Making a foundry core is hardly rocket science. All it takes is a bit of sand, molten metal and maybe a chemical or two plus a commitment to safe practice and a bit of know-how. The process is breathtaking in its simplicity. Back in the Bronze Age, when there were no production targets or deadlines, early blacksmiths could melt down and re-pour their mistakes until they were happy with the final result.
Modern blacksmiths do not have the same flexibility as their forefathers. Customers want everything yesterday. If your foundry workers all go off sick, get pregnant or retire at the same time, your business can be up a creek without a paddle. Before this happens to you, maybe you should think about outsourcing your core-making activities.
There are several types of core-making process. These are warm box, isocure, air set no-bake and shell. Each one has its own strengths. Nearly three quarters of all metal castings are produced using a sand casting process.
The warm box process uses furan as a fixative. Furan is a small molecule, colorless and flammable. It's boiling point is near room temperature so it is also highly volatile. This work is probably best outsourced unless you have plenty of experience and the right set-up. Heat is applied until the outer surface of the core has hardened. The core's interior continues to cool once it has been removed from the heat. What you end up with is a core with a thin wall that won't be eroded or broken down on exposure to hot metal.
The no-bake air set method is ideal when you have a detailed design and want a small to medium volume. A mixture of plastic and sand is tightly packed around a "positive." This method can produce a casing up to 225 pounds in weight. The air set method is adaptable for a variety of materials, including plastic, non-ferrous metals, fiberglass and styrofoam.
In the isocure process, the sand is mixed with a polyurethane resin. An amine gas or some other catalyst is injected into the box right before superheated air is forced through. This is a quick and cheap method for creating large cores.
When the desired outcome is for a fine, detailed finish, the shell process is optimal. The casting box is headed and then filled with pre-treated sand. The outside is then heated to generate a thin, hard shell. Another advantage of using this method that the uncured sand on the inner core can be poured out and reused.
Metal objects have been cast in sand using foundry core-making since 3500 BC. That's how all those intricate gold artifacts that were immortalized in the film, "Sodom and Gomorrah" were made. Back then, goldsmiths weren't under the time and productivity pressures that they are today. They could melt and recast their mistakes as many times as they liked until they got the desired result. Since then, processes have been refined and now incorporate hazardous materials that weren't available five thousand or so years ago. Today, many businesses outsource this work.
Modern blacksmiths do not have the same flexibility as their forefathers. Customers want everything yesterday. If your foundry workers all go off sick, get pregnant or retire at the same time, your business can be up a creek without a paddle. Before this happens to you, maybe you should think about outsourcing your core-making activities.
There are several types of core-making process. These are warm box, isocure, air set no-bake and shell. Each one has its own strengths. Nearly three quarters of all metal castings are produced using a sand casting process.
The warm box process uses furan as a fixative. Furan is a small molecule, colorless and flammable. It's boiling point is near room temperature so it is also highly volatile. This work is probably best outsourced unless you have plenty of experience and the right set-up. Heat is applied until the outer surface of the core has hardened. The core's interior continues to cool once it has been removed from the heat. What you end up with is a core with a thin wall that won't be eroded or broken down on exposure to hot metal.
The no-bake air set method is ideal when you have a detailed design and want a small to medium volume. A mixture of plastic and sand is tightly packed around a "positive." This method can produce a casing up to 225 pounds in weight. The air set method is adaptable for a variety of materials, including plastic, non-ferrous metals, fiberglass and styrofoam.
In the isocure process, the sand is mixed with a polyurethane resin. An amine gas or some other catalyst is injected into the box right before superheated air is forced through. This is a quick and cheap method for creating large cores.
When the desired outcome is for a fine, detailed finish, the shell process is optimal. The casting box is headed and then filled with pre-treated sand. The outside is then heated to generate a thin, hard shell. Another advantage of using this method that the uncured sand on the inner core can be poured out and reused.
Metal objects have been cast in sand using foundry core-making since 3500 BC. That's how all those intricate gold artifacts that were immortalized in the film, "Sodom and Gomorrah" were made. Back then, goldsmiths weren't under the time and productivity pressures that they are today. They could melt and recast their mistakes as many times as they liked until they got the desired result. Since then, processes have been refined and now incorporate hazardous materials that weren't available five thousand or so years ago. Today, many businesses outsource this work.
About the Author:
You can visit qualitycores.com for more helpful information about Why Outsourcing Your Foundry Core Is A Good Idea.
No comments:
Post a Comment