A no-bake core, also known as an air-set core, is a sand core that cures at room temperature without the need for heat or gas catalysts. Instead, a liquid resin binder (typically a polyurethane or furan) reacts with a catalyst to cure the core over time.

How No-Bake (Airset) Cores Work:

1. Sand Mixture: Dry sand is mixed with a two-part liquid binder system (resin and catalyst).
2. Core Box Filling: The sand mixture is hand packed or blown into a core box.
3. Chemical Curing: The binder reacts with the catalyst in the sand mixture, causing it to solidify at room temperature (hence the name “air-set”).
4. Core Removal: After curing (which can take minutes depending on the binder system), the core is removed from the core box.

Features of No-Bake (Air-set) Cores:

• No Heat or Gas Required: Curing happens at ambient temperature
• Good Strength & Dimensional Flexibility: Produces strong cores with the flexibility to produce complex assembled cores and molds.
• Larger Core Capability: Ideal for making large cores that would be difficult to produce with cold box or shell processes.
• Good Collapsibility: After metal solidification, the core breaks down easily, simplifying removal.
• Flexible Production: Suitable for low- to medium-volume casting operations, as it doesn’t require specialized curing equipment.

Common Applications:

No-bake cores are widely used in foundries producing large or complex metal castings, such as pump housings, industrial machinery parts, and other components.