UK Foundry First to Invest in 3D-Printed Sand Cores for Aluminium Castings

A Coventry foundry has become the first in the UK to install 3D-printed sand core technology, slashing the time needed to produce complex aluminium castings from months to a single day.

Sarginsons Industries has invested £800,000 in an inorganic 3D sand core printing system capable of producing cores at around 54 litres per hour. The technology replaces traditional organic binder systems with a process that eliminates gas emissions, improves sand recyclability, and removes the six-to-eight-week wait that usually separates an order from a finished aluminium casting.

The new system prints sand cores directly from digital models. That design freedom lets engineers create internal passages and thin-walled features that would be impossible or very expensive with conventional core-making methods. For OEMs working on lightweight structural parts, the speed and complexity trade-off is significant.

Environmental and Quality Gains

Traditional sand cores use organic binders that release gases during the casting process. Those gases can become trapped in the metal, creating porosity and weakening the final part. Sarginsons says the inorganic system nearly eliminates those emissions, producing cleaner castings with more consistent mechanical properties.

The process also improves sand recyclability. Old core material can be reused more times before it degrades, reducing waste and disposal costs. Core removal after casting becomes simpler as well, which cuts finishing time and labour.

Part of a Larger Industrial Push

The investment sits inside Sarginsons' leadership of the £5.8 million PIVOT programme, a government-backed effort to modernise British casting. The company is also developing proposals for a £30 million Future Foundry casting industrialisation hub, a plan that would expand training, capacity, and advanced process development across the UK.

Gavin Shipley, Sarginsons' Technical Director, said the 3D sand core capability positions the company for more complex work in automotive, aerospace, and energy markets. He noted that next-day aluminium castings were previously impractical at the volumes and tolerances these industries require.

The UK foundry sector has been slow to adopt 3D sand printing compared to parts of Europe and North America. Sarginsons' move could push competitors to follow, especially as OEMs face pressure to reduce lead times and carbon footprints at the same time.