Once poured, the mold is slowly moved along a conveyor as the molten iron cools and solidifies turning from the bright red liquid state to the dark gray associated with fresh castings.

At the end of the cooling line, the shakeout process begins with initial sand and casting separation occurring in a vibratory pan conveyor before being introduced to the rotary separation drum. In this machine, the casting is cleaned of nearly all of the remaining sand with the sand being returned to the system to be reused. The casting is then separated from the runner-bar and gating, the runner-bars are returned for re-melt, and the casting proceeds to the finishing area.