Industrial blowers
Positive displacement blowers for pneumatic conveying of abrasive foundry sand and dust.
Spec conveying blowers
Industry: Foundry and metal casting
Compressed Air for Foundry and Metal Casting: Core Making, Sand Handling, and Dust Collection
- Since 1978
- Sullair dealer since 1984
- 14 locations
- under 2 hour response
Foundry Air Spec Plate
- Core air
- Desiccant dried
- Conveying
- PD blowers
- Baghouse
- Sized pulse storage
- Room design
- Heat and dust rated
- Dealer
- Sullair since 1984
What compressed air system does a foundry or metal casting operation need?
A foundry loads compressed air in sharp bursts and runs its compressors in punishing conditions. Cold box core blowers need consistent, dry air so blow density and gas cure stay repeatable, and moisture there means scrap. Pneumatic conveying moves abrasive sand, molding machines actuate on shop air, and pulse-jet baghouses fire short, high-volume bursts to clean their bags, which demands storage sized for the pulse. On top of that, the compressor room is hot and dusty, so intake filtration, duty-rated maintenance intervals, and room ventilation sized for the real summer ambient are part of the design, not an afterthought.
Foundry compressed air, drying, and blower lineup
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Rotary Screw (Foundry Duty)
- Use
- Core, mold, sand, tools
- Intake
- Heavy-duty dust filtration
- Output
- 100 to 1500 CFM
- Control
- VSD demand matching
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Desiccant Dryers (Core Air)
- Dew point
- -40 F class available
- Use
- Cold box core blowers
- Types
- Heatless and heated regen
- Config
- Twin-tower continuous
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Industrial Blowers (Conveying)
- Use
- Sand and dust conveying
- Style
- Positive displacement
- Duty
- Continuous transfer
- Media
- Abrasive foundry sand
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Portable Diesel (Shutdown Work)
- Use
- Relines, outages, projects
- Power
- No plant power needed
- Output
- 185 to 1600 CFM
- Deploy
- Rental fleet available
45 + Years in Business
14 Midwest Locations
4.7 Star Google Rating
Foundry compressed air demand and room condition guide
A foundry loads compressed air in bursts for core blowing and dust collection, moves abrasive sand pneumatically, and runs its compressors in heat and dust. Sizing for the burst demand and designing the room for the real ambient is what keeps the system alive.
Three things that size a foundry air system
Burst demand: Core blows and baghouse pulses are short and sharp. Size receiver storage for the burst event so cores pack right and pulse cleaning holds, not just the average CFM.
Air quality: Desiccant dry the core making and dust collector air so moisture does not scrap cores or foul pulse valves. Wet air also makes conveyed sand clump.
Room conditions: Design intake filtration, ventilation, and heat rejection for the real hot, dusty ambient, and set shorter duty-rated maintenance intervals to match.
Run the numbers yourself
- CFM calculator: total the steady load from molding, conveying, and tools before adding burst demand.
- Air receiver tank calculator: size storage for the sharp core blow and baghouse pulse events so they do not starve.
- Compressed air leak calculator: price the leaks on old sand-handling and shakeout air lines that run all shift.
Book a foundry air audit to log the burst demand and room conditions before you size new equipment.
What compressed air really costs
- 10% of US industrial electricity goes to compressed air Source: US DOE Compressed Air Sourcebook
- 20 to 30% of compressed air is typically lost to leaks Source: US DOE Compressed Air Sourcebook
- 75% of ten year compressor cost is energy, not purchase price Source: CAGI life cycle cost data
- under 2 hr average emergency response across our territory Source: Brabazon dispatch
Where foundries use compressed air and blowers
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Cold box core blowing
Consistent dry air blows sand and binder into core boxes so blow density and gas cure stay repeatable across shifts.
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Pneumatic sand conveying
Dilute and dense-phase conveying moves abrasive foundry sand between silos, mullers, and molding lines.
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Molding machine actuation
Compressed air actuates squeeze, jolt, and pattern draw cylinders on green sand and no-bake molding machines.
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Baghouse pulse-jet cleaning
Short high-volume air pulses fire down filter bags to shake off collected dust and keep the collector flowing.
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Shakeout and finishing tools
Air tools for shakeout, grinding, chipping, and cleaning castings in the finishing department.
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Sand cooling and aeration
Blowers and compressed air aerate and cool reclaimed sand so it returns to the line at the right condition.
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Ladle and pouring line air
Instrument and utility air for pouring line actuation, ladle handling, and pattern shop equipment.
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Compressor room ventilation
Heat rejection and forced ventilation keep the compressor room within rating in a hot foundry ambient.
What keeps foundry compressed air reliable
Four disciplines keep foundry compressed air from scrapping cores, jamming conveying, starving the baghouse, and cooking the compressors.
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Dry, consistent air for cold box core making
Cold box core making blows sand and binder into a core box and then gases the core to cure. Moisture in the blow air changes how the sand packs and how the gas catalyst reacts, which produces soft cores, blows, and scrap. Desiccant drying to a low pressure dew point on the core making header, with steady pressure and adequate storage for the blow event, keeps core density and cure repeatable from shift to shift.
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Handling abrasive sand and dust in conveying
Foundry sand is highly abrasive, and moving it pneumatically depends on clean, dry compressed air and correctly sized blowers. Wet air makes sand clump and jam conveying lines, and the same airborne dust that loads the process also loads the compressor intake. Positive displacement blowers handle continuous sand and dust transfer, and the compressed air feeding conveying is dried and filtered so it adds no moisture to the sand.
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Sizing storage for pulse-jet dust collectors
Pulse-jet baghouses clean their bags with short, high-volume bursts of air. The demand is intermittent but sharp, so the system needs receiver storage sized for the pulse event, not just the average, or the pulses starve and cleaning falls off. Dry air is essential because condensate fouls the diaphragm pulse valves and manifold. Brabazon sizes the receiver and drying so the collector holds its cleaning cycle and keeps the foundry within its dust permit.
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Compressor survival in a hot, dusty foundry
Foundries run hot and dirty, and both cut compressor life. High ambient temperature reduces cooling and can trip a machine on high temperature, so the compressor room needs heat rejection and ventilation sized for the real summer ambient. Airborne sand and metallic dust load intake filters quickly, so foundry compressors use heavy-duty intake filtration and shorter, duty-rated maintenance intervals. Placement, ventilation, and filtration are part of the design, not an afterthought.
Recommended setup for foundries and metal casters
For a working foundry, the setup we configure most includes a duty-rated rotary screw with heavy-duty intake filtration and VSD control, a twin-tower desiccant dryer on the core making and dust collector header, and receiver storage sized for the core blow and baghouse pulse events rather than the average. The compressor room gets ventilation and heat rejection sized for the real summer ambient, and positive displacement blowers handle abrasive sand conveying. See the rotary screw page and the industrial blowers page for equipment details, and the rentals page for outage air.
When more storage beats a bigger compressor: core blows and baghouse pulses are
short bursts, so a plant tempted to buy a larger compressor to chase the peak is often better
served by adding receiver storage sized for the burst. Storage absorbs the spike without running
a bigger machine at part load all shift, which lowers both capital and energy cost. A bigger
compressor is the right answer only when the steady baseline load, not the burst, is what
exceeds the current supply.
Typical project: Foundry and metal casting
Sizing burst storage and duty-rated room design for core air and dust collection
A common scenario in this industry is a foundry running its cold box core machines and pulse-jet baghouse off a compressor with no storage sized for the bursts, in a compressor room that bakes in summer. Cores came out soft and inconsistent when the blow air pressure sagged, the baghouse cleaning fell off when pulses starved, and the compressor tripped on high temperature on the hottest days. A typical project starts when the plant logs the real burst demand and room ambient: Brabazon then adds receiver storage sized for the core blow and pulse events, puts desiccant drying on the core and dust collector header, upgrades the intake filtration for the airborne sand, and adds ventilation and heat rejection sized for the summer ambient. The core scrap, the baghouse cleaning, and the summer trips are addressed together because they share the same undersized system.
Foundry air support across the Midwest
Factory-trained technicians dispatch from 14 branches with an under 2 hour average emergency response. Find your nearest branch:
Questions engineers actually ask us
Why do cold box core blowers need dry compressed air?
Cold box core making blows sand and binder into a core box and then gases the core to cure it. Consistent, dry air is critical because moisture in the blow air changes how the sand packs and how the amine or gas catalyst behaves, which leads to soft cores, blows, and scrap. Desiccant drying to a low pressure dew point on the core making header keeps blow density and cure repeatable from shift to shift.
How does compressed air move foundry sand?
Foundry sand is moved by pneumatic conveying, both dilute phase for lighter transfer and dense phase for abrasive bulk sand over longer runs. Because foundry sand is highly abrasive and dust-laden, the compressed air feeding conveying must be clean and dry so it does not add moisture that causes sand to clump, and the compressor intake must be filtered against the airborne dust that shortens compressor life.
What compressed air does a baghouse dust collector need?
Pulse-jet baghouses clean their filter bags with short, high-volume bursts of compressed air fired down the bags to shake off collected dust. These pulses are intermittent but demand a lot of air in a short window, so the system needs adequate receiver storage sized for the pulse demand and dry air to keep the pulse valves and manifold from icing or corroding. Wet air fouls diaphragm valves and reduces cleaning effectiveness.
How does foundry heat and dust affect compressor placement?
Foundries are hot and dusty, and both shorten compressor life. High ambient temperatures reduce cooling capacity and can force a compressor to shut down on high temperature, so the compressor room needs heat rejection and ventilation sized for the real ambient, not a mild-day rating. Airborne sand and metallic dust load intake filters fast, so foundry compressors need heavy-duty intake filtration and shorter filter service intervals than a clean plant.
Who services foundry compressors in Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri?
Brabazon has supported foundries and metal casting operations from 14 Midwest locations since 1978 and has been the authorized Sullair dealer since 1984. We service core making air, sand handling, molding actuation, and dust collector air, with an under 2 hour average emergency response and maintenance intervals set for hot, dusty foundry conditions.
Where to go next
Get Your Foundry Air System Reviewed
Tell us your core making process, sand handling, molding line, and dust collection load, along with your compressor room conditions. We size the supply, drying, storage, and blowers for the burst demand and the heat and dust of a real foundry.