WHAT IS A FOUNDRY?

Foundries are an integral part of the history of mankind. While they are not the oldest profession, foundries have been known for thousands of years. The Iron Castings Handbook, an authoritative resource on the industry, states:”… Iron castings were first made by the Chinese in the Sixth Century B.C. Authenticating evidence indicates this was a 600-pound cast tripod. Cast iron plowshares were recorded in 233 B.C.; and the oldest iron castings now in existence were produced around 200 B.C., during the Han Dynasty.

The development of foundries helped advance civilization, because – for the first time – man was able to manufacture exact duplicate items from the “hard” ores, such as iron and bronze. And they could be made in virtually any quantity, of a variety of alloys, and with varied properties.

 

 

WHAT FOUNDRIES DO

A foundry is a place where castings are made from molten metal according to an end-user’s specifications. The industry typically categorizes foundries as either ferrous or non-ferrous. Ferrous foundries are those that produce castings made from some form of iron or steel.