Knowledge

In addition to various environmental advantages, the phenolic polyurethane cold-box binder provides high casting productivity.The new phenolic polyurethane cold-box process can reduce vocs and gas on the production line, improve working conditions for workers, and reduce gas and fumes when pouring and cooling.

Phenolic polyurethane cold-box process is based on the reaction of two components contained in polyurethane. It’s the polymerization (hardening) of phenolic resin and isocyanate. This hardening reaction is very fast, thus improving the production efficiency, so the core-box process is welcomed by many foundries. Its high strength ensures foundries can quickly produce sand cores with automatic equipments and the sand core can be used for casting production in a short time, and has the high thermal stability characteristic. Since the PH value is almost neutral, the cores produced by the cold-box can be treated with high proportion thermal process or mechanical process to recycle the sand.

As for VOCS, the traditional phenolic polyurethane cold box binder is made up of the organic compounds which will produce vocs, gas, and fumes. It’s inevitable to some extent. However, more attention is usually paid during core preparation and storage. But gas and fumes are relevant with pouring, cooling and sand drop.

These organic compounds are usually present in 1st part and 2nd part of the bonding system, so reducing the binder or finding new formula can help to improve the casting production sustainability.

Generally, optimized cold-box tooling can reduce the binders and hardeners.Tooling baseline simulations can guide the modification (e.g., exhaust vents, vents channel) that result in the cores containing less resin to reduce emissions.

ECOCURE is a new phenolic polyurethane cold-box binder platform that be introduced into the casting industry recently. ECOCURE can provide a phenolic polyurethane cold-box binder system that produces fewer volatile organic compounds and less gas and fumes during pouring, cooling, and sand drop. These environment friendly character will not impair the properties of the qualified cores and castings.