The primary goal of the shakeout phase is to safeguard the casting during the degating process, period.  However, given the growing desire to reclaim and reuse as much of the sprue metal and pattern sand as possible, foundries and metalcasting operations have made the use of cut pieces of Silica mesh as degating aids common practice.  To eliminate the problem of occasional deflection or breakage of Silica mesh material due to high pouring temperatures or heavy throughput (such as with steel), we recommend using CerraFlex material over standard Silica mesh.    

By placing CerraBreakers in the mold to create cleavage points in the runner & gating system prior to pouring, the gating system typically falls apart in the first few moments of shakeout (or alternatively if tapped with a shop hammer) as opposed to requiring the use of a cutting saw, torch or hydraulic wedge.  Easing the removal of the gating system from the casting can yield significant cost savings, in most cases up to 50% for the typical mid-sized jobbing foundry.