Virtual Tour, Part 2

The casting process begins well before the mold reaches the melting department. GIW houses an extensive research and development hydraulic and metallurgical laboratory. In the lab, GIW has developed some of the leading abrasive and most wear-resistant materials in the world. GIW produces gray, ductiles, steels and white irons.

These metals have been carefully analyzed and tested to insure that all our products use the best material for their respective applications. Engineering Standard Operating Procedures are issued listing the proven specification for each material. These specifications are entered into Melting software for chemistry analysis and used for comparison edits in the production process. This ensures the proper chemistry acceptance data is met before the molten iron is poured into the mold cavity.

Once the material specifications have been met, the molten metal enters the mold cavity through the engineered gating system. Depending on the material specification, weight and section size of the casting the cooling period will vary. This cooling period can range from a few short hours to as much as 28 days. System integration and custom software tracks this period and allows a continuous scheduling loop for maximum fixture utilization.

In our shakeout department, GIW incorporated an engineered cooler classifier system. This system continues the quality sand process and allows for mechanical reclamation. The casting temperatures are monitored at the time the castings are removed from the sand molds. This temperature becomes a part of your record tracked by our shop order numbering system.

Once the castings are clean, they are heat treated in huge industrial ovens to refine the microstructure and bring out the best metallurgical properties. Bernell hardness readings and tensile test verify specification to our Engineering Standard Operating Procedure and entered into the record for each part.

After heat treatment, the castings are transported to the machine shop. Here, sparks fly as the pump castings are ground and machined to exact design dimensions. This is accomplished using a variety of machine tools from conventional boring mills and grinders to state-of-the-art computer numerical control (CNC) mills used for critical dimensions. CNC mills are used in applications such as machining threads in white iron impeller hubs that were once only possible in Steels and Grey iron material classes. GIW invests an average of $2 million per year to keep all mechanism running properly and to maintain state-of-the-art equipment in operations. A constant review of cost controls and shop utilization ensures that GIW remains a cost-conscience supplier.

From machining, the castings move to the assembly area. There they are cleaned, assembled and set on pedestals. After a final quality control inspection, the pumps are painted and tagged. The completed pumps are shipped via truck, rail or air freight to industrial sites around the world -- from India to New Guinea to Florida to the Ukraine -- to provide heavy-duty service in the world's most demanding slurry pump applications.

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