Introduction

For the interest of the uninitiated and to further appreciate the subject, a definition and brief introduction suffices. Simply put, a foundry is an industrial unit where metal castings are produced, usually in large quantities. The process basically involves casting metals into desired shapes by melting them in a furnace (generally at very high temperatures) and by pouring the metal into a mold and removing the mold material or casting after the metal must have solidified as it cools. Two major types of foundries are: jobbing foundry and captive foundry. The first is a foundry that creates a wide variety of castings, in small quantities for a range of customers. The second type i.e. captive foundry is a foundry that that is wholly incorporated into a larger manufacturing operation. Captive foundry only produces castings for the operation that it is a part of. Commonly processed metals include : aluminum, cast iron, bronze, brass, steel, magnesium, zinc etc.