Here at Patriot Foundry & Castings, our commitment to producing the highest quality sand castings for our customers comes from an unwavering dedication to preserving time-tested methods. At Patriot, we have set ourselves apart from other foundries by focusing on service while offering the cost-effective method of sand casting which allows us to cast products in a variety of shapes and sizes! We run our advanced sand foundry according to rigid procedures and effective techniques which ensure consistently excellent results. While we have found the unique processes that work best for us, the method of sand casting has a history that started thousands of years before Patriot was founded.
What is Sand Casting Anyway?
Sand casting is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a metal casting process which uses sand as the mold material. To get a little more specific, the sand is mixed with a bonding agent like clay and moistened enough to be malleable. This mixture is then molded around patterns to created a mold cavity where the molten metal will be poured. Once the metal cools, the dried sand mold is broken away and the casting is removed. As simple as it sounds, there are many additional factors involved in developing a casting process that yields consistently high quality results. Those factors include things like specific materials like binders and resins, the use of chilled metal plates that help with cooling, ferrous and non-ferrous inserts for heating and cooling applications, and the unique requirements for a particular customer’s application.
The History of Sand Casting
The history of sand casting dates back to ancient China, where the Shang Dynasty utilized methods which are extremely similar to those used today to cast bronze statues. Later, the sand casting process was detailed in a book published in 1540 by Vannuccio Biringuccio. As long ago as this was, the processes described are extremely similar to the sand casting methods we trust today. Fast forward to the 1920’s when the mass production of vehicles was just beginning to boom. Sand casting gained popularity quickly as precise metal parts needed to be quickly manufactured. Ford and other car companies adopted sand casting as a method for reliably high-quality vehicle parts. The US military implemented the process around the same time to manufacture hand grenades. As sand casting spread through multiple industries, it swiftly gained popularity, yielding multiple innovations which fine-tuned the process and perfected the components, formulas, and procedures.
Our Time Tested Techniques
Fast forward to the present. Patriot Foundry has found great success employing the time-tested sand casting process in the manufacturing of parts and components using aluminum-, copper- and zinc-based alloys. The parts we produce are used in an extensive range of applications and industries including components for aerospace and automotive, equipment pieces for firefighting and military, gears for the Department of Defense and oil & gas industry, the tiny pieces used in electronics, dies and a variety of components for the packaging industry, and parts that require precision and specific detail used in the medical industry.
Sand casting is one of our most popular services because it works. Few other manufacturing processes offer the same history of innovation and unwavering success that sand casting does. With sand casting, we can deliver the kind of results that our customers require, while continuing to perfect our unique processes to offer even more precise outcomes with unparalleled service. If you’re ready to learn about the sand casting services we offer, contact us today!
