As a mayor player in the foundry segment in China and with over 160 years of industry expertise, Clariant showed visitors the company’s latest innovations dedicated to various foundry processes and how those in the sector could stand to benefit from them.
With customer focus and sustainability-driven innovation at its core, Clariant has been offering industry-leading products and solutions for various foundry manufacturers where consistent quality, as well as an increasingly strong emphasis on green production are closely pursued. Through its well-established production and lab facilities, in addition to quality management systems and excellence in customer service, the company has become the partner of choice in the automotive, engineering machinery, refrigeration, construction, and machinery industries, where metal castings play an important role in contributing to business success.
Casting bentonite enhancing green strength
One of the products Clariant featured at the Metal China exhibition is the innovative Geko casting bentonite, which is an important special clay used as a binding agent in molding greensand. It is used to enhance properties such as green strength and versatility to molding mixes such that specifics on dimension stability, surface properties and tensile strength in the final molded part can be fully met.
For production of castings that are prone to defects such as scabs and erosion, the high quality molding sand offered by the Geko OPT is particularly valuable. With high-performance sodium bentonite for binding green sand, Geko OPT offers excellent strength, water absorption and thermal stability, in addition to having high elasticity and flowability, making it versatile in various casting processes.
High quality finishes on casting surfaces
Another product highlighted by Clariant at Metal China is the Ecosil casting clay blend of bentonite, coal powder and additive that readily enhances the safety and sustainability aspects in the manufacturing process. Used for binding greensand molding in a wide range of application areas, Ecosil improves flowability and collapsibility of greensand and results in high quality finishes on casting surfaces. Its lower BTEX emission pertains to an excellent environmental profile, while offering an enhanced health and safety standard to the foundry shop floor.
“Clariant is fully committed to the foundry market in China and we will continue to invest in various areas in order to meet the specific needs of our customers who are constantly exploring new breakthroughs in their casting and metal-working processes. I believe only by joining hands along the value chain can we foster innovation and implement sustainable solutions that propel growth for one another,” said Avi Fan, Clariant’s Head of Adsorbents APAC, BU Adsorbents & Additives.
