Types of sand casting tools and equipment used in foundry shops are used for carrying out different operations. such as sand preparation, pouring, molding, and casting. These tools are classified as hand tools and conditioning tools. They are; flasks, power-operated equipment, metal melting equipment, and fettling and finishing equipment.
Sand is used as the mold material in the metal casting technique known as sand casting, often referred to as sand molded casting. An object created via the sand casting procedure may also be referred to as “sand casting.” Foundries are specialized enterprises where sand castings are made. The process of sand casting is used to create more than 60% of all metal castings.
Sand casting tools are mostly used in molding operations, and sand conditioning tools are basically used for preparing different types of casting sands. and core sand. Flasks are commonly used for preparing sand molds and keeping molten metal. Well in this article I’ll be listing the various types of sand-casting tools you should be considering for your project.
Contents
Types of Sand Casting Tools
The followings listed below are types of sand casting tools:
- Hand riddle
- Shovel
- Rammer
- Sprue pin
- Strike of bar
- Mallet
- Draw spike
- Vent rod
- Lifter
- Travels
- Slicslick
- Smoother
- Swabs
- Spirit level
- Gate cutter
- Daggers
- Bellows
- Clamps, cutters, and wedges
Hand riddle
hand riddles are types of foundry tools generally used for cleaning sand. They are used for separating sand and another object that serve as obstacles when molding. Materials such as nails, splinters of wood, short metals, etc. hand riddle consist of a circular wide wire mesh equipped with a circular frame.
Shovel
shovels are other types of casting tools that consist of a customized sheet metal or steel pan with a wooden handle. They are used for moving or transferring the molding sand into the container, molding box, or flask. Shovels are basically used for mixing, tempering, and conditioning the foundry sand by hand. The shovel should be maintained by keeping it clean.
Read more: Working principle of die casting process and its applications
Rammer
Rammers are available in different types. They are used for repairing or arranging the molding sand that loses from the mold. These types of sand casting tools are used to pack or compact the uniformly around the pattern.
Types of rammer:
- Hand rammer: is generally made of wood or metal. It is portable and has one end that carries a wedge-type construction. It is used for ramming the sand in bench molding work.
- Peen rammer: is generally used in packing the molding sand in pockets and corners. Peen rammer has a wedge-shaped construction with a metallic rod at the bottom.
- Floor rammer: floor rammer is heavy and layers when compared with hand rammer. It consists of a long steel bar with a peen at one end and a flat portion on the other. Floor rammer is used in floor molding for ramming sand for larger molds.
- Pneumatic rammer: this type of rammer is used for making large molds just as a floor rammer. It eases work, saves time, and reduces hard labor.
Sprue pin
sprue pin is used to produce a vertical hole in a sand casting. It is made of wood, metal, or tapered rod. It is pushed into the core to join the mold cavity and produces a cylindrical or conical shape in the molding sand.
Strike of bar
strike bars are sand-casting tools that are made of iron and wood. they are used to remove or strike off excess sand from the top of a molding box. It is made of a flat bar having a straight edge.
Mallet
Mallets are sand-casting tools used in driving the draw spike into the pattern. It’s also used for rapping to easily separate the mold from the pattern from leaving the mold cavity. Causing it not to damage the mold surface. Generally, a mallet is used in carpentry or sheet work.
Read more: Different Types of Die Casting and their applications
Draw spike
A draw spike is a tapered steel rod having a screw head on the end and a loop or ring at the end. It is used for driving into a pattern that is embedded in the molding sand and reps the pattern. To get separate from the pattern and finally draws it out from the mold cavity.
Vent rod
Vent rods are types of casting tools made of a round-headed wooden handle and a pointed edge. At the end made of wire of a thin spiked steel rod. It is used after utilizing ramming and the striking of excess sand to produce a series of small holes in the molding sand in the cope portion. The holes pierced allows the steam and gases produced during the pouring process and solidifying stage to escape.
Also check: Foundry work and Processes and the Difference between casting and forging
Lifter
A lifter is also known as a cleaner or finishing tool. It’s used for cleaning, repairing, and finishing the bottom and sides of the deep and narrow openings in the mold. The lifter is made of thin sections of steel of various lengths and widths one end bent.
Travels
These types of foundry tools are used for finishing flat surfaces and joints and partings lines of the mold. It’s made of a metal blade made of iron and with a wooden handle. It’s also used in guts and repairs mold surfaces.
Slicslick
Slicslicks are types of foundry tools that are generally used for repairing and finishing mold surfaces and their edges. It’s done after the withdrawal of the pattern. The common types of slicks are heart and leaf, square and heart, spoon and bead, and heart spoon. Their nomenclature is largely due to their shapes.
Smoother
Smoother is given a different name according to their names. It is generally known as a finishing tool used for repairing and finishing flat and round surfaces, round or square corners, and edges of
Swabs
Swabs are small hemp fiber brushes used for moistening the edges of sand mold surfaces and patterns. It is also used for coating the liquid blacking on the mold faces in dry sand molds.
Spirit level
the spirit level is used by the molder to check whether the sand bed or molding box is horizontal or not.
Read more: 4 common types of metal casting processes
Gate cutter
A gate cutter is made of a small-shaped sheet metal commonly used for cutting runners and feeding gates for connecting spruce holes with the mold cavity.
Daggers
Daggers are made of pieces of wire or rods bent at one or both ends which are used for reinforcing the downward projecting sand mass in the cope.
Bellows
Bellows are used to blow away loose or unwanted sand from the surfaces of the mold cavity.
Clamps, cutters, and wedges
are made of steel used for clamping the molding boxes firmly together during pouring.
Read more: What are the types of casting processes?
Advancement in technology has Improved foundry equipment, modern foundries are heavily mechanized in the sense that one machine contains all equipment and can perform multi operations including, pattern and core making, casting, and molding. These components include a large melting furnace, cranes, forklifts, ladies, conveyors, and transfer vessels.
I hope you get a lot from this post, where I explained the various types of casting tools. Please share with other students. thanks for reading, see you next time!
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