100 kg
Max shooting capacity (Shell / Hot Box)
Foundry Technology Guide
Which Process Fits Your Foundry?
A practical comparison of core shooting technologies, machine capabilities, and how to match the right process to your production needs.
Core making sits at the heart of every foundry's quality and productivity equation. The right core shooting process delivers dimensionally accurate cores, smooth castings, and predictable cycle times — the wrong one means scrap, gas defects, or a bottlenecked line for years to come.
Three technologies dominate modern foundries: Shell Core, Hot Box, and Cold Box. Each cures sand differently — and that single difference cascades into tooling cost, cycle time, surface finish, environmental footprint, and the parts each process is best suited to produce.
Max shooting capacity (Shell / Hot Box)
Sand savings via closed-loop reclamation (Shell)
TEA gas cure time (Cold Box)
How the Three Processes Differ
All three start the same way — resin-bound sand shot into a mold under pressure. What happens next is where they diverge.
Shell Core
Heat-cured shell
Pre-coated phenolic resin sand fired against a 200–250°C tool, forming a thin, hollow, self-supporting shell with excellent surface finish.
Hot Box
Heat-cured solid
Liquid thermosetting resin sand cures rapidly against a heated tool (~200–260°C), producing a solid, high-strength core.
Cold Box
Gas-cured solid
Two-part resin sand shot at room temperature, cured in seconds by TEA catalyst gas — no heat, fastest cycle, tightest tolerances.
01 · SHELL CORE SHOOTING MACHINE
Ultra-high-capacity · fully automatic · up to 100 kg
Pre-coated shell sand fired against a heated tool (200–250°C) forms a thin, hollow, self-supporting core with excellent surface finish and dimensional stability — ideal for heavy industrial castings produced at scale.
fully automatic shell core shooting machine (dual-station unit)
Best Fit: Heavy commercial vehicle parts, mining machinery, industrial pump/valve bodies, large pipe fittings.
02 · HOT BOX VERTICAL CORE MACHINE
Dual-station · electric heating · precision curing
Liquid thermosetting resin sand cures rapidly against an electrically heated tool (~200–260°C), producing a solid, high-strength core. Alternating dual stations keep output continuous.
Hot Box Vertical Parting core shooting machine (dual-station unit)
Best Fit: Automotive components, hydraulic parts & valves, pump bodies, construction machinery.
03 · COLD BOX VERTICAL CORE MACHINE
Fast curing · TEA curing · precision curing
Two-part resin sand is shot at room temperature and cured in seconds by triethylamine (TEA) catalyst gas — no heat input, the fastest cycle time, and the tightest dimensional tolerances of the three processes.
Cold Box Horizontal Parting Core Shooting Machine
Best Fit: Precision automotive & hydraulic components, tight-tolerance resin cores, mixed small-batch production.
| Factor | Shell Core | Hot Box Vertical | Cold Box Vertical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core Type | Coated sand (shell) | Coated sand (hot box) | Resin sand (cold box) |
| Curing Method | Flame / electric heat | Electric heating | TEA gas curing |
| Max Capacity | 100 kg | 100 kg | 80–100 kg |
| Station Design | Single/Dual station | Single/Dual station | Single station |
| Cycle Time | 25–45 seconds | 25–35 seconds | Secs of seconds |
| Sand Savings | Up to 30% | Standard reclaim | Laser precision control |
| Best For | Heavy industrial cores | Automotive, hydraulics | Precision resin cores |
Shell Core and Hot Box need heated tooling — higher upfront cost and maintenance. Cold Box's room-temperature tooling is cheaper for shorter or varied runs.
Cold Box skips sustained mold heating, generally using less energy per core than Shell Core or Hot Box, which hold tooling at 200°C+ all shift.
Cold Box requires permanent amine exhaust infrastructure. Shell Core and Hot Box avoid amine handling but need heated-tool and fume-extraction safety measures.
Shell Core's hollow shell suits large housings needing lightweight cores. Hot Box and Cold Box solid cores suit structurally demanding parts.
Cold Box's quick-change, positioning-pin tooling handles small batches and frequent changeovers more gracefully than Shell Core or Hot Box lines.
There's no universally 'best' process — only the best fit for your part geometry, volume, tolerances, and plant infrastructure.
Heavy, high-volume industrial parts where surface finish, hollow-core weight savings, and sand reclamation economics matter most.
Solid, structurally robust cores at high throughput for automotive or hydraulic applications, without adding gas handling to your safety program.
Dimensional precision, fast cycle times, and production flexibility are top priority — and TEA gas curing can be managed safely.
Contact us for a live demonstration and a customized quotation on Shell Core, Hot Box, or Cold Box vertical core shooting machines.
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