Breaking with tradition and redefining core production with MiCC: Mingzhi Integrated Core Centre
In traditional core making, the separate arrangement of core shooting machines and various pieces of equipment, such as the daily sand hopper, the sand temperature control system, the sand mixer, the resin heating system, the gas generator, the hydraulic station and other auxiliary equipment, to various inefficiencies. Challenges include fluctuations in production parameters, such as the batch size of the sand mixer, significant variations in waiting times for the moulding sand, and an uncontrolled storage environment for the moulding sand. Consequently, the quality of core production varies considerably, and production efficiency is low.
Mingzhi Technology’s experimental research into cold cores and inorganic processes shows that reducing the core sand waiting time minimises fluctuations in core quality, whilst controlling the sand temperature and increasing the temperature of the catalytic gas improves core production efficiency. Consequently, three critical factors – sand temperature, core sand dwell time and catalyst gas temperature – directly affect the flowability of the core sand, core strength and overall efficiency.
Mingzhi’s innovative solutions
To address these issues and produce higher-quality, more efficient core-making equipment, Mingzhi Technology has redesigned the traditional core-making centre. With the development of the MiCC (Mingzhi Integrated Core Centre) and the MiCL (Mingzhi Intelligent Core Control System), the company has significantly improved traditional control technologies. The MiCC ensures consistent core-making quality and improved production efficiency by optimising the temperature control of the green sand, the curing time of the core sand and the temperature of the catalytic gas.
- Raw sand temperature control
The poor thermal conductivity of quartz sand often poses a problem in traditional core production. To solve this problem, Mingzhi Technology has developed a raw sand temperature control device that is integrated into the raw sand storage structure. By utilising an airflow to regulate the temperature, the device improves the cooling, heating and uniformity of the green sand, maintaining an ideal temperature to stabilise core quality.
- Reducing core sand waiting times
The integrated MiCC core centre streamlines the core sand flow process. The sand mixing unit mixes the required core sand based on the volume calculated by the MiCL system and feeds it directly into the sand storage cylinder. This integration ensures that the core sand is ready for use immediately after mixing, which significantly reduces waiting time. As shown by the data comparison in Table 1, the improved integrated core-making centre reduces core sand waiting time by 90 per cent compared to conventional centres.
- Catalytic gas temperature increase
Conventional core-making centres often suffer from heat loss due to long pipework between the gas heater and the injection hood, which is a particular problem in winter. The MiCC incorporates a highly efficient curing technology that enables the catalytic gas to reach the injection hood with virtually no distance (< 0.5 m) in between, thereby minimising heat loss and catalyst consumption. This design enables a curing efficiency of 30 to 50 per cent compared with conventional centres.
Outstanding quality and efficiency
Controlling the raw sand temperature, the core sand dwell time and the temperature of the catalytic gas via the integrated MiCC core centre leads to remarkable improvements. A comparison of 5,000 cores from traditional and integrated centres, as shown in Table 3, demonstrates that the integrated centres produce cores of more consistent quality, with defect rates, unsuccessful core shots and core breakages are significantly reduced by 75 to 88 per cent compared with traditional core production centres.
Conclusion
The MiCC Mingzhi Integrated Core Centre, in conjunction with the MiCL Intelligent Core Control System, represents a groundbreaking yet positive innovation in core production. It better meets production requirements, significantly improves core quality and efficiency, saves energy and materials, reduces production and operating costs, and improves the production environment. Mingzhi Technology’s advancements equip foundries with superior core-making solutions that are environmentally friendly, efficient and intelligent, and facilitate process transformation and improvement.