Pig bed
A ingot bed is a multiple casting mold for casting liquid pig iron in ingots . For this purpose, in the vicinity of a blast furnace, a large number of depressions are made in molding sand in an area , these are connected in rows next to one another by casting channels, which are themselves connected in a comb-like manner to a channel running transversely from the furnace. When tapping the blast furnace the liquid pig iron, running, controlled by manually operated shooting Godfather cast iron (pictured on the right) one after another in the individual casting troughs and fills the ingot molds. After cooling, the ingots (metal bars) can be removed from the ingot bed for further processing. These iron bars are processed into cast iron in the cupola furnace .
Technically, the ingot bed was replaced by ingot casting machines, which, in a chain like a conveyor belt, guide ingot molds past the casting point and which are filled with the liquid pig iron.
Ingots of different sizes, on the left an ingot shape made of steel
Blast furnace of the Luisenhütte with tapping channel on the left, connecting with the ingot bed (approx. 1850)
Pig bed in Chicago, photo taken around 1900
