Sand Casting

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At Trident Resources, we can produce parts in sizes ranging from paper thin to gigantic, with processes from die casting to sand casting. While precision work on small parts is best left to die casting, sometimes you might need a part that weighs a few pounds or more. Die casting and gravity-fed casting methods cannot accommodate very large parts, but thankfully sand casting is able to make very large metal parts from cast iron, steel, aluminum, and brass.

The Steps of Sand Casting

Sand casting is the oldest form of mass manufacturing known to man, and because of this it is perhaps the best understood. A mold for a part is made from wet or dry sand, and then removed. The mold can then be used to produce many more parts without noticeable change in quality. The process of sand casting is the only choice for high mass or high volume jobs, since it is too difficult to make a proper mold from other materials.

Even better, the sand from which the mold is made can be re-used. This greatly reduces waste on the manufacturing floor, and translates to you as a much lower tooling cost. Since the sand can be recycled, it costs nearly nothing to make a mold of your part. For small orders of large parts, you can't find a better process than sand casting.

Sand casting does have its disadvantages, though. It cannot produce very small parts, which will require more sophisticated techniques. Also, sand casting has a much higher unit production cost than other methods, since it takes more work to make each part. In addition, the surface of a sand-cast part will be slightly porous, as opposed to the fine finish of die cast parts. However, these disadvantages must be accepted if you need very large parts, since other methods simply can't accommodate them.