Department : Foundry Machinery and Technology

The Department of "Foundry Machinery and Technology" began its journey with the inaugural enrollment in the specialty in 1954, followed by its formal establishment in 1955. By 1959, it proudly saw the first cohort of Belarusian foundry engineers graduate.

The birth, formation, and development of the Department of Foundry Machinery and Technology were guided by distinguished specialists, scientists, and organizers who were true enthusiasts in their field: Anatoly Mikhaylovich Dmitrovich, Honored Worker of Public Education of the BSSR, Ph.D., Associate Professor; Yevgraf Iosifovich Belsky, Honored Scientist and Technologist of the BSSR, D.Sc., Professor; and Davyd Mikhailovich Kukuy, laureate of the State Prize of the BSSR, D.Sc., Professor.

In the 1960s, the department not only became a forge for engineering and managerial talent for domestic foundry and metallurgical industries but also a school for training and forming teaching staff for foundry and related specialties, serving as a base for establishing educational and research units within BPI (BSPA, BNTU), as well as other universities and research institutions in Belarus. Among the graduates of the department are two academicians of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus: Yevgeny Ignatievich Marukovich and Alexander Aleksandrovich Mikhalievich. The department has produced 16 Doctors of Sciences, over 100 Candidates of Sciences, Honored Scientists and Technologists of Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia.

Over 65 years, the department has trained nearly 3000 engineers, many of whom have become renowned specialists shaping technical policies in foundry and metallurgical production not only in Belarus but also internationally. Notable alumni include:

• Nikolai Ivanovich Afanasyuk, Director of the Scientific Research Institute of Foundry (now OJSC "BELNIILIT") from 1978 to 1985;
• Ivan Ivanovich Kuleshov, Director of Minsk Gear Plant (1971-1982), General Director of Minsk Tractor Plant (1982-1993);
• Nikolai Vasilyevich Andrianov, General Director of Belarusian Metallurgical Plant (2002-2009), Honored Metallurgist of the Republic of Belarus;
• Alexander Petrovich Melnikov, Director of OJSC "BELNIILIT" (1993-2017);
• Sergey Alexandrovich Zakharin, Chairman of the Board of Liepaja Metallurgical Company (Latvia) from 1997 to 2013;
• Sergey Fedorovich Lukashevich, Director of Minsk Heating Equipment Plant (1998-2009);
• Dang Mau Tien, Director of the Institute of Nanotechnology (Vietnam), D.Sc., Professor;
• Heiko Glathe, Director of "GOETZ" GmbH (Germany);
• Sergey Ivanovich Sovetnikov, Director of "Alumin TECHNO" LLC;
• Alexander Yevgenyevich Iodo, Chairman of the Board of "Ilmaks" Company, and many other directors, chief engineers, technical directors, chief metallurgists, and leading specialists of enterprises in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Vietnam, Nigeria, the USA, and other countries.

Today, the department continues the glorious traditions set by its founders, developing new disciplines, refining teaching methods, and expanding international cooperation with foreign universities. In 2018, the department increased the enrollment plan for full-time students from 25 to 40, and in 2020, a new specialization in "Additive Technologies in Foundry Production" was introduced.

Since 2023, education has been provided at two levels of higher education. At the first level, in the specialty 6-05-0714-03 "Engineering and Technical Design and Production of Materials and Products from Them," training is conducted for bachelors with specializations in "Foundry Machinery and Technology" and "Additive Technologies in Foundry Production." The duration of study is 4 years (full-time). At the second level, in the specialty 7-06-0714-01 "Innovative Technologies in Metallurgy," with a specialization in "Production of New Structural Materials," the duration of study is 2 years (full-time and part-time).

The traditional research directions of the department are being developed, and its areas of interest are expanding, including: development of energy- and resource-saving technologies for foundry and metallurgical production; computer-aided design and modeling of foundry and metallurgical processes; development of methods and automated systems for quality control of molding and core mixtures; synthesis of new environmentally friendly molding materials; development of technologies for producing special alloys and casting tools; development of technologies and equipment for recycling metal-containing and other wastes of foundry and metallurgical production, etc. The department has a cohesive team of highly qualified specialists.

Department staff are actively engaged in scientific, research, and entrepreneurial activities, involving students, graduate students, and doctoral students in research work, participating in international congresses, conferences, and exhibitions. Faculty members have authored over 1000 publications, including 30 monographs, textbooks, and teaching aids, and have obtained over 100 patents and inventor's certificates.