Feature Article


A Sustainable Melt Furnace for School and Small Foundry Applications


by S. Coles, Coles Castings; M. Neubauer, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts (HIDA), Arizona State University; C. Luper, (HIDA), Arizona State University and The Bollinger Atelier, A. Sipos, (HIDA), Arizona State University; D. Hesser, (HIDA), Arizona State University


T


he Foundry Program at Arizona State University serves both the School of Art and the Engineering and Materials Science program on the Tempe Main campus. Students in the School of Art Sculpture program who are interested in the foundry arts have interned and have been employed by Bollinger Atelier, a high-end blue chip fine arts foundry with facilities near the campus. Many students graduating with a focus in foundry have gone on to work full time as artisans at Bollinger Atelier. Other BFA students have gone on to graduate school for an MFA in the field, where their foundry skills are recognized


and valued 16 ❘ March 2024 ® through the


many assistantships and fellowships they are awarded. ASU’s Materials Science and Engineering students take the Foundry series of classes to gain hands- on experience on the pouring floor and in ceramic shell and sand casting, helping them to prepare for jobs in the industrial and manufacturing sector. ASU is a new allied member of the ICI and is also a long-time affiliate member of the Foundry Educational Foundation of the AFS. The ASU Foundry Program’s combination of art and engineering students, coupled with the University’s strong interest in innovation and sustainability, and the invaluable


technical assistance of U.K. furnace innovator Stephen Coles, of Coles Castings in Dorset, England, has enabled the ASU Foundry to develop a sustainable #70 crucible melt furnace capable


of running on recycled


vegetable oil. This furnace can efficiently attain temperatures capable of melting both bronze and grey iron. The ASU Foundry’s recent proof of concept trial runs used 13-14 gallons of soybean oil per 90-minute heat to produce 100# melts of both metals. The cast iron art movement has


been active in the field of small cupola iron pouring events for the past 40 or 50 years. Several strong professional


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