Introduction to Foundry
Introduction to Foundry In simplified terms, a foundry is a factory where castings are produced by melting metal, pouring liquid metal into a mold, then allowing it to solidify. Even if you have never been to a foundry, or even know what one looks like, you are surrounded by the metal castings they produce. There is a good chance that you are reading this less than 10 feet away from one. Foundries don’t just produce metal products for engine, railroad, or pipe components. They also form components for machines that are required to make many of the essential consumer products we depend on. 90 percent of all manufactured goods rely on metal castings. The Casting Process In order to understand a foundry, you need to understand the casting process. The general steps involved in casting are patternmaking, molding, melting, pouring, ejection, cleaning, fettling, and inspection. The final casting shape corresponds with the mold it is poured into, so molds are carefully shaped w...