The machine shop is Viking Pump’s largest facility. Since its opening in 1960, the shop has undergone multiple expansions and has now grown to 320 thousand square feet. Today this facility houses many departments including machining, tooling, assembly, paint, shipping, quality, procurement and planning. In the machine shop, parts are machined from castings and bar stock. Dimensions, especially those inside the pump cavity, must be precise to ensure the pumps operate efficiently and are capable of high pressures and self-priming.

Located on Viking Road in the Cedar Falls Industrial Park, the 78,000 square foot facility is used to produce gray iron, carbon steel, 316 stainless steel, and 770 non-galling stainless steel. 
In a foundry, parts are cast by pouring molten metal into a hollow mold. To create a mold, core and mold technicians pull patterns for the various cast parts. Each pattern is a template for one side of one or more parts. Sand is compressed against the plate and when the plate is removed the shape of the part remains and half of a mold is created. 

In a previous Pump Report Chad discussed the motors used to power pumps. But how do you connect a pump to that motor? And what if you want to run the pump slower than motor speed? In this episode Chad talks about drives and their related equipment. 

The term “drive” is used to describe the ancillary equipment used to mount and power a pump. This includes the motor, which we’d already discussed, but can also include a baseplate, coupling, guard, reducer, and more.