SAND CASTING SERVICES

High Quality Custom & OEM Sand Castings

SIMIS offers one stop sand casting services for high quality custom and OEM parts. We provide a full range of capabilities including casting, machining, finishing, and testing. With one iron foundry and two steel foundries, we work with both green sand and resin sand. Our team uses various molding techniques, such as the Disamatic line, manual molding, and automatic molding. We use specialized casting and post casting equipment to maintain precision and efficiency in every project.

At SIMIS, our material capability extends to hundreds grades of cast steel and cast iron, meeting both international standards (such as ASTM, DIN, JIS, and BS) and specific client requirements. Depending on the chosen process, we can accommodate a wide range of part sizes and weights, delivering optimal quality and mechanical properties for countless applications across industry sectors.

How Does Sand Casting Work?

Sand casting is a versatile method using an expendable sand mold. The internal cavity of the mold replicates the final part shape. This method works for nearly all ferrous and non-ferrous metals and handles parts ranging from small components to massive industrial equipment.

The process begins with a pattern, a reusable model of the part made from wood, metal, or plastic. This pattern is slightly oversized to account for metal shrinkage. The pattern is placed inside a flask and packed with a mixture of sand, clay, and water. Once the pattern is removed, the sand forms the mold cavity.

If the part has hollow sections, a sand core is placed inside. The two mold halves, known as the cope and drag, are then clamped together. Molten metal is poured into the gating system to fill the cavity. After the metal solidifies, the sand is broken away during shakeout.

Finally, the casting is cleaned and the excess metal from the gating system is trimmed. The part then moves to machining or surface finishing.

Advantages of Sand Casting

Sand casting remains a widely popular and versatile process due to several inherent benefits. Unlike more specialized methods, such as investment casting or die casting, sand casting offers significant advantages in cost, scale, and material flexibility. This method is frequently chosen for its low overall cost when casting large components or when dealing with low-to-medium volume orders. Its ability to incorporate inexpensive, intricate sand cores makes it invaluable for creating complex internal passages and geometries.

Low Cost and Versatility

Sand casting is generally the least expensive casting method on a per-part basis for low-to-medium volumes. This is because the primary mold material (sand) is inexpensive and reusable. Furthermore, it is incredibly versatile, as it can be used to cast nearly any metal alloy (ferrous and non-ferrous, including iron, steel, and aluminum).

Handles Large Parts

It is one of the few casting processes capable of efficiently producing very large, heavy components, ranging from simple machine bases to complex engine blocks. There are fewer size and weight limitations compared to die casting or investment casting.

Design Flexibility

Sand casting allows for the creation of complex shapes and intricate internal features through the use of inexpensive sand cores. This flexibility is critical for parts like pump housings and internal combustion engine components that require internal passages.

Short Lead Times (Low Volume)

While making the pattern takes time, once the pattern is established, the production process for sand casting is often faster than other permanent mold methods for low-to-medium volumes, as the molds themselves are created quickly.

Reduces Machining Allowance

While the surface finish is rougher than other metal casting processes such as investment casting or die casting, the sand casting process can produce parts with relatively small machining allowances, minimizing the amount of material that needs to be removed in post-processing.

Sand Casting Materials

SIMIS uses the material flexibility of sand casting to produce components from alloys like carbon steel, alloy steel, manganese steel, gray iron, ductile iron, and Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI). All processes follow international standards such as ASTM, DIN, and BS. We operate dedicated steel and iron foundries using green sand and resin sand casting. This approach streamlines production and provides the quality needed for high-precision and safety-critical applications.

Our Advanced Sand Casting Capabilities & Expertise

As a leading Chinese metal casting manufacturer, SIMIS offers comprehensive sand casting capabilities for an extensive range of steel and iron grades, including specialized materials such as high-chrome and high-nickel cast iron. Our core expertise is focused on manufacturing medium to very large, high-precision parts and components with complex geometries, ensuring both smooth surface finish and accuracy. We employ a combination of automatic, manual, and flaskless molding techniques to guarantee a high annual production volume.

Industries Benefit From Sand Casting

Numerous industries rely on the versatility of sand casting as it can create safety-critical components of various materials and sizes. SIMIS uses this casting technique for medium-to-high volume production in sectors such as automotive, railway, mining, and oil and gas. Parts cast by sand casting have great structural strength and can withstand heavy mechanical loads, high stress, and impact. The sand casting process is an economical and flexible choice for components that are typically large and heavy.

Automotive

Railway

Mining & Construction Machinery

Agriculture

Engineering Machinery

Marine

Pump & Valve

Oil & Gas

Typical Sand Casting Parts

Our sand casting capabilities produce components varying widely in shape, structure, and material, specifically excelling with medium to large parts like gearbox housings, manifolds, axle boxes, bearing seats, couplers, levers, brackets, housings, pumps, valves, frames and structural components. To ensure high quality, all our castings undergo strict testing and inspection. We specialize in producing safety-critical components while rigorously adhering to global quality standards. Our clients are served globally and include high-end, top-tier enterprises.

Our Advanced Sand Casting Equipment & Facilities

SIMIS uses advanced facilities for high casting quality and efficiency. Automatic molding lines and manual areas support high-volume production and large, complex parts. For metallurgical integrity, we use induction, smelting, and ladle refining furnaces for precise chemistry. A hot box core facility, sand reclamation, and dust extraction systems increase efficiency and sustainability. These technologies provide high-quality, cost-effective sand castings with fast turnaround times.

Automatic Molding Line

We utilize both advanced automatic molding equipment and traditional manual molding techniques to precisely create our sand molds. Our automatic molding line is exceptionally efficient, operating at high speed to consistently form, close, and prepare a large volume of molds for pouring. This significantly reduces manual labor costs while simultaneously shortening the overall production cycle time.

We are strategically equipped with four automatic molding lines, dedicating two lines to each of our foundry workshops (one steel and one iron foundry). This substantial investment in equipment has massively increased our daily casting throughput and ensures that the dimensional accuracy and overall mold quality remain highly consistent across all production batches.

Hot Box Core Making Facility

Our Hot Box core making facility uses specialized core shooting machines to create highly precise sand cores with exceptional speed and complexity. This process utilizes a mixture of sand and thermosetting resins (typically furan or phenolic) which, when injected into a preheated metal core box, cures rapidly to form a strong, solid core. The resulting cores offer superior dimensional accuracy, high internal strength, and a smooth surface finish.

This method allows us to consistently produce intricate internal passages and complex geometries essential for high-precision components like engine blocks and pump housings, supporting high-volume production with minimal curing time.

Smelting Furnace & Ladle Refining Furnace

Our foundry utilizes advanced smelting furnaces (5 tons and 10 tons) and a dedicated 15 tons ladle refining furnace (LRF) to achieve superior metal quality. The smelting furnaces melt the charge materials quickly and efficiently, creating the initial molten bath. This molten metal is then transferred to the LRF, which serves as a secondary metallurgical station.

The LRF allows for precise control over the metal’s chemistry and temperature through targeted alloying, desulfurization, and vacuum degassing. This dual process ensures that the metal composition is exact, inclusions are minimized, and the temperature is perfectly controlled before pouring, resulting in castings with optimal mechanical properties and consistent metallurgical integrity.

Why Choose SIMIS For Sand Casting Services?

Choose SIMIS for expertise in sand casting and total customer satisfaction. As a metal casting manufacturer in China, we offer material flexibility with hundreds of grades of steel and iron. We achieve tight tolerances, smooth surface finishes, and complex geometries. By managing the entire process from tool-making to post-treatment, we provide high-quality parts with 100% inspection. We also provide competitive pricing and reliable lead times.

Superior Quality

Castings produced via sand casting undergo 100% inspection at our facilities prior to shipment. This stringent quality assurance ensures all parts are ready for immediate use.

High Precision

Our sand casting achieves standard dimensional tolerances from CT8 to CT12. For dimensions requiring higher precision, we can reach CT7.

Casting Simulation

We use advanced casting simulation software to optimize designs and precisely anticipate the casting outcome, thereby reducing potential defects.

One-Stop Solution

In addition to sand casting, we offer a full range of value-added services, such as tool-making, machining, heat treatment, and surface treatment.

Competitive Pricing

We combine rich experience and advanced equipment with a streamlined manufacturing process to provide high-quality sand castings at competitive prices.

Fast Turnaround

We produce parts with significantly reduced lead times compared to competitors, achieved through our advanced sand casting process and optimized production efficiency.

Value-Added Services

Complementing our sand casting services, we offer a full range of value-added services, including multi-purpose heat treatment, advanced 4-axis and 5-axis CNC machining centers, and specialized services for surface treatment and assembly, all supported by dedicated testing labs. Integrating these services in-house ensures full control over quality, logistics, costs, and lead time.

Heat Treatment

Precision Machining

Surface Treatment

Parts Assembly

Sand Casting Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQs)

What are the differences between green sand casting and resin sand casting?

The fundamental difference between green sand casting and resin sand casting lies in the binder material used to hold the sand grains together and the resulting mold properties and production applications. Resin sand casting has strong mold strength, which reduces potential breaking during molding and pouring. It also produces castings with higher dimensional accuracy and a better surface finish than green sand casting.

Green sand casting, on the other hand, is less expensive and offers higher production speed (especially with DISAMATIC lines). In general, resin sand casting is ideal for casting larger and more complex parts.

Will there be defects? If so, how do you deal with them?

Recognizing that defects can occur at any stage of sand casting (from mold preparation to post-pour, including issues like shrinkage, gas porosity, or sand inclusions), we mitigate risk with a rigorous two-step protocol. Fixable faults are restored using specialized techniques like welding repair. Any casting defect that compromises integrity is immediately scrapped and remelted for reuse in future batches, guaranteeing both product quality and resource efficiency.

What's the advantage of sand casting over lost foam casting?

Sand casting is a versatile and less expensive process for low-to-medium volumes, especially for large, heavy components (over a ton) using a wide range of alloys (including both ferrous and non-ferrous metals). However, its dimensional accuracy (CT8–CT12) and surface finish are only moderate compared to lost foam casting. Lost foam casting (LFC), on the other hand, is the better choice for high-volume production of complex, intricate parts, delivering better dimensional accuracy (generally CT7–CT9) and surface quality. LFC is typically restricted to lighter alloys like aluminium and iron, and it remains less efficient for very large or heavy castings.

What's your production lead time for sand casting?

The total production lead time consists of three parts. First is tooling design and production; this stage takes 4–8 weeks, depending on the part structure, size, weight, tolerance requirements, and other important aspects. Then, the sample production would typically take 3–6 weeks. After sample approval, mass production can take somewhere between 4 to 10 weeks (large volume may take even longer). At SIMIS, we use advanced casting facilities to ensure a fast production lead time, making us 20% more efficient than most of our competitors.

Do you cast aluminum parts with sand casting?

Sand casting can be used for a wide range of metal alloys, including aluminum. Unfortunately, we don’t cast aluminum components at our sand casting facilities; however, we use other metal casting processes for the production of aluminum castings, namely investment casting, gravity die casting, and pressure die casting methods. If you require any aluminum castings, please speak to our expert so we can recommend the optimal process based on your specific requirements.

What's your MOQ for sand casting?

We offer great flexibility: there is generally no Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) required for custom sand castings, contingent upon payment for the necessary tooling. Naturally, we provide better discounts as volume increases. The sole exception is for orders requiring a special material grade, which mandates a 500 kg minimum order.

Will my sand casting tooling be used by other customers?

We guarantee that any tooling costs covered by you secure 100% ownership of that equipment. We will not use your custom tooling for any other production orders, assuring your complete intellectual property rights are protected.

How should I choose between sand casting and forging?

Both sand casting and forging create metal parts, but their differences are substantial. Sand casting is less expensive and known for producing very large, heavy components with complex internal structures (using cores), and is highly versatile across all alloys, including cast iron. However, it is prone to defects like porosity and delivers moderate mechanical properties.

Forging, conversely, produces parts with significantly superior mechanical properties (tensile and fatigue strength) and is less prone to voids. Its limitations include restrictions on size and weight, a lack of complexity (internal structures), and the inability to forge cast iron. Forging is generally more expensive than sand casting. Both processes have unique strengths and weaknesses; the best choice depends entirely on specific project requirements.

Since both methods have unique strengths, choosing the right process depends entirely on your project’s needs (material, geometry, and tolerances). Consult our engineers at SIMIS to determine the optimal solution. If forging is required, you may also contact our branch company: Shanxi KSN Precision Forging Technology Co., Ltd.

Should I choose Investment casting or sand casting for medium-sized parts?

Choosing between investment casting and sand casting for medium-sized parts depends on the required precision, complexity, and material. Sand casting is for the most part a more economical choice, offering lower per-unit costs and faster production, especially for those made from large-section cast iron. However, parts produced by sand casting have a rougher surface and wider tolerances.

While its tooling is less expensive, the per-unit cost is higher due to the many more steps involved and it is generally limited to lighter components (usually under 60 kgs), the net-shape capability often minimizes or eliminates post-casting machining, thereby making the final unit cost competitive for high-precision applications.

Please send us your detailed requirements and we can help you decide which casting technique to choose.

Are sand cast parts durable?

Yes, sand cast parts can be made very durable, but this depends on various factors: part geometry, the material used, and the environment where the parts are used (such as low or high-temperature settings or highly corrosive conditions can affect their lifetime). But generally speaking, parts cast by this process are often used in applications requiring high mechanical strength, such as engine blocks, large gearboxes, structural components, as well as levers and linkages.

Strong alloys like high-strength alloy steel or austempered ductile iron (ADI) also give the final component excellent tensile strength, compression resistance, and impact resistance. Because the parts are mostly thick-walled and designed for high stress, they are considered reliable and durable enough for safety-critical and long-life industrial use. On top of that, a wide selection of surface treatments can be applied to sand castings to increase the protection level and prolong their usage.

Sand Casting Knowledge Base

You can find articles about sand casting in this section. We provide these resources so you can learn about the process and gain insights into modern manufacturing. Our goal is to help you use our expertise to choose a reliable foundry that offers comprehensive services. Sand casting is one of the most flexible casting methods, and our articles cover many useful details about how this metal casting technique works.