Shakeout and Finishing

After the casting has solidified in the mold, the casting is removed from the sand mold  by a process called "shake-out."  Typically the entire mold is vibrated to "shake" lose the sand from the metal casting. . Additional clean up of mold material can be accomplished by abrasive blasting.

With the Ice Cleat, the part was allowed to solidify and then conveyed to a mechanical vibrator. The mold and part were shaken for several minutes until the majority of the sand was removed. The sand from the mold is then recycled to make new molds. The part, still very hot, is then removed from the vibrator and allowed to continue cooling. Before the finishing process begins, the part is abrasive blasted to remove the remaining sand.

The finishing operation begins after the part has been removed from the mold. During this process the gating system is removed from the mold. The risers and gates are removed from the part with a torch, grinder, or saw. Typically, additional clean up of flash and other final touch-up is done with a grinder. This step yields a casting that is ready for heat treatment, machining, and/or coatings.

After the mold material is removed from the cleat, the risers are removed with a torch. Then the Ice Cleats are removed from the "tree", or the gate and runner system that delivered the molten metal to the mold of the cleat, also with a torch. The part is then ground to clean up the edge of the cleat at the parting line to remove any sharp burrs from flashing, and to touch-up the area where the riser was torched the part. Finally, the part is sand-blasted for a final clean-up.