Autocast internship report

REPORT ON INDUSTRIAL TRAINING IN
AUTOKAST LIMITED
Submitted to
MAHATMA GANDHI UNIVERSITY
KOTTAYAM
In partial fulfillment of the requirements
For the award of the degree of
BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
IN
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Submitted By
Mr. BASIL BENNY
Reg. No.: 14024472
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
KOTTAYAM INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE
CHENGALAM, KOTTAYAM
2014 – 2018

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
KOTTAYAM INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE
CHENGALAM, KOTTAYAM
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the report entitled “REPORT ON
INDUSTRIAL TRAINING IN AUTOKAST LIMITED “is the bonafide
record of the industrial training by MR. BASIL BENNY of MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING towards the partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
award of the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering
by the Mahatma Gandhi University.
HOD

KITS INDUSTRIAL TRAINING REPORT
I
DEPT. OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
A training work owes its success from commencement to completion, to the
people in love with researches at various stages. Having been a part of a prestigious
organization like AUTOKAST LTD., CHERTHALA for 10 days, I would like to
acknowledge all those who made my tenure a great learning experience.
First of all I thank the god almighty for showering his choicest blessings on me
for the successful completion of the industrial training undertaken by me.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. N PRABHU, The principal,
Kottayam Institute of Technology And Science for allowing me to undergo the training at
Autokast ltd. I also express my gratitude to the Autokast ltd management for letting me
be a part of this organisation.
I take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude and sincere regards to the
workers of Autokast, who seemingly helped me to understand their work better.
I also express my gratitude to Mr. NANDAKUMAR of Mechanical Engineering
department and all other supporting staffs.
Last but not least I would like to express my love and affection towards my
parents who have been supportive and have encouraged me in all my endeavours.

II
TABLE OF CONTENT
CHAPTER TOPIC PAGE NO.
ACKNOWLODGEMENT i
1. INTRODUCTION 01
1.1 Objective of the study 02
1.2 Scope of the study 02
1.3 Limitation of the study 02
2. INDUSTRY PROFILE 03
2.1 Industry profile 03
2.2 World scenario 03
2.3 Indian scenario 04
2.4 State scenario 04
2.5 Future of the industry 04
3. COMPANY PROFILE 05
3.1 History of the organisation 05
3.2 Vision 05
3.3 Mission 05
3.4 Organization goal and objective 06
3.4.1 Objectives of Company 06
3.4.2 Goals 06
3.5 List of major product 07
3.6 Product profile 07

III
4. FUNCTION AREA 10
4.1 Organization structure 10
4.2 General management practices 10
4.3 Department profile 11
4.3.1 Manufacturing department 11
4.3.2 Production process of Autokast Limited 15
5. FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATION S 19
5.1 Findings 19
5.2 Suggestions 19
5.3 Recommendation and inferences 19
6. CONCLUSION 21
7. REFERENCES 22

IV
LIST OF FIGURES
NO. FIGURE PAGE NO.
Fig. 1 Organisation structure 10
Fig. 2 Melting process 12
Fig. 3 Conventional line 13
Fig. 4 High pressure line 14
Fig. 5 Fettling process 15
Fig. 6 Production process 15
Fig. 7 Core sand making 17

V
LIST OF TABLES
NO. TABLE PAGE NO.
Table 1 List of major product 07
Table 2 Grey iron chemical composition 08
Table 3 SG iron chemical composition 09

1
DEPT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
The primary purpose of my internship program in AUTOKAST LTD, cherthala is to
fulfill the requirements of B TECH degree. Autokast ltd, cherthala was established in
1984.Autokast ltd is fully equipped in manufacture all kinds of ferrous casting weight
from 20kg to 8000kg single piece. The present annual production capacity is 6000
metric tors.Autokast produce and market different grades of grey iron and SG iron .An
expansion proposal to include steel castings is on the anvil. Range of alloys
manufactured at present include FG-200 to FG-300, SG-400/12, SG /7 grade grey iron
with 2% Nickel.
An ISO 9001-2008 Company Autokast has different production lines each of which
caters different market segments, the different production lines are,
1) Engineering and pattern shop
2) Moulding
3) Melting
4) Pouring
5) Fettling and inspection
The conventional moulding line is a semi-automatic system in which large Casting is
manufactured, whereas high pressure moulding line is fully automated system in which
smaller Casting are manufactured in large quantities. The plant manufactures intricate
high precision item of mass production like cylinder block and cylinder heads for the
entire range of automotive engine.

2
Autokast Produces all grades of Grey Iron Castings up to 8.5Mt single pc (18700 lbs.)
and all grades of Ductile Iron Castings up to 7 MT single pc (15500 lbs.), Steel
Castings weighing up to 3MT single piece.
1.1 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
 To study the nature of a casting/foundry industry and to understand the various
procedures adopted in the industry from an industrial engineering point of view
 To understand how different subsystem coexist to make a whole by studying the
different groups and their functions
 Understanding AUTOKAST LIMITTED inside out
 Listing the main problems in industry
 Analysing the problem for various solutions and proposing timely and optimal
solution
 Initializing a project-problem identification and development
1.2 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study is about the major functioning of the AUTOKAST LTD, CHERTHALA.
This study mainly based on the details collected from each department .Each and every
activity of the department functions are carefully studied with the available data .This
study is beneficial to the future managers as they are put in to real life application. A
study on the entire department can help to improve the process and there by overall
improvements in the company’s performance can be made.

3
1.3 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
Time was a limitation for my study. AUTOKAST LTD is a big company, it is
impossible to conduct a complete detail study by a short time (10 days)

4
CHAPTER 2
INDUSTRY PROFILE
2.1 INDUSTRY PROFILE
The Indian Foundry Industry produces approximately 7 Million MT of Castings
employing estimated 500,000 persons directly & another 1.5 million indirectly. The
growth of Foundry Industry is very important for inclusive growth, other Engineering
sectors & the overall Indian Economy
Foundry Industry is the basic Engineering Industry, the product of which is used by
almost all people. Virtually each and every industrial process needs Castings of one
type or the other. All forms of transport do require to a major extent the Foundry
Industry production.
Founding or Casting is the process of producing metal /alloy into a prepared mould and
then allowing the metal/alloy to cool and solidify. The solidified piece of metal/alloy is
known as a Casting. Founding or Casting is one of the oldest manufacturing processes,
which dates back to approximately 4000BC. The first Foundry Centre came into
existence in the days of Shan Dynasty in China. A number of foundries using Cast Iron
as the structural material came into being after the industrial revolution.
2.2 WORLD SCENARIO
There are about 35,000 foundries in the world with annual production of 90 million
tones, providing employment to about 2 million people. USA tops the list in alloy
production followed by China, Japan, Germany, and the CIS. In terms of number of
foundries China has the highest score (9374), followed by India (6000) and then CIS
(4000). The share of Iron foundries is the maximum i.e. almost 56%, followed by steel
with 14% and then the non-ferrous ones with 30%. The global market potential of
metal is estimated to be about US$30 billion. The growing environmental concerns and
globalization of economies have led to a closure of some 8000 foundries in Europe.

5
These countries have been contemplating to shift their business to the low labour cost
centers i.e. the developing countries.
World Foundry market is becoming competitive as such France, USA and Spain have
established new companies in China and Mexico.
2.3 INDIAN SCENARIO
India ranks 6th country in the world for producing an estimated 6 Million MT of
various grades of Castings. The various types of Castings which are produced are
ferrous, nonferrous, Aluminium alloy, graded Cast Iron, ductile Iron, Steel etc. for
application in automobiles, railways, pumps compressors and valves, diesel engines,
cement/electrical/ textile machinery, amongst others. The Grey Iron Castings have a
major share of 70 per cent of the total Castings produced. There are approximately
4,500 units engaged in Castings, out of which 80 per cent can be classified as small-
scale units and 10 per cent each as medium and large-scale units.
The Industry is a labour intensive one, employing about 5, 00, 000 people directly and
an additional 1,50,000 people indirectly. The small units are mainly dependent on
manual labour. However, the medium and large units are semi or fully mechanized and
some of the large units are world class.
The Industry is organized in clusters in various regions like Agra, Belgaum, Chennai,
Howrah, Coimbatore, Chennai, Kolhapur, Ludhiana, Pune and Rajkot.
2.4 STATE SCENARIO
 AUTOKAST LIMITTED.

6
2.5 FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
 The global foundry industry is set to profit from strong growth of key customer
industries during the next years
 Asia is expected to outgrow the general market even in the medium- to long-term
 Competitive pressure from other technologies e.g. forging or sheet metal forming
is expected to remain strong; however, especially for structural components in light
vehicles we see a trend towards casting technologies
 In Europe, we expect higher growth rates for aluminium foundries compared to
iron, ductile iron and steel foundries. In Germany, an aluminium casting production of
around 1.2 million tons is possible until 2020
 The profitability, as measured by EBITDA margin, globally declined during the
last years due to increased pressure from customer industries. Asian foundries with
higher capital base, not least resulting from various forms of subsidies

7
CHAPTER 3
COMPANY PROFILE
3.1 HISTORY OF THE ORGANISATION
Autokast was established in the year 1982 as a subsidiary of Steel Industrials Kerala
Ltd. (SILK), a Govt. of Kerala Undertaking for the manufacture of Grey Iron and
Spheroidal graphite Iron Castings. Autokast limited was started on with the aim of
manufacturing all types of ferrous Casting unit under the Steel Industrials Kerala ltd
(SILK). On May 21-1984 incorporated as separate subsidiary on SILK and renamed as
Autokast Limited, which is located at S N Puram near Cherthala is a modern industrial
Casting unit an ISO 9002: 2008 Company. The unit has an optimum capacity of 18000
tons per annum and covers an area of 21500 square meters. The plant comprises of two
distinct production lines via, the conventional moulding line and the high pressure
moulding line. The Company can manufacture ferrous Castings of all grades and sizes
ranging from 5kg to 8000kg.
3.2 VISION OF THE COMPANY
To raise the Company as a leader of Casting Industries in India
 The Company should be recognized and respected as a manufacture of the world
class product serving customers by supplying quality Castings at right time
3.3 MISSION OF THE COMPANY
 Production in large volume and cost effectiveness in all segments
 Produce technologically superior products
 Achievement of customer delight through benchmarking global practice
 Consistent production through harmonious industrial relations Strengthen supply
chain Management
 Employee satisfaction
 Revenue growth

8
3.4 ORGANISATIONAL GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
3.4.1 OBJECTIVE OF THE COMPANY
A. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
1. Minimize customer complaints
2. Minimize rejection at customer ends.
3. Cutting down lead time for sample development
4. Minimize delivery slippages
B. CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT IN OPERATIONS
1. Bring down shop floor rejections.
2. Minimize reworks
3. Improvement in overall efficiency of critical equipments
C. EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT
Meetings conducted under various shop councils & Defect Analysis review Committee.
D. IMPROVEMENT IN EXPORT TURNOVER
3.4.2 GOALS
 serving customers by supplying quality castings at right time

9
3.5 LIST OF MAJOR PRODUCTS
Table (1) list of products
3.6 PRODUCT PROFILE
Autokast Ltd is a Foundry unit producing Iron Castings for a variety of Industries. The
Iron Castings are made of Cast Iron. Cast Iron is a general term that describes Iron,
carbon, silicon alloys which are produced by pouring the molten metal into sand / metal

10
moulds. Cast Iron is brittle and grey in colour. The carbon content in Cast Iron is more
than that in Steel which makes it less malleable. By varying the silicon and carbon
content at alloy, several types of core Iron can be produced each with different
properties and uses.
The major product lines of Autokast are:
1. Auto motives Castings
Cylinder heads, Cylinder blocks, Drum Housing etc.
2. Machine Castings
Machine tool Casting
3. Pump Castings
Vacuum and Slurry pump Casting
4. Castings for Pressure Tight Application
Central valves, pressure vessel Castings etc.
5. Windmill Castings
Bearing Housings, Hub, Extender, etc.
Autokast produces Castings in Grey Iron and spheroidal graphic Iron or nodular Cast
Iron.
GREY CAST IRON
Grey Iron can be readily cast into desired shapes by pouring into moulds. So it is the
most commonly used type of Cast Iron for the manufacture of Castings. The other
distinguishable characteristics of Grey Iron are:
 Lowest melting point of all ferrous alloys.
 Carbon in Grey Iron is found in the form of graphite flakes.
 Low cost combined with hardness and rigidity, High compressive strength.
 High resistance to whether etc
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
Grey Iron
Table (2) grey iron chemical composition

11
Applications
 Machine tool structures.
 Gas or water pipes for underground purposes.
 Cylinder blocks and heads for internal combustion engines etc.
SPHEROIDAL GRAPHITE IRON
Spheroidal Graphite Iron or Nodular Cast Iron is a higher grade of Iron, because unlike
structures in Grey Iron, the graphite in Spheroidal Graphite (SG) Iron is precipitated as
Spheroids. This is attained by adding some spheriodising agents, which changes the
solidification characteristics and account for notarization.
S G Iron
Table (3) S G iron chemical composition

12
CHAPTER 4
FUNCTIONAL AREAS
4.1 ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE
Fig (1) organization structure

13
When we look to this organization we can see that it consists of different department
and also each department have departmental heads.
4.2 GENERAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
Autokast was established in the year 1982 as a subsidiary of steel Industrials Kerala
Ltd. (SILK) a Govt. of Kerala undertaking for the manufacture of grey iron spheroidal
graphite iron castings. Autokast limited was started on with the aim of manufacturing
all type of ferrous casting unit under the steel industrials Kerala ltd (SILK). On May
21-1984 incorporated as separate subsidiary on SILK and renamed as Autokast
Limited, which is located at S N Puram near Cherthala is a modern industrial casting
unit an ISO 9002: 2008 company.
4.3 DEPARTMENTAL PROFILE
Autokast limited has the following departments
 HR Department
 Marketing Department
 Production Planning & Control Department
 Engineering & Pattern Shop Department
 Production Department
 Quality Control & Inspection Department
 Mechanical Maintenance Department
 Electrical Maintenance Department
 Materials Department
 Subcontract Department
 Finance Department
 R&D Department

14
4.3.1 MANUFACTURING DEPARTMENT
The manufacturing department of Autokast limited is divided into four division’s .They
are,
1. Melting
2. Conventional line
3. High pressure line
4. Fettling
1. MELTING
Before pouring into the mould, the metal to be cast has to be in the molten or liquid
state. The raw material melting process is done in the melting department. For the
preparation of liquid metal the Raw Materials like CRCA(cold rolled continuously
annealed)scrap and HMI(heavy melting )scrap are brought to the Induction Furnace.
The scrap is charged to the furnace with the help of electro magnet hooked in EOT
cranes, the furnace can withstand a capacity of 6T with holding attachment and with a
change over control system. Furnace is heated to about 1450 degree Celsius(including
the loss due to transportation of liquid metal from the furnace to the pouring
moulds).the slag is skimmed off from the molten metal by adding coagulant. The liquid
metal is tested for its grades in comparison with the standards (eg: different grades of
IS 210 for Cast Iron). The samples are tested at each stage of melting. The extra/excess
chemicals components are added/removed to achieve the specification. Temperature of
the liquid metal is adjusted by the electrical settings of the furnace and measured with
measuring instrument (pyrometer) and is recorded in the log sheet. Finally the molten
metal is tapped into clean pre heated laddle and required quantity of inoculants is added
to the stream for the purpose of homogeneous structure of metal Castings. Liquid metal
is carried in this laddle and is poured into the previously prepared moulds for the
testing of final chemistry laddle sample is taken.

15
The other melting components are Foundry returns, pig Iron, coke
(both petroleum and shell), Ferro silicon alloys, ferromanganese, nickel, copper,
aluminum, molybdenum, ferrotitanium etc.
Fig (2) melting process
2. CONVENTIONAL LINE
This is the semi-automated division of the manufacturing department. The main raw
material used for mould making is silica sand. This silica sand is treated with sodium
silicate, dried and mixed with flour dust and is filled into the pattern box. Carbon
dioxide gas is passed through the sand for strengthening (CO2 process).then the core

16
assembly is fixed. The moulds are painted with spirited paint for further finish. The
metal pouring path is fixed and the liquid metal from the laddle is poured through this.
After a proper setting time the product is separated from the moulds and is dispatched
from the section for finishing.
Fig (3) conventional line

17
3. HIGH PRESSURE LINE
High pressure line is fully automated. Green sand is the material used for high pressure
molding at first the molding machine is inspected and the good working condition is
ensured. The molding machine is operated at 6 to 7 kg/cm2.at first the sand mix (silica
sand mixed with Bentonite and Mentacoal).is made available to the machine in the
pattern box. The sand mix is thoroughly rammed in the box to the required
compactness by applying pressure. The core is placed for cavity formation. The metal
is poured by the laddle facility.
Casting identification marks such as SI No., month and year is punched in the
specified area marked in the pattern and details recorded in the register. After a
dwelling time of four to five hours the moulds are knocked out. The return sand shall
be collected in an overhead hopper by means of conveyor belt and bucket elevator.
Casting is sent to the decoding shop for further process. The molding box are cleaned,
inspected and returned to mould box yard. All the mould boxes shall be identified by its
size and serial number.
Fig (4) high pressure line
4. FETTLING
Fettling is the process by which unwanted parts of the Casting are cut off, cleaned and
finished .this includes removal of gates, risers from Casting etc. . .The Castings are

18
send to the shot blasting machine from which Iron shots are blasted at high velocity and
proper finishing is established.
Fig (5) fettling process
4.3.2 PRODUCTION PROCESS OF AUTOKAST LIMITED
Fig (6) production process

19
STAGE 1 – MOULDING SAND
A mould material is one, out of which the mould is made. A mould material should be
such that the mould cavity retains its shape till the molten metal has solidified. Sand is
the principal moulding material in the Foundry Shop where it is used for all types of
Castings. The most important characteristics of sand are its Refractory nature,
Chemical Resistivity, high degree of Permeability and Flexibility. These properties
vary from sand to sand and only those sands characterized by the foregoing features are
considered for moulding work. In Autokast Silica sand is mainly used for moulding.
Sources of Silica sand: - - River beds - Sea - Lakes - Desert
STAGE 2 – CORE SAND AND CORE MAKING
A core may be defined as any projection into the mould and made up of core sand. A
core forms internal or external surfaces of a Casting. Core sand is a suitable sand
mixture employed for making cores. Cores are made separately, are baked and are
suitably placed and positioned in the mould cavity. Core may be defined as that portion
of the mould, which forms the hollow interior of the Casting or a hole through the
Casting. Cores must have sufficient hardness, strength in both dry and green states,
permeability, collapsibility, high temperature resistance and should produce only
minimum amount of gas when in contact with molten metal.
Properties of Core Sand:-
 Adequate Green Strength
 High Dry Strength
 Core hardness
 Adequate Permeability

20
Fig (7) core sand making
STAGE 3 - MELTING
Before pouring into the mould, the metal to be cast has to be in the molten or liquid
state. A furnace is used to melt the metal. A furnace contains a high temperature zone
or region surrounded by a refractory wall structure which withstands high temperature
and being insulating minimizes heat losses to the surroundings. Metal to be remelted is
placed in the high temperature region of the furnace. Scrap Iron, which is the most
important raw material, is melted in furnace into molten Iron. In Autokast Induction
Furnace is used to melt metals. Pyrometer is used to calculate the temperature.
STAGE 4 – POURING
It is the process by which the molten metal is poured into the pre-prepared sand
moulds. Pouring is a complicated process, in which many things are to be noted. The
metal should be poured at the right temperature. If it is too hot it will produce a
technical defect called blowholes in Castings, and if it is too cold due to premature

21
solidification, proper filling will not be attained. Pouring temperature is very important
and should be specified with the Casting method, the tapping temperature and mould
sequences are determined accordingly. Higher temperature is required for Castings with
high surface area to volume ratio and short freezing time, in order to fill the mould
satisfactorily. Lower pouring temperatures are preferred where heavy, compact
Castings are to be produced.
POURING EQUIPMENT
 Pouring Laddles: Laddles are used to carry molten metal from the furnace to the
Moulding boxes.
 Laddle handle
 Trolley
 Rails
 Cranes , Hand wheels ,Tilting levers
STAGE 5 – KNOCK OUT (SHAKE OUT) AND DECORING
After the molten metal has been poured into the mould, it is permitted to cool and
solidify. When the Casting has solidified, it is removed from the moulding box. This
operation is called Knock Out.
A Casting may be removed or separated from the sand in the following ways:-
 Dump the mould assembly upside down on the bench or ground. It will
disintegrate the sand of the moulding box.
 Break the sand around the Casting by striking against the sand with the metal rod
or even the back of a rammer.
STAGE 6 – FETTLING
Fettling is the name given to cover all those operations which help giving the Casting a
good appearance after the same has been shaken out of the sand mould. Fettling is the
process by which unwanted parts of the Castings are cut off, cleaned and finished.

22
Fettling includes:
 Removal of cores from the Casting
 Removal of adhering sand and oxide scale from the Casting surface
 Removal of gates, risers, runners etc from the Casting
 Removal of fins and other unwanted projections from the Castings
STAGE 7 – SHOT BLASTING
Even after Fettling, there may be minute sand particles attached to the Castings. These
are removed by shot blasting. Shot blasting is the process by which Cast Iron shots are
blown to the surface of the Castings to remove the adhering sand

23
CHAPTER 5
FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMENDATIONS
5.1 FINDINGS
 AUTOKAST LIMITTED is producing quality product
 The company has not tapped its fully available capacity
 The company has a bunch of highly committed suppliers
 The company enjoys a good brand image and good will of the customers
 As a result of efficient monitoring and quality control procedure ,wastage and
rejection are minimum
 Lack of raw material is a problem
 Labour problems and industrial dispute are some problems
 Lack of demand of the product
5.2 SUGGESTIONS
 Marketing of the product should be made more efficiently .Marketing efforts to be
improved by having direct interfaces with customers increasing promotional activities
 There should be a supervision for production process
 The feedback system of many process are of old technology ,so introduce new
types of feedback system
 The maintenance of machineries should be done properly

24
5.3 RECOMMENDATIONS AND INFERENCES
The study aimed to understand the organization as a whole, organizational structure,
the products and developments, and the various functional departments and its role in
the smooth running of the firm. The analysis reveals the strength and weakness as well
as the opportunity in overall departments of AUTOKAST LTD.
AUTOKAST should focus on increasing productivity and profitability by improving
supply chain performance by use of proper forecasting method, selective inventory
control etc. Improving marketing performance by having direct interfaces with
customers and increasing skill and motivation of workers by conducting training
programs etc. . . .

25
CHAPTER 6
CONCLUSION
Through this industrial training, I have gained a lot of knowledge which we cannot
obtain from books and other references. I was able to learn the various production
aspects associated with foundry /casting industry. I had the opportunity to have through
hand on exposure to various engineering activities involved on manufacture of casting
industry. It was offered platform to learn about aspect such as molding, pattern making
fettling and various machineries. Through this training I was able to gain insights more
comprehensive understanding about the real industry working condition and practice.

26
REFERENCES
1. Website and web pages reference format :
 http://www.autokast.com/foundry.htm
 http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/
2. Book references:
 American foundry men’s society foundry sand handbook
 Quality manual of AUTOKAST LTD
 Foundry sand handbook -APS 6 the edition 1952
 Foundry technology-PR Beeles, Bultenworthslondon 1972

Autocast internship report

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