Foundry

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Thisarticleisaboutmetalfoundries.Forotheruses,seeFoundry(disambiguation).
"Ironfoundry"redirectshere.ForthemusiccompositionbySovietcomposerAlexanderMosolov,seeIronFoundry.
Afoundryisafactorythatproducesmetalcastings.Metalsarecastintoshapesbymelting
themintoaliquid,pouringthemetalinamold,andremovingthemoldmaterialorcasting
afterthemetalhassolidifiedasitcools.Themostcommonmetalsprocessedare
aluminiumandcastiron.However,othermetals,suchasbronze,brass,steel,magnesium,
andzinc,arealsousedtoproducecastingsinfoundries.Inthisprocess,partsofdesired
shapesandsizescanbeformed.

Contents
1Process
1.1Melting
1.1.1Furnace
1.2Degassing
1.3Moldmaking
1.4Pouring
1.5Shakeout
1.6Degating
1.7Heattreating
1.8Surfacecleaning
1.9Finishing
2Seealso
3References
4Externallinks

Process
Mainarticle:Casting(metalworking)

FromFraBurmeisterogWain'sIronFoundry,by
PederSeverinKryer,1885.

Inmetalworking,castinginvolvespouringliquidmetalintoamold,whichcontainsahollowcavityofthedesiredshape,andthenallowingit
tocoolandsolidify.Thesolidifiedpartisalsoknownasacasting,whichisejectedorbrokenoutofthe
moldtocompletetheprocess.Castingismostoftenusedformakingcomplexshapesthatwouldbe
difficultoruneconomicaltomakebyothermethods.[1]

Melting
Meltingisperformedinafurnace.Virginmaterial,externalscrap,internalscrap,andalloyingelements
areusedtochargethefurnace.Virginmaterialreferstocommerciallypureformsoftheprimarymetal
usedtoformaparticularalloy.Alloyingelementsareeitherpureformsofanalloyingelement,like
electrolyticnickel,oralloysoflimitedcomposition,suchasferroalloysormasteralloys.Externalscrap
ismaterialfromotherformingprocessessuchaspunching,forging,ormachining.Internalscrap
consistsofgates,risers,defectivecastings,andotherextraneousmetaloddmentsproducedwithinthe
facility.
Theprocessincludesmeltingthecharge,refiningthemelt,adjustingthemeltchemistryandtapping
intoatransportvessel.Refiningisdonetoremovedeleteriousgasesandelementsfromthemolten
metaltoavoidcastingdefects.Materialisaddedduringthemeltingprocesstobringthefinalchemistry
withinaspecificrangespecifiedbyindustryand/orinternalstandards.Certainfluxesmaybeusedto
separatethemetalfromslagand/ordrossanddegassersareusedtoremovedissolvedgasfrommetals
thatreadilydissolvecertaingasses.Duringthetap,finalchemistryadjustmentsaremade.

AFoundryman,picturedbyDaniel
A.Wehrschmidtin1899.

Furnace
Severalspecialisedfurnacesareusedtomeltthemetal.Furnacesarerefractorylinedvesselsthat
containthematerialtobemeltedandprovidetheenergytomeltit.Modernfurnacetypesinclude
electricarcfurnaces(EAF),inductionfurnaces,cupolas,reverberatory,andcruciblefurnaces.Furnace
choiceisdependentonthealloysystemquantitiesproduced.ForferrousmaterialsEAFs,cupolas,and
inductionfurnacesarecommonlyused.Reverberatoryandcruciblefurnacesarecommonforproducing
aluminium,bronze,andbrasscastings.
Furnacedesignisacomplexprocess,andthedesigncanbeoptimizedbasedonmultiplefactors.
Furnacesinfoundriescanbeanysize,rangingfromsmallonesusedtomeltpreciousmetalstofurnaces
weighingseveraltons,designedtomelthundredsofpoundsofscrapatonetime.Theyaredesigned
accordingtothetypeofmetalsthataretobemelted.Furnacesmustalsobedesignedbasedonthefuel
beingusedtoproducethedesiredtemperature.Forlowtemperaturemeltingpointalloys,suchaszinc

Meltingmetalinacruciblefor
casting

ortin,meltingfurnacesmayreacharound500C.Electricity,propane,ornaturalgasareusuallyused
toachievethesetemperatures.Forhighmeltingpointalloyssuchassteelornickelbasedalloys,the
furnacemustbedesignedfortemperaturesover1600C.Thefuelusedtoreachthesehigh
temperaturescanbeelectricity(asemployedinelectricarcfurnaces)orcoke.
Themajorityoffoundriesspecializeinaparticularmetalandhavefurnacesdedicatedtothesemetals.
Forexample,anironfoundry(forcastiron)mayuseacupola,inductionfurnace,orEAF,whileasteel
foundrywilluseanEAForinductionfurnace.Bronzeorbrassfoundriesusecruciblefurnacesor
inductionfurnaces.Mostaluminiumfoundriesuseeitherelectricresistanceorgasheatedcrucible
furnacesorreverberatoryfurnaces.

Degassing
Seealso:Hydrogengasporosity

Ametaldiecastingrobotinan
industrialfoundry

Inthecaseofaluminiumalloys,adegassingstepisusuallynecessarytoreducetheamountofhydrogen
dissolvedintheliquidmetal.Ifthehydrogenconcentrationinthemeltistoohigh,theresultingcastingwillbeporousasthehydrogencomes
outofsolutionasthealuminiumcoolsandsolidifies.Porosityoftenseriouslydeterioratesthemechanicalpropertiesofthemetal.
Anefficientwayofremovinghydrogenfromthemeltistobubbleargonornitrogenthroughthemelt.Todothat,severaldifferenttypesof
equipmentareusedbyfoundries.Whenthebubblesgoupinthemelt,theycatchthedissolvedhydrogenandbringittothetopsurface.There
arevarioustypesofequipmentwhichmeasuretheamountofhydrogenpresentinit.Alternatively,thedensityofthealuminiumsampleis
calculatedtocheckamountofhydrogendissolvedinit.
Incaseswhereporositystillremainspresentafterthedegassingprocess,porositysealingcanbeaccomplishedthroughaprocesscalledmetal
impregnating.

Moldmaking
Inthecastingprocessapatternismadeintheshapeofthedesiredpart.Simpledesignscanbemadeinasinglepieceorsolidpattern.More
complexdesignsaremadeintwoparts,calledsplitpatterns.Asplitpatternhasatoporuppersection,calledacope,andabottomorlower
sectioncalledadrag.Bothsolidandsplitpatternscanhavecoresinsertedtocompletethefinalpartshape.Coresareusedtocreatehollow
areasinthemoldthatwouldotherwisebeimpossibletoachieve.Wherethecopeanddragseparatesiscalledthepartingline.
Whenmakingapatternitisbesttotapertheedgessothatthepatterncanberemovedwithoutbreakingthemold.Thisiscalleddraft.The
oppositeofdraftisanundercutwherethereispartofthepatternunderthemoldmaterial,makingitimpossibletoremovethepatternwithout
damagingthemold.

Diagramsoftwopatterntypes

Thepatternismadeoutofwax,wood,plasticormetal.Themoldsareconstructedby
severaldifferentprocessesdependentuponthetypeoffoundry,metaltobepoured,
quantityofpartstobeproduced,sizeofthecastingandcomplexityofthecasting.These
moldprocessesinclude:

SandcastingGreenorresinbondedsandmold.
LostfoamcastingPolystyrenepatternwithamixtureofceramicandsandmold.
InvestmentcastingWaxorsimilarsacrificialpatternwithaceramicmold.
CeramicmoldcastingPlastermold.
Adiagramofdraftona Adiagramofanundercut
VprocesscastingVacuumisusedinconjunctionwiththermoformedplastictoform
pattern
inamold
sandmolds.Nomoisture,clayorresinisneededforsandtoretainshape.
DiecastingMetalmold.
Billet(ingot)castingSimplemoldforproducingingotsofmetalnormallyforuseinotherfoundries.

Pouring
Inafoundry,moltenmetalispouredintomolds.Pouringcanbeaccomplishedwithgravity,oritmay
beassistedwithavacuumorpressurizedgas.Manymodernfoundriesuserobotsorautomaticpouring
machinesforpouringmoltenmetal.Traditionally,moldswerepouredbyhandusingladles.

Shakeout
Thesolidifiedmetalcomponentisthenremovedfromitsmold.Wherethemoldissandbased,thiscan
bedonebyshakingortumbling.Thisfreesthecastingfromthesand,whichisstillattachedtothe
metalrunnersandgateswhicharethechannelsthroughwhichthemoltenmetaltraveledtoreachthe
componentitself.

Degating
Bronzepouredfromacrucibleintoa

Degatingistheremovaloftheheads,runners,gates,andrisersfromthecasting.Runners,gates,and
mold,usingtheancientlostwax
risersmayberemovedusingcuttingtorches,bandsawsorceramiccutoffblades.Forsomemetaltypes,
castingprocess
andwithsomegatingsystemdesigns,thesprue,runnersandgatescanberemovedbybreakingthem
awayfromthecastingwithasledgehammerorspeciallydesignedknockoutmachinery.Risersmust
usuallyberemovedusingacuttingmethod(seeabove)butsomenewermethodsofriserremovaluseknockoffmachinerywithspecialdesigns
incorporatedintotheriserneckgeometrythatallowtherisertobreakoffattherightplace.

Thegatingsystemrequiredtoproducecastingsinamoldyieldsleftovermetal,includingheads,risersandsprue,sometimescollectivelycalled
sprue,thatcanexceed50%ofthemetalrequiredtopourafullmold.Sincethismetalmustberemeltedassalvage,theyieldofaparticular
gatingconfigurationbecomesanimportanteconomicconsiderationwhendesigningvariousgatingschemes,tominimizethecostofexcess
sprue,andthusmeltingcosts.

Heattreating
Heattreatingisagroupofindustrialandmetalworkingprocessesusedtoalterthephysical,andsometimeschemical,propertiesofamaterial.
Themostcommonapplicationismetallurgical.Heattreatmentsarealsousedinthemanufactureofmanyothermaterials,suchasglass.Heat
treatmentinvolvestheuseofheatingorchilling,normallytoextremetemperatures,toachieveadesiredresultsuchashardeningorsoftening
ofamaterial.Heattreatmenttechniquesincludeannealing,casehardening,precipitationstrengthening,temperingandquenching.Itis
noteworthythatwhilethetermheattreatmentappliesonlytoprocesseswheretheheatingandcoolingaredoneforthespecificpurposeof
alteringpropertiesintentionally,heatingandcoolingoftenoccurincidentallyduringothermanufacturingprocessessuchashotformingor
welding.

Surfacecleaning
Afterdegatingandheattreating,sandorothermoldingmediamayadheretothecasting.Toremovethisthesurfaceiscleanedusingablasting
process.Thismeansagranularmediawillbepropelledagainstthesurfaceofthecastingtomechanicallyknockawaytheadheringsand.The
mediamaybeblownwithcompressedair,ormaybehurledusingashotwheel.Themediastrikesthecastingsurfaceathighvelocityto
dislodgethemoldingmedia(forexample,sand,slag)fromthecastingsurface.Numerousmaterialsmaybeusedasmedia,includingsteel,
iron,othermetalalloys,aluminiumoxides,glassbeads,walnutshells,bakingpowderamongothers.Theblastingmediaisselectedtodevelop
thecolorandreflectanceofthecastsurface.Termsusedtodescribethisprocessincludecleaning,beadblasting,andsandblasting.Shot
peeningmaybeusedtofurtherworkhardenandfinishthesurface.

Finishing
Thefinalstepintheprocessusuallyinvolvesgrinding,sanding,ormachiningthecomponentinordertoachievethedesireddimensional
accuracies,physicalshapeandsurfacefinish.
Removingtheremaininggatematerial,calledagatestub,isusuallydoneusingagrinderorsanding.Theseprocessesareusedbecausetheir
materialremovalratesareslowenoughtocontroltheamountofmaterial.Thesestepsaredonepriortoanyfinalmachining.
Aftergrinding,anysurfacesthatrequiretightdimensionalcontrolaremachined.ManycastingsaremachinedinCNCmillingcenters.The
reasonforthisisthattheseprocesseshavebetterdimensionalcapabilityandrepeatabilitythanmanycastingprocesses.However,itisnot
uncommontodayformanycomponentstobeusedwithoutmachining.

Afewfoundriesprovideotherservicesbeforeshippingcomponentstotheircustomers.Paintingcomponentstopreventcorrosionandimprove
visualappealiscommon.Somefoundrieswillassembletheircastingsintocompletemachinesorsubassemblies.Otherfoundriesweld
multiplecastingsorwroughtmetalstogethertoformafinishedproduct.[2]
Moreandmoretheprocessoffinishingacastingisbeingachievedusingroboticmachineswhicheliminatetheneedforahumantophysically
grindorbreakpartinglines,gatingmaterialorfeeders.Theintroductionofthesemachineshasreducedinjurytoworkers,costsofconsumables
whilstalsoreducingthetimenecessarytofinishacasting.Italsoeliminatestheproblemofhumanerrorsoastoincreaserepeatabilityinthe
qualityofgrinding.Withachangeoftoolingthesemachinescanfinishawidevarietyofmaterialsincludingiron,bronzeandaluminium.[3]

Seealso
Bellfounding
Coremaking
Foundrysandtesting
Smelting
Inclusionsinaluminiumcastings

References
1. Degarmo,E.PaulBlack,JT.Kohser,RonaldA.(2003),MaterialsandProcessesinManufacturing(9th
ed.),Wiley,ISBN0471656534,p.277.
2. Beeley,Peter(2001),FoundryTechnology(2nded.),Oxford,UK:ButterworthHeinemann,ISBN9780
750645676
3. Campbell,John(2003),Castings(2nded.),Oxford,UK:ButterworthHeinemann,ISBN978075064790
8

Externallinks
FreeinfosandarticlesinSpanishandEnglishofmagazineFUNDIDORES
(http://metalspain.com/FUNDIDORESFoundry.html/)
TheInstituteofIndianFoundrymen(http://www.indianfoundry.org/)
AmericanFoundrySociety(http://www.afsinc.org/)
WorldFoundryOrganization(http://www.thewfo.com/)
Photographicdocumentationofthefoundingprocess(http://herold
gefrees.de/en/foundry/process)

Modernfoundry(about2000)
WikimediaCommonshas
mediarelatedtoFoundries.

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