Sand casting is a casting method in which the mold is made of sand to produce castings. The molding material for sand casting is widely available, inexpensive, and the equipment is simple and easy to operate. It is not limited by the type of casting alloy or the shape and size of the casting, and is suitable for various production scales. Therefore, sand casting is the most widely used casting method, with sand-casting parts accounting for about 80% of all castings.

The process of sand casting is shown in Figure below. First, a pattern is made based on the part drawing, and then a sand mold is made by using the pattern and the sand mixture. For castings with hollow shapes, a core box and a sand core are also needed to be made by using the core box and the sand core mixture. Then, the molten metal is poured into the mold cavity. After the molten metal solidifies in the mold cavity, the sand mold is knocked off, and remove the casting riser and running system. Finally, the casting is cleaned of any residues, inspected, and can be delivered as the required casting.