What is foundry work?
Foundry work occurs in a very hot, noisy and potentially dangerous environment.
Deafness, lung cancer and respiratory problems are just some of the serious health problems workers can get if they are regularly exposed to excessive heat, noise and hazardous substances.
It is important that workers are provided with properly designed and guarded machinery, adequate ventilation, and appropriate personal protective equipment.
Foundry work is the process of making a metal casting of an object by pouring molten metal into a mould. The mould is made using a pattern of the article required.
There are two types of foundries, which are:
- ferrous foundries, which produce iron and steel castings
- non-ferrous foundries, which produce castings of copper-based alloys (brass, bronze), aluminium-based alloys (lead, zinc, nickel, magnesium) and other alloys
Foundry work involves numerous processes, including:
- pattern making
- core making, stoving, blowing and shooting
- mould making
- refining/alloying
- furnace and ladle maintenance
- spectrographic analysis
- metal pouring
- casting knockout
- abrasive blasting
- sand reclamation
To find out more detailed information about the processes undertaken in the different areas of foundries, refer to introduction section of the Foundry Industry Code of Practice 2004.
Other languages