Shaw Process Castings

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• I worked at Innsworth Metals in 1977 for 6 months as the Assistant Foundry Technologist. I came from Peter Hewins in Brimscombe who used a synthetic bonded system hardened by HEAT known as the “Shell” Process. Moving to Innsworth was to gain experience is a synthetic bonded system which was cured at ROOM TEMPERATURE known as the “Shaw” process which was developed by Neal Shaw at the Alveston Foundry in Cumbria in the late 50s. The moulding was more akin to traditional moulding where the pattern was invested in a full moulding box as opposed to the Shell process which made buscuit thin moulds which has to be supported by loose sand. Both systems produced high quality highly accurate castings where limited machining was required. However the Shaw process used a resin system which out performed the Shell process when casting high quality STEELS whereas Shell was ideal for Cast iron. The foundry Industry was a hot, smelly, noisey, physical place to work and the peolpe who worked in the industry were gentle giants, rugh hands at work but hardly string salt of the earth type characters. I remember a great team working there at the time I arrived and I learnt a great deal more using aquablasting to remove hard ceramic cores, Ultra sound NDT, X ray and a whole new melting and casting technology. From Innsworth I went on in the foundry Industry to learn the commercial aspects of operating a foundry and running a business. An apprenticeship and later learning experience of 15 years, after which I entered into senior management to to support operate an Epoxy casting business at Permali in Gloucester for the next 30 years..

  By PhilipBaker (04/04/2024)