Baker S G

Abstract: Foundries today are faced with tough competition in the global market. Their success is based on making good decisions that allow them to prosper and grow their business. One decision that affects the bottom line is the selection of the proper resin system. There are many choices and foundrymen are bombarded with new resin technology and various claims of superior resins. The bottom line is a foundry needs a resin system that will make them more competitive as well as profitable. Competitive pricing from resin suppliers is important, but resin performance can yield substantial benefits. It is not always feasible for the user foundry to take numerous resin systems to the shop floor and interrupt production to find the optimum system for the operation. Instead, it is important to know what performance characteristics are important to the operation and then convey those to the resin supplier. The resin supplier, in turn, should test for those desired features and provide data to support their claims. It is then, when a resin system shows some promise, that the foundry would consider doing some testing to verify the performance. The information provided here is an approach that foundries can use to evaluate resin systems and decide which one is best for their operation. The equipment used is available in most foundries with a sand lab. The test methods used are not, in most cases, a standard test, but a practical approach to compare the performance of one resin system to another.