Foundry industry

The term "foundry" defines both the metallurgical installations in which metals are melted and poured into molds to give them the shape of the objects to be manufactured, and all the operations required for their production.

It is both an art and a craft whose origins date back to several millennia BC, using and implementing techniques as diverse as molding, core-making, metallurgy, the melting and casting of metals and metal alloys, heat treatments, finishing, the finishing of parts, and so on.

The foundry is also an industry that produces parts of all kinds, in all quantities, in the most economical way from raw materials (scrap metal, sheet metal waste, bocage), unlike certain competing techniques (forging, mechanized welding, etc.) that use semi-finished products such as new sheet metal, steel bars and billets of all grades, produced by the steel industry.

Casting has been able to constantly improve its performance thanks to advances in all its technical components, both in terms of precision and reliability, enabling it to compete with, or even replace, parts usually manufactured by other techniques (forging, for example), such as engine crankshafts or suspension arms for motor vehicles. All these developments and advantages explain the widespread use of castings in all branches of industry, and the technique's capacity for progress means that we can expect even wider applications in the future.