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Cold-Box

High Productivity • Large Volume • High-Speed Production

Cold-Box Process

HAI offers a comprehensive portfolio of cold-box technologies suited to fulfill the most demanding requirements in the industry.

Our product portfolio includes:

Phenolic Urethane Cold-Box Systems (PUCB) - The PUCB process utilizes an amine gas to catalyze the reaction between a phenolic resin and an isocyanate resin to produce a urethane bond. HAI's PUCB resins are the best in the business regarding high core strengths, long mixed sand bench life, humidity resistance, and release characteristics that can't be matched.

Phenolic Esters Cold-Box Systems (ECP) - The ester-cured phenolic cold-box process uses two components: a resin and a curing agent. The resin (Betaset) is an alkaline phenolic resole in water, and the curing agent is the vapor of a volatile ester, methyl formate. The Betaset resin offers higher strength development and excellent dimensional stability, both highly desirable traits in making high-valued castings.

Carbophen systems - Carbophen is a water-soluble phenolic resin system cured by passing carbon dioxide (CO2) gas into a sealed core box. The resin is the sole binder component added to the sand for making molds and cores. Carbophen has been formulated to contain no reportable formaldehyde, making this system more environmentally friendly.

Advantages of Cold-Box

  • No tooling heat is required
  • Cures at room temperature
  • Cost-effective to run in comparison to heat-cured systems
  • Low labor and energy cost
  • Good dimensional accuracy
  • Cores can be handled immediately
  • Cores can be cast almost immediately
  • Long resin shelf life

New Names - Proven Products
New brand names make it easier to identify and select products.

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Sigmacure

HAI's leading cold box product line, Sigmacure, utilizes the Phenolic Urethane Cold-Box (PUCB) process.

Foundries interested in productivity using Phenolic Urethane Cold-Box resins appreciate the diversity of performance capabilities offered within the Sigmacure product line.

If you haven’t tested one of the Sigmacure products, you haven’t unlocked the productivity potential of your Cold-Box operation.

Click Here to view our Sigmacure brochure

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Biocure 

HAI's environmentally advantageous cold-box product line, Biocure, is a new Low VOC Biodiesel solvent system based on methyl esters of vegetable oils.

Biocure shows a reduction in volatile emissions and improved process performance and may help you satisfy the permitting and emission requirements of the local regulatory agencies.

View our AFS technical paper on the supporting technology.

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Silcure 

In 1999, HA introduced Cold-Box systems with shares of silicate-containing solvents to the foundry industry. The Silcure systems are PUCB binders furnished with inorganic solvents. These solvents contain Si compounds in the molecule instead of hydrocarbons. A lower carbon content results in reduced BTX, BTEX, and CO2 emissions. This type of system delivers a low odor and smoke profile during the core-making and casting process. In North America, these systems could be considered the ideal bridge between PUCB binders and Inorganic high-productivity binder systems (IOB).

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Betaset 

The same breakthrough chemistry that produced the Alphaset No-Bake system was subsequently developed to produce the Betaset Cold-Box system.

The Betaset system uses vaporized methyl formate gas to achieve a fast Cold Box cure and can be applied to a highly automated environment, such as automotive component production.

The Betaset system offers improved casting quality and environmental factors.

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Carbophen 

HAI's newest Phenolic Cold-Box resin, Carbophen, is a water-based phenolic resin system cured using CO2 gas.

This environmentally friendly cold box product line contains no reportable formaldehyde and offers the lowest VOC and HAP emissions at pouring, cooling, and shakeout of Cold-Box systems. Features include:

  • Low odor inside and outside of the foundry
  • No scrubber is required
  • The resin contains no nitrogen, sulfur, or phosphorous
  • No lustrous carbon is formed
  • Good humidity resistance and Tensile Strength
  • No odor, non-flammable curing agent

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Amine Catalysts

The PUCB process utilizes an amine gas to catalyze the reaction between a phenolic resin and an isocyanate resin to produce a urethane bond. HAI's amine catalyst product line, Sigmacat, is designed for use with our entire line of Phenolic Urethane Cold-Box resins.

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HA International also offers our customers an environmentally conscientious alternative to PUCB scrubber solution waste disposal. With HARP, the amine is recovered to virgin specifications using the latest innovations in process technology.

Technical Assistance

Properly selecting a binder system that meets your specific needs is key to achieving maximum performance benefits. HAI provides in-depth technical assistance and a wide range of Cold-Box binder systems. Both our in-house and field experts are available to assist you in your most challenging foundry applications. Contact us today so that we may assist you in putting together a binder system that will help you achieve your goals.



For additional product information, contact Aaron Kaboff at Aaron.kaboff@ha-group.com.