Casting cores produced in additive manufacturing are more often used in industrial practice, in particular in the case of the production of unit castings and castings with very complex geometry. The growing interest in the technology of 3D printing of cores and molds also brings emerging doubts related to their mechanical and technological properties. This article presents a comparison of the properties of cores made of sand with acid-curing furfuryl resin, made with 3D printing technology; the cores were prepared in a conventional way (mixing and compaction). The main purpose of this research was to determine the possibility of using shell cores as a substitute for solid cores, aimed at reducing the amount of binder in the core. The influence of the type of the binder and the size of the grain matrix fraction on the obtained mechanical and technological properties of the cores, with particular emphasis on abrasion and thermal deformation, as well as on the kinetics of their hardening, was demonstrated.

The aim of this study was to analyze the crystallization of the Mg₇₂Zn₂₄Ca₄ metallic glass alloy. The crystallization process of metallic glass Mg₇₂Zn₂₄Ca₄ was investigated by means of the differential scanning calorimetry. The glass-forming ability and crystallization are both strongly dependent on the heating rate. The crystallization kinetics, during the isothermal annealing, were modelled by the Johnson–Mehl–Avrami equation. Avrami exponents were from 2.7 to 3.51, which indicates diffusion-controlled grain growth. Local exponents of the Johnson–Mehl–Avrami equation were also calculated. In addition, the Mg phase—being the isothermal crystallization product—was found, and the diagram of the time–temperature phase transformation was developed. This diagram enables the reading of the start and end times of the crystallization process, occurring in amorphous ribbons of the Mg₇₂Zn₂₄Ca₄ alloy on the isothermal annealing temperature. The research showed high stability of the amorphous structure of Mg₇₂Zn₂₄Ca₄ alloy at human body temperature.

During excavation of the cremation cemetery of urnfield culture in Legnica at Spokojna Street (Lower Silesia, Poland), dated to 1100-700 BC, the largest - so far in Poland – a collection of casting moulds from the Bronze Age was discovered: three moulds for axes casting made out of stone and five moulds for casting sickles, razors, spearhead and chisels, made out of clay. This archaeological find constituted fittings of foundrymen’s graves. In order to perform the complete analysis of moulds in respect of their application in the Bronze Age casting technology analytical methods, as well as, computer aided methods of technological processes were used. Macroscopic investigations were performed and the X-ray fluorescence spectrometry method was used to analyse the chemical composition and metal elements content in mould cavities. Moulds were subjected to three-dimensional scanning and due to the reverse engineering the geometry of castings produced in these moulds were obtained.The gathered data was used to perform design and research works by means of the MAGMA⁵software. Various variants of the pouring process and alloys solidification in these archaeological moulds were simulated. The obtained results were utilised in the interpretation of the Bronze Age casting production in stone and clay moulds, with regard to their quality and possibility of casting defects occurrence being the result of these moulds construction.The reverse engineering, modelling and computer simulation allowed the analysis of moulds and castings. Investigations of casting moulds together with their digitalisation and reconstruction of casting technology, confirm the high advancement degree of production processes in the Bronze Age.

The influence of technological factors on the process of slag splashing was analyzed in the paper. The problems were solved in several stages using our own and commercial calculation programs and laboratory tests. Based on the performed calculations and simulations, factors affecting the slag splashing were determined. It was observed that the high efficiency of the process can be achieved by optimizing numerous technological parameters, e.g., flow parameters, pressure, and temperature of the nitrogen stream, height and angle of the lance position, as well as slag height into which the gas stream enters and MgO consumption. In addition, the chemical and mineralogical composition of the slag and its physicochemical parameters should be also considered. The obtained results of numerical simulations of slag splashing in the oxygen converter coincide with the results of experiments carried out using the physical model of oxygen converter. This means that the simulations well represent the real course of the slag splashing process for the studied variants.

This paper includes studies on the influence of grain refinement treatment with respect to the composition and structure of high zinc aluminium casting alloys on the changes of their tensile properties. The Al-20wt.%Zn alloy was inoculated with master alloys AlTi5B1 and AlTi3C0.15 to determine the impact of a variable titanium addition on the tensile properties of AlZn20 alloy, and determine on this basis an optimal addition of Ti that would ensure the improvement of elongation of alloys cast in the sand mould, at the same time maintaining high tensile strength. Within the studies, light microscopy (LM) and strength tests were applied. Experimental results showed that the inoculation of high zinc aluminium alloy AlZn20 with the master alloys AlTi5B1 and AlTi3C0.15 causes intensive structure refinement, while the intensity of reaction of both master alloys is comparable. The AlTi3C0.15 master alloy addition, selected for further studies, introducing about 100 ppm Ti, enhances the tensile properties of the alloy; the elongation increases about 20% and tensile strength increases about 10% against the initial values (uninoculated alloy). Further increase of the Ti addition up to 500–600 ppm leads to the “overinoculation” effect that is accompanied by the decrease of elongation. Therefore,the Ti addition should be reduced to the level of about 100 ppm which ensures obtaining a set of optimal properties.