ADVANTAGE OF SILICA SOL CASTING

The main differences between the silica sol casting and the water glass casting are their chemical composition, production method, casting effect and the drying and hardening process of the mold shell. ‌

Chemical Composition: ‌

Silica sol is a kind of high polymer, mainly condensed by silicate solution, porous material with micropore structure and very high specific surface area. Water glass is mainly composed of alkali metal oxides and silicon dioxide.‌

Production Method: ‌

Silica sol process tends to use precision casting method, silica sol and molding materials are mixed to make high-precision silica sol core, and then injected into metal solution. The water glass process uses more traditional sand casting method, which is to mix water glass with sand to make sand mold, and then inject metal solution.

Bonding Strength：

The bonding strength between silica sol and substrate after curing is relatively high, while water glass is relatively low in this respect. This may be due to the difference in wax, sand and adhesive used in the preparation process.‌

Casting Effect: ‌

Silica sol casting process production of castings surface quality is better, higher dimensional accuracy, with high precision, high finish, high strength and other advantages, can produce more fine, more complex castings. The surface of the castings produced by water glass casting process is relatively rough, the precision is low, and it is easy to produce process problems such as pores and sand holes.

Cost and Applicability

water glass process cost is relatively low, easy to control, suitable for mass production. The cost of the silica sol process is relatively high, but it can meet the production needs of high requirements on the surface quality and accuracy of the casting.

So customers could choose the best production method according to the precise of designed OME components.The most expensive is not necessarily what you need, choosing the right one is the best choice.