Metal casting is one of the largest industries in today’s market. It acts as the supply conduit for almost all other industries that depend on metals directly or indirectly in some way. Sand casting is the most popular choice when it comes to metal casting and accounts for a large percentage of the total weight of metal cast.
How does Sand Casting Work?
It works in a comparatively easy method. To start with, the base metal material is heated up to the required temperature so that the metal can be converted into the molten state. The molten base metal is then poured into the adequate sand casting mold, after which it is allowed to cool and solidify.
There are multiple factors for any sand casting company to consider while conducting sand casting. These include casting allowance, the thickness of the mold wall, mold design, draft angle, among others.
Let us now look at why Sand Casting Company has grown to be the most popular metal casting process.
Works with all Alloys
One of the most important factors that have made sand casting industry standard has been its usability with almost all alloys. Usually, metal alloys require a specific casting process that provides the most efficiency.
However, sand casting works equally well with almost all metal alloys. This is very advantageous for the industry, as one does not need to have multiple types of machinery and processing capabilities for casting different metals.
Cost Efficiency
Tooling cost is one of the key factors that dictate the efficacy of a sand casting process. Sand casting has a significantly low tooling cost that makes it an ideal choice for casting most metals.
This becomes significant in those factories which produce low volume metals. While many other casting processes are cost-efficient at high industry level volumes, they struggle to be cost-effective at lower scale production volumes.
This is where sand casting is exceptional. The tooling cost depends upon the type of pattern for the mold that is being used and the material used for the mold. The reusability factor of the molds and pattern less molds are other factors that can drive down tooling costs.
Highly Versatile
Sand casting is a highly versatile process and can be done with small to large scale castings, depending upon the industry requirements. One can generate castings weighing in ounces and go up to as much as 200 tons.
Such a high range of versatility and effectiveness makes it a much-needed asset for any metal industry. In addition to the diversity in terms of weight, Sand Casting Company can also produce many designs.
The capabilities of casting different shapes with sand casting are only limited by the requirements and the imagination of the professional handling the process.
Fit for all Quantities
As mentioned above, sand casting is equally cost-effective in both low volume and high volume production. Thus, it is the ideal choice for those industries that have variable requirements for production.
Sand casting’s cost-effectiveness ensures it can be used for a single production run as effectively as multiple, high volume production runs.
So with sand casting, you don’t have to worry about the production quantity instead of focusing on the material, casting shape, and other adjacent factors associated with metal casting.
Shorter Operating Times
Sand casting has significantly shorter operating times concerning other metal casting processes commonly used. This becomes a huge asset in the metal casting industry, as operating times directly translate to how effectively and smoothly the factory can churn out the finished product.
Sand casting does, however, commonly require machining and other post-casting processes, which may add up to the initial operational time.
To Sum It Up
All in all, sand casting is one of the most diverse and effective processes present in the market for metal casting. This is due to multiple factors such as excellent cost-effectiveness, short operation times, high versatility, and ability to be cast into multiple shapes and sizes.
Despite the presence of other processes in the market, Sand Casting Company continues to dominate the market of metal casting.