The moulding machine includes a moulding chamber having at least one chamber end wall provided with a pattern plate adapted to form a pattern in a mould part and associated with a reference pattern block positioned in fixed relationship to a pattern of said pattern plate and adapted to form a reference pattern in an external face of a mould part. The reference pattern block includes a face having a tangent varying in a longitudinal direction of the moulding chamber and being adapted to form a corresponding reference pattern in the sand mould part. A non-contact detection system (87) detects the position of a number of different points (P.sub.1, P.sub.2) distributed over the pattern face of the reference pattern in the longitudinal direction of the sand mould part, and the tangent (T.sub.1, T.sub.2) in the longitudinal direction of the sand mould part is different between at least two of said points.

A cylindrical drum is driven for rotation about its axis by a drive mechanism. A braking mechanism selectively applies braking forces to the drum to impede or brake its rotational movement. A first movement sensor senses movement of the drive mechanism while a second movement sensor senses movement of the drum. An electronic comparator circuit compares these sensed movements and generates a control signal when the drive mechanism movement and drum movement are not in synchronism. In response to such loss of synchronism, a control mechanism causes the braking mechanism to apply braking forces.

A cylindrical drum is driven for rotation about its axis by a drive mechanism. A braking mechanism selectively applies braking forces to the drum to impede or brake its rotational movement. A first movement sensor senses movement of the drive mechanism while a second movement sensor senses movement of the drum. An electronic comparator circuit compares these sensed movements and generates a control signal when the drive mechanism movement and drum movement are not in synchronism. In response to such loss of synchronism, a control mechanism causes the braking mechanism to apply braking forces.

A method for designing a baffle including using patterns to produce an array of shell moulds, generating a 3-D image of the outer surface of each shell mould in the array of shell moulds, stacking the individual 3-D images for a plurality of the shell moulds to produce a conglomerate shell mould profile, determining a maximum cross sectional area of the conglomerate shell mould profile in a plane orthogonal to a direction along which the shell moulds are to be drawn through the baffle, defining a baffle profile segment which is consistent with a substantial portion of the conglomerate shell mould profile at the maximum cross sectional area, scaling the baffle profile segment to provide an offset clearance between the baffle profile segment and the maximum cross sectional area of the conglomerate shell mould profile, and reproducing the baffle profile segment to provide an array of baffle profile segments.

A method for managing a casting process based on measured properties of molding sand is provided so that casting defects or energy used can be reduced by changing the molding conditions for the mold to be produced or changing the steps after molding. The method for managing a casting process based on the properties of the molding sand comprises a step (1) of measuring the properties of the molding sand just before the molding sand is supplied to a molding machine (40) and a step (2) of determining if the measured properties of the molding sand comply with predetermined properties, wherein, if by the step of determining it is found that the measured properties do not comply with the predetermined properties, a mold is molded to have less strength than that of a mold that is molded by using molding sand whose properties do comply with the predetermined properties.

A method for managing a casting process based on measured properties of molding sand is provided so that casting defects or energy used can be reduced by changing the molding conditions for the mold to be produced or changing the steps after molding. The method for managing a casting process based on the properties of the molding sand comprises a step (1) of measuring the properties of the molding sand just before the molding sand is supplied to a molding machine (40) and a step (2) of determining if the measured properties of the molding sand comply with predetermined properties, wherein, if by the step of determining it is found that the measured properties do not comply with the predetermined properties, a mold is molded to have less strength than that of a mold that is molded by using molding sand whose properties do comply with the predetermined properties.

A mold strength measuring device according to an aspect obtains information about strength of a mold having a product surface and a back surface opposite to the product surface. The mold strength measuring device comprising a cutting tool and a measurement probe. The cutting tool form a bottomed hole extending from the back surface toward the product surface in the mold. The measurement probe to be inserted into the hole to measure a reaction force received from a bottom of the hole.

A mold strength measuring device according to an aspect obtains information about strength of a mold having a product surface and a back surface opposite to the product surface. The mold strength measuring device comprising a cutting tool and a measurement probe. The cutting tool form a bottomed hole extending from the back surface toward the product surface in the mold. The measurement probe to be inserted into the hole to measure a reaction force received from a bottom of the hole.

A measuring device according to one aspect is used to measure a loss on ignition of foundry sand. This measuring device includes a container configured to accommodate foundry sand, the container having a discharge port for discharging the foundry sand to a discharge position, a heating device configured to heat the foundry sand in the container, a conveying device configured to convey the foundry sand discharged from the discharge port from the discharge position to a measurement position, a balance configured to measure the weight of the foundry sand disposed at the measurement position, and a furnace configured to heat the foundry sand.

A measuring device according to one aspect is used to measure a loss on ignition of foundry sand. This measuring device includes a container configured to accommodate foundry sand, the container having a discharge port for discharging the foundry sand to a discharge position, a heating device configured to heat the foundry sand in the container, a conveying device configured to convey the foundry sand discharged from the discharge port from the discharge position to a measurement position, a balance configured to measure the weight of the foundry sand disposed at the measurement position, and a furnace configured to heat the foundry sand.