Foundry is a branch of engineering engaged in the manufacture of shaped parts and workpieces by pouring molten metal into a mold, the cavity of which has the configuration of the required part.
During the casting process, upon cooling, the metal in the mold hardens and a casting is obtained - a finished part or a workpiece, which, if necessary (improving dimensional accuracy and reducing surface roughness), is subjected to subsequent machining. In this regard, the foundry is faced with the task of producing castings whose dimensions and shape are as close as possible to the dimensions and shape of the finished part. In machines and industrial equipment, from 50% to 95% of all parts are manufactured by casting.
For the manufacture of castings in single sand molds, special casting equipment is required, the quality and laboriousness of the casting production to a large extent depend on the design and quality of it.
Foundry equipment in its role in the manufacturing process of castings is divided into formative (main) and universal (auxiliary).
Mold-forming equipment is a model kit, which includes: models, core boxes, gate system elements, model plates, templates for making molds and cores.
The model is a device for producing internal working surfaces in foundry sand form, which, after being filled with the melt, form a casting.
History
The method of obtaining products by casting them from metal has been known for more than five thousand years. The first castings were simple household items and jewelry cast from copper and bronze : boilers, washstands, earrings, crosses, rings, etc.
Materials
The manufacture of cast products is carried out from cast alloys, which include:
- Cast iron - gray foundry, malleable and high strength.
- Copper alloys - brass and bronze .
- Aluminum alloys .
- Steel - carbon and alloy.
- Magnesium alloys.