M. Schneider, MAGMA Giessereitechnologie GmbH, Aachen, Germany
R. Stevenson, MAGMA Foundry Technologies, Inc., Schaumburg, IL
SAND CORES IN FOUNDRIES
The production of sand cores is a complex process filled with technical challenges that can often times delay production, create scrap and rework, and increase the overall cost of a finished casting. As casting geometries become more and more challenging in their designs, the demand for intricate and high quality sand cores will also continue to increase. Examples of such castings can be seen in the latest generation of combustion engines that have been designed to endure extreme thermodynamic loads and guarantee the maximum performance at the lowest weight possible. Numerous geometrically complex and thin-walled sand cores are required to provide a clean representation of cooling systems in these new engines. The cored passageways for most of these castings must be free of burned on sand, veining, and uneven surfaces as any imperfections will greatly reduce the efficiency of the cooling circuits. Additionally, facilities that produce cores are continually being required to adhere to more rigorous environmental regulations that seek to decrease the amount of emissions that are generated by the core making process. For foundries to stay profitable while meeting these new environmental regulations and increasing customer demands it is essential that the core making process is optimized to maintain tighter process control while eliminating sources of wasted time and money.
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