ABOUT - Building Premium Series Pumps

It all starts with a good plan . . .

Why we like sand-cast aluminum.

When Riverside Pumps acquired the Homelite pump product line, the acquisition included the drawings and manufacturing specifications for the lines of pumps we now call the Premium Series. Using the same designs and material specifications, Moree Industries produces the same high-quality parts that make a true contractor-quality pump.

That's why Riverside Pumps service parts fit many Homelite pumps, and why Riverside Pumps continue to provide outstanding performance and durability, just as Homelite pumps did in years past.

Sand casting is the process of producing a part by forming a mold from a sand mixture and pouring molten aluminum into the cavity in the mold . After cooling, the casting is separated from the mold. It is then ready for machine work.

The mold for the upper part of the casting, called the cope pattern, is secured within a housing called the flask.

A special sand mixture is pressed into the flask, and packed tightly around the cope pattern .

Many of the housings and other parts used on Premium Series pumps are made of sand-cast aluminum.

With the cope pattern removed, the sand retains the precise form of the part.

The lower part of the mold is called the drag. Again, a pattern is placed in the flask.
The same process is used for the drag as with the cope. The sand mixture is pressed into the flask under pressure.
When the drag pattern is removed, the sand mold is turned over.

Cores are used to create the shapes of the inside openings. Cores are placed on the drag mold before the cope mold is positioned.

The most common alternative to sand cast aluminum is die cast aluminum. Die casting uses a steel form, into which molten aluminum is supplied under high pressure.

Die cast pump housings tend to have much thinner walls than sand cast parts. For lower initial cost that may be an advantage, but at Riverside Pumps we prefer the long-life durability that sand cast housings provide.

Molten aluminum alloy is poured into the mold, and takes shape around the cores. After some cooling, the sand mold will be broken away. When fully cooled, excess aluminum will be removed, leaving a part ready for machining.

At Southern Aluminum Foundry & Machine, a molding machine operator prepares the cope pattern. Sand will be pressed into the flask from above. Cores are seen in the foreground.

Here, the drag mold is being prepared.

A major supplier of aluminum sand casting services for Riverside Pumps is Southern Aluminum Foundry & Machine, Inc.

Like Moree Industries, Southern Aluminum Foundry & Machine is a small-town, family-owned business. Located in Clinton, South Carolina, Southern Aluminum Foundry & Machine is led by Steve Freeman, son of founder C.O. Freeman, and has a number of loyal long-term employees.

At Riverside Pumps, we like dealing with other small family-run businesses, but we especially appreciate working with a company that takes the time to be sure every piece is right before it leaves the foundry. That helps us keep our own quality standards high.

This part, a TP2 end housing, uses several cores which are positioned carefully in the drag mold .
With the cores in place, the molding machine operator prepares to bring the cope and the drag together.

A Southern Aluminum Foundry & Machine employee pours molten aluminum alloy into the sand mold.

When the casting has cooled sufficiently, the sand mold is broken. Here, the casting is carefully removed. It is still warm enough to be somewhat soft. Only when it has fully cooled and hardened will the excess portions be removed.

The aluminum casting as it comes from the mold. The four columns on the corners are risers, formed in the mold to allow the molten aluminum to flow into the mold completely. The tall column on the left is where the aluminum was poured into the mold. When cool, those pieces will be removed and recycled for future castings.

Only precise machine work will cut it.

Once you have a quality casting, it needs quality machining. The machining process creates smooth and accurate machined surfaces, holes and threads according to the specific instructions on the engineering drawings.

To build the best pumps, you need the best parts.

Jay Leach of Moree Industries listens as Ron Yancey, Manufacturing Technology Department Head at Northeastern Technical College in Cheraw, explains the function of the Swiss-made TESA MICRO-HITE 3D high accuracy coordinate measuring system.

Ron Yancey checks the dimensional accuracy of a TP4 impeller housing.

To be sure you are using the best parts, you have to constantly monitor quality.

For Riverside Pumps, a valuable partner in this process is the Manufacturing Technology Department of Northeastern Technical College in Cheraw, South Carolina.

Northeastern Technical College, one of sixteen colleges that make up the South Carolina Technical College System, trains students in the sciences and skills of manufacturing. But they do much more, serving as an asset to local manufacturing operations through the involvement of their Manufacturing Technology program.

In particular, the Manufacturing Technology Department has helped Riverside Pumps by performing analyses of sample parts to confirm that they are made and machined in exact compliance with the original engineering drawings.

It's nice to have friends with such useful skills!

All specifications are subject to change without notice.

There's no substitute for testing.

Built one-at-a time. By hand.

A machininst with Industrial Tool & Machine sets up diaphragm pump cranks for machining. This machine, a U.S.-built Fadal Vertical Machining Center, will be set up to machine three pieces at a time, in successive steps.

The computer-controlled machine is programmed to machine one crank from the front, one from the back, and one from the side. Then the pieces will be manually rotated to the next position, and the process is repeated.

Cooling fluid is sprayed onto the piece as the tool cuts. After machining, this piece will be heat-treated for durability, then machined again to insure correct fit.

These TP2 End Housings are being machined on a Bridgeport Vertical Machining Center. Two castings are mounted, one with the front side up, and one reversed. Here, the machine is performing the programmed machine work on the back side of the piece.

Next, the machine moves to the other piece, doing the front side machining. This piece wil be moved to the other position and another casting placed on the machine.

Industrial Toom & Machine uses a high precision measuring device to check their work,  insuring that machined parts conform to the engineering specifications.

Much of the machine work for Riverside Pumps is performed by Industrial Tool & Machine, a local business in Cheraw, South Carolina. Owned and operated by Daphne and Mike Hill, Industrial Tool & Machine is well equipped to handle a wide variety of fabrication and machining jobs.

The first step in machining parts for Riverside Pumps is to use the engineering drawings to program the CNC (computer numerical control) system that controls the machining equipment. Then, under computer control, the machining center selects tools as needed and positions them precisely and consistently as programmed, so that the parts are drilled, surfaced and threaded precisely according to the drawing.

Every Premium Series pump produced by Riverside Pumps is assembled by hand in our  Cheraw, South Carolina, facility. Following detailed Operational Method Sheets for precise assembly instructions, every step in the process is carefully executed in accordance with engineering instructions.

Some pumps look fresh and clean inside when you first take them out of the carton. Why? Because they have never been run. Every Premium Series pump built by Riverside Pumps is bench-tested on the assembly line, and it doesn't go into the carton unless it performs to the high standards of the engineers.

After all, who should do the final quality check of the finished product? The people who built it, or the customer who needs it to work?

© 2011 - Moree Industries LLC. All rights reserved.