From 1984 to 1996, the department was headed by Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, and Laureate of the USSR Council of Ministers Award O. A. Shatagin. During this time, the department was actively developing scientific and technical directions for the continuous casting of steels and alloys. During this period, the team received over 100 author’s certificates for inventions. Professor Shatagin’s scientific school consisted of seven candidates of science. Among them were Shevchenko V.I., Elizarov B.L., and Borzunov V.P.
During the difficult 1990s, under the leadership of Professor B. P. Taran, a new direction in the training of foundry specialists was created at the department: artistic and jewelry casting. High-quality products created with the participation of students adorn the facade of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and administrative buildings in Kharkiv, and Cossack sabers were used in the filming of the movie “Hetman Mazepa.” Today, graduates of the department work at virtually all jewelry enterprises in the Kharkiv region (and there are more than 50 of them).
A group was created at the Department of Foundry Production (headed by Associate Professor V.F. Pelikh), which was actively involved in issues related to computers in foundry production. Under the guidance of Associate Professor Pelikh S.G., candidate dissertations were defended by Ponomarenko O.I. and Akimov O.V. Work in this area continues today. All theoretical and practical developments formed the basis of the doctoral dissertations of Pelikh S.G., Ponomarenko O.I., and Akimov O.V.
Since 2003, the development of computer systems for managing technological processes and improving the quality of foundry products has been underway under the leadership of the head of the department, Associate Professor O.V. Akimov.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, the priority areas of scientific work of the Department of Foundry Production have been applied research focused on solving specific problems in the conditions of existing foundry shops of industrial enterprises in Ukraine. Among them are:
CAD/CAE of foundry technologies and their adaptation to specific production conditions. Head: Doctor of Technical Sciences, Prof. O. V. Akimov.
Optimal energy- and resource-saving technologies for melting and off-furnace treatment of cast iron. Head: Doctor of Technical Sciences, Prof. D. O. Dyomin.
Optimal compositions of molding and core mixtures and technologies for their manufacture, Head: Doctor of Technical Sciences, Prof. O. I. Ponomarenko