Core Sand Blending Facility

Automated Recipe Preparation for Complex Foundry Formulations

Core sand preparation can involve silica, chromite, zircon and other specialty sands together with binders, hardeners and formulation-specific additives. These materials differ significantly in particle size, bulk density, flow behaviour and required addition rate, making accurate material selection and weighing a critical part of the preparation process. VOLDE develops automated core-sand preparation systems that combine modular raw material stations, recipe-controlled dosing, mobile gravimetric weighing and final weight verification within one coordinated process. Each system is configured according to the number of ingredients, batch size, foundry formulation and required level of automation.

| Multi-Ingredient Sand & Additive Preparation

Foundry formulations may require different sand types and additive combinations depending on the casting process and product requirements. Silica, chromite and zircon sands can be handled together with binders, hardeners and specialty powder additives within the same modular preparation system.

Raw materials are arranged in dedicated feeding stations, allowing the system to expand according to the number of ingredients used by the foundry. Big bags can be positioned above the stations using suitable overhead handling equipment, while enclosed discharge arrangements provide controlled transfer toward the weighing system.

Typical materials may include silica, chromite and zircon sands, specialty refractory materials, binders, hardeners and formulation-specific powder additives.

The modular station layout allows different recipes to be prepared from the same raw material infrastructure without requiring a dedicated line for every formulation.

| Mobile Weighing & Automatic Recipe Execution

In a multi-component formulation, the correct raw material must be selected from the correct station and collected in the quantity defined by the active recipe.

VOLDE mobile weighing systems travel automatically beneath the selected feeding stations. The PLC identifies the required ingredient, positions the weighing unit at the corresponding station and controls dosing until the target weight is reached before moving to the next material.

Each ingredient is therefore linked directly to the active recipe and actual measured weight. Once all components have been collected, a final check-weigh can be performed before the prepared batch is transferred to the next process stage.

The system can incorporate

• Automatic station selection
• Mobile load-cell weighing unit
• Recipe-controlled dosing sequence
• Target / actual weight monitoring
• Final check-weigh verification
• Batch identification and production records
• PLC/SCADA recipe management

This approach provides a flexible solution for foundries working with a large number of raw materials and frequently changing formulations.

| ATEX Design for Aluminium & Magnesium Additives

Where aluminium- or magnesium-based powders are included in the formulation, the relevant storage, dosing and weighing sections require a dedicated hazardous-area design.

VOLDE engineers these specific material stations according to the project ATEX zone classification and the characteristics of the powder being handled. The ATEX concept is therefore applied selectively to the sections where aluminium, magnesium or other materials create the relevant combustible-dust risk, rather than treating the complete preparation system as a single identical hazardous zone.

Depending on the application, the design can include enclosed feeding and weighing equipment, suitable Ex electrical components, grounding and equipotential bonding, dust extraction and project-specific explosion-protection measures.

The result is a recipe-preparation system in which conventional foundry sands and additives can be handled within the main process architecture, while aluminium and magnesium powder stations are engineered separately according to their specific ATEX requirements.

VOLDE combines modular raw material handling, mobile gravimetric weighing and recipe automation into a flexible core-sand preparation system developed around the actual foundry formulation.