Naigai

Cerabeads® 60ITOCHU Ceratech Corporation

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Improve your foundry environment by replacing

Silica with Cerabeads ceramic technology

Physical Properties (1)

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(NCB 55 vs Wedron 50) Cerabeads Silica

Bulk Density (g/cm3) 1.69 1.71

Mineral Composition Mullite Quartz

Chemistry

Al2O3: 60%

SiO2: 36%

Fe2O3: 1.5% Max.

SiO2: 99%

pH 7.2 6.6

ADV

(ml/50g)0.0 －0.2

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Cerabeads Wedron 410

Appearance

AFS-GFN 54.2 (virgin)53 (virgin)

*Reclaimed sand 50.2

Permeability 189 204

Surface Roughness Ra

Surface Roughness Rz1.44 Ra / 10.76 Rz 2.26 Ra / 15.70 Rz

*Surface roughness is calculated via a purpose made test piece by cold box process which

was set it into a mold. After casting, we analyzed and measured the cored area’s surface

roughness via Surface Contact Roughness Measuring unit to determine the surface

roughness value. The larger the figure, the rougher the surface (Ra/Rz).

Physical Properties (2)

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Permeability

Permeability Comparison for One Sieve (50-70)

Cerabeads Flattery Silica Wedron

282 237 251

Permeability

tested comparing

one sieve of

similar size.

Higher permeability could allow use of finer GFN for improved surface finish

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Thermal Characteristics

-0.20.00.20.40.60.81.01.21.41.6

60 120 180 240 300

SilicaChromiteZirconCerabeads

% of

Expansion

Time (seconds)

Cerabeads Zircon Chromite Silica

Refractory (SK) SK37 SK37 SK39 SK33

Thermal Cond. (W/m•K) 0.223 0.305 0.258 0.255

Thermal Expansion (%) -0.03 0.18 0.26 1.50

Specimens heated to 1832°F

Considerations for a ceramic system:

• Mold burnout will not be the same

• S:M needs optimization

• Larger castings can take longer to

solidify

• Shrink rule might change with lack of

expansion

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Cerabeads vs Competitor –Does it break down?

Competitor:

After 5 months penetrated

and burned on surface

shows agglomerations

and melted sand at the

mold/metal interface as

refractory was lost over

time. Competitor was

replaced by Cerabeads

and burn on defects have

ceased.

Competitor used as system sand for 5 months

Virgin Cerabeads

Reclaimed Cerabeads:

Sand was taken from a

molding system started in

2005.

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With lower thermal conductivity, less resin is burnt out of the mold. Larger

pieces of mold may be left after shakeout. Depending on your shakeout

method, good material might be screened out that needs to be salvaged.

This “waste” should be rerouted or processed with secondary attrition and

reintroduced to the system. This small Gudgeon unit is one example.

Post Processing

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PEL Test Data

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CERABEADS Ceramic

sand system

Conventional silica

system

Concentration of

dust in the plant1.0795 mg/m3 1.3165 mg/m3

Measured area Molding Molding

• Silica hazard was

removed from the

foundry

• Overall dust

levels were

reduced with

more durable

media -

Improved Environment

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Better Casting Quality by Replacing Silica with Cerabeads for Cores and Molding

CERABEADS

sand system

Conventional

silica system

Welding Electrode

consumption2.5 kg/t 3.8 kg/t

Silica sand in molds 0 % 86 %

34% Improvement

Cleaner Castings Provide Savings

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Reduction of Binder = Reduction of VOCs

• Binder reduction is possible as the

system sand is used and settles

• With reduced binder levels comes

reduction of VOCs

• One of our customers reported a reduction of binder

consumption by 40% from startup to after one year use

VOCs are regulated and limited to certain levels. Reclaim is necessary for ceramic sand

systems and thermal reclaim is a common choice. The level of VOCs you are permitted needs

consideration.

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Additional Savings via Wash Reduction

• Steel castings tested for surface finish

• The casting on the left had no wash & the casting on the right was

coated with mold wash per standard practice

• 55 GFN was used for molding and cores

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OSHA Quarterly PEL Test CostsDepending on the foundry size Monthly cost could be $730 per month up to $1600

Health Screening$920 per employee per year

PPE:Respirators $1100 per year per employee

Record keeping:40 hrs per year with manager and employee

Could be up to $4800 per year

Vacuum Cleaners:Can cost $10,000 each for small scale unit

$30,000 per year for labor and maintenance

Engineering Controls:

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Savings from Avoiding Compliance Costs

*Based on AFS estimates over the last 3 years

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Sand system monitoring is key to maintaining a healthy system

Dust collection needs close attention to prevent loss of good material

• If adjustment is not likely then sweco vibratory screens can be used as a

secondary measure to return good material

Regular replenishments will maintain your distribution

Good housekeeping habits are critical and should start before switching from

silica to ceramic

Thermal characteristics need to be understood for cooling rates and burn out of

binder

• Venting should be implemented whenever possible

• Gating and risering might need changes

• S:M ratios should be optimized

• Secondary attrition equipment may be needed to break down any material

spit out by the shaker deck

Principle considerations for mold making

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No-Bake Cores

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Blown/Gassed Cores

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3D Printed Cores

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Resin Coated Sand

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Complete Molding Systems

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Itochu’s value added service includes lab work to track

system health and casting quality. No other ceramic sand

supplier can offer this level of customer care.

• X-ray Fluorescent Spectrometer

• Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy

• Electron Probe Microanalyses

• Scanning Electron Microscope

• Sieve Distribution

• Loss on Ignition

• Chemical Analysis

• Transparency

• Abrasion Resistance

Lab Equipment & Service

Naigai

Cerabeads® 60ITOCHU Ceratech Corporation

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