Olivine Sand
Used in steel and cast iron foundries, olivine sand is not considered to be hazardous to the lung. Its significant refractory qualities and low dilation provide extremely long product life with up to 97-98% sand regeneration. And unlike silica sands, it improves with use and is resistant to the penetration of molten metal, allowing the quality of the binder to be considerably reduced while obtaining the same level of plasticity and cohesion. It also a provides better surface, especially when casting manganese steel with fewer runners, risers, etc.
Olivine sand performs well with bentonite, clay, sodium silicate, oil, and starch binders, and cores based oil binders dry in less time without the risk of deformation. Plus, it’s reported to save foundries up to 50% on sand costs for each ton of cast iron produced, in addition to saving time on the repair and polishing of stainless and manganese steel castings.