What Happens At A Foundry?

Many people do not realise, that at some point or the other, most of their products have been through a foundry. A foundry is another name for a factory which produces metal castings that are used for a variety of things. There is a plethora of processes involved in a foundry including core making, pattern making, the creation of moulds, metal pouring, casting, blasting and sand reclamation. There are two different types of foundries. One is called a ferrous foundry, which makes iron and steel castings, and the other is called a non-ferrous foundry which produces castings from aluminium and copper based alloys.

Shapes are created out of metal using casts or moulds. The cast is then removed after the metal has cooled into the desired shape.

There are many different materials used a foundry, it is all dependant on the purpose of the casting. The most commonly used metals are cast iron and aluminium, although tin, magnesium, zinc and copper can also be used. Depending on the material being used, the type of melting process varies.

Before the metal can be melted, it has to be degassed, as there is a lot of gas released when metal is in liquid form. If there is too much gas in the completed casting, it could have an adverse effect on the strength of the metal. There are ways and means of measuring the hydrogen gas content in the metal before it is set.

The moulds for the castings can be made out of a variety of different materials, and in many different shapes. The moulds in a foundry are very specialised concerning the shapes and sizes. They are all dependant on what the finished product is needed for. Moulds can be made out of wood, wax, metal or plastic. A complex process of smelting, pouring and degating goes into the work piece before the surface is cleaned. The surface is usually cleaned by a blasting process, as sand or other materials may have stuck to the surface after the moulding process. Certain materials such as sand or steel will be blown at the surface using high velocity compressed air. Terms used to describe this process include shot blasting, sand blasting and cleaning.

Castings are used in specialised engineering fields and the foundry industry is vital in many fields. Castings are needed for refrigerators, cars, trucks, ships, machinery, lawnmowers, weight lifting equipment, mining and agricultural equipment. In short, it is easy to see how vital foundries are in the manufacturing industry, and just in our every day lives.

Foundries can be dangerous places, as there is a lot of heavy machinery and dangerous gases. It is a hot, noisy environment. The workers in a foundry have to wear the correct protective gear such as hard hats, protective gloves, goggles, ear muffs and specialised overalls. Furthermore, it is imperative that the machinery is adequately guarded and checked regularly by a professional to ensure that there will be no malfunction that can be dangerous to the workers in the foundry. A foundry always needs to be well ventilated.

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