Evaluation of additive manufacturing of sand cores in terms of the resulting surface roughness

Obtaining a good surface finish on casting is challenging and depends on the dimension of the sand particles and the processing method of the mold. Evolving modern trends in mould and core production as a binder jetting technology is an option and it is more than desirable to evaluate and remove any possible negative effects. The aim of this study is to compare the influence of furan no-bake technology and 3D printing method on the surface quality of cores and cavities formed in aluminium alloy castings. In addition to the sieve analysis and mechanical properties of the moulding mixtures, the roughness (Ra, Rz) of the cores and resulting casting surfaces of individual samples were compared in this study.