Choose proper fused ceramic sand for casting
Fused ceramic sand is an alumina-based ceramic bead for foundry. It obtains extraordinary characteristics such as high thermal resistance, low angularity, high mechanical strength, etc.
As synthetic foundry sand from calcined bauxite material, fused ceramic sand quality is stable from a strict production and quality control system. However, it should be cautious to get proper quality and specification because the quality varies with different manufacturers and different casting technology.
Here are some tips to get proper ceramic sand for the casting work：
The casting material and casting temperature.
For castings of steel and stainless steel, use high Al2O3 content ceramic sand. High Al2O3 up to 73-75% is the top quality level of fused ceramic sand. In this case, the casting temperature can reach 1540-1570 degrees. Higher aluminum oxide makes higher refractoriness.
For castings of nodular cast iron and non-ferrous alloy, using ordinary Al2O3 content quality level is ok. The casting temperature of the two castings is 1300-1450 degrees and 700-740 degrees respectively. A medium-quality level works perfectly enough. Moreover, the cost is more acceptable.
2. The casting weight and size.
Generally, bigger and heavier castings ask for coarser ceramic sand. For heavy large and thick wall casting more than 10MT, use coarse sand such as AFS20 AFS30. Ceramic sand can make corners of large casting more smooth. For light casting and thin structure casting lower than 5MT, always use finer grit such as AFS50, AFS55, AFS60, AFS65, etc.
3. Casting technology.
- Lost foam casting, use AFS15, AFS20, AFS25, etc.
- Furan resin no-bake casting, alkaline-phenolic resin molding, core making, Pep set no-bake sand, Sodium-silicate bonded sand, use ceramic sand with fineness AFS30, AFS40, AFS50, AFS60, etc.
- Shell molding, resin-coated sand casting, use ceramic sand AFS45, AFS50, AFS60, AFS65, etc.
- Lost wax precise casting, use ceramic sand AFS70, AFS75, AFS80, etc.
