Once this is done, the sand mold is baked in a oven and hardened. At this time, the traditional green sand method is used far more often, due to its lower cost. Once the sand mold has been hardened, it is ready to receive the molten cast iron. This is accomplished by pouring molten iron from the furnace into ladles which are transported to the molds by an overhead crane. The molds have flasks attached them, which receive the molten metal.
Vents allow gases to escape to prevent the formation of blow holes.
After the pour, the molds are allowed to cool in the pits and are covered with vermiculite, which acts as an insulation and allows the metal to cool slowly at the proper rate. The molds are left for several hours before being moved down the plant to cooling piles. Here, the sand molds are broken, revealing a casting which needs to be cleaned before final finishing. Once finished, the final casting is ready to be transported to the customer. The pattern shop is located adjacent to the main plant building.