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We wanted to build a foundry that would fit into the land.

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No overhead power lines, no smoke.

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We examined what a foundry should be able to do and then went out and built one from scratch.

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We designed operating procedures to ensure that our castings would meet the very tightest

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specifications. My job is to saw a small piece out of a finished casting so we can work with it in the

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This core machine is fully automatic. I check each piece as I unload the machine.

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The sand has to be just right to make a good casting with a nice finish. I

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test it for consistency and permeability. The sand is fed to this machine that automatically

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makes the mold for the casting. I put the cores in the mold to form the hollow spaces

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inside the casting. After the specimen is embedded in plastic, I polish it so we can

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I weigh the pig iron and scrap. They tell me these rail croppings are top grade.

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To double check the weight, we get a print out of every charge for the permanent record.

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Then the scrap goes into the charging bucket.

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My job is to transfer the molten iron to the molds. After pouring the molds,

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I keep the cover closed so the ladle will stay up to temperature.

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When the iron is up to temperature, I take the slag out of the furnace.

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With these coreless induction furnaces, we know exactly what to expect. The sample we're

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here is a double check. We use this spectrometer to measure the percentage of each alloy in a

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sample. To determine the exact amount of sulfur and carbon, we use a LECO gas tester.

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Well, before tapping the furnace, I have to make sure the ladle is clean. And I also check the

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color of the inside of the ladle to see that it's up to temperature.

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All right, let's pour.

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Usually there's always a little slag left in the ladle, so I take it out before we pour.

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To avoid the need for heat treating, the cooling rate must be accurately

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controlled. Sandcast holds patent on this process. After the castings are removed from

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the molds, the cooling rate is accelerated to get the microstructure we want.

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The castings are then shock blasted and grounded to customer specification.

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Our foundry has lab equipment that is set up to do both static and dynamic fatigue testing on

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anything we make. The sample is etched in an acid bath. This makes the grain stand out.

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What's up? What's going on? The machine came down and crushed the mold.

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Looks okay down here. Check the control panel. Here's a loose wire. It seems to work now.

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All right. Thanks, guys. All right.

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I examined the sample to make sure the microstructure meets spec. This one is perfect.