Modern Casting articles from February 2006

Modern Casting archives from February 2006

Students casting Liberty Bells for military.(Industry News)
February 1, 2006... Metalcasting students at Pittsburg State Univ., Pittsburg, Kan., recently used metal rods from Operation Iraqi Freedom to cast miniature Liberty Bells. The idea to cast the bells originated with Donald Splecther, a metalcaster that serves as...

Ward to improve facilities through tax breaks.(Industry News)
February 1, 2006... Several divisions of the Ward Corp., Fort Wayne, Ind., had tax abatements approved by the Fort Wayne City Council in December, which will allow the firm to make improvements on its facilities, according to the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel. Ward...

Question of the month.(moderncasting.com)
February 1, 2006... The December web site question asked, "What is the most common pattern material demanded by your customers?" Machined/Cast metal 50% Wood 27% Urethene 19% Other 4% This month's question is...

Abrasive belts improve grinding productivity.(Product Innovations)
February 1, 2006... Abrasive Belts Improve Grinding Productivity--Metalcasting companies looking to improve the productivity of their grinding operations can aim first to find better grinding belts that last longer and work faster. A new belt, the SG Blaze R980,...

Regulating reduced pressure testing.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Regulating Reduced Pressure Testing--While reduced pressure testing is a fairly simple procedure, faulty practices and a lack of control of important variables can distort the test results and lead to wide variations in metal quality with...

Sleeping with the enemy?(EDITORIAL)(Company Profile)
February 1, 2006... While the goal of the headline this month is to catch your eye, the statement also reflects the true feelings of our industry (as a whole) when we discuss partnering with metalcasting firms in China, Brazil, India or other low-cost nations. ...

Intermet announces expansion program.(North America)
February 1, 2006... In an effort to accommodate projected increases in demand for its ductile iron components, Intermet Corp., Troy, Mich., is upgrading two of its metalcasting facilities located in Minnesota and Virginia. The modernization project involves the...

Students casting Liberty Bells for military.(North America)
February 1, 2006... Metalcasting students at Pittsburg State Univ., Pittsburg, Kan., recently embarked on a project in which metal rods used in Operation Iraqi Freedom were cast into miniature Liberty Bells. After first hearing the idea from Donald Splechter (who...

Ward to improve facilities using tax Abatements.(North America)(Ward Aluminum Casting/Ward Pattern and Engineering Inc)(ward Corp)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Several divisions of the ward Corp., Fort Wayne, Ind., had tax abatements approved by the Fort Wayne city council in December, which will allow the firm to make improvements on its facilities, according to the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel. ...

Superior industries explores disposal options for suspension components business.(North America)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The Board of Directors for Superior Industries International Inc., Van Nuys, Calif., announced it has authorized management to engage an investment banker and/or other advisors to explore options for disposal of the company's suspension...

Uni-Cast, Miller, Vestshell and Aristo-Cast named winners in 2005 Investment Casting Contest.(North America)
February 1, 2006... Four winners were named in the Investment Casting Institute's 2005 Casting Contest, which recognized superior castings in the aerospace airframe, aerospace engine, industrial/commercial and military/defense categories. Uni-Cast Inc.,...

Ashland Casting Solutions' express lab ready to roll.(North America)
February 1, 2006... A new mobile laboratory, Express Lab, is being introduced by Ashland Casting Solutions, Dublin, Ohio. The lab features on-site capabilities to measure the physical attributes of sand systems and the performance capabilities of resin systems...

Metalcasters of Minnesota discuss industry issues with U.S. Sen. Coleman.(North America)
February 1, 2006... Members of the Metalcasters of Minnesota met with U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) in January to discuss the current status and importance of the metalcasting industry in the U.S. During the meeting, the group detailed a number of concerns to...

Castings deliver lightweight howitzers to Canada.(North America)
February 1, 2006... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: As part of a Foreign Military Sales contract between the U.S. and Canada, the Canadian Dept. of National Defense received the first four of six 155 mm, M77 howitzers in December. Supplied by the U.S. Marine...

LECO opens Global Support Center.(North America)
February 1, 2006... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Leco Corp., St. Joseph, Mich., has opened its new Global Support Center at its headquarters in St. Joseph, Mich. The new building will house its service, customer training and consumables departments, as...

Alcoa Inc.(Newscast)
February 1, 2006... Alcoa Inc., Pittsburgh, was named one of the Top Green Companies in the world by BusinessWeek magazine and the Climate Group in recognition of its performance in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Diversacast (Linamar Corp.).(Newscast)
February 1, 2006... Diversacast (Linamar Corp.), Guelph, Ontario, Canada, announced it will close its lost foam casting operation.

Kuka Robotics Corp., Clinton Township, Mich., signed SEIS Group Inc., Huntington Beach, Calif., as a system partner.(Newscast)
February 1, 2006... Kuka Robotics Corp., Clinton Township, Mich., signed SEIS Group Inc., Huntington Beach, Calif., as a system partner. Kuka also was selected by AIDCO International, Adrian, Mich., to provide robots for a palligistics system.

Inductoheat (Inductotherm Group).(Newscast)
February 1, 2006... Inductoheat (Inductotherm Group), Madison Heights, Mich., expanded its aftermarket parts department.

Novelis Inc.(Newscast)
February 1, 2006... Novelis Inc., Atlanta, announced it will exit the European aluminum casting alloys business, resulting in the closure of its Borgofranco, Italy, facility.

Henning Industrial Software.(Newscast)
February 1, 2006... Henning Industrial Software, Hudson, Ohio, dedicated its new headquarters as part of the company's 15th anniversary.

The U.S. Dept. of Defense awarded Iowa State Univ., Ames, Iowa, $1 million (in conjunction with Univ. of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa, and Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa).(Newscast)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The U.S. Dept. of Defense awarded Iowa State Univ., Ames, Iowa, $1 million (in conjunction with Univ. of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa, and Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa) for further research and innovation in steel casting technology to be...

Georg Fischer Ltd., Schaffhausen, Switzerland, sold all capital shares of Georg Fischer Rohrverbindungstechnik GmbH, Singen, Germany.(Newscast)
February 1, 2006... Georg Fischer Ltd., Schaffhausen, Switzerland, sold all capital shares of Georg Fischer Rohrverbindungstechnik GmbH, Singen, Germany, to Illinois Tool Works Inc., Glenview, Ill.

Indraprince Inc., Holland, Mich., sold its semi-solid rheocasting technology.(Newscast)
February 1, 2006... Indraprince Inc., Holland, Mich., sold its semi-solid rheocasting technology to Yamaha Motor Co., Iwata, Japan.

Ashland Casting Solutions.(Newscast)
February 1, 2006... Ashland Casting Solutions, Dublin, Ohio, is expanding its services to the metalcasting industry in India.

August Mack Environmental Inc.(Newscast)
February 1, 2006... August Mack Environmental Inc., Indianapolis, Ind., opened a new office in Tyler, Texas, to serve eastern Texas and western Louisiana.

Chase Brass & Copper Co. Inc., Montpelier, Ohio, signed a sub-license with Ingot Metal Co. Ltd., Toronto, Ontario, Canada.(Newscast)
February 1, 2006... Chase Brass & Copper Co. Inc., Montpelier, Ohio, signed a sub-license with Ingot Metal Co. Ltd., Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to produce and sell ECO BRASS ingots for the North American marketplace.

England--Norcast Ltd.(Around the World--Newscast)
February 1, 2006... ENGLAND -- Norcast Ltd., Norwich, Norfolk, England, closed in December affecting 60 wrokers according to Business.EDP24.co.uk.

France--ESI Group.(Around the World--Newscast)
February 1, 2006... FRANCE -- ESI Group, Paris, announced it is paticipating in two European Union projects: Integrative Simulation of Advanced Protective Gas Eletro-Slag Remelting (ISA-PESR) and Intermetallic Materials Processing in Relation to Earth and Space...

Sweden--NovaCast Technologies AB, Ronneby, Sweden, received two orders for its simulation software from two Turkish firms, Hulusi Senkaya YA and Ozdemirler Dokum.(Around the World--Newscast)
February 1, 2006... SWEDEN -- NovaCast Technologies AB, Ronneby, Sweden, received two orders for its simulation software from two Turkish firms, Hulusi Senkaya YA and Ozdemirler Dokum. It also received an order from a German model train manufacturer, Marklin.

E.ON Sweden purchased Powerit's MIC European operation headquartered in Lund, Sweden.(Around the World--Newscast)
February 1, 2006... E.ON Sweden purchased Powerit's MIC European operation headquartered in Lund, Sweden, and plans to integrate Powerit's suite of peak energy management products into a customer-focused energy efficient group.

Isuzu to merge casting firm with Castec.(Around the World)
February 1, 2006... Isuzu Motors Ltd. (General Motors Corp.), Tokyo, announced that its affilate, Automobile Foundry Co., Tsuchiura, Ibaraki, Japan, will merge with Isuzu Castec Co., Kitakami, Iwate, Japan, to augment the group's metalcasting operations, as...

Quality certifications.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
February 1, 2006... The following metalcasting organizations have received recent certifications or passed surveillance audits: Accucast Technology LLC, South Bend, Ind. (ISO 9001:2000) LeClaire Manufacturing Co., Bettendorf, Iowa (ISO 9001:2000).

Good service leads to good business.(Letterbox)
February 1, 2006... I have been in the business of designing and selling castings since the early 1970s. As a small jobbing shop, our business sold service with the castings, not volume. My father was in the corrugated box business and always told everyone,...

Calendar of events.(Calendar)
February 1, 2006... February February 15-17--AFS Southeast Regional Conference, Hilton Downtown, Nashville, Tenn. March March 2-4--AFS Northwest Regional Conference, Red Lion Hotel, Seattle, Wash. March 12-15--Investment Casting Institute,...

Columbus Steel Castings Co.(Personals)
February 1, 2006... Columbus Steel Castings Co., Columbus, Ohio, named Steven Lake CEO, Lake replaces Don Malenick, who remains chairman of the company's board of directors.

B&L Information Systems Inc.(Personals)
February 1, 2006... B&L Information Systems Inc., Bridgman, Mich., named Kristine Craft a business consultant.

FKI Logistex North America.(Personals)
February 1, 2006... FKI Logistex North America, St. Louis, appointed Bob Duplain president of the company's warehouse and distribution division.

OmniSource Corp.(Personals)
February 1, 2006... OmniSource Corp., Ft. Wayne, Ind., hired Joe Mazeika as marketing representative for the Nonferrous Group.

Hunter Automated Machinery Corp.(Personals)
February 1, 2006... Hunter Automated Machinery Corp., Schaumburg, Ill., named Kevin Purdy vice president of sales and marketing.

Apriso Corp.(Personals)
February 1, 2006... Apriso Corp., Long Beach, Calif., appointed Mark Gonia vice president of field operations, Americas, Yves Vergnolle vice president and managing director of EMEA operations, and Chris Chung vice president of field operations for the Asia-Pacific...

Society of Manufacturing Engineers.(Personals)
February 1, 2006... William J. Geary has been elected president of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Dearborn, Mich.

Obituaries.(Russell W. Taccone)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
February 1, 2006... Russell W. Taccone, Erie, Pa., died Oct. 25, 2004. He was 79. Mr. Taccone invented the Taccone Diaphragm Molding Machine and held more than 100 patents. During his career, he was active in the machine tool business and steel industry, and he...

Senate confirms new head of EPA Solid Waste Office.(WASHINGTON ALERT)
February 1, 2006... On Dec. 17, the Senate confirmed Susan Bodine as U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Assistant Administrator for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. Bodine will replace Thomas Dunne, who served as the acting assistant...

Senate prepares for busy schedule in 2006.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The U.S. Senate faced a packed agenda when it returned on Jan. 18, despite a flurry of activity prior to its break over the holidays. The election-year work schedule will make progress even more difficult because senators up for re-election...

U.S.-Peru free trade pact on the Horizon.(WASHINGTON ALERT)
February 1, 2006... On Dec. 8, the U.S. and Peru agreed to enter into a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA). The FTA must be voted on and passed by the House of Representatives and Senate before it can be implemented. The Senate Finance Committee, which has...

Spaceframe Propels Ford GT: permanent mold casting produced the key structural components for the aluminum spaceframe in Ford's new GT model.
February 1, 2006... The recently unveiled Ford GT super car is one of the fastest vehicles on the road today. With 500 hp and 500ft./lb. of torque available from a supercharged 5.4L V8 engine, the 3,500-lb. (1,588-kg) car rockets to 60 mph in 3.3 sec. and to a...

Controlling heat transfer with refractory coating.
February 1, 2006... Inside This Story * The cast iron industry is facing higher demands to produce cleaner, thinner-walled castings with closer tolerances. * Refractory coating manufacturers have been pressed to produce coatings capable of enhancing the...

Expanding opportunities for precision sand casting: recent advances in coldbox tool design have shown potential improvements for precision sand cast cores and molds. With these advances, high volume metalcasting facilities can be more capital and labor efficient.
February 1, 2006... Precision sand casting (PSC) is a molding technique used to produce dimensionally accurate castings with thin sections through the use of chemical binders and dimensionally accurate and durable pattern equipment. PSC mainly has been...

Finding new strength in aluminum: fuel efficiency-driven weight reduction issues in heavy-duty transportation have made high-strength aluminum alloys, such as A206, desirable alternatives to A356.
February 1, 2006... The constant drive to reduce part weight for automotive applications makes aluminum alloys attractive candidates for producing structural components because they are lighter than ferrous metals while featuring the necessary properties to meet...

Mining a domestic source of chromite: a mineral deposit in Oregon is being developed to be a significant source of chromite sand for U.S. metalcasting facilities, offering a cost-effective alternative to the current South African chromite choices.
February 1, 2006... For many years, the metalcasting industry has been using chromite as a specialty sand to produce high quality castings poured with various high temperature steel alloys. Currently, the only source of chromite used in the U.S. metalcasting...

Another perspective on productivity.(CEO JOURNAL)
February 1, 2006... Productivity is one of the most important weapons metalcasting facility managers have in their fight to improve profitability, expand capacity and revenue-producing ability, and boost return on investment. Unfortunately, most in our industry...

Casting answers & advice.
February 1, 2006... Q Our facility has been hauling our non-toxic sands to the landfill, but we are looking for alternatives. What markets are available for spent metalcasting sands and how should our facility go about recycling our sand? Metalcasting sands...

Michiana--In December, Tom Payovich, LECO Corp. (retired), presents Gene Muratore, Rio Tinto Iron and Titanium America.(AFS CHAPTER NEWS)
February 1, 2006... MICHIANA -- In December, Tom Payovich (I), LECO Corp. (retired), presents Gene Muratore, Rio Tinto Iron and Titanium America, a speaker's award after his presentation, "Opportunities for Ductile Iron in Wind Energy Production." ...

Northwest Pennsylvania--In November, Phil Venesky, Urick Foundry, presents a speaker's award to Mike Kuddy.(AFS CHAPTER NEWS)
February 1, 2006... NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA -- In November, Phil Venesky (r), Urick Foundry, presents a speaker's award to Mike Kuddy, Renaissance Electrical Marketing, for his presentation on addressing how to handle electric are flash situations. ...

Chicago--In November, Tim Eilers, Francis & Nygren Foundry Co., presents a speakers' award to Dennis Dotson and Jed Falgren.(AFS CHAPTER NEWS)
February 1, 2006... CHICAGO -- In November, Tim Eilers (r), Francis & Nygren Foundry Co., presents a speakers' award to Dennis Dotson (l) and Jed Falgren, both of Dotson Co. Inc., for their presentation, "Virtual Tour of Dotson Foundry." [ILLUSTRATION...

Birmingham--In January, in the photo at left, First Vice Chairman Mike Petrus, ACIPCO, presents Terry Estes, Estes, Pelgram, Hollified and Assoc. Inc., with a speaker's award following his presentation on ways to lower the cost of employee health care benefits.(AFS CHAPTER NEWS)
February 1, 2006... BIRMINGHAM -- In January, in the photo at left, First Vice Chairman Mike Petrus (l), ACIPCO, presents Terry Estes, Estes, Pelgram, Hollified and Assoc. Inc., with a speaker's award following his presentation on ways to lower the cost of...

Ontario--In January, guest speaker Bruce McMellon, Vulcan Engineering, who spoke on automation in the metalcasting facility.(AFS CHAPTER NEWS)
February 1, 2006... ONTARIO -- In January, guest speaker Bruce McMellon (l), Vulcan Engineering, who spoke on automation in the metalcasting facility, is welcomed by Dan Peace, Dominion Pattern Works. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Tristate--In November, in the photo at left, Roger Daniels, ACME Foundry Co., welcomes Allen Hall, Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance, after his presentation on process improvement and 6-Sigma techniques.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... TRISTATE -- In November, in the photo at left, Roger Daniels (r), ACME Foundry Co., welcomes Allen Hall, Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance, after his presentation on process improvement and 6-Sigma techniques. Also in November, Russ Rosmait, FEF...

Chapter meetings.(AFS CHAPTER NEWS)(Calendar)
February 1, 2006... BIRMINGHAM March 13--Wynfrey Hotel, Birmingham, Ala.; Regular Meeting. April 7--TBD; Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Student Night & Golf. May 8--Wynfrey Hotel, Birmingham, Ala.; Awards Night. CANTON March 2--Anthe's Restaurant, Akron, Ohio; Regular...

New abrasive belts improve productivity of grinding operations.(Case History)
February 1, 2006... Metalcasting companies looking to improve the productivity of their grinding operations first can aim to find better grinding belts that last longer and work faster. Abrasive belts that can last longer and grind more parts will increase...

Regulating reduced pressure testing for evaluating hydrogen levels.(vacuum control)
February 1, 2006... The reduced pressure testing of aluminum melts for evaluating hydrogen levels in the molten alloy has been performed using the same basic method for more than 50 years. But, while reduced pressure testing is a fairly simple procedure, faulty...

Silicon carbide filters.(METALCASTING SUPPLIES)
February 1, 2006... Vesuvius Hi-Tech Ceramics, Alfred, N.Y., offers reticulated silicon carbide filters for ferrous and nonferrous metal-casting facilities. The Trucell filters remove inclusions, reduce trapped gas and provide laminar flow. Their highly porous,...

Horizontal machining center.(METALCASTING SUPPLIES)
February 1, 2006... Makino developed its a81M horizontal machining center for the machining of tough and hard materials. It is ideally suited for large diameter boring and face milling on stainless steel, titanium, titanium alloys, inconel, ductile iron, cast iron...

Bench Punch.(Heinrich Co)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Heinrich Co. announces its Deep Throat Bench Punch featuring an 8-in. (20.32 cm) throat capable of punching a hole in the center of a 16-in. (40.64 cm) diameter circle. Its five tons of capacity means a hole as large as 0.5 in. (1.27 cm) in...

Melting transport ladle.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The TL-Series aluminum melting transport ladle, manufactured by Thermtronix, allows users to melt and prepare metal under the highest possible quality conditions and pour directly into large molds with no intermediate transfers. A UL listed,...

Defining a continent: in case you didn't know ...(SHAKEOUT)
February 1, 2006... The metalcasting industry has been deeply embedded in the roots of North America since a few of the early settlers fired up their first crude iron works. It was the chosen industry for many of North America's founders, and its importance grew...