Turntable Mold Handling Systems

Hunter Plays Key Role In Watts Water's New Lead-Free Foundry

Efficient. Hunter Turntable Systems are designed for the efficient handling of flaskless green sand molds.

HOW IT WORKS

The molds are pushed out of the molding machine on an aluminum bottom board. A self-storing automatic mold conveyor provides unpoured mold storage and quickly transports molds on demand to the turntable.

At the end of the storage conveyor the molds make a 90 degree lateral transfer onto a section of powered roller conveyor. This conveyor feeds molds as required into the transfer station, where the mold is pushed off the bottom board onto a graphite lined pouring plate on the first level of the turntable. The bottom board is then automatically returned to a storage magazine in the molding machine.

The pouring plates rest on forks which are mounted on the turntable indexing ring. The weights and jackets are automatically set. the weight is set first and then the jacket, insuring that setting the jacket does not cause mold shift. The molds are then indexed, one position at a time, to the pouring zone.

Molds can be automatically indexed to the pourer for single station pouring, or the pourer can move up the line to pour at multiple positions. After pouring, the molds cool under weights and jackets until they have completed one full revolution on the first level of the table. Before returning to the transfer station, the cooling mold comes to the elevator position. At this point the weight and jacket are stripped as the pouring plate and mold are elevated to one of the upper cooling levels.

The mold is then pushed off the pouring plate into one of the cooling chambers. The weight and jacket are set on the empty pouring plate as it is returned to the first level, and comes to rest in its original position on the forks.

By simply setting a selector switch on a multi-level system, the pourer can choose 2, 3 or 4 levels of cooling. Using this feature controls the amount of in-mold cooling provided, based on a specific jobs requirements. The operating sequence for a dual-level system is similar, but limited to a total of 2 levels.

The table continues to index as unpoured molds are loaded and cooled molds are discharged. In so doing, the mold pouring plate with weight and jacket make a complete circle and return to the transfer station. The weight and jacket are then lifted off the empty mold pouring plate. An incoming mold is pushed off the bottom board and onto the plate. The weight and jacket are then set and the table indexes, moving the mold on its way to the pouring zone.

Molds previously pushed to the upper cooling levels continue to cool undisturbed until they are discharged from the table. Each of the upper cooling levels has a pusher to discharge molds on command into the mold dump chute. This channels molds from the various cooling levels to a single discharge point outside the table. The chute will normally discharge directly onto a vibrating pan or shake-out conveyor, at an elevation well above floor level.

HUNTER FOUNDRY MACHINERY ACQUIRED BY SMG GROUP

Hunter Corp. AcquiredSMG Group announces the acquisition of Hunter Foundry Machinery Corporation, the world leader in matchplate molding machines, mold handling equipment and sand casting technology for the global foundry market. The acquisition was finalized on July 24, 2024 at Hunter headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois (Chicago).

Manny Gandhi, CEO of SMG Group, expressed his thoughts about this strategic move for his firm, “Bringing Hunter into the SMG portfolio is a significant milestone and an exciting new venture for us. We are committed to maintaining the Hunter family legacy, while infusing essential capital for global growth and enhancing the existing Hunter management team with top-tier talent. Our goal is to provide ongoing world-class service to Hunter customers, supporting their growth and contributing to their success with the engineering expertise, quality equipment and foundry production talents that have made Hunter a leader in the industry for decades.”

Bill Hunter, the former Chairman of Hunter, notes, “This transition for Hunter will result in increased capabilities for the company, while maintaining our core strengths. Manny and his team will bring considerable value to the overall Hunter operation and we look forward to ongoing success from this decision. My son Doug will carry on the legacy traditions started by my dad, Al Hunter, who founded the company in 1964, with Doug bringing his 25 years of experience to the new team. Our current president, Peter Li, who headed up our Shanghai operation and has been a key component in this transition, will likewise remain in the Hunter family. We have been blessed with longtime employees who know the industry and our company’s ability to serve it. That gave me a very positive outlook in making this decision.” 

The new SMG Group management team along with the existing Hunter management team are 100% committed to providing value including delivery timelines which meet our client’s individual and business goals.

Hunter is a global force in the foundry business, with an installed base in nearly every industrialized country in the world. In addition to its machinery manufacturing location in Chicago, Hunter has a worldwide network of sales agents, application engineers and support service personnel.

The company was founded in 1964 by Al Hunter, who pioneered the automated matchplate molding machine concept and held dozens of patents in the industry. His son Bill, the former Chairman, who will remain in a consulting role during this transition, likewise developed numerous innovations in sand molding machine and mold handling equipment technology for the global foundry market. Bill’s son Doug and his two siblings will retain a minority equity interest at Hunter, going forward. Doug is well-known in the foundry business, having spent the last decade in manufacturing, sales and customer service. 

For further information on this announcement, interested parties may contact:

HUNTER FOUNDRY MACHINERY CORPORATION
2222 Hammond Drive
Schaumburg, Illinois 60196-1094
Email: info@hunterfoundry.com
Phone: 847-397-5110

THE HUNTER ADVANTAGE

Hunter Foundry's global reputation for quality and reliability is based on the decades-long-lasting foundry machinery it builds. Since 1964, our products have been built on the fact that using our prescribed methods of maintenance and genuine Hunter replacement parts, your Hunter Foundry equipment will last for decades. That’s what we call THE HUNTER ADVANTAGE, and why more foundries use Hunter than any other matchplate molding and mold handling machinery in the world.
RECOGNITION & AWARDS

QUALITY &
RELIABILITY

GLOBAL HUNTER FOUNDRY LOCATIONS

THE HUNTER CONNECTION

American Made
AFS Member
Foundry Education

"INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP" ALSO MEANS "INDUSTRY INVOLVEMENT."

Hunter Foundry Machinery Corporation is honored to serve as an active member of the industry's leading associations, such as the American Foundry Society (AFS) and the Foundry Educational Foundation (FEF).
THE HUNTER CONNECTION