree to display the Simulation Summary box, then
close the Simulation Summary box and select Simulation… CASTPIC Plot from the main menu.
Select the data item that you want to plot, minimum and maximum plot values, location of cut
plane (if any), whether to plot data outside the range and the Plot Detail number. For CastPic
movies, the type of data that is plotted is usually either Critical Fraction Solid Time or
Solidification Time, since both of these are time-based criteria and making a movie of
progression of time makes the most intuitive sense. Now click on OK to create a CastPic plot. As
an example, you should see something like the following on the screen:

Notice on this window that there is a small box labeled Movie. If you click this box, a small
window will appear as follows:

Notice there are items labeled “Movie Filename”, “Frames” and “fps” .

“Movie Filename” refers to the name of the WMV file that will contain this movie. In this
example, the movie file will be called Cast-Pic CFS Time.WMV. This file will be placed into the
current folder where the System Parameter for Import Files is set.

“Frames” refers to the number of individual pictures that will make up the movie. The more
frames that are specified, the smaller will be the change from one surface to the next, however,
with more frames it will take longer for the system to make the movie and the size of the WMV
file will be larger.
“fps” refers to the number of frames per second that will be shown when the WMV file is
displayed. This controls the speed of the movie.

After specifying the above information, click on OK. The system will display a window showing
the progress of the movie creation. An example is shown here:

Once the movie is complete you should see a screen like this:
You can click on the icons to run the movie in the Windows Media Player or go to the movie
folder. The normal procedure is to set your movie player to repeat, so you can see the movie
several times without having to restart it manually each time. Once you have finished watching
the movie, close the Media Player to return to SOLIDCast.

Note: While a movie is being created, you can still do other things, either in SOLIDCast or in any
other software package. The movie creation process takes place in the background.

Any time that you want to later view the movie, or send it to another person to view, you just
need to locate the WMV file that was created and double-click its icon to start viewing, or send
the file as an email attachment to another person. When the other person receives the file, they
can just double-click the icon to view the movie. It is not necessary to have SOLIDCast installed
on a computer to view these movie files.

CAST SCAN MOVIES – Progressive

A Cast Scan movie combines elements of both a CastPic and Iso-Surface plots. In a Cast Scan
movie, the casting background is created as a solid rendered and shaded casting picture as it is
in a CastPic plot. The data inside the casting is created as one or more Iso-Surfaces. If there are
multiple Iso-Surfaces specified, then the Iso-Surfaces are variably colored with the brighter
colors representing the more critical data areas.
Cast Scan Movies can be created showing either a progression of data with the casting image in
one orientation, or with the data plot limits fixed and the casting rotating in space. We will first
discuss the Progressive type of plot, and the next section will deal with the Rotating type of plot.

To create a Progressive Cast Scan, first orient the model at the angle at which you want it to
appear in the movie. The casting will remain at this angle in all frames of the movie. You must
have completed a simulation prior to creating the Cast Scan movie. Double-click on the
simulation icon on the Project Tree to display the Simulation Summary box, then close the
Simulation Summary box and select Simulation CASTSCAN Movie. A window similar to the
following will appear:

Note that when this window first appears, Temperature is the default data item. For a
Progressive Cast Scan movie, the type of data that is plotted is usually either Critical Fraction
Solid Time or Solidification Time, since both of these are time-based criteria and making a
movie of progression of time makes the most intuitive sense. You can select a data item by
clicking on the selection arrow next to Temperature (Whole Model) and then selecting either
Critical Fraction Solid Time or Solidification Time.

Note also that “Rotating” appears in a window. You can change this to Progressive by clicking
on the selection arrow next to Rotating.

The number of Surfaces specifies how many Iso-Surfaces will be plotted within each image. This
can vary from 1 to 24.

A typical setting for this window would be as follows:

After specifying the above information, click on OK. The system will display a window showing
the progress of the movie creation. An example is shown here:

Note that when making Cast Scan movies, the time to create a movie can vary widely. Some of
the items that affect the time to make a movie are as follows:

Number of Frames: The greater the number of frames, the longer the time to make the movie.

Surfaces: The more surfaces, the longer the time.

Detail: The higher the detail, the longer the time. (Note that higher detail produces a larger
movie when using the default size in the Media Player).

Once the movie is complete you should see a screen like this:

You can click on the icons to run the movie in the Windows Media Player or go to the movie
folder. The normal procedure is to set your movie player to repeat, so you can see the movie
several times without having to restart it manually each time. Once you have finished watching
the movie, close the Media Player to return to SOLIDCast.

Note: While a movie is being created, you can still do other things, either in SOLIDCast or in any
other software package. The movie creation process takes place in the background.

The following image shows four frames from a typical example of a Progressive Cast Scan
movie, showing a progression of solidification on an investment cast tree. Two castings are
attached to the central downsprue/runner/feeder:
Any time that you want to later view the movie, or send it to another person to view, you just
need to locate the WMV file that was created and double-click its icon to start viewing, or send
the file as an email attachment to another person. When the other person receives the file, they
can just double-click the icon to view the movie. It is not necessary to have SOLIDCast installed
on a computer to view these movie files.

CAST SCAN MOVIES – Rotating

A Rotating Cast Scan movie is an alternative to the Progressive Cast Scan type of movie. In a
Rotating movie, the range of data that is plotted stays constant, and the casting model rotates
in space about a vertical axis. This allows the data that is plotted inside the casting to be viewed
from all angles, and can sometimes give a viewer a more intuitive feel for where various
indications inside the casting model are actually located.

To create a Rotating Cast Scan, first orient the model at the angle at which you want it to appear
initially in the movie, keeping in mind that the casting will rotate horizontally about its vertical
axis in the movie. You must have completed a simulation prior to creating the Cast Scan movie. .
Double-click on the simulation icon on the Project Tree to display the Simulation Summary box,
then close the Simulation Summary box and select Simulation… CASTSCAN Movie. A window
similar to the following will appear:

Now select the type of data you want to plot. In a Rotating Cast Scan movie, any data item may
make sense to plot. Our example will show Material Density.

Fill in the Movie Filename, Number of Frames and fps (Frames per Second). In a Rotating Cast
Scan movie, the model will perform one full rotation. Therefore, the number of frames
determines the degrees of rotation from one frame to the next, If number of frames is specified
to be 36, then the model will rotate 10 degrees in each frame. If the number is 72, the rotation
from one frame to the next will be 5 degrees.

After filling out the items in the window, it should look something like the following:
After specifying the above information, click on OK. The system will display a window showing
the progress of the movie creation. An example is shown here:

Note that when making Cast Scan movies, the time to create a movie can vary widely. Some of
the items that affect the time to make a movie are as follows:

Number of Frames: The greater the number of frames, the longer the time to make the movie.

Surfaces: The more surfaces, the longer the time.

Detail: The higher the detail, the longer the time. (Note that higher detail produces a larger
movie when using the default size in the Media Player).

Once the movie is complete you should see a screen like this:

You can click on the icons to run the movie in the Windows Media Player or go to the movie
folder. The normal procedure is to set your movie player to repeat, so you can see the movie
several times without having to restart it manually each time. Once you have finished watching
the movie, close the Media Player to return to SOLIDCast.

Note: While a movie is being created, you can still do other things, either in SOLIDCast or in any
other software package. The movie creation process takes place in the background.

The following image shows four frames from a typical example of a Rotating Cast Scan movie,
showing a simulation that was run on a casting with risering. The plot is of Material Density,
showing riser piping and shrinkage-prone areas in the casting.
These images were created using 8 surfaces in each image.

Any time that you want to later view the movie, or send it to another person to view, you just
need to locate the WMV file that was created and double-click its icon to start viewing, or send
the file as an email attachment to another person. When the other person receives the file, they
can just double-click the icon to view the movie. It is not necessary to have SOLIDCast installed
on a computer to view these movie files.

SOLIDCast UNIT 41: FCC Custom

Criterion

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The FCC Criterion is a calculation that was developed by Franco Chiesa of the Coll ge de Trois-
Rivi res (Qu bec) for prediction of total evolved microporosity in aluminum castings. This
criterion is based on a calculation involving Local Solidification Time (time from Liquidus to
Solidus) and Solidification Wavefront Velocity at each point in the casting. In moderately
degassed aluminum castings, this criterion gives an estimate of the total percent structural
microporosity at each point in the casting. SOLIDCast includes a menu item that allows this
calculation to be performed as stored as a Custom Criterion function that can then be plotted.

It has been found that this calculation can also give useful results in other alloys (such as iron
and steel) for prediction of areas of potential microporosity or spongy shrinkage. This criterion
also has proven useful in identifying thermal centers within castings, so that, for example, the
location of possible secondary shrinkage in iron castings might be displayed.

The range of numbers that will be developed for any given casting depends on the alloy and the
geometry of the casting, so it is not possible to say ahead of time what a critical range should be
for a particular casting. In general, the higher the number, the more potential for microporosity
formation. It has been suggested that, to establish a starting point for plotting, look at a number
that is at about 40% of the total range. For example, if the total range in a casting is from 0 to
1.9, then a number at about 40% of this range would be 0.76. This might be a good value to
start plotting. Numbers higher than this will generally show less indications in the casting (the
more severe areas) while lower numbers will generally show more indications (“less severe”
areas).

Using the FCC Criterion in SOLIDCast is a two-step process:

1. After a simulation is complete, double-click the Simulation icon on the Project Tree to
display the Simulation Status window, then close the Simulation Status window. Select
Simulation… Calculate FCC Custom Criterion from the Simulation menu. A button will
appear on the taskbar while the calculations are taking place.
2. After the calculation is complete, again double-click the Simulation icon on the Project Tree
to display the Simulation Status window again. This action loads the minimum and
maximum values from the FCC calculation into the system. Now close the Simulation Status
window and select a plot. For example, select Simulation… Plot Iso-Surface. Under Select
Data Type, click on the selection arrow, and find and select Custom – High. The range of
the FCC Criterion will be displayed, and you can then begin plotting values.

An example of an Iso-Surface plot using the FCC Criterion is shown as follows:

In this image, you can see several areas in the casting that may be prone to microshrinkage.