Haworth Invests In Environmentally Sound Sand Reclamation Plant

Sand reclamation plant

You may have wondered why many foundries supply castings with a poor surface appearance. The reason is sand grade and residual chemicals.

It is not just the desire for golden sand and a clean sand casting foundry that has lead Haworth Castings to invest £300,000 in a new sand reclamation plant. It is the right decision for our customers on several levels.

Firstly quality. Whilst chemicals are required to harden the sand during the moulding process, too much chemical can lead to a significant reduction in quality. With our new plant, all residual chemicals are removed from the sand during the reclaim process. The sand is then recycled meaning it only ever has one layer of chemical on it at a time.

Secondly, the environmental benefit of sand reclamation is clear. Prior to sand reclamation we had to purchase and dispose of over 2,000 tonnes of sand per annum, with three skips of contaminated sand going to landfill every week. Now, with over 95% reclaimed, we have no sand disposal skips on the premises and waste is miminal.

Thirdly, the reclaimed sand is classified to remove the fines which, if not removed, will give poor casting finishes. Ultimately we end up with pristine sand at approximately 80AFS, giving our castings an excellent definition.

Finally, we have taken significant variable cost out of the business. The benefit to our customers is that we have stabilised this element of our cost base and are no longer affected by the fluctuation of sand and waste disposal prices.

We are rightly proud of our new sand reclamation plant and whilst we don't pretend to compete with Waikiki beach we do love our own golden sand!

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