The Alpha Process

THE ALPHA PROCESS: FASTER, MORE EFFICIENT SHELL SAND CASTINGS. TRANSLATION: PREMIUM CASTINGS WITHOUT A PREMIUM PRICE.

THE ALPHA PROCESS

The Alpha Process fills a void among other molding processes with a variation of the Shell Sand Process (which is widely used in foundry core production, though relatively rare for molding). It uses a special resin-coated sand that fuses together when baked in a heated core or mold pattern.

The resulting core/mold produces exceptional sand-cast surface finish, dimensional stability, and more delicate casting features compared to other sand processes due to the toughness of the cured core/mold.

Unfortunately, this fine grain shell sand is expensive, takes time to cure, and when used traditionally, proves difficult to remove from the poured casting, making shell sand molding expensive and slow.

Developed and patented by second-generation owner Robert Barron and fully implemented by his son Emerson Barron, the Alpha Process takes advantage of shell molding’s best qualities by producing a relatively thin shell at the casting surface and backfilling the mold with coarser, faster-curing, and reusable sand.

This uses less shell sand to create a core and mold set that’s less expensive, faster to produce, easier to remove, and provides better venting to minimize porosity defects in the casting.

A precisely machined iron die is heated to several hundred degrees using our custom-built Alpha Process machines.
A magazine clamps over the die and injects it with fine-grained resin-sand for a smooth surface.
The heated die immediately begins to cure the resin into a hard shell from the outside, in.
We quickly roll and drain the die to make a thin shell. This differs from standard shell molding and core making. Our shell is thinner and wafer-like.
A second injection magazine clamps over the die and fills the shell with cheap sand mix, making it strong enough for metal casting.
We assemble and clamp our core and mold sets in stack fashion rather than simple cope and drag sets. This uses both sides of every mold, further adding to process efficiency and flexibility in our pouring queue.

the alpha Process Delivers Impressive Results NotObtainable with Conventional Sand-Casting Technology