The UNIQUE plant: five casting processes on one site

  • from $455,000 Price
  • 40-50 t/month Capacity
  • 6-8 months Payback
Monoblock flask with two moulds for LGM casting
The two-mould monoblock flask is the moulding unit of the UNIQUE plant.

The UNIQUE plant brings five casting processes together on one site - lost foam, V-process, no-bake (cold-box resin sand), gravity die and centrifugal casting - and produces 40⁠-⁠50 tonnes of castings a month.

That range lets one plant take orders that would normally need three separate foundries. Payback is 6⁠-⁠8 months and the package costs $455,000.

Combined · 40⁠-⁠50 t/month · from $455,000

Specifications
Output40⁠-⁠50 t/month
Casting processeslost foam (LFC), V-process, no-bake, gravity die, centrifugal
Payback6⁠-⁠8 months
Revenue potentialat 30⁠-⁠40 t/month, $40,000⁠-⁠50,000 per month
Melting80 kg induction furnace, 160 kg induction furnace for iron, resistance furnace
Moldingmonoblock unit with two flasks, V-process cell, no-bake equipment
Base mold sizeup to 700x700 mm; expandable to 1000x1000 mm and beyond
Corescore shop plus vacuum core technology
Quality controllaboratory unit for chemical analysis, viscometer
Scale-up potentialto 500⁠-⁠1000 t/month with additional furnaces

Every innovation in one project

The UNIQUE plant carries Modern Technologies’ own developments:

  • Vacuum core technology - vacuum, sand and a special film instead of binders: high-strength, accurate cores and better internal surfaces on the casting.
  • The hybrid lost foam plus V-process route - casting billets for machining with high accuracy and a clean surface; it also turns scrap and swarf into squares, rounds and hexagons.
  • Vertical V-process molding - parts with dense metal and minimal shrinkage.
  • Lost foam innovations - monoblock units and simplified semi-automatic and automatic machines for foam pattern production.

What the complex contains

Lost foam line. A complete cell: furnaces, pattern machines, flasks, vacuum systems and the supporting equipment.

V-process cell. Safety-critical castings without binders - savings on molding materials and high dimensional accuracy.

Centrifugal casting machine. Thin-walled cylindrical blanks with dense metal and a good surface: bushings, tubes and rings.

Gravity die casting machine. Accurate castings with minimal shrinkage; a reusable die brings the unit cost down.

No-bake equipment. Molds and cores for complex, safety-critical castings with low labor input.

Core shop. A full core-making cycle for every casting process on site.

Key advantages

  • Fast payback - 6⁠-⁠8 months once production runs across all processes.
  • Revenue potential - at a load of 30⁠-⁠40 tonnes a month, income can reach $40,000⁠-⁠50,000.
  • An end-to-end approach - training, pattern tooling and support during start-up.
  • Room to grow - upgrade the furnaces, increase flask sizes and extend the foundry cell as orders grow.

How we work

Before we start, we assess the partner company: its capabilities, goals and resources. That lets us shape the project so it reaches payback and growth as quickly as possible.

What is included

  • Monoblock unit with two flasks
  • 80 kg induction furnace
  • 160 kg induction furnace for iron
  • Resistance furnace
  • PA-400 semi-automatic pattern machine with pre-expander
  • Bead blowing unit
  • Drying cabinet
  • Dissolver for refractory coating
  • Casting ladle
  • Foam milling machine
  • Hot-wire cutting machine
  • V-process cell for binder-free casting
  • No-bake (cold-setting sand) equipment
  • Gravity die casting machine
  • Centrifugal casting machine
  • Core shop
  • Tumbling barrel
  • Laboratory unit for chemical analysis of heats
  • Filter unit
  • Viscometer
  • Foundry hand tools
  • Personal protective equipment (PPE)

What the delivery includes

  • Training in lost foam casting (LFC): molds around foam patterns, accurate geometry for complex, lightweight parts.
  • Training in the V-process, including vertical molding: batch steel and iron parts without complex tooling.
  • Training in no-bake casting: molds and cores from cold-setting sand for one-off, small-batch and large castings.
  • Training in no-bake work with epoxy resin and foam patterns: using a foam pattern as a full die.
  • Training in gravity die casting: batch aluminum and non-ferrous parts with minimal shrinkage.
  • Training in centrifugal casting: bushings, liners and rings with dense, inclusion-free metal.
  • Training on the 3D scanner: capturing the geometry of existing parts without drawings.
  • Training on the CNC machines used to cut foam patterns for lost foam and V-process casting.
  • Training in the hybrid lost foam plus V-process route: turning scrap and swarf into cast billets - squares, rounds and hexagons.
  • Training in reverse engineering: recreating a part through a foam pattern and a lost foam or no-bake casting.
  • Training in vacuum core technology: high-strength, accurate cores formed under reduced pressure.

Delivery is quoted separately depending on the destination.

V-process mold halves with impressions of tee fittings and the gating system
V-process mold halves: an exact impression without binders.
80 kg induction melting furnace with crucible and power supply cabinet
The 80 kg induction furnace from the plant package.
Carved wooden master pattern for a customer's automotive bracket
A wooden master pattern made at the plant, used to produce foundry tooling.
Metal pattern die and the finished expanded polystyrene model of a long part side by side on a bench
Tooling and foam pattern - the starting point of lost foam casting.

Frequently asked questions

Why five processes in one plant?

Each covers its own class of orders: lost foam for complex shaped parts, the V-process for accurate binder-free castings, no-bake for large and one-off work, gravity die for batch non-ferrous parts and centrifugal casting for bushings and rings. One plant can take orders that would normally need three separate foundries.

What is the payback on the UNIQUE plant?

6⁠-⁠8 months. At a load of 30⁠-⁠40 tonnes a month, income can reach $40,000⁠-⁠50,000 per month.

How can the plant be scaled after start-up?

By adding larger furnaces - up to 500⁠-⁠1000 tonnes a month - increasing flasks from 700x700 to 1000x1000 mm and beyond, and developing any single process into a dedicated line. A separate in-house pattern and tooling shop can be set up from $100,000.

Request a quote

Send us a drawing or a photo of the part. We will work out the process, the plant configuration and the price.

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