What is Coring?
At Prospect Foundry, we lead the market in supplying complex cored ductile and gray iron castings. Read on to find out everything you ever wanted to know about the process of coring.
Introducing Coring
A core is a metal or sand insert used to shape any part of a casting that cannot be shaped by the main removable pattern. When a pattern is pressed into sand and extracted, it results in a concave impression. Once this happens, liquid metal fills this new void and cools. This is the process of coring. It allows more complexity to be added to the design. Well-constructed cores create chambers or holes in castings. Automotive engine molds can have as many as five cores in them to create the chambers necessary to ensure a combustion engine functions smoothly. Cores can create angles that would be impossible with a pattern. Prospect Foundry uses coring as a key component of our modern casting techniques. Our craftsmanship is unparalleled because we meticulously work to get excellent results.
Getting to the Core
Castings that use internal cores typically have an opening in the outer shell of their moldings to extract the cores. Cores made of sand are designed to break down. Internal cores are shaken out of the casting at the end of the process. Any place the core touches the mold is a place where molten metal cannot flow and, as a result, we have to bridge the space needing to be filled with the core. This gives the metal consistent thickness. To make this happen, the core is usually longer than the casting and is then held in place by divots in the sand outside the casting pattern.
Coring Improves Product Quality
Making and placing cores is a vital part of the casting process. Sometimes, the core is necessary for the final part to work. For instance, engines, tubes and other mechanical devices often need to be hollow to work. For decorative items, using cores can reduce the total cost of metal. At Prospect Foundry, we particularly like coring because it can significantly reduce the weight of a final product. Even if coring isn’t necessary for a product’s functioning, it remains a good design consideration.
Work with a Market Leader in Metal Casting
Since 1936, Prospect Foundry has been a market leader in complex cored gray and ductile iron castings. We attribute these 85 years of successful service to our consistent and unyielding commitment to craftsmanship and quality. When it comes to casting projects of all sizes, choose a supplier that can offer a fully integrated solution by utilizing design expertise and a seamless supply chain, delivering world-class products in a finished and timely manner.
Contact your friends at Prospect Foundry today to learn how we can form a partnership. For more information about our company or our product line, visit our website.