Transfer Ladle (foundry)

    In the metallurgical and melting fields, a ladle is a vessel used to transport and pour out molten metals. Ladles range in size from small hand carried vessels that resemble a kitchen ladle and hold 20 kilograms (44 lb) or to large steelmill ladles that hold up to 300 tonnes (330 tons). Many non-ferrous foundries also use ceramic crucibles for transporting and pouring molten metal and will also refer to these as ladles.

Types

    The basic term is often pre-fixed to define the actual purpose of the ladle. The basic ladle design can therefore include many variations that improve the usage of the ladle for specific tasks. For example:

     1. Casting ladle: a ladle used to pour molten metal into moulds to produce the casting.

     2. Transfer ladle: a ladle used to transfer a large amount of molten metal from one process to another. Typically a transfer ladle will be used to transfer molten metal from a primary melting furnace to either a holding furnace or an auto-pour unit.

     3. Treatment ladle: a ladle used for a process to take place within the ladle to change some aspect of the molten metal. A typical example being to convert cast iron to ductile iron by the addition of various elements into the ladle.