SkillsTech Australia patternmaking and foundry teacher Les Johnson said the course would give existing engineers and engineering students practical skills and background in the foundry casting process.

“This is the second group of students to complete the foundry practice training program,” Johnson said.

“We’ve teamed up with Bradken, a global supplier in the resource sector who has chosen us as their national provider of choice for their Australian training for the second year running.

“Nine of their graduate and trainee engineers attend training at our Acacia Ridge training centre, which is home to the largest fully functioning training foundry in the southern hemisphere.

“The course was designed to meet Bradken’s requirements; it was based on an end-to-end process for the production of bookend castings.”

Each student individually designed their castings with strict criteria covering the entire process, including product design using three dimensional modelling, pattern making using traditional hand and machining methods as well as industry standard CNC technology, moulding and fettling together with both destructive and non-destructive testing.

“This allowed the group to have a more thorough understanding of the casting progression at the production level, using industry standards,” Johnson said.

“The students were very pleased with the real-world experience of casting bookends and did so successfully in one month of training at the TAFE institute.”