Sand Casting

Sand Casting: The most popular

casting method for good reason

Sand casting has always been a mainstay of our operation, and we are very proud of our sand casting work. We have been working with specialized foundries in China and Vietnam for many years to produce high quality sand castings for customers around the globe. Our extensive knowledge in sand casting combined with our total commitment to quality is what makes us stand out from the crowd.

Guaranteed quality with our Sand Casting products

With the help of the Internet, it is not that hard to find a foundry to make the metal parts you need. But the market is flooded with sub-standard products, and some suppliers can struggle with quality control, especially when the pressure is on and a heavy daily output is required. Castings for certain equipment may value up to millions of dollars, and any error or fault can be very costly.

Common sand casting issues:

Hot Tearing: Caused by a non-uniform cooling rate
Porosity: Caused by, among other reasons, a non-uniform cooling rate, a melt temperature too high, or the use of sand with low permeability
Surface Projections: Caused by shifting of the mold halves, erosion of the mold interior or a crack on the mold
Unfilled Section: Caused by a pouring temperature that is too low or not enough molten metal is used

As experts in Sand Casting, we understand your concerns over casting quality. Omnidex offers more than just the manufacturing capabilities of specialized foundries and workshops. Our Engineering and Quality Control services are what really set us apart from the rest.

We offer a guarantee on the quality of our castings – no porosity, no inclusions, total dimensional accuracy and all materials certified. Learn more about our Omnidex Guarantee here.

Quality sand casting is what we do

There is no mystery or magic when it comes to sand casting – Our sand casting process involves a list of tried and tested procedures, including pattern making, mold making, pouring, cooling and shakeout, reclamation, cleaning, fettling and finishing.

Issues such as shrinking defects and porosity can be prevented if sand casting is done in the right way. Here is how we ensure the quality of our sand casting products:

Impeccable patterns
Every sand casting starts with the pattern (made in wood or aluminium). Accuracy is essential at this stage as any inaccuracy in the pattern will lead to inaccurate castings. That is why all Omnidex patterns are CNC machined with specialized equipment.
World-class engineering support
All shrinkage allowances, draft angles and other factors are accurately calculated by our engineers. Placement of removable cores, feeds, uprisers, chill blocks are also carefully thought out to produce the perfect results.
State-of-the-art simulation tests
After all the calculations, every new design has to go through simulation tests. These tests allow our engineers to estimate the likelihood of porosity, so they can move, increase or decrease the feeds and uprisers or add chill blocks as required. We often work on complex and expensive parts, so we insist to carry out several simulations before making the final decision.
Supervised by sand casting veterans
Our process is supervised by the most experienced sand casting specialists. They will take into account the metal flow in the sand mold, material cooling and many other possible issues such as uneven shrinkage or surface distortion to produce castings of the highest quality possible.
Excellent pre-treatment and finishing
Ferrous castings are pre-treated with zinc phosphate which provides a high level of corrosion protection, and finished with anti-rust coatings, zinc plating, powder coatings or spray painting.

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Learn more about Sand Casting

Sand Casting is a popular casting method with a long history, dating back to the Shang Dynasty in ancient China (1600 to 1046 BC). This process is characterized by the use of sand to make the mold for casting. It is a relatively versatile process that can handle a wide range of casting sizes and shapes. It is estimated over 60% of all metal castings are produced via sand casting.

Check out our video to learn more about our sand casting process:

Pros and Cons of sand casting:

Pros

Relatively inexpensive tooling
Can produce parts in various sizes, including very large parts (from 1 kg all the way up to 15 MT)
Can be used to cast a variety of materials, including special steels, grey iron or ductile iron, as well as non-ferrous metals
Can handle a diverse range of shapes and designs

Cons

Usually limited to one mold per mold box
High level of waste in the form of sand, feeds, uprisers and ballasts. (This can be reduced if the waste is reclaimed and treated properly)
Dimensional inaccuracy and other defects caused by shrinkage, porosity and pouring errors. (This can be prevented with skilled engineering. Read more on how we prevent sand casting defects below)

Materials

We offer sand casting with both ferrous and non-ferrous materials, including:

Aluminum Alloys


Alloy	Temper	Brinell Hardness (500kg)	Yield Strength (ksi)	Shearing Strength (ksi)	Ultimate Tensile Strength (ksi)
731.0 (tenzaloy)	T5 or F	75	23	265	34
535.0 (Almag 35)	F	70	20	27	40
A357.0	T6	85	36	40	46
A356.0	T6	75	30	–	40
356.0	T6	70	24	26	33
355.0	T6	80	25	28	35
319.0	F	70	18	22	27

Brass Alloys


Alloy	Tensile Strength (ksi) Min./Typ.	Yield Strength (ksi) Min./Typ	Elongation (ksi) Min./Typ.	Brinell hardness 10MM-500 (kg)
Red Brass
C83300	/32	/10	/35	35
C83600	30/37	14/17	20/30	50-65
C89833	30/40	15/20	16/18	65-75
Yellow Brass
C85400	30/34	11/12	20/35	40-60
C85700	40/50	14/18	15/40	75

Bronze Alloys


Alloy	Tensile Strength (ksi) Min./Typ.	Yield Strength (ksi) Min./Typ	Elongation (ksi) Min./Typ	Brinell Hardness 10MM-500 (kg)
Tin Bronze, Silicon Bronze & Aluminum Bronze Alloys
C87500	60/67	24/30	16/21	120-135
C93700	25/35	12/18	8/20	55-70
C92600	40/44	18/20	20/30	65/80
C95400	75/85	30/35	12/18	170
C95300	65/75	27/27	20/28	140
Manganese Bronze
C86300 (424)	110/120	60/83	12/18	225
C86500 (421)	65/70	25/28	20/30	130
C99700 (Tombasil)	60/70	30/35	16/20	115

Steel (BS3100)


Carbon Steel	High Tensile Steel	Stainless Steel (304 & 306)
(A1, A2, A3, A4, A5 & A6)	(BT1, BT2 & BT3)	These two grades feature castability, corrosion resistant and weldability characteristics.

Grey Iron (BS EN1561)


Grade 150	Grade 200	Grade 250

Spheroidal Graphite Iron (BS EN 1563)


Grade 400/15	Grade 450/10	Grade 500/7	Grade 600/3	Grade 700/2

Tolerances

In general, sand casting does not deliver the tighter tolerances than other casting process, but in most cases the industry standards (as shown in the drop-down list below) can meet the product requirements. Please note that Omnidex is capable of casting better tolerances than these standards.


Nominal dimension (mm)		Linear dimension Tolerances (mm)（ISO8062）
>	≤	CT9	CT10	CT11
–	10	1.5	2	2.8
10	16	1.6	2.2	3
16	25	1.7	2.4	3.2
25	40	1.8	2.6	3.6
40	63	2	2.8	4
63	100	2.2	3.2	4.4
100	160	2.5	3.6	5
160	250	2.8	4	5.6
250	400	3.2	4.4	6.2
400	630	3.6	5	7
630	1000	4	6	8
1000	1600	4.6	7	9
1600	2500	5.4	8	10
2500	4000	6.2	9	12

Our Products

Sand casting as a versatile and cost-effective solution

Sand casting can be used to make a diverse range of products, ranging from smaller parts to extremely large industrial casting pieces. Examples of modern sand casting products include valves, engine blocks, pump housings, engine manifolds, bearings, gears and many more.

If you are looking for a sand casting specialist to help you with your next project, don’t hesitate to contact us. You can also learn more about other casting processes on this website.

We are always ready to help you with your latest project.

Contact our Customer Service and let us know how we can help to catapult your next project to success.

Years In Business

Years of ISO 9001 Certification

Manufacturing Processes

Qualified Engineers

Combined Years of Expertise

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Contact us

Phone nos.:
Asia Pacific, South America, Africa and rest of the world (other than Australia):
+86 20 8388 7080
Australia: +61 800 765 630
UK: +44 (0)808 123 0080
USA/Canada: + 1 (800) 967 2110

Email

info@omnidexgroup.com