Methods are disclosed of making metal casting molds and components thereof by the three-dimensional printing process in which an untreated sand is used as the build material and a polymer is used as a component of the binder that is printed onto the build material.

The invention describes a process for obtaining clay having improved characteristics that comprises incorporating an inorganic matrix onto an organic matrix at determined proportions. The industrial clay obtained is malleable and highly resistant to compression and strain, of great use in the industry of prototype elaboration.

A description is given of a use of a composition comprising an ortho-fused phenolic resole in an amount of up to 60 wt %; as first solvent for the ortho-fused phenolic resole, one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of alkyl silicates, alkyl silicate oligomers and mixtures thereof, the total amount of these compounds being greater than 30 wt %; optionally one or more further solvents for the ortho-fused phenolic resole; optionally one or more further additives; the weight percentages being based on the total amount of the composition, as a binder component for producing feeder elements by the cold box process. A description is also given of the use of a two-component binder system for producing feeder elements by the cold box process, and of a method for producing a feeder element for the foundry industry, and also of a feeder element.

A method of producing an investment casting ceramic core is provided that includes: providing a core body consisting of a leachable material; surrounding the core body with a mold composition within a vessel, which mold composition is configured to solidify; leaching the core body from the mold composition subsequent to the mold composition solidifying, thereby leaving an internal cavity within the solidified mold composition; depositing a ceramic composition within the internal cavity of the solidified mold composition; sintering the ceramic composition to a solid ceramic core; and removing the solid ceramic core from the mold composition.

A method of manufacturing molds and cores suitable for producing fiber composite bodies or cast parts of metal or plastic from a mold base material and a multicomponent binder by 3D printing includes pretreating the particulate mold base material with at least one silicon-organic compound having a polar hydrophilic end and a nonpolar hydrophobic end, forming a layer of the pretreated particulate mold base material, and applying the binder or at least one component of the binder in liquid form to the layer, wherein b. and c. are repeated.

A method for producing a feeder element is described. The method includes (a) producing composite particles having a particle size of less than 2 mm in a matrix encapsulation method with the following steps: (a1) producing droplets of a suspension from at least (i) one or more refractory substances, (ii) one or more of fillers having a bulk density in the range from 10 to 350 g/L, expandants, and pyrolysable fillers, (iii) as continuous phase, a solidifiable liquid, (a2) solidifying the droplets with the refractory substance(s) and density-reducing substance(s) are encapsulated therein, (a3) treating the hardened droplets to form composite particles, (b) mixing the composite particles with a binder and, optionally, further constituents to give a feeder composition, (c) shaping and curing the feeder composition to give a feeder element. Also described are a method for producing refractory composite particles and the use of the composite particles.

Provided is a catalyst suitable for curing a composite resin composition that includes comprising a blend of at least two tertiary amines selected from dimethylethylamine (DMEA), diethylmethylamine (DEMA), dimethylisopropylamine (DMIPA), and dimethyl-n-propylamine (DMPA), where each of the at least two tertiary amines is present in the blend in an amount of not less than 10% by weight and not more than 90% by weight.

Provided is a catalyst suitable for curing a composite resin composition that includes comprising a blend of at least two tertiary amines selected from dimethylethylamine (DMEA), diethylmethylamine (DEMA), dimethylisopropylamine (DMIPA), and dimethyl-n-propylamine (DMPA), where each of the at least two tertiary amines is present in the blend in an amount of not less than 10% by weight and not more than 90% by weight.

A foundry mix includes a major amount of a foundry aggregate and an effective binding amount of a binder system. The binder system cures in the presence of sulfur dioxide and a free radical initiator. The binder system may include (1) 10 to 70 parts by weight of an epoxy novolac resin; (2) 0.5 to 10 parts by weight of resorcinol; (3) 20 to 70 parts by weight of a monomeric or polymeric acrylate; and (4) an effective amount of a free radical initiator. Notably, (1), (2), (3) and (4) are separate components or mixed with another of said components, provided (4) is not mixed with (3), where said parts by weight are based upon 100 parts of the binder system.

A binder system for refractory materials used in sand casting processes, especially two-part polyurethane-based binder systems used in the cold box or no bake process, has less metal-mold reaction when a separate third part is used. The third part is an alkyl silicate, such as tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), an alkyl orthoformate, such as trimethyl orthoformate (TMOF) or triethyl orthoformate (TEOF), or combinations thereof.