Consistent quality of foundry sand

At the company GTP Schäfer, the focus of development was on the volatile quality of synthetic foundry sands. With Ceratec, the company has now developed a product that is characterised by grains of an almost perfect spherical shape. This guarantees optimum performance during moulding.

During development of the product, GTP Schäfer placed special importance on controlling the entire supply chain – from the mine to the consumer – so that the product would be of consistent quality. This is to avoid problems – like higher use of binding agents, penetrations, metallisations and worsened surfaces, which can be caused by fluctuations of quality in synthetic foundry sand. By using Ceratec, metallisations at core parts subject to high thermal stresses can be specifically avoided. The desired surface quality is almost always achieved without additional polishing of the surface.

Practical experience shows that in certain cases the cleaning costs are reduced by more than 50 percent and the high Al2O3 content as well as the purity of the foundry sand lead to a noticeable reduction of emissions. This also leads to a better mechanical and thermal stability. Compared to conventional basic moulding materials, only 40 to 70 percent of the usual quantity of binders is necessary to achieve the desired level of firmness.

GTP Schäfer has also added to the scope of their offer regarding special moulding materials. Cerapearl, for example, is a synthetic, sintered moulding material. This has the same qualities as Ceratec and offers several advantages beyond. Its lesser density helps to reduce core costs without a negative impact on the quality of the casting. The increased processing time makes it possible to make more cores from a mixture without loss of firmness.

Another novelty is Cerashell. This is Cerapearl with a resin coating. This combines the advantages of a synthetic basic moulding material with those of finished sands. This makes the product suitable for casting engines and hydraulics.