In Search of the Perfect Pour


Tips From the Floor:


Don’t let pouring variation stop you from producing sound castings before the metal starts to cool. SHEA GIBBS, MANAGING EDITOR


C


hris Witt of Dotson Iron Castings, Mankato, Minn., knows the importance


of good pouring. It can make or break a casting. “It’s one of the most critical jobs in


the foundry,” he said. Te job also can be tiring, monoto- nous and dangerous, with the met- alcaster operating in close proximity to molten metal. And when a new employee takes on the job, the concerns are compounded. Dotson Iron Castings doesn’t have


to worry about any of these concerns. Te shop is one of the few job shops in the U.S. that uses fully automated pouring, which reduces or eliminates the quality and safety issues associated with manual pouring. But for the more common manual


pouring shops, the only cure to pour- ing problems is practice and proper procedures. Following is a review of several tips and tricks of the trade offered by veteran shop floor workers to achieve the perfect pour.


ONLINE RESOURCE Visit www.moderncasting.com for a montage of pouring videos.


36 | MODERN CASTING September 2011


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68