Sand Casting In Iron, Steel, And Alloys

At Quaker City Castings, we specialize in no-bake sand casting for iron, steel and alloys, delivering high-quality, precision parts using advanced no-bake molding technology.

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What is Sand Casting

Sand casting is one of the oldest and most versatile metal casting processes, responsible for producing a majority of the world’s metal components. The method relies on sand molds to create mold cavities that hold molten metal until it solidifies. Once cooled, the mold is broken away, leaving behind the finished casting.

Because sand can be compacted and shaped around almost any pattern, sand casting offers tremendous flexibility for part complexity, size, and alloy selection. Industries ranging from aerospace and defense to construction, energy, and transportation rely on sand casting to produce everything from small precision components to heavy structural castings.

At Quaker City Castings (QCC), we specialize in the No-Bake sand casting process, which offers superior mold strength and accuracy compared to traditional green sand. This allows us to meet demanding tolerance requirements while producing castings up to 3,500 lbs in gray and ductile iron and 3,500 lbs in steel and stainless steel.

Quaker City Castings utilizes the Airset (No-Bake) sand casting process for producing multiple types of metal casts including:

The Advantages of Sand Casting

Sand casting remains a top choice for manufacturers because it delivers:

  • Versatility in alloys – iron, steel, stainless, and specialty alloys.
  • Cost-effectiveness – competitive tooling costs compared to other methods.
  • Scalability – suitable for low-volume prototypes through high-volume production.
  • Design flexibility – accommodates complex geometries, mold cavities, and intricate core assemblies.
  • Large-part capability – unlike die casting or investment casting, sand casting easily scales to thousands of pounds.

Sand Casting Methods: No-Bake vs. Green Sand

There are multiple ways to create sand molds, each with unique benefits:

No-Bake (Airset) Sand Casting – QCC’s Specialty

  • Uses fine silica sand blended with a resin binder that hardens at room temperature.
  • Produces rigid, stable molds capable of holding tight tolerances.
  • Ideal for large, complex castings with demanding dimensional accuracy.
  • Allows flexible use of specialty sands such as chromite or zircon to control thermal stresses.

Green Sand (Wet Sand) Casting

  • Uses a mixture of silica sand, bentonite clay, and water to form wet sand molds.
  • Excellent for high-volume production of smaller, simpler castings.
  • Less precise surface finish and tolerance control than No-Bake.

By focusing on No-Bake sand casting, QCC offers superior quality, consistency, and the ability to meet the demanding requirements of modern manufacturing.

Step-By-Step: The Sand Casting Process at QCC

Our process combines traditional foundry expertise with modern controls for metallurgical quality:

  • Pattern & Corebox Creation – Patterns are built from wood, metal, or 3D-printed materials to define the mold.
  • Sand & Binder Mixing – Fine-grain silica sand is combined with a resin binder inside a high-speed mixer.
  • Mold Formation – The mixture is packed into a flask around the pattern, creating precise mold cavities.
  • Curing – Within minutes, the mold hardens and can be removed from the pattern.
  • Core Making – Internal cavities are formed using the same No-Bake process; chromite sand is used in hot sections.
  • Mold Assembly – Cores are set, gating and risers are placed, and the mold halves are closed.
  • Metal Treatment – Alloys such as ductile iron are treated before pouring to achieve the required microstructure.
  • Pouring – Molten metal fills the mold cavity under controlled conditions.
  • Shakeout – Once cooled, the mold is broken away to reveal the raw casting.
  • Cleaning & Finishing – Gates and risers are removed, and the part is cleaned for inspection.
  • Heat Treatment – Castings can be normalized, quenched, tempered, or stress-relieved in-house.
  • Machining & NDT – We provide precision machining and non-destructive testing to ensure castings meet all specifications.

Cores for creating the inside structure of the castings are made using the same process, or with a material called chromite in certain parts. After the cores and the exterior molds are assembled, they are closed and prepared for metal pouring. Certain materials, such as ductile iron castings, require special treatment of the metal prior to pouring.

Surface Finish & Tolerances in Sand Casting

The surface finish of a sand casting depends on:

  • Type of sand used (silica, zircon, chromite).
  • Binder system (resin-bonded vs. green sand with bentonite clay).
  • Casting size and alloy.

At QCC, we optimize surface finish by selecting the right sand for each application and applying additional cleaning and finishing operations. Our No-Bake molds maintain tight tolerances and dimensional stability, making them ideal for industries that require high precision.

Sand Casting - A picture of a man making a sand casting at Quaker City Castings.
A picture of a man operating a tall sand casting machine from Quaker City Castings

Understanding Stainless Steel Sand Castings

Stainless steel castings are highly valued in industries where durability and resistance to heat or corrosion are critical. QCC produces stainless steel sand castings with:

  • Superior strength and toughness for high-stress conditions.
  • Corrosion resistance in harsh or chemical environments.
  • Design flexibility for intricate, high-performance parts.

Applications include aerospace housings, defense components, power generation, and construction hardware. With in-house heat treatment and machining, we ensure stainless steel parts meet exact performance standards.

Advantages of Stainless Steel Castings in the No-Bake Process

The No-Bake sand casting process at Quaker City Castings allows for the production of stainless steel castings with complex shapes and intricate details that are often challenging to achieve with other metal forming techniques. This flexibility is due to the superior mold stability and the ability to control the cooling rates, which are crucial for optimizing the metallurgical properties of stainless steel.

Additionally, our facility’s capability to handle large-scale castings ensures that we can meet the diverse needs of our clients, providing everything from small, precision components to large, structural parts. With our expertise in metallurgy and process control, we ensure that every stainless steel casting meets the highest standards of quality and performance.

Our Sand Casting Capacity

Quaker City Castings can pour iron castings using our No-Bake process up to 3,500 lbs. finished weight in gray iron castings and ductile iron castings, and up to 3,500 lbs. in steel castings and stainless steel castings.

Materials We Pour

QCC pours a wide variety of ferrous alloys, including:

  • Stainless steels – austenitic, martensitic, heat-resistant grades.
  • Carbon and alloy steels – general engineering and wear-resistant grades.
  • Ductile iron – strong, ductile, and versatile.
  • Gray iron – excellent machinability and vibration damping.

In-House Capabilities

What sets QCC apart is our ability to deliver finished, ready-to-use castings:

  • Heat Treatment – normalize, quench & temper, stress relieve.
  • Machining – from rough machining to full precision machining.
  • Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) – visual, magnetic particle, liquid penetrant, ultrasonic, and radiographic testing.
  • Quality Control – metallurgical analysis, dimensional verification, and certifications to customer requirements.

Industries Served

QCC provides sand castings for critical industries, including:

Why Choose Quaker City Castings for Sand Casting?

Quaker City Castings is trusted by industries that demand strength, precision, and reliability because of our unmatched expertise in No-Bake sand casting. We specialize in producing complex, large, and critical components that other foundries may struggle to deliver. Unlike many casting suppliers, we offer in-house heat treatment, machining, and testing, which means fewer suppliers to coordinate with, faster turnaround times, and consistent quality control from start to finish.

Our ability to pour a wide variety of alloys ensures that we can meet the specific requirements of each customer, whether the need is for stainless steel, carbon steel, or ductile and gray iron. Backed by a proven track record across industries such as aerospace, defense, energy, and heavy equipment, we provide castings that meet the highest standards of durability, performance, and reliability.

Work With Us

If you’re looking for a reliable partner for your sand casting needs, Quaker City Castings is here to help. Visit our contact us page directly to discuss how we can assist you. We are dedicated to providing solutions that enhance the efficiency and productivity of your operations.

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