Postgraduate Diploma in Pattern Making and Sand Casting: Cores and Core Making
Online 800-hour Postgraduate Diploma in Pattern Making and Sand Casting: Cores and Core Making. 8 modules covering EN 1706 (aluminium alloys for castings), EN 1561 (grey cast iron) and MAGMASOFT. Assigned tutor and open enrolment.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Explain the metallurgy of common casting alloys.
Design patterns with draft angles and shrinkage allowances.
Select sands and moulding processes.
Design cores and core boxes for complex cavities.
Size gating and feeding systems.
Simulate filling and solidification to prevent defects.
Inspect and finish a casting to specification.
Who it's for
- Foundry technician looking to specialise in Pattern Making and Sand Casting: Cores and Core Making.
- Foundry pattern maker looking to specialise in Pattern Making and Sand Casting: Cores and Core Making.
- Foundry simulation engineer looking to specialise in Pattern Making and Sand Casting: Cores and Core Making.
- Casting quality technician looking to specialise in Pattern Making and Sand Casting: Cores and Core Making.
- Reproduction spare parts engineer looking to specialise in Pattern Making and Sand Casting: Cores and Core Making.
- Moulding shop supervisor looking to specialise in Pattern Making and Sand Casting: Cores and Core Making.
- Graduates in engineering or science seeking to enter the foundry sector.
What you'll work with
- EN 1706 (aluminium alloys for castings)
- EN 1561 (grey cast iron)
- ISO 8062-3 (dimensional tolerances of castings)
- EN 1982 (copper alloys for castings)
- EN 1559-1 (technical delivery conditions for castings)
- EN 12681-1 (radiographic examination of castings)
- EN 1371-1 (liquid penetrant testing of castings)
8 modules · 800 h
1.1Alloys: grey iron, nodular iron, aluminium and bronze1.2Solidification and volumetric shrinkage1.3Fluidity and castability1.4Relevant phase diagrams1.5Defects: porosity, shrinkage cavities and cold shuts1.6Degassing, inoculation and modification1.7Crucible, induction and cupola furnaces1.8Pouring temperatures by alloy1.9Spectrometric analysis of the metal1.10Laboratory: defect analysis in castings
2.1Contraction allowance by alloy2.2Draft angles and radii2.3Machining allowance2.4Parting line and split patterns2.5Core prints and their sizing2.6Materials: wood, resin, aluminium and 3D printing2.7Match plates and loose patterns2.8Patterns from original parts2.9Pattern colour coding2.10Workshop: pattern for a distribution cover
3.1Green sands: silica, bentonite and water3.2Chemical sands: furan and phenolic3.3Permeability and strength tests3.4Manual flask moulding3.5Mechanised and high-pressure moulding3.6Refractory coatings3.7Mould venting3.8Sand reclamation and regeneration3.9Respirable crystalline silica and occupational health3.10Practice: preparation and testing of a moulding sand
4.1Role of cores in internal cavities4.2Core boxes: design and layout4.3Cold box and hot box processes4.4Silicate and CO2 cores4.5Strength, collapsibility and core removal4.6Chaplets, supports and core prints4.7Sand cores printed by binder jetting4.8Core gases and associated defects4.9Core package assembly4.10Workshop: core box for a water manifold
5.1Pouring cup, runner and ingates5.2Area ratios in pressurised systems5.3Turbulence-free filling and critical velocity5.4Ceramic foam filters5.5Risers and Chvorinov's modulus5.6Exothermic risers and sleeves5.7Internal and external chills5.8Directional solidification5.9Calculating metal yield5.10Practice: riser calculation for a cylinder head
6.1Simulation of filling and solidification6.2Software: MAGMASOFT, ProCAST and FLOW-3D CAST6.3Meshing and thermophysical properties6.4Porosity prediction with the Niyama criterion6.5Virtual optimisation of the gating system6.6Residual stresses and distortion6.7Validation with real castings6.8Limitations of models6.9Interpreting results6.10Workshop: simulation of a small engine block
7.1Shakeout, fettling and shot blasting7.2Post-casting heat treatment7.3Visual and liquid penetrant inspection7.4Radiography to ASTM E446 and E155 references7.5Ultrasonic testing of castings7.6Leak tests7.7Weld repair and impregnation7.8Dimensional control of first-off parts7.9Material certificates to EN 102047.10Case study: diagnosis of a housing rejection
8.1Part and alloy selection8.2Analysis of the original part8.3Pattern and core box design8.4Gating system design8.5Simulation and optimisation8.6Inspection plan8.7Costs and planning8.8Foundry safety plan8.9Report and presentation8.10Final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
100 % online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. No fixed timetables: students progress at their own pace within the intake, allowing it to be combined with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The software used is MAGMASOFT, ProCAST, FLOW-3D CAST, SolidWorks, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Tests are studied using real green sand and chemical sand moulding procedures, core making, and radiographic inspection of castings. Assessment is continuous per module plus the final integrative project.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Explain the metallurgy of common casting alloys.
Design patterns with draft angles and shrinkage allowances.
Select sands and moulding processes.
Design cores and core boxes for complex cavities.
Size gating and feeding systems.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector. No university degree is required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
- Sufficient level of Spanish to follow technical standards documentation.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 800 hours spread over 6 to 8 months. That is between 10 and 15 hours per week on average, compatible with full-time work.
The programme uses MAGMASOFT, ProCAST, FLOW-3D CAST and SolidWorks. Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates the free alternative where one exists.
An SEIUM own diploma on passing the continuous assessment and the integrative project. It is in-house training, not an official Ministry qualification.
Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area are credited towards the advanced programme. Check the credit transfer policy when you enrol.
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