Reconstructing a Five Mould Semi-Centrifugal Casting Machine for the Local Foundry Industry in Ghana

Abstract

Most cast objects produced by the Ghanaian local foundries are of low quality, and it is because they utilize the wrong method of casting (mould feeding). The local foundries were looked into to find out the casting techniques they employed, and centrifugal casting machines were investigated to be able to come up with a design that best suited the operations of the local foundries to improve their work- and a miniature of it was fabricated. Qualitative research design (descriptive, studio based, and experimental) was used to collect data from a sample size of 70 foundry men from an accessible population of 180 professional foundry men. It was found that the local foundries limit themselves to sand casting and cuttlefish bone casting, but most foundry workers are willing to learn and apply any new technique to improve their productivity. Also, gravitational mould feeding mostly produces casts with poor surface quality, and because mass production is done manually and hurriedly, the foundries end up discarding and reproducing most casts. It is recommended that the local foundries should employ centrifugal casting techniques as practiced in this research to improve their production and services. Also, centrifugal casting, which uses centrifugal force is an ideal way of mould feeding in the foundries and must be utilized in the foundries to improve product quality, and multiple mould-feeding centrifugal casting machines as fabricated in this study should be employed by the local foundries to improve the effectiveness of their mass productions. It is also recommended that the local foundries must form a more organized and structured association with delegated tasks and functions in order to get the attention of the government for aid, should the need be.