Ceramic Foundry Sand for Aluminum alloy casting

Ceramic Foundry Sand for Aluminum alloy casting

Ceramic Foundry sand (also known as “ceramsite” or “Castball”) is a synthetic spherical refractory material for casting. When used as foundry sand in aluminum castings, it has a lot of significant advantages over traditional quartz sand, chromite sand.

The superior advantages of ceramic foundry sand for aluminum alloy casting:

1. Excellent refractory performance

High melting point (≥1800℃): much higher than the pouring temperature of aluminum alloy (usually 700-800℃). Thus, it can avoid high-temperature sintering or melting, and reducing sand sticking defects.
Low thermal expansion coefficient: stable size when heated, not easy to produce expansion cracks. That ensures the surface finish of the casting.

2. Excellent fluidity and filling properties

Spherical particles: excellent fluidity, can tightly fill the complex contours of the mold (such as thin walls, deep grooves), reduce sand mold gaps. As a result, improve the dimensional accuracy of castings.
High air permeability: The uniform pores formed by spherical accumulation are conducive to exhaust, reducing defects such as pores and slag inclusions.

3. Optimization of cast aluminum surface quality

Low sand adhesion tendency: The surface is smooth and chemically inert, does not react with aluminum liquid, and the casting is easy to desand. The surface roughness (Ra) can be controlled below 6.3μm.
No metal penetration: The dense spherical structure prevents aluminum liquid from penetrating into the gaps between sand particles, avoiding “mechanical sand adhesion”.

4. Durability and environmental protection

High reuse rate (≥90%): High hardness (Mohs hardness 7-8), low breakage rate. The ceramic foundry sand can be used repeatedly, and reduce sand consumption costs.
No free SiO₂: Avoid the risk of silicosis caused by quartz sand, environmentally friendly and in line with occupational health standards.

5. Process adaptability

Compatible with a variety of binders: Suitable for resin sand (furan, phenolic), water glass sand and other processes, with high curing strength.
Fast heat conduction: The spherical structure conducts heat evenly, shortens the cooling time of aluminum parts, and improves production efficiency.

Typical applications:

1. Precision aluminum castings: Such as automobile engine cylinder heads and aerospace components.
2. Parts with high surface requirements: Decorative aluminum parts that need to be polished or electroplated.
3. Complex structural parts: Filling of thin-walled or deep-cavity molds.

The specification of ceramic foundry sand:

With its comprehensive performance, ceramic foundry sand has become an ideal choice for surface sanding of high-end aluminum castings (especially precision and complex parts). This special castball can significantly improve the yield rate and reduce subsequent cleaning costs.