Defect analysis and data collection software for an iron foundry

Abstract

Torrance Casting is an iron foundry located in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The foundry produces castings by melting raw materials into molten iron, which are then poured into molds created from compressed sand. While creating castings from molten iron is a considerably low tech endeavor, there are many opportunities to improve the efficiency of their business through computer software. The process of creating castings produces a large array of data that must be recorded for accounting, defect analysis and process control. Currently this data is recorded manually on paper forms and filed away for future reference. This manuscript describes the design and development of a software application for an iron foundry in process control, data collection, and defect identification. The application allows the foundry workers to replace current paper processes with a flexible interactive process to record data produced in the casting process. It also replaces manual data collection with intuitive graphical data entry screens. This data can later be easily analyzed to determine the cause of casting defects.