Sand - it’s not child’s play

Members of the Founders’ Company were delighted to be invited guests of the Omega Sinto Open Day during which their new pilot plant for the recovery and reclamation of foundry sand was formally opened by our very own Upper Warden, Tom Westley DL FICME.

Foundries around the world use quarried sand to make the moulds into which the molten metal is poured to create precision engineered sand-cast components.  The re-use of this sand is something that most, but not all, foundries do.  Omega Sinto Foundry Machinery is one of the global leaders in the technology for sand recovery, (involving cleaning and separating the sand from any residual chemical binder and then classifying the sand and removing any dust, ready for sand re-use) supplying UK-designed and built plant to foundries around the world.  With a growing appreciation that sand suitable for foundry moulds is a valuable resource, and needs to be used (and re-used) as efficiently and optimally as possible, Omega Sinto have been at the forefront of developing this technology. 

The company also produces sand sorting equipment, required to separate different types of sands (eg silica sand from the more expensive and high refractory chromite sand and also for the recovery and re-use of ‘artificial’ or ceramic sands) as well as mould-handling equipment to separate sand from the cast metal components and to move large moulds efficiently around foundries.

The Open Day included a tour of the Peterborough  facility to see the full range of equipment that the company now offers, including the RFID technology that Omega supplies to help control sand mixer-related variables, such as sand filling rate, ratios of facing to backing sand, resin/catalyst additions rates, compaction table time and vibration frequency – all moulding variables that were traditionally left to the operator to control and optimise.  It also can manage production control and costings, and can integrate with most production planning systems to provide accurate, real-time information to the foundryman.  The pilot plant includes primary reclamation, a patented secondary reclamation system, and thermal reclamation. 

As Omega Chairman (and Founder’s Freeman) Mark Fenyes put it,

“Coming from a foundry background, we understand the importance of the nuances of each of our customer’s sand system. Every application is different, whether in terms of the base sand, resin type, sand to metal ratio or the metal alloy being cast. The only effective way to deliver exactly what the customer requires is to trial it first.  This allows us to fine tune the equipment to achieve the best results, and then replicate the setup in the foundry, saving time on site and ensuring the most appropriate reclamation method has been selected from the outset.”

“We remain to this day the only company manufacturing thermal reclamation units where plant sizing ensure stack emissions comply even in the strictest regulatory environments.  This capability was recently recognised by Europe’s largest foundry, Fritz Winter, which placed orders for two units, each capable of processing 6 tonnes per hour, at their new Stadt Allendorf facility in Germany.”

In his address, Tom spoke about how the UK foundry industry is poorly understood by politicians and many business leaders, imaging it to be something from bygone times, rather than a vibrant and important part of the supply chain of many sectors, from defence to energy generation, from transportation to medical equipment.  

“Foundries”, he said, “receive very little help from our government, with UK companies paying the highest energy prices in the world, whilst complying with ever more demanding legislation.  The survivors in the UK do so despite the constraints and challenges placed upon us,” he said, adding that “Omega Sinto have a wonderful track record of producing top quality, reliable and robust equipment”. 

Before cutting the ribbon for the pilot plant, Tom spoke about the origins of the Omega business, and the drive and ambition with which Mark has led the business since he acquired it in 1996, to develop sales internationally and winning a Queen’s Award for Export in 2007 – Britain’s highest accolade for a UK Company – noting that

“Mark and his team should be immensely proud of the reputation for innovation and reliability that they have built for the Omega Sinto brand, with industry lucky to have such a well-organised strategic partner based in the UK able to support our domestic foundry industry.”

Our delegation also included Past Master Alan Hughes, Industry Committee Chair, Pam Murrell and Marketing Committee Chair, Ian Russell who, following the visit, said,

“As somebody who has little knowledge of the cast metals industry (but very keen to broaden my knowledge) I found the day fascinating and inspiring. All of the staff were very welcoming and informative - and the scale of the equipment Omega design and manufacture is amazing.

“Whilst I find the history of the Founders’ Company and its craft something to value and share, I believe our story is best placed in focussing on the industry today - that is what can make the Founders’ Company relevant alongside our traditions, heritage and fellowship.”