Foundry Sand Reclamation
The shakeout is a core component of a foundry’s casting process. It removes residual sand from the casting mold by shaking the casting until the sand has separated from the casting. The casting then moves down the process for cleaning and finishing, while residual sand remains. This leaves the foundry with a decision to make on what to do with the sand, discard it or recycle it. With the increase in pricing of sand over the last few years, the process of foundry sand reclamation has become utilized in more foundries as an economical way to decrease their environmental impact while decreasing their operational costs.
The sand reclamation process takes the used sand and removes the binders and coatings that are added during the casting process. This produces recycled sand that is ready to enter the casting process all over again. The reclamation process can be a time consuming and costly when done manually. Workers sweeping out and collecting the used sand can lead to pauses in production and an increase in required labor hours. It also can cause workplace injuries due to the physical nature of hauling large quantities of sand.
This need to improve the collection of used sand for recycling was the driving factor in a mid-western foundry’s decision to reach out to NAVCO. The company was looking for a vibratory solution that could improve their current shakeout and sand reclamation process. After speaking with the company about their current process and determining the scope of work, NAVCO’s team of engineers began designing a custom shakeout table that would easily incorporate into the foundry’s process and existing work envelope.
The shakeout table that NAVCO proposed consisted of:
- Heavy-Duty steel base
- Industrial strength isolation springs
- (2) fUV G 21 W Rotary Electric Vibrators
- Perforated Table Top
- Directional Chute
- High walls with access gate
- Controls package including VFD and overload protection
It was designed specifically to remove sand from the castings while also collecting the sand and starting the reclamation process. It operates by lowering the access gate to allow the un-flasked molds to be easily placed on the table. The rotary electric vibrators are then energized via the VFD and the acceleration from the table causes the sand to dislodge from the casting and de-clump. The used sand then falls through the perforated table top into the directional chute below. The chute moves the sand onto a waiting conveyor that begins the sand reclamation process. The access gate is lowered, and the casting moves down the process for finishing, while the sand is moved through various processes to clean and treat it. Once fully processed the sand is incorporated into a new mold and the casting process begins again.
The shakeout table met all the customer’s requirements providing powerful vibration for removing the residual sand, capturing and depositing the used sand onto a conveyor for reclamation, and integrating into their current processes.
Installed at the foundry today, the table has increased shakeout speed and efficiency. It also has improved their sand reclamation process by decreasing the time and labor necessary to collect and deposit the sand on the conveyor. Combined these have enabled the foundry to produce at a higher rate and better serve their customers. If you are in need of a shakeout table for your facility, contact NAVCO today! With over 65 years’ experience in applied vibration technologies, NAVCO excels at engineering custom designed vibratory equipment that improves your processes.
