|
|
|
|
|
ABOUT |
|
■
History |
|
■
Present |
|
CAPABILITIES |
|
■
Steel Types |
|
■
Facilities |
|
■
Equipment |
|
■
Heat Treating |
|
■
Induction Melting |
|
■
Pattern Services |
|
INDUSTRIES |
|
■
Energy |
|
■
Construction |
|
■
General Industry |
|
■
Marine |
|
■
Specialty |
|
■
Transportation |
|
QUALITY |
|
■
ISO 9001:2000 |
|
■
PED |
|
■
Chemical Testing |
|
■
Non Destructive Testing |
|
■
Physical Testing |
|
■
Sand Testing |
|
■
Training & Certification |
|
NEWS |
|
■
In the News |
|
CONTACT |
|
■
Sales |
|
INFORMATION |
|
■
Brochures |
|
■
Careers |
|
■
Casting vs Forged |
|
■
Directions |
|
■
FAQ |
|
■
Making a Steel Casting |
|
■
Mission Statement |
|
HOME |
| |
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
| |
METAL
CASTING - CLEANING & INSPECTION |
|
| |
Metal castings are used by most people everyday
but very few have any idea of what they
are or how they are made. To that end we
have prepared the following to help better
understand the casting process.
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
Cleaning Room -
Casting Cleaning
& Inspection |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
The foundry Cleaning Room
is collection processes
where castings are ‘finished’
to meet the customers specifications.
A sample flow chart is shown
below for one type of steel
casting. Many alternate
casting workflows exist
as part of SWS’s ISO 9002
program. This insures that
castings are made and finished
to the customer’s specifications
and standard industry practices.
|
|
|
|
When
castings are removed
from the shakeout,
they are run through
the shot blast to
remove sand and
expose the surface
for inspection and
further work. The
next step is the
removal of the gating
system.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
To pour molten metal
into a mold a path
is required called
a ‘pouring sprue’.
The pouring sprue
will generally have
will have many feeders
to various parts
of the casting.
This is called the
‘gating system’.
In
addition, as metal
shrinks while it
is cooling, so additional
pockets of molten
metal, called ‘risers’,
must be present
to feed into the
casting. Once the
pouring sprue, risers,
and gates are removed
in the ‘Burn & Arc’
areas, the castings
are returned to
the shot blast to
be cleaned for inspection.
|
|
|
|
| |
At the first inspection, castings
are inspected for defects such as
cracks, flashing, inclusions, etc.
If none are found the castings are
sent to the Heat Treating department.
If defects are present that require
welding and/or grinding the castings
are sent to the appropriate area
to have the defect corrected. Once
rework is completed, the castings
are sent to the Heat Treating department.
After being heat treated, the castings
are again sent through the shot
blast before being sent to the Final
Inspection area. Depending on the
customer’s specifications, castings
in Final Inspection may under go
Magnetic Particle Inspection, Ultrasonic
Inspection, Radiographic Inspection
and /or Brinell testing. For additional
information on Southwest Steel’s
quality processes please visit our
Quality Assurance web pages.
If a casting fails the Final Inspection
it may be returned for rework or
sent to the scrap bin for re-melt
if the defect is severe. When castings
pass inspection they are sent to
the shipping dock and the production
department notified so that the
necessary paperwork can be processed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
