Casting is one of the oldest manufacturing methods known to humankind and a very direct method of producing metal parts. In this process molten metal is poured into a mold that matches the final dimensions of the finished product. A variety of casting and metal choices can be combined to create a range of final products. While all metals can be cast, the most predominant are iron, aluminum, steel and copper-base alloys ranging in weight from less than an ounce to single parts weighing several hundred tons.
Historically, we trace the beginnings of casting to China in the 4th century B.C. Originally used to make utensils and plows, the process was soon used to create weapons. In more recent times, casting was among the earliest of American Industries and came ashore with settlers in the 1600s.
The development of the metal casting industry paralleled the industrial revolution and foundries developed near growing settlements and cities nationwide. As settlers plowed through the American prairie, stronger metals were required to cut through the turf, shoe horses, create buggies and eventually lay the rail tracks that opened the west. Today, cast iron is found in almost all durable goods and machinery. From the machines that make the vehicles we drive and the materials in our homes, we live and travel on cast iron.
At ThyssenKrupp Waupaca, our casting history started in 1871 when John Rosche started the Pioneer Foundry on the banks of the Waupaca River, just east of Main Street in the City of Waupaca, Wisconsin. Since Clifford Schwenn purchased the foundry in 1955 our customers and products have grown with the times. What does not change is the dependence on cast iron to make the products and materials our world needs. What started on an outdoor fire has endured today because iron offers castability, excellent machinability, resistance to deformation and wear resistance, and a finished product with a range of applications and uses.