Menu-driven control

The main task of a menu-driven control is to maintain the entire sand budget at a specified activated clay content, e.g. 7.5%. For this purpose, it calculates an adjusted recipe from production data (cast iron quantity and core sand addition).

In addition, the lustrous carbon content is also kept at a specified value and the replenishment with new sand is adapted to the production data.

First of all, the menu-driven control needs production data (cast iron quantity and core sand feed). These can be transferred automatically from the molding plant or entered manually.

A recipe is then calculated from this data and passed on to the sand preparation dosing control system.

In addition, laboratory measured values (methylene blue sample) can be entered by which the calculated recipes are corrected accordingly.

Basically, a menu-driven control operates where the binders are added, i.e. either at the cooler or at the mixer.

At the cooler, a retrospective control takes place: the binders are added according to the past loading of the returning used sand.

At the mixer there is a preventive control: The binders are added according to the future load of the produced molding sand.

This depends on the type of cooler used. For a batch cooler, a binder dosing system is already provided, to which the binder control can be connected. For continuous coolers (mixed or fluid bed coolers), a continuous cast-related recipe control can be retrofitted. This dosing is behind the cooler, because otherwise the binder is absorbed by the air stream flowing through. In the batch cooler, the air is switched off at the end of the cycle and then the binder is added.