The forging and metalcasting industries offer many exciting career opportunities. In the United States alone, the metalcasting industry employs over 490,000 workers and generates $110.52 billion in economic output when considering the direct, indirect (supplier), and induced impacts. 

In the United States and Canada, approximately 35,000 people are employed by the forging industry from coast to coast. Most forging plants are small businesses that employ between 50 to 500 employees each, with a few larger facilities employing over 1,000 people. The modern forging process requires a lot of heavy equipment and skilled people to run and maintain it.  

The forging and metalcasting industries offer a wide range of exciting and rewarding career opportunities. 

If you love science and solving problems, you could become a metallurgical engineer, working to develop new metal alloys and improve production processes. Here’s a few other possibilities: 

• Process engineers design and optimize the steps involved in making metal parts. 
• Quality control specialists ensure that every metal component meets strict standards. 
• CNC machine operators use advanced computer-controlled machines to create precise metal parts. 
• Foundry and forge technicians work hands-on with the equipment used to melt and shape metal. 
• Pattern and die makers create the molds and tools used in metalcasting and forging. 

And if you enjoy working with people, you could pursue a career in sales and marketing, connecting customers with the metal products they need.

• Metallurgical engineer
• Materials science engineer
• Industrial engineer
• Molder
• Coremaker
• Additive manufacturing/3D printing technician
• Tool and die maker
• Industrial maintenance technician
• Welding technician
• CNC operator/programmer
• Die setter
• Manual machinist/grinder
• Press operator
• Quality control technician
• Robot technician

A foundry is where skilled workers melt metal and pour it into molds to create all sorts of metal parts. This process is called metalcasting, or simply casting. Imagine a giant pot of molten metal, glowing bright orange, being carefully poured into a mold shaped like a car part or a machine component. Once the metal cools and hardens, the mold is opened, revealing the newly created metal part. Foundries and metalcasting are essential in making many of the things we use every day.

A forge is like a metal worker’s workshop. It’s a place where metal is heated until it’s red-hot and then shaped using powerful tools like hammers, presses, or special molds called dies. Forging is different from metalcasting because the metal is never melted and poured. Instead, it’s pressed, pounded, or squeezed under great pressure to create high-strength parts known as forgings. Forging is used to create metal parts that are incredibly strong and durable, like the gears in a car or the blades of a turbine.

The forging and metalcasting industries are the backbone of many other industries. They provide the essential metal parts that are used to build cars, airplanes, machines, and even medical devices. These industries are also crucial for our country’s national security and defense. Many of the metal components used in military vehicles, equipment, and infrastructure are made using forging and metalcasting. Without these industries, many of the things we rely on every day wouldn’t exist.

Highly engineered castings are used to produce 90% of all manufactured durable goods and nearly all manufacturing machinery.Castings can be found in so many places! When you ride in a car, the engine block and transmission case are likely made using metalcasting. If you travel by airplane, many of the parts, like turbine blades and structural components, are cast in a foundry. Even the construction equipment used to build houses and roads has cast parts, like gears and pulleys. In hospitals, surgical tools, implants, and prosthetics are often made using metalcasting. 

Forgings are the hidden heroes in many industries. They’re used to create parts that are stronger than those made by any other metalworking process. That’s why forgings are almost always used where reliability and human safety are critical. You might not see forgings directly, but they’re often component parts inside assembled items you use every day. In aerospace, forged parts are used in airplanes, like landing gear and jet engine discs. When you start your car, the crankshaft and connecting rods that make the engine run are likely forged. Forgings are also used in tractors, ships, oil drilling equipment, engines, missiles, and all kinds of capital equipment. They’re everywhere, making our world safer and more efficient!

As technology advances, the forging and metalcasting industries are evolving in exciting ways. Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is being used to create intricate molds and dies that were once impossible to make. Robotic arms and automated systems are working alongside human operators, improving efficiency and precision in the production process. Smart sensors and artificial intelligence are being used to monitor the quality of metal parts in real-time, catching any issues before they become problems. And virtual and augmented reality technologies are being used to train workers, design new parts, and visualize complex metal components in 3D. As these technologies continue to develop, the forging and metalcasting industries will keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with metal!