How It's Made Engine Blocks

Summary

This video explains the intricate process of manufacturing an engine block, a key component of a car engine. Traditionally made of iron, modern engine blocks are crafted from lightweight aluminum alloys for better fuel efficiency. The process involves creating sand molds, casting the aluminum, and bonding iron liners into the cylinder bores to prevent wear. The aluminum is melted in a furnace, cast into the mold, and undergoes thermal treatment. Finally, robots perform finishing touches, while automated systems inspect the engine blocks for defects, ensuring precision and durability.

Takeaways

• 🔧 The engine block is the largest and most intricate single piece of metal in a car, housing and linking various engine components.
• ⚙️ It contains passages for circulating coolant and is where combustion converts into mechanical energy to drive the transmission.
• 🛠 Engine blocks were historically made of iron but are now mostly made from lightweight aluminum alloy for better fuel efficiency.
• 🏗 The engine block is a one-piece component cast from a sand mold, made of multiple sections called cores.
• ⚡️ The factory uses a sand, glue, and hardener mixture to form cores that can withstand the heat of molten metal during casting.
• 🤖 Robots are used to insert iron liners into the cylinder bores, preventing wear on the aluminum walls.
• 💧 Oil flow areas are coated with talcum powder to prevent sand particles from contaminating the aluminum and oil.
• 🔥 Aluminum ingots are melted at 800°C in a gas-fired furnace and poured into the mold from the bottom to avoid oxidation.
• 🧪 The cast engine block spends six hours in a thermal sand reclaim oven, which strengthens the metal and breaks down the sand mold.
• 🔍 Every engine block is inspected by an automated vision system to ensure it is free of defects before further machining and installation.

Q & A

What is the primary function of the engine block in a car?

The engine block houses and links the engine components, such as the cylinders and pistons, and contains passages for circulating coolant. It is also where combustion converts into mechanical energy to drive the transmission, propelling the car.

What material were engine blocks traditionally made from, and what material is commonly used today?

Engine blocks used to be made from iron, but today, most are made from lightweight aluminum alloy to improve fuel efficiency.

How is the mold for the engine block created?

The mold is created from a mixture of zircon sand, glue, and a hardener, which can withstand the intense heat of molten metal. This mixture is blown into a master mold made of iron, and a gas activates the hardener to solidify the mixture.

What is the role of the cores in the engine block casting process?

Cores are sections of the mold that fit together to form the entire mold. They help shape specific areas of the engine block, such as the cylinder bores and oil passageways.

Why are iron liners inserted into the cylinder bores during the mold assembly?

Iron liners are inserted into the cylinder bores to prevent the aluminum walls from wearing out due to abrasion when the engine's pistons move.

What is the purpose of coating certain cores with talcum powder?

The cores for oil passageways are coated with talcum powder to prevent sand particles from sticking to the aluminum and contaminating the oil.

Why is molten aluminum poured into the mold from the bottom during casting?

Molten aluminum is poured from the bottom to avoid exposing the metal to oxygen and creating aluminum oxide, which would contaminate the metal.

How are the molds broken down after the casting process?

The molds are placed in a thermal sand reclaim oven, which breaks down the glue holding the sand together, allowing the sand to fall away and leaving the cast aluminum engine blocks.

What is done to the engine blocks after the casting process?

After casting, the engine blocks undergo minor finishing, including removing loose sand and extra metal called risers. They are also rough-machined to bring them close to their final shape.

How is the quality of the engine blocks inspected before they leave the factory?

Each engine block passes through an automated vision system that inspects them for defects to ensure they meet the required standards.