## 2 Materials and Methods
### Digitization and Manufacturing Process Representation
The deployment of PDManager focuses on implementing different modules that manage the following process areas: (i) primary coatings, (ii) secondary coatings, (iii) melting, and (iv) final inspections. Specifically, the first stage of data aggregation relates to the coating process. In detail, the primary coating is the phase where the first layer of wax is applied to the model. Its primary purpose is to create the model's surface. To achieve this, a liquid suspension, also known as slurry, is used. The slurry consists of a fine ceramic material and a binder with high heat resistance and good adhesion. Subsequently, the secondary coating involves applying additional layers on top of the primary layer. Its main function is to provide mechanical strength and structural stability to the mold. Therefore, coarser sand is used together with a colloidal silica binder. The addition of each coating, which will eventually be converted into a shell mold, is of great importance. For primary and secondary coatings, the data to be captured are the environmental data for the room, which are obtained from a third-party platform provided by EKIOMTM company from Paris, France ([[https://www.ekiom.net/](https://www.ekiom.net/)]([https://www.ekiom.net/](https://www.ekiom.net/)), accessed on 20 January 2025). EKIOMTM records temperature and humidity data with different sensors placed in the primary and secondary areas. In addition, slurry data are extracted from the pre-existing Factory Win platform deployed in the foundry. This information is supplied by a _MicrosoftTM ExcelTM_ file located in the coatings laboratory. This document compiles data related to slurry analyses carried out periodically through rigorous internal procedures in the foundry. More specifically, the variables include density, temperature, SiO\({}_{2}\) percentage, and others. Figure 2: PDManager architecture overview where several specific modules manage each production process step and gather data to correlate and store in a central database. These parameters are critical because if the environmental data are not correct, the mold layers will not dry under optimal conditions, causing mold breaks. Furthermore, if the slurry creation is incorrect, it will cause poor adhesion between layers, which may also cause mold breakages. Then, in the melting area, the controlled data include the chemical composition of the alloy, the temperature of the furnace, and other variables related to the casting. At this stage, the data flow in two different ways. On the one hand, some data are manually digitized through the PDManager Melting and Pouring module. On the other hand, several pieces of data are stored in the Factory Win platform and are automatically detected and extracted from it. Specifically, composition data are measured via spark spectrometry analysis performed in the chemical laboratory, while the rest of the data are generated by various sensors connected to the corresponding equipment. For the last area, the final inspection, the gathered information pertains to the quality results of the manufactured castings. The data focus on the occurrence of shrinkages and mechanical properties, such as elongation, which are analyzed in this research. For this last data extraction process, information about inclusions is obtained from PDManager, which is connected to Factory Win and continuously updated with results from fluorescent particle tests performed on all created parts. This process is carried out by qualified technicians who determine the number of pores/inclusions in each part. Additionally, elongation data for castings are provided. For this purpose, representative standard specimens from the manufacturing order are machined and later tested to obtain the final mechanical properties, which are then digitized via PDManager. Once the data are extracted and stored in the appropriate repository, they should be utilized to improve the day-to-day process.