What are the key positions in the foundry workshop？

In previous articles, we have introduced what is foundation work. In the foundry workshop, each process is an indispensable and crucial part of the production process. Workers in positions such as furnace operators and pourers play a central role in the entire production. With their professional skills and hard work, they turn the high-temperature molten metal into industrial castings one by one.

Furnace operators are responsible for operating the furnaces in the foundry workshop. Every day at work, based on the specific material requirements of the castings and relying on their rich accumulated experience, they meticulously proportion raw materials such as pig iron, scrap steel, and alloys. Even the slightest error in the proportion is likely to cause the performance of the molten metal to fail to meet the standards, which will then have an adverse impact on the entire subsequent production process.

After starting the furnace, the furnace chamber is instantly filled with raging flames, the temperature rises rapidly, and the heat waves roll in. The temperature can reach over a thousand degrees, making it impossible for others to approach. However, furnace operators must stay at their posts, closely observing the melting status of the metal inside the furnace through the observation window. Based on the changes in the color and brightness of the flame, they accurately judge the melting progress and promptly adjust the fuel supply and blast intensity to ensure that the molten metal reaches the appropriate pouring temperature and meets the required chemical composition, laying a solid foundation for subsequent processes.

After the molten metal refined by the furnace operators is tapped out, pourers take over the subsequent work. Pourers control the crucial step of pouring the molten metal into the molds, which directly affects the initial forming effect of the castings.

Before pouring, pourers need to conduct a comprehensive and detailed inspection of the molds to ensure that the mold cavities are intact and the gates are smooth. Because even the slightest loosening of the molding sand or residual debris may cause defects in the castings. After everything is ready, the crane slowly moves the ladle filled with molten metal above the mold, and the atmosphere in the workshop becomes extremely tense. Pourers concentrate, holding the control lever, and turn the ladle at an appropriate and stable speed to make the molten metal flow smoothly and continuously into the mold cavity through the gate. If the pouring speed is too fast, the strong impact force of the molten metal will damage the molding sand, resulting in sand holes; if the speed is too slow, the temperature of the molten metal will drop and its fluidity will weaken, making it prone to insufficient pouring. Relying on their superb operating skills, pourers accurately control the process in a high-temperature and tense environment to create a qualified prototype for the castings.

Molders are an important force that contributes silently in the foundry workshop. They are responsible for making molds for castings. According to the product drawings, molders select suitable molding sands and use various tools to form precise mold cavities through operations such as ramming and carving. This not only consumes physical strength but also tests technical skills. Molders must be familiar with the structural characteristics of different castings to ensure that the dimensional accuracy of the mold cavities is controlled within a very small tolerance range, and the angles and radians are accurate, so that the castings can meet the assembly standards. At the same time, they also need to take into account the performance indicators such as the permeability and strength of the molding sand to avoid unexpected situations during pouring. Every sand filling and every ramming action is laying a solid foundation for manufacturing high-quality castings.

After the castings are removed from the molds, a large amount of molding sand and oxide scale adheres to their surfaces, and the work of sand cleaners begins. They hold tools such as pneumatic picks and grinding wheels and carefully clean the attachments on the castings. When knocking off the sand, the force must be controlled just right, so as to shake off the molding sand without damaging the castings themselves; when grinding the oxide scale, they focus on every minute detail to make the castings gradually reveal a smooth surface. The working environment of sand cleaners is full of dust, but they have no complaints. With patience and concentration, they make the castings change from rough to refined, enabling them to enter the subsequent processing links in a good state or be directly delivered to customers.

In the foundry workshop, workers in various positions such as furnace operators, pourers, molders, and sand cleaners have a clear division of labor and work closely together. With their professional qualities, dedication, and perseverance in craftsmanship, they transform molten metal into practical castings, continuously providing key components for industries such as machinery manufacturing, automobiles, and construction, and strongly supporting the development of modern industry.