Modern Casting articles from December 2007

Modern Casting archives from December 2007

Question of the month.(moderncasting.com)
December 1, 2007... The October website question asked, "Which of the following supplies most influences the quality of your final casting product?" Patterns/ 26.8% Tooling Metal and 25% Alloying Elements Labor ...

Worth repeating.(HOTLINE)
December 1, 2007... "Rather than be a casting jack of all trades, we [offered] more value-added services. We saw that customers wanted more finished castings."--Bill Grider, Watry Industries.

Safety differs by country, problems are same.(EDITORIAL)
December 1, 2007... The December issue of MODERN CASTING contains the Annual Census of World Casting Production. This much-anticipated, well-referenced article (p. 22) lays out the current landscape of global casting production. In its infancy, this report...

Equity firm adds Alcoa automotive to stable of casters.(North America)
December 1, 2007... Monomoy Capital Pawners L.P., New York, announced it has acquired Alcoa Automotive Castings (AAC) from Alcoa Inc., Pittsburgh, for an undisclosed amount. The private equity fund adds AAC to a list of holdings that includes two other...

Ford's Cleveland Casting to stay open temporarily.(North America)
December 1, 2007... Ford's Cleveland Casting, once slated for shutdown, will remain open for at least one year because of an agreement the company signed with the United Auto Workers union (UAW), the Associated Press reports. Ford announced the closing of the...

Leggett & Platt to eliminate diecasting division.(North America)
December 1, 2007... Diversified manufacturer Leggett & Platt, Carthage, Mo., announced it will divest more than one fifth of its portfolio, including all of its aluminum, zinc and magnesium diecasters. The company, which is composed of five different segments,...

Rio Tinto Alcan sells automotive diecasting units for undisclosed amount.(Around the World)
December 1, 2007... Newly formed Rio Tinto Alcan announced it has sold its share in two aluminum diecasting operations in Slovenia, Alcan Koper d.o.o, and Alcan Tomos d.o.o. The move came fewer than two weeks after mining group Rio Tinto, London, completed an...

Neenah Foundry Co. announces cutbacks on salaried employees in restructuring move.(North America)
December 1, 2007... Neenah Foundry Co., Neenah, Wis., and its parent company Neenah Enterprises Inc. announced a restructuring plan that will result in salaried worker cutbacks. According to a press release issued by the parent company, the actions are...

OSHA data indicates injuries to metalcasters are down for the second straight year.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
December 1, 2007... The metalcasting industry recorded its second consecutive decrease in recordable injury and illness cases in 2006 after experiencing a rise in 2004, according to the results of an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) study. ...

Private equity firm acquires second metalcasting facility in eight month period.(North America)
December 1, 2007... TMB Industries, Chicago, recently acquired Stainless Foundry and Engineering Inc., Milwaukee, a provider of steel and other high alloy composition castings. The acquisition came about seven months after the firm purchased its first...

Esco adds new shell room.(North America)
December 1, 2007... Esco Turbine Technologies, Portland, Ore., built a 3,500-sq.-ft. shell room at its Cleveland metalcasting facility. The company announced it hopes the new room, outfitted with robotic equipment from U.K.-based VA Technologies, "will provide...

Design for steel railroad metalcasting facility in Russia completed, construction begins.(Around the World)
December 1, 2007... The engineering design for a steel railroad metalcasting facility for Commercial Transport Systems, Tikhvin, Russia, recently was completed by an American engineering firm. Construction of the building also has commenced, with production to...

Aluminum Association gives designations to mercury alloys.(North America)
December 1, 2007... Mercalloy high-ductility diecasting alloys, developed by Mercury Castings for Mercury Marine, Fond du Lac, Wis., recently were awarded alloy designations by the Aluminum Association. The ultra-high elongation version of Mercalloy received...

Canadian diecaster bought by local investors.(North America)
December 1, 2007... Diecaster Cape Breton Castings, North Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, has been purchased by a group of mostly local businessmen and renamed Atlantic Castings Ltd., according to local news reports. The Nova Scotia Business Journal reports that...

Minnesota ferrous shop installs new matchplate molding line.(North America)
December 1, 2007... Northern Iron and Machine, St. Paul, Minn., recently installed a Disa Match 130 molding machine and Summit Foundry Systems mold handler. The new matchplate molding line, which the company expects will increase its molding department...

Brazilian metalcaster begins production on two new contracts.(Around the World)
December 1, 2007... Metalcasting facility Tupy Maua, Sao Paulo, Brazil, has begun series production on several new compacted graphite iron (CGI) commercial engine components, fulfilling two newly awarded contracts. The first component in series production is a...

Construction industry rolls into Vegas.(North America)
December 1, 2007... The annual CONEXPO-CON/AGG trade show, set to be held March 11-15, will feature the wares of one of the largest end users of metal castings--the construction industry. The trade expo, and the IFPE 2008, co-located at the Las Vegas...

A research coalition, which includes Furness-Newburge Inc., Versailles, Ky., Penn State Univ., State College, Pa., and Neenah Foundry Co., Neenah, Wis.(Newscast)
December 1, 2007... A research coalition, which includes Furness-Newburge Inc., Versailles, Ky., Penn State Univ., State College, Pa., and Neenah Foundry Co., Neenah, Wis., recently found that both residual clay and coal could be reused directly in a green sand...

Modern Equipment Co.(Newscast)
December 1, 2007... Modern Equipment Co., Port Washington, Wis., recently acquired a new 165,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing facility Modern Equipment's previous space encompassed 115,000 sq. ft. The new building is located a short distance down the road from the...

ABP Induction.(Newscast)
December 1, 2007... Furnace manufacturer ABP Induction, Dortmund, Germany, recently opened a new 22,000-sq.-ft. facility in Massillon, Ohio. ABP, a producer of induction heating and melting furnace systems, will dedicate the facility and its staff to manufacturing...

Pollution control specialist CECO Environmental Corp., Cincinatti, announced it has completed the acquisition of GMD Environmental Technologies Inc., Fort Worth, Texas.(Newscast)
December 1, 2007... Pollution control specialist CECO Environmental Corp., Cincinatti, announced it has completed the acquisition of GMD Environmental Technologies Inc., Fort Worth, Texas. GMD designs, manufacturers and markets equipment for industrial clients...

Colonial Metals Co.(Newscast)
December 1, 2007... Colonial Metals Co., Columbia, Pa., has been named the fifth fastest growing company in its region by the Central Penn Business Journal.

Exact Metrology Inc., Algonquin, Ill., has purchased Berding 3D Scanning, Cincinnati.(Newscast)
December 1, 2007... Exact Metrology Inc., Algonquin, Ill., has purchased Berding 3D Scanning, Cincinnati, and the two firms will continue to operate under the Exact Metrology name.

Quality certifications.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
December 1, 2007... The following metalcasting organizations have passed recent certification audits: Bronze Craft Corp., Nashua, N.H., (ISO 9001:2000); Sandwich Casting and Machine, Sandwich, Ill., (ISO 9001:2000); Trialco Inc., Chicago Heights,...

FEF announces awards at annual conference.(North America)
December 1, 2007... FEF, The Foundation for Metal Casting Education, Schaumburg, Ill., held its 60th annual College Industry Conference on Nov. 8-9, bringing together 315 industry executives, 100 student delegates, 40 metalcasting companies, key professors and...

Calendar of events.(Conference news)(Calendar)
December 1, 2007... December December 12-15--Steel Founders' Society of America 61st Technical & Operating Conference, The Drake Hotel, Chicago. February February 7-8--AFS Wisconsin Regional, The Pfister Hotel, Milwaukee. February 7-10--68th...

Intermet Corp.(Personals)
December 1, 2007... Intermet Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, reorganized its executive team, appointing Troy Jonas ferrous group president and Steve Lake executive vice president of sales and strategy. Die Cast Group President Eric Showalter left the company.

Neenah Foundry Co.(Personals)
December 1, 2007... William Barrett, former president and CEO and current executive chairman of the board for Neenah Foundry Co., Neenah, Wis., announced his intention to retire. He will become non-executive chairman of the board.

Thresher Industries.(Personals)
December 1, 2007... Thresher Industries, Hanford, Calif., made Ed Gardner its new chairman.

Wheelabrator Group.(Personals)
December 1, 2007... Doug LoFranco has been named vice president of OEM sales in North and South America by the Wheelabrator Group, LaGrange, Ga.

Foseco.(Personals)
December 1, 2007... Foseco, Ontario, Canada, announced leadership restructuring, making Brian Alquist CEO, Dennis Nolan sales and marketing manager and Tom Shewfelt product design and quality manager for Foseco-Morval. Richard Dumoulin was named president of...

Obituaries.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Obituary)
December 1, 2007... Benoit Daigneault, Candiac, Ontario, Canada, died Oct. 7, 2007. He was 46. Daigneault, a longstanding member of the American Foundry Society. who earned an applied sciences degree from Edouard Montpetit College, joined Ashland Canada,...

Panel calls for currency reform: the bipartisan Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act could ensure countervailing duty laws apply to non-market economies.(WASHINGTON ALERT)
December 1, 2007... More pressure was put on the U.S. government to pass legislation calling for Chinese currency reform recently. The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), a congressionally appointed panel, recommended in its annual report...

China and India energy consumption causing concern.(On the Hill)
December 1, 2007... The Paris-based International Energy Agency (lEA) recently released a report warning that China and India's increasing demands for oil and gas will radically alter the environment and global energy market within a generation. The two countries...

No "no-match".(On the Hill)
December 1, 2007... The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced that it will not issue "no-match" letters to employers this year based on the 2006 tax year information. A "no-match" letter is a notice sent by the SSA to employers and employees to inform...

41st Census of World Casting Production--2006: global casting production surpasses 90 million tons.
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The global metalcasting industry broke the 90 million ton production mark in 2006, reaching 91.4 million tons--a 7.2% increase over 2005, according to this year's MODERN CASTING Census of World Casting Production. At...

Bidding on permanent mold: originally focusing on manufacturing and V-process casting, private equity firm Ligon Industries has branched out to permanent mold casting with two recent acquisitions.
December 1, 2007... For almost 20 years, Bob Haebig and his partners Mike Allik and Doug Haag watched their low-pressure permanent mold aluminum metalcasting business, Premier Aluminum, grow and survive. It began with the purchase of a bankrupt casting facility in...

Finding lost foam: the metalcasting industry continues to pour time and effort into improving the lost foam market, so why has domestic growth fallen short of expectations?
December 1, 2007... Metalcasters were engaged in a vigorous game of follow the leader, the way Bryan Baker tells it, and General Motors (GM) was out in front. After the lost foam metalcasting process had been developed and determined viable for commercial...

Producing green green sand.
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In the past, both seacoal and cellulose have been added to green sand separately to reduce expansion defects in iron and steel castings. But stricter environmental regulations are making cellulose the more attractive...

As good as gold: when it comes to casting jewelry, it's all in the detail.
December 1, 2007... In the specialty niche of casting jewelry, many manufacturers are born into their profession, taking on perhaps a family watch business and evolving it into jewelry casting. Others come by the profession in a more indirect route. Michael...

Know your strengths to market your capabilities.(MARKETING MATTERS)
December 1, 2007... I have a brilliant neighbor who is multi-talented and can do anything from carpentry to electronics. He and I often have "make or buy" discussions about doing something ourselves or hiring someone who specializes in the required field....

Casting answers & advice.
December 1, 2007... AFS Technical Department, Schaumburg, Illinois Q Our cast iron spectrographic analysis has begun yielding erratic results. How can we ensure our sampling procedures are accurate? At first glance, sampling molten iron seems like a...

Mikkola assumes AFS presidency.(AFS/CMI NEWS)
December 1, 2007... On Nov. 1, Paul Mikkola, president, Metal Casting Technology, began his term as AFS president. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mikkola has held many prestigious positions including president, Metal Casting Technology, executive vice president...

CastExpo '08 hotel accommodations available.(AFS/CMI NEWS)
December 1, 2007... The American Foundry Society (AFS) and the North American Die Casting Association announced the opening of registration for hotel accommodations for CastExpo '08, May 17-20, 2008, at the Georgia World Congress Center. Hotels affiliated with...

Energy Solutions helps reduce electricity, gas costs.(AFS/CMI NEWS)
December 1, 2007... The American Foundry Society (AFS), in association with KCG Power, has developed the Energy Solutions program for AFS Corporate Members as a way to reduce the impact energy supply (electricity and gas) has on your bottom line by helping you...

Chapter meetings.(AFS/CMI NEWS)(Calendar)
December 1, 2007... BRITISH COLUMBIA Jan. 16-18--CMI Presents: "Analysis of Casting Defects," Sheraton Guildford, Surrey, B.C. Jan. 17--Apprenticeship Night, Guest Speaker Mark Nagel, CMI, Sheraton Guildford, Surrey, B.C. CANTON Feb. 7--Joint Meeting with...

2007 AMC Technology conference includes E-357 project.(AFS/CMI NEWS)(Conference news)
December 1, 2007... The 2007 American Metalcasting Consortium (AMC) Annual Technology Review was held Oct. 24-25 in Rosemont, Ill. The two day event featured presentations on programs that are helping the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). After introductory...

Submit your Casting of the Year.(AFS/CMI NEWS)
December 1, 2007... Engineered Casting Solutions and the AFS Marketing Div. now are accepting nominees for the 2008 Casting Competition. Each year, dozens of castings are sent in with the hopes of becoming the next Casting of the Year. All castings submitted...

Labor relations and HR conference includes managing total cost of risk.(AFS/CMI NEWS)
December 1, 2007... The AFS 2007 Labor Relations and Human Resources Conference was held at the Sandpearl Resort, Clearwater Beach, Fla., Oct. 17-19. The three-day conference, devoted exclusively to labor relations and human resource issues affecting the...

CMI course schedule.(AFS/CMI NEWS)(Calendar)
December 1, 2007... CMI Course Schedule Jan. 16-18 Analysis & Reduction of Casting Vancouver, B.C. Defects (37-08) Jan. 21-22 Statistical Process Control Ft. Wayne, Ind. (38-08) Jan...

Cokeless cupola furnace reduces energy consumption, emissions.(New Product)
December 1, 2007... A cokeless cupola turnace used in several European metalcasting facilities now is being introduced in the U.S. The furnace, by Duker GmbH and Co., Karlstadt, Germany, has been reported to use less energy and emit less carbon dioxide and sulphur...

Bronze casting company takes charge of production tracking.(Case History)
December 1, 2007... Erie Bronze and Aluminum Co., Erie, Pa., had been keeping track of its production scheduling and costs with the same internally-designed system for more than 20 years. The system was adequate, but when the company made a move to modernize its...

Wire EDM technology.(METALCASTING SUPPLIES)
December 1, 2007... Makino has announced new wire EDM technology, SurfaceWizard, which eliminates witness lines in machining operations. The tool provides high surface quality in parts with variable shape or sudden changes in thickness, such as a stepped part. It...

Sand core engineering.(METALCASTING SUPPLIES)
December 1, 2007... Ashland Casting Solutions has released a new version of its Arena-Flow software for coremaking and tooling design. The software provides users with additional tools to improve productivity, reduce costs, shorten development timelines and...

Melt automation.(METALCASTING SUPPLIES)
December 1, 2007... Precimeter has introduced its spoon automation system as an alternative to electrode scanning. The system is based on a proximity probe that allows positioning of the exact operating point of the spoon. The contact-free measuring probe is made...

Metalcasters give Santa his jingle.(SHAKEOUT: In case you didn't know ...)
December 1, 2007... Metalcasters can add "Santa" to their list of customers. A professional Santa Claus located in the Chicago area always has some metalcastings on hand--he wears cast brass bells on his Santa suit and sells them on his online Santa store. ...