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Hugo Junkers Awards for Research and Innovation 2019

Electrical hardening of inorganic sand cores

Soplain GmbH receives 2nd prize in the category: "Most innovative projects in applied research"

Advanced Core Solutions (Soplain GmbH), Sülzetal; TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Foundry Institute

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Soplain GmbH has developed a new process for the production of sand cores for the automotive industry.

Sand cores are used in molds to produce castings with cavities. The new, so-called ACS process is based on the fact that the electrical conductivity of the core tools is adapted to the respective sand binder mixture in the core box. This has only recently been possible and means that the tools can be energized homogeneously. In this way, uniform heat is generated directly in the sand cores.

Core boxes can be operated at temperatures of only 100 to 120 ° C and cycle times up to 30 percent faster are possible. So far, the so-called cold box process is still the market leader. However, toxic aming gas is used, which is why it is already legally prohibited in some countries. In the existing inorganic hot box processes, heat is generated externally and fed to the sand core through the core box. However, sand is a poor heat conductor. Therefore core boxes are currently operated at 180 to 200 ° C, although temperatures above 100 ° C would be sufficient.

The patented ACS process is intended to help foundries increasingly switch from cold boxes to hot boxes.

By Wolfram Bach, Eric Riedel, Michael Kaftan, Michael Bremert


 

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