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A game-changer for production capabilities and the environment

A progressive award-winning UK foundry is taking sand casting manufacturing to a new level, after investing in the latest thermal sand reclamation plant to accommodate future growth and reclaim up to 95 per cent of used sand, thanks to the expert guidance from world-leading foundry plant and equipment supplier Omega Sinto Foundry Machinery Ltd. 

The sand reclamation plant is part of a wider £3m investment into a new foundry bay housing a range of the latest technologies that will see Finecast Foundry Ltd future-proof the business and meet rising customer demand.

The new foundry bay offers an extension of the existing foundry production facility in Littlehampton (UK), doubling manufacturing space, purpose-built to accommodate larger mould assemblies and larger castings including large BiW (body in white), MLP (make-like production) and offering a world-class centre for prototype development.

When looking for a respected supplier to offer renowned expertise, support and proven technology to help guide them through the process, Omega Sinto was the obvious choice.

Finecast CEO, Chris Heatley explains: “Our investment into the new foundry bay is a complete game changer! It not only provides the ability to manipulate and produce larger moulds, large body castings and rapid prototypes, but it also enables us to improve efficiency, increase production capacity to meet customer demand and lower casting costs for our customers.

“The great news is we are now manufacturing large lightweight castings up to 2m2 with a minimum wall thickness of 2.5mm, linear cast tolerance of DCTG 7 and surface finishes of 4RA, which closely emulates tolerances of pressure diecasting.

“We are now providing low volume production through to full production batch manufacture supporting our customers on each stage of their manufacturing journey.”

The Ultimate System

What Heatley describes as “the ultimate automated moulding lines to improve production and mould consistency”, includes a high output 15 tonnes per hour sand mixer for automated pouring, crane furnace ladle for controlled metal pouring and stripping stations which enable low-level shakeout to rapidly de-mould after the pouring without compromising surface quality or distortion of casting.

The new thermal sand reclamation plant is conveniently situated next to the foundry production facility with the three x 60-tonne sand hoppers. One hopper is used for new sand and topping up and two buffer hoppers are for post-knockout primary attrition reclaimed sand ready to be thermally processed and pneumatically delivered to the sand mixers.

The thermal sand reclamation plant delivers premium quality sand 24 hours a day, seven-days a week to the foundry, enabling the consistent production of high quality sand castings.

Heatley is delighted with the outcome in terms of production benefits and social conscience: “The thermal sand reclamation system not only allows us to reclaim the vast majority of the sand we use in our foundry to manufacture our castings, but it also improves efficiency and productivity, reduces casting costs and optimises sand quality, allowing us to produce quality-assured castings with superior surface finishes.

“In addition, we have further reduced our carbon footprint and become more environmentally friendly by eliminating the need for regular sand deliveries to and from the foundry and sending used sand to landfill.”

This win/win means that Finecast is ensuring the foundry meets environmental commitments and offers a sustainable and prosperous future for all the company’s stakeholders – a real benefit when looking to attract and retain the workforce of the future.

Working with Omega Sinto, the development of the new foundry and thermal sand reclamation system has some impressive benefits, enabling Finecast to:

  • Produce/manipulate larger mould assemblies.
  • Produce stronger moulds and cores.
  • Manipulate/manufacture large BiW castings with wall thickness of 2.5mm.
  • Improve efficiency.
  • Increase production volume.
  • Improve production times.
  • Improve quality of sand.
  • Reduce expansion defects.
  • Improve mould quality.
  • Improve casting quality.
  • Improve casting surface finishes.
  • Provide a world-class prototype facility.
  • Further assure right-first-time approach.
  • Achieve economical savings by reducing transportation and disposal costs.
  • Become more environmentally friendly.

The investment in the new foundry and thermal sand reclamation plant has been undertaken in three phases and is part of a much wider commitment to customers and the wider foundry sector. Look out for more on this in future issues of Foundry Trade Journal.

Contact: Chris Heatley, Finecast Foundry Ltd, Lineside Way, Littlehampton, West Sussex BN17 7EH UK, Tel: +44 (0) 1903 716471, email: [email protected] web: www.finecast.co.uk

 

Thermal Sand Reclamation

The thermal reclamation process involves the cleaning of the waste sand by heat treatment, removing contaminants such as residual binder, metal, ceramics as well as grading, and cooling so it can be reused. Thermal reclamation removes one hundred per cent of the residual binder, producing sand with lower gas content than new sand. The process also makes the sand more thermally stable, reduces casting defects associated with silica expansion and provides a wide range of other benefits.

Omega Sinto Foundry Machinery Ltd is the leading manufacturer of chemically bonded sand equipment for the metal casting foundry industry and is a preferred supplier for many foundries around the world.

Omega can supply thermal reclamation plants ranging from 0.25-12t/h which incorporate the company’s patented ‘dead bed’ technology and heat recovery system, making them the lowest maintenance terminal on the market.

It’s not only silica sand reclamation that Omega specialises in, they also manufacture pneumatic sand conveyors, cooler classifiers, and chromite separation units.

Contact: Sam Garner, technical sales engineer, Omega Sinto Foundry Machinery Ltd, Morley Way, Peterborough PE2 7BW UK. Tel: +44 (0) 1733 232231, email: [email protected] web: www.ofml.net