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HA International Corporate Office & Bakelite, Louisville, KY Shipping Location: Closed on Dec. 22, 25, 29, 2023, and Jan. 1, 2024.

HA Oregon Sand Plant: Closed on Dec. 21, 22, 25, 28, 29, 2023, and Jan. 1, 2024.

HA Toledo Plant: Closed on Dec. 21, 22, 25, 29, 2023, and Jan. 1, 2024.

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Cold-Box

High Productivity • Large Volume • High-Speed Production

Advantages of Cold-Box Process:

         No Tooling Heat Requirement:

    • Eliminates the need for heating tools during processing.
    • Tooling can be conducted without the application of heat.
    • Heat application in tooling is unnecessary, enhancing efficiency.

    Low Labor and Energy Costs:

    • Characterized by reduced labor and energy expenditures.
    • Minimal labor and energy demands reduce operational costs.
    • Offers the advantage of lower energy and labor requirements.

    Good Dimensional Accuracy:

    • Delivers high precision in dimensional stability.
    • Maintains excellent accuracy in dimensions.
    • Provides superior dimensional fidelity.

    Immediate Core Handling:

    • Cores are ready for immediate manipulation post-creation.
    • Allows for the direct handling of cores after formation.
    • Cores can be managed instantly upon production.

    Near-Immediate Casting of Cores:

    • Enables almost instantaneous casting following core preparation.
    • Casting of cores can proceed with minimal delay post-preparation.
    • Facilitates the rapid transition from core preparation to casting.

    Extended Resin Shelf Life:

    • Resins exhibit prolonged viability.
    • Characterized by an extended shelf life of resins.
    • Resins maintain their effectiveness over an extended perio

HAI introduces a premier collection of cold-box technologies, each designed to address the stringent demands of today’s industry. This collection includes:

  • Phenolic Urethane Cold-Box Systems (PUCB): Using an amine gas catalyst, PUCB systems facilitate a reaction between phenolic and isocyanate resins, creating a lasting urethane bond. HAI’s PUCB resins lead the industry with their exceptional core durability, prolonged sand bench life, moisture resistance, and unmatched demolding properties.

  • Phenolic Esters Cold-Box Systems (ECP): The ECP method employs a dual-component approach, with Betaset resin (an alkaline phenolic resole in water) and a curing agent (methyl formate vapor). The Betaset resin is renowned for its accelerated strength development and superior dimensional stability, which are essential for crafting high-quality castings.

  • Carbophen Systems: Formulated without reportable formaldehyde, Carbophen is an eco-friendly, water-soluble phenolic resin that cures with CO2 gas in a sealed core box, serving as the exclusive binder for sand in mold and core formation.

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.

harp_logo-1-1
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.