Foundry

Foundry.mp4

There are the basic steps in the mold process:

  1. Get the pattern from the Pattern Shop and place it in sand core to create the mold.
  2. Flow coat the pattern to make sure the molten metal does not bleed into the sand.
  3. Frame out the pattern and sand to encase it.
  4. Remove the pattern.
  5. Pour the molten metal into the shape left by the pattern.
  6. Depending on the pattern, let cool for 30 to 90 minutes.
  7. Shake off the sand in the shaker to remove the mold from the encasement.
  8. Take the mold to the cleaning room to get blown out and sanded to get ready for shipping.

Core and Mold Rooms

The box for the mold is called a flask (top is the cope and the bottom is the drag). The flask is prepped by getting filled with sand and then rammed with a vibrating process. Sand is set with a sizing compound or chemical.

The negative space within the mold (that the molten metal pours into) is called the core. The core is usually created by using a pattern from the design shop and then removing it after the sand is hardened.

Melt Deck

Molten metal (aluminium, scrap parts and other metals can be added to make an alloy) is heated and poured into the mold. Before pouring it into the mold, however, it needs to be cleaned by scrapping the impurities and dirt off the top in a process called slagging, measured using a spectrometer, and carbon tested.

Once the metal is ready to be poured, a pour is done twice: once in the mold itself and again in a sample box, which will be tested when cooled.

Depending on the mold, the metal is allowed to cool for 30 to 90 minutes before being tested or taken to the shake room.

Shake Room

Due to the use of sand in the mold process at CA Lawton, the mold can be removed from the sand with the process of shaking. In the shake room, the frame is attached to large hooks and chains to be brought into the shaking center.

The cope is then removed and then the drag (top and bottom respectively). 95% of the sand that is used in the molding process is reused in the foundry. Only 5% is lost in the process.

Cleaning Room

In the cleaning room the mold goes from its rough pour shape to smooth through a process called degating. Cleaners take off imperfections from the casting (heads, runners, gates and risers). They grind away at them with torches, band saws and blades and for some metal types, a chisel. In certain foundradries, this left over metal is reused and melted down to use in the next mold cycle.

After cleaning away any extra bits through degating, a process called blasting is used to blow away any left over sand that is still stuck to the mold.