High performance foundries are always looking for ways to keep their most valuable asset - their employees - safe. That is one reason that more foundries have been implementing automated process solutions, to make their operations smoother and safer. Foundry automation has several benefits, including increased ROI, safer work environments, reduced worker strain, and more accurate results. These benefits save foundries time, money, and energy, and make the workflow smoother.
Shakeout area
One of the most effective ways to automate foundry operations is by modernizing the shakeout area, as it concentrates some of the highest heat, noise, vibration, and airborne dust in the entire plant. In many older operations, the shakeout area is a labor-intensive zone where employees are exposed to hot castings, sand carryover, and frequent intervention to keep material moving, which can create both safety risk and workflow inconsistency.
Upgrading the shakeout system will help to turn this process into a controlled, continuous operation. Foundries can choose from a wide range of shakeout technologies, from simple brute-force units to integrated systems like General Kinematics’ VIBRA-DRUM®, which combines shakeout, sand conditioning, and sand and casting cooling into one continuous process. When paired with enclosures, remote monitoring cameras, and centralized control packages, operators can observe material flow and equipment performance without standing directly in the harshest part of the operation.
By reducing workers’ exposure while stabilizing throughput and minimizing unplanned interruptions, the shakeout area becomes one of the areas of the foundry where automation has the greatest effect.
Material handling equipment
Once the castings are birthed from the mold they must be transported to different locations throughout the plant for further processing, and the sand needs to be returned to the sand system. Some operations use methods such as totes or even just the floor to let the castings cool, and then transport them to cleaning and finishing stations using a fork truck. This process is labor intensive, inefficient, and involves many touches during the process. Sand can be handled the same way.
A better idea is to install a material handling system that will direct the castings, scrap, and sand back to where they need to be, while allowing other processes to take place.
Vibratory conveyors are an excellent tool for this, as they withstand heat, and can screen sand and contaminants away from the castings. And conveyors can be designed to perform sorting, despruing, and more, all in one unit. With properly designed transitions and hooding, dust and noise can be contained, which will lead to a cleaner and quieter foundry. Worker interaction with the products and return materials will be reduced too, as fewer operators are needed to move material around the plant.
