Sand casting

Sand casting is one of the most traditional metal forming processes, using quartz sand or special sand combined with clay or resin binders to create molds. Metal parts can be produced through gravity or pressure casting.
■ Core Functions and Advantages

High Adaptability:

Able to cast various metals, including cast iron, cast steel, and aluminum alloys, with weights ranging from a few kilograms to several hundred tons.
Highly suitable for producing extra-large parts, such as machine tool bases and ship propellers, with unlimited wall thickness (starting from 3 mm).
High Cost-Effectiveness:

Raw material (sand and binder) costs are only 10%-20% of investment casting.
Low mold cost (wooden mold or 3D printed sand mold).
Suitable for mass production (up to tens of thousands of pieces).
Flexible Process Options:

Manual molding: Suitable for customized single-piece production.
Machine injection molding: Using isostatic pressing lines for efficient production.
Supports integration of cold/hot core box technology to create complex internal cavities.
Environmentally Friendly and Controllable:

Sand recycling rate reaches 90%-95% (through crushing, screening, and dust removal).
New inorganic binders can reduce volatile organic compound emissions by more than 50%.
Stable Quality:

Optimized gating and riser systems combined with permeable sand molds (permeability >100) effectively control shrinkage and inclusion defects.
Casting yield exceeds 95%.

■ Applicable Materials

304 stainless steel, 316L stainless steel, 2202 stainless steel, 2507 stainless steel, 904L stainless steel, 2205 stainless steel, 1Cr18Ni9Ti, CD4mcu

■ Typical Applications

● Heavy Machinery: Rolling mill housings and large machine tool bases
● Energy Equipment: Wind turbine hubs and large engine components.
● Architectural Hardware: Manhole covers, pipes, and municipal infrastructure components.
● Art Castings: Large sculptures and monuments.
■ Performance Considerations

Precision and Surface Finish:

Dimensional tolerance: ±1.5mm (lower than investment casting).
Surface roughness: Ra 25-50μm (not as smooth as investment casting).
■ Core Advantages

"Low cost, large size, high compatibility" capabilities.
Best suited for applications requiring cost sensitivity, high volume, or extra-large/heavy components.

■ Industry Positioning

Sand casting remains indispensable in heavy machinery, energy infrastructure, shipbuilding, and traditional industries. It is the preferred process for large cast iron and cast steel components, especially suitable for cost-sensitive, high-volume, or extra-large/heavy metal products. Despite limitations in precision and surface quality, its unparalleled scalability underpins global industrial systems.