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Photos by MJ Klein

Blogger Andres posted some kick-ass industrial photos yesterday. Today I was at one of our cooperating suppliers and I shot some photos of copper being poured. I thought I would share these shots with our readers. It’s not every day that one gets to see these kinds of industrial operations.

Shell molds cooling after being poured

Copper investment casting is interesting to watch because it’s hotter than aluminum, but cooler than steel alloys so it doesn’t hurt your eyes to watch the pour.

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First, the shell molds are pre-heated in a furnace until they are red hot! This shot is just how they look coming out of the furnace. You can see a gas jet at the top of the furnace.

As soon as possible, the molten copper is poured into the shell mold after it comes out of the pre-heat furnace. This shot was taken with telephoto so I was not that close to the action. The heat coming off the metal is incredible.

The top photo shows the shell molds air-cooling after pouring. It’s very important to not disturb the molds while they are cooling or the castings will be ruined. The dark rings around the top of the “pour cups” are not really dark. They are just cooler than the lower areas of the mold that are filled with molten metal. The shell mold’s natural color is an off-white, like egg shell. Today was cold, but the factory was warm!