Resand Oy's collaboration with voxeljet and ITOCHU Ceratech promotes sustainable development of 3D printing solutions

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Foundry Corporate News Topic Sand & Binders Topics 3D Printing

29. August 2023

Regeneration of ceramic sand

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Finnish company Resand has developed an innovative new technology that enables the cleaning and recycling of foundry sand. Through continuous product development, Resand has now achieved a breakthrough that also enables the regeneration of ceramic sand. Ceramic sand is used, for example, in the production of 3D printing moulds.

Finnish, German and Japanese cooperation

Thanks to the successful regeneration of ceramic sand, Resand has signed a long-term Sand As A Service (SAAS) service agreement with voxeljet, a global leader in industrial 3D printing solutions. The contract covers the cleaning and recycling of ceramic sand used by voxeljet at the sand regeneration unit in Resand's service center in Germany. The leading Japanese ceramic sand company, ITOCHU Ceratech, with whom Resand has been testing ceramic sand reclamation, manufactures ceramic sand called “CERABEADS®”. The Finnish, German, and Japanese companies are united by their ambition to promote sustainable development and to save resources.

"Resand aims to promote the responsible use of sand and we have already signed several service contracts for the cleaning of foundry sand in Finland and Germany. I am very excited that our cooperation with ITOCHU and voxeljet has proven that our technology works for cleaning different sand materials and that we can support the environmentally friendly use of materials in different industrial sectors," says Kalle Härkki, CEO of Resand Oy.

voxeljet is a globally acting, leading global provider of high-speed, large-format 3D printers and on-demand 3D-printed parts for industrial and commercial customers. Originally developed for the metal casting industry, voxeljet’s 3D printing technology now has applications in a wide range of industries. In general, 3D printing technology can be used to streamline conventional, cost-intensive manufacturing processes, simplify the development of new materials, and make transportation more economical and efficient. 3D printing is one of many tools that can pave the way for a more sustainable industry.

”3D sand printing is a continuously developing industrial manufacturing technology, especially in the foundry industry. To be able to recycle processed sand of the printing workflow is an important step towards resource responsibility and it also provides a higher cost-efficiency. We are looking forward to working with Resandand ITOCHU on this promising technology and exploring an even more sustainable and responsible approach to 3D printing,” says Alexander Kudernatsch, Director Services at voxeljet.

CERABEADS® is a versatile material, favoured for its excellent properties such as good fluidity due to spherical shape, extremely low thermal expansion, and high heat resistance. CERABEADS® is produced from alumina-based raw material through a sintering process. CERABEADS® has a high recycling rate and almost no crystalline silica, which opens new possibilities for the use of this valuable material. CERABEADS® is a multiple solution.

About Resand Oy

Sand suitable for industrial use is becoming scarce. However, the extraction of virgin sand can be reduced, and the resulting loss of biodiversity slowed down by regenerating and reusing sand. Resand Oy is a Finnish technology company specialising in foundry sand regeneration, offering its customers clean sand as a service. The Resand^TM solution enables almost 100% recycling of foundry sand and reduces CO₂ emissions from sand use and transport by up to 80%.

ResandOy is headquartered in Nuutajärvi, Finland, and has staff in several European countries. The company aims to achieve strong growth in the European foundry market and to expand its business outside Europe.

The Resand^TM brings a solution to the global challenge by recycling sand - again and again and again.

About voxeljet

voxeljet is a leading provider of high-speed, large-format 3D printers and on-demand parts services to industrial and commercial customers. The company’s 3D printers employ a powder binding, additive manufacturing technology to produce parts using various material sets, which consist of particulate materials and proprietary chemical binding agents. The company provides its 3D printers and on-demand parts services to industrial and commercial customers serving the automotive, aerospace, film and entertainment, art and architecture, engineering, and consumer product end markets.

For more information, visit www.voxeljet.com or follow voxeljet on YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

About Itochu Ceratech Corp.

ITOCHU Corporation is one of the biggest conglomerates in Asia and ITOCHU Ceratech Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of ITOCHU and has been manufacturing high-quality ceramic products in Japan for 63 years.

CERABEADS® ceramic artificial foundry sand was developed in 1986 to offer foundries high-performance sand as a substitution for zircon sand. Since that time foundries all over the world have enjoyed benefits connected with the usage of CERABEADS®, such as high refractoriness, almost zero thermal expansion, high durability, and almost no crystalline silica content. In recent 15 years, the demand from foundries to reclaim sand has increased globally to reduce the waste of limited natural sources, improve the foundry environment, and focus on the production of complex castings. Nowadays, foundries use CERABEADS® in various industrial sectors and metals in automotive, aerospace, heavy industry, and 3D printed sand parts.

For more information, visit www.itc-cera.co.jp/english/