Støbere

Støbere is the Danish term for workers who cast metal in a foundry. The plural denotes the workforce, while a single worker is a støber. The word derives from støbe, meaning to cast, and identifies those responsible for turning molten metal into shaped components.

In modern foundries, the work of støbere typically follows a sequence that includes mold preparation, melting metal in furnaces, transferring and pouring the liquid metal into molds, allowing the metal to solidify, and finishing the casting by removing mold material, trimming excess metal, and performing quality checks. While automation handles many steps such as melting and pouring in larger plants, støbere may still perform mold making, ladling, pouring supervision, and post-casting inspection and treatment. They may specialize in particular duties within the casting process or in specific alloy systems.

Casting methods associated with støbere include sand casting, where a sand mold is formed around a pattern; gravity casting, which relies on gravity to fill the mold; and investment casting (lost-wax), used for higher-precision parts. Foundry workers may focus on furnace operation, mold production, pouring, heat treatment, or quality assurance.

Safety and training are central to the occupation. Workers are exposed to high temperatures, molten metal, hazardous fumes, and heavy equipment, requiring protective gear, proper ventilation, and adherence to safety protocols.

Historically, metal casting is an ancient craft, with significant development during the industrial era in Denmark and Northern Europe. The term støbere remains in contemporary Danish industry to denote professionals involved in metal casting and related processes.