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A Better Way to Make Cores

Jan. 17, 2017
Continuous, 3-in-1 technique allows cores to be blown, tamped, and cured, with higher cycle times and lower energy consumption Patented design Decoupled transfer Sand-free space

EMI Inc.’s 3-in-1 core machine closes the cope and drag, blows and tamps the core, and then cures the new product. The entire process happens after the initial clamping of the cope and drag.

A new, patented machine design is available now, offering multiple process advantages for making sand cores, including a new technique that closes the cope and drag, blows, tamps and then cures the core, with no head transfer. The entire process happens following the initial clamping of the cope and drag.

The results of this “3-in-1” technique include faster cycle times, no gassing manifold transfer or exhaust time; and a minimized table stroke, which reduces the cycle time. In addition, the machine has a small footprint to conserve workspace requirements, and it’s able to work with a foundry’s existing tooling inventory. Further, its production capability, energy consumption, and initial capital cost are better than many comparable coremaking options.

This 3-in-1 process consists of the 1) the core being “blown,” after which 2) the continuously clamped drag-and-cope assembly moves approximately a half an inch to tamp the new product, and then 3) the curing stage completes the sequence.  The inner tube allows the passing of the sand from the sand magazine to the core box. At the tip of this inner blow tube is a vent that allows the catalyst to pass through during cure. The outer tube, which is mounted in the cope, maintains a sealed interface between the inner and outer tube, where the blown sand in the tube is isolated from the catalyst.

The gassing manifold is decoupled from the typical transfer mechanism and is integrated to the perimeter of the blow plate. With no gas shuttle required, the lowering of the core box, the transferring of the gassing manifold, and the raising of the box back up to gas, is eliminated. In fact, the clamp table stroke is reduced and the only stroke required is to extract the core from between the cope and drag (or clear for drag out) plus one half-inch. This results in a compact machine with minimal dry cycle times and core box motions.

By decreasing or eliminating most of these motions, the power unit with no gassing shuttle requirements are reduced drastically. In fact, because the clamp motion is the main power consumer, this opens up opportunities for electromechanical devices in lieu of hydraulics. A smaller table stroke eliminates the need for a pit or any special foundation requirements, regardless of whether a picket or drag-out style of machine is manufactured. The footprint is reduced with no gassing shuttle extending from the machine.

For the system operators, the benefits of the 3-in-1 technology include the sealed interface that keeps sand out of the space between the inner and outer tubes, thereby reducing the time for cleaning, maintenance requirements, and of course downtime.

The sand and gas cycles do not require swing in/swing out or shuttling heads, thereby incurring less wear on the equipment and achieving faster production cycles. Furthermore, overall cycle time reductions are reduced by 28 to 36%.

Also, the machine alignments that are critical to coremaking process are made via the tooling.

The finished cores are of sufficiently high quality that the products need no post-processing work.

Finally, completing all three processes within a single machine set-up reduces the production-space (footprint), thereby contributing to the overall effectiveness of the investment.

Learn more about EMI – Equipment Merchants International’s 3-in-1 Core Machine and other coremaking options at www.emi-inc.com