Modern Casting articles from January 2002

Modern Casting archives from January 2002

2001: Consider it a rite of passage. (Editorial).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Good-bye 2001. So long, don't come again. We didn't need the official proclamation last November to know our economy was in fits. We've long known 2001 would be a contraction, though not quite to the degree that we've seen. The fact that...

New source review air pollution program reforms ready for release. (Washington Alert).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The U.S. EPA plans to release a reform package for the Clean Air Act New Source Review (NSR) air pollution program this month. Under the NSR program, stationary sources, such as metalcasting facilities, are required to install state-of-the-art...

U.S. EPA administrator outlines agency's overall priorities for 2002. (Washington Alert).(Environmental Protection Agency)
January 1, 2002... In response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. EPA has had to take on new responsibilities while continuing to fulfill its congressional mandate to "ensure the quality of our nation's air, water and land is protected." In a recent...

OSHA issues new regulatory agenda reflecting Bush administration. (Washington Alert).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... In its first regulatory agenda reflecting the priorities of the Bush administration, OSHA published its list of priority actions for 2002. The list contains three issues pertaining to foundries. OSHA has indicated that it will not proceed...

Citation wins DaimlerChrysler, International Truck Orders. (North America).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Citation Corp., Birmingham, Alabama, was awarded three jobs from DaimlerChrysler and one from International Truck and Engine Corp. The Citation plant in Marion, Alabama will manufacture exhaust manifolds for DaimlerChrysler. The exhaust...

Columbia Steel marks its centennial year of foundry operation despite national, local hardships. (North America).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Celebrating 100 years of operation last August, Columbia Steel Casting Co., Inc., Portland, Oregon, has been part of the U.S. longer than Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, New Mexico and Oklahoma have. The foundry also has survived the Great...

Superior named aluminum wheel supplier for PT cruiser. (North America).(Superior Industries International)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Superior Industries International, Inc., Van Nuys, California, will supply aluminum wheels to DaimlerChrysler for the 2002 model Chrysler PT Cruiser. Worldwide, the PT Cruiser is now at 310,000 units/yr with production in Toluca, Mexico...

Around the world. (Industry News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... ENGLAND--Castings Development Centre, Sheffield, changed its name to Castings Technology International. INDIA--DGP Hinoday Industries, Ltd., Pune, achieved record sales of 1000 tons of ductile iron castings to the Indian automotive industry...

OCIW foundrymen recognized for saving a life via CPR. (Industry News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Caption: Willard Cox, Jennifer Wielkens and Bill Riley of Oil City Iron Works (OCIW), Inc., Corsicana,, Texas, receive an award for saving the life of Gary Wandtke, Ashland Specialty Chemical Co.'s Foundry Products Div., Dublin, Ohio. The OCIW...

Superior graphite wins manufacturing award. (Industry News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The Russellville, Arkansas plant of Superior Graphite Co., Chicago, was named "One of the 10 Best Plants in North America" by Industry Week magazine. The plant was selected from more than 300 manufacturing facilities. The facilities...

Abc-Naco, Electron, Hayes-Lemmerz Petition for Chapter 11. (Industry News).(ABC NACO Inc., Electron Corp., Hayes Lemmerz International Inc. file for bankruptcy)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... ABC-Naco, Inc., Lombard, Illinois; The Electron Corp., Littleton, Colorado; and Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc., Northville, Michigan, filed for Chapter 11. On October 11, ABC-Naco and its subsidiaries voluntarily filed for...

CISA's 2001 business meeting draws 79 to prepare for vital year of 'Healthy Economic Expansion'. (Metalcasting Associations).(Casting Industry Suppliers Assn. )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... A total of 79 members of the Casting Industry Suppliers Assn. (CISA) gathered in Rosemont, Illinois, on November 14-16 for the association's Annual Business Meeting & Business Outlook. Of the six presentations, two in particular focused...

CISA introduces new officers for 2002 at annual meeting. (Industry News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Caption: CISA named its new officers at its annual meeting in November. Pictured are Jonathan Stone, HA International, 2nd vice president; George Whitehead, FargoWear, 1st vice president; Paul Kjelstrom, Hickman Williams & Co., president; and...

Personals. (Industry News).(appointments)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... R.S. Owens & Co., Chicago, named Larry Maloney vice president of marketing and sales, and Jim Bolotin chief financial officer. Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc., Northville, Michigan, appointed Kenneth A. Hiltz chief financial officer;...

ICC's robotics revolotionize coremaking. (Cover Story).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... In an effort to increase productivity and efficiency to remain globally competitive, Indianapolis Casting Corp. developed and installed a one-of-a-kind robotic production cell to manufacture Cylinder block core packages. Wow! This is...

DOE officials tour Cast-Fab to see OIT study in action. (Industry News).(Office of Industrial Technologies)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Caption: At Cast-Fab Technologies, Inc., Cincinnati, Russ Bushman, Cast-Fab executive vice president; Donald Huizenga, AFS president; Denise Swink, U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) deputy assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable...

Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc. (Newscast).
January 1, 2002... Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc., Northville, Michigan, plans to close its Bowling Green, Kentucky facility.

Farrar Corp. (Newscast).(receives certificate from Kansas Dept. of Human Resources)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Farrar Corp., Norwich, Kansas, is the first foundry to receive a certificate under the Safety and Health Achievement Program from the Kansas Dept. of Human Resources.

Winsert, Inc. (Newscast).(award from the Green Bay Chamber of Commerce)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Winsert, Inc., Marinette, Wisconsin, received an "Award of Distinction" for exports by a manufacturer from the Green Bay Chamber of Commerce.

Universal Automotive Industries, Inc. (Newscast).(selling foundry)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Universal Automotive Industries, Inc., Chicago, is in the final stages of selling its gray iron foundry in Hungary.

Charlotte Pipe & Foundry Co. (Newscast).(Vulcan Engineering Co. contracted)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Charlotte Pipe & Foundry Co., Charlotte, North Carolina, will have its new cleaning room engineered by Vulcan Engineering Co., Helena, Alabama.

Auburn Foundry. (Newscast).(equipment installation)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Auburn Foundry, Auburn, Indiana, installed slider pans and a discharge chute by Summit Foundry Systems, Inc., Fort Wayne, Indiana, to minimize sand leakage from the sand distribution belt conveyor.

Velan Valve Corp. (Newscast).(software selection)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Velan Valve Corp., Montreal North, Quebec, Canada, selected software by Magma Foundry Technologies, Inc., Arlington Heights, Illinois, to support its design and quality assurance groups.

Graham White Manufacturing Co. (Newscast).(Vulcan Engineering Co. contracted)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Graham White Manufacturing Co., Salem, Virginia, contracted Vulcan Engineering Co., Helena, Alabama, to modernize its cleaning room.

Alfe Heat Treating, Inc. (Newscast).(plans for new facilities)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Alfe Heat Treating, Inc., Fort Wayne, Indiana, plans to build facilities in Massena, New York and Defiance, Ohio.

The Center for Metal Fluids. (Newscast).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Univ. of Pittsburgh's School of Engineering, Pittsburgh, created The Center for Metal Fluids to assist metalworking companies in reducing maintenance costs, increasing employee productivity, and having a positive impact on the environment and...

Vulcan Engineering Co. (Newscast).(received sales order)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Vulcan Engineering Co., Helena, Alabama, received its first U.S. sales order for a robotic automated cell by ABB, Zurich, Switzerland.

Kolene Corp. (Newscast).(awards)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Robert H. Shoemaker, chairman of the board for Kolene Corp., Detroit, received the 2001 Medal for the Advancement of Research from the American Society for Materials International.

Elecmetal acquires ME international, subsidiary. (Acquisitions).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Compania Electro Metalurgica SA., (Elecmetal S.A.), Santiago, Chile purchased the assets of Duluth, Minnesota-based ME International, Inc., and its subsidiary, ME-West Castings, Inc. ME International produces iron and steel castings by...

Tocco/Feco buy Moco Assets. (Acquisitions).(Tocco, Inc. buys Moco Thermal Industries)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Tocco, Inc. (Park Ohio Co.), Boaz, Alabama, acquired Moco Thermal Industries, Romulus, Michigan. Moco, which produces industrial ovens and related equipment, will complement Tocco's partner Feco in thermal process heating equipment. Its...

Quad City Die Casting Co. (Quality Certifications).(receives ISO 9002 certification)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Quad City Die Casting Co., Moline, Illinois, received ISO 9002 certification. Quad City manufactures aluminum castings for the agriculture, industrial, lawn and garden industries.

Atchison Casting Corp. (Foundry Ticker).(profit information)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... Atchison Casting Corp., Atchison, Kansas, reported sales of $99.6 million during its first quarter in 2002, compared to $99.2 million earned during the same period in 2001. The company recorded a net loss of $4.5 million during the first...

Fansteel, Inc. (Foundry Ticker).(2001 third quarter net sales at $33.6 million)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... Fansteel, Inc., North Chicago, Illinois, reported its 2001 third quarter net sales as $33.6 million, compared to the 2000 third quarter of $39 million. A net loss of $2.6 million was reported the-third-quarter, compared to a net income $2.5...

NADCA convenes 21st International Diecasting Congress, expo. (Metalcasting Associations).(North American Die Casting Assn. )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Caption: The North American Die Casting Assn. (NADCA) held its 21st International Die Casting Congress & Exposition in Cincinnati from Oct. 29 to Nov. 1. General attendance was estimated at 3768. More than 500 people participated in the 12...

Calendar of events.
January 1, 2002... January January 30-February 1--AFS Labor Relations & Human Resource Conference, Radisson Suite Beach Resort, Marco Island, Florida. February February 1-3--Indian Institute of Foundrymen, Foundrex India 2002, 2nd International...

Shipments to rebound 3% in '02, begin healthy expansion. (AFS 2002 Metalcasting Forecast & Trends).(metal casting shipments)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... The drastic decline in shipments of metal castings that began in late 2000 continued throughout '01, resulting in a final shipment total of 13,074,000 tons, the industry's lowest total since 1993. While the accelerated downturn caused by the...

Proper Specifying, Testing, Eliminates Ceramic Abrasive Wastefulness.
January 1, 2002... When coated abrasive products made with ceramic aluminum oxide (CAO) grains were introduced in the 1980s, they were considered one of the greatest innovations in grinding in 50 years. When specified and used correctly, they delivered results up...

Improving investment casting through innovations.
January 1, 2002... If your New Year's resolution was to investigate advances for the investment casting process, you're in luck. Process improvements that can help your foundry save money and produce higher quality castings are in abundance, thanks to the annual...

Maximize furnace efficiency to temper aluminum melt costs: Controlling energy, environmental and equipment performance of aluminum melting furnaces can improve melt quality and reduce melting costs.
January 1, 2002... Getting the most out of a furnace when melting is one way to improve profit in an aluminum foundry. Melting costs due to energy, maintenance, environmental compliance and metal loss are ongoing, but they can be controlled. That was the...

Shrirang Kulkarni: Bringing research to the plate for the foundry industry. (Industry Faces).
January 1, 2002... Everyone in the foundry industry agrees that research is necessary and beneficial to develop new production methods and improve industry capabilities. It is supported, nurtured and celebrated for its success. After the celebration dies down,...

Casting questions & answers.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Q The main electrical fuse panel in our aluminum foundry is near the cleaning and finishing room. We have heard that aluminum dust can be hazardous and flammable. Should we be concerned about the potential to accumulate aluminum grinding dust...

Controlling costs through department budgets. (Small Foundry Management).
January 1, 2002... I know what your customers want and so do you! They want the same or higher quality with lower prices. I've surveyed casting buyers for a number of years, and the #1 item they would like foundries to focus on is lowering costs. Few small...

AMC 2001 annual report highlights partnership with the Defense Logistics Agency. (AFS/CMI News).(American Metalcasting Consortium)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... As a member of the American Metalcasting Consortium (AMC), AFS announces the availability of the 2001 AMC Annual Report. The purpose of AMC is to produce quality components while reducing costs and lead times for national defense. The 2001...

Modern Casting presents FEF scholarship. (AFS/CMI News).
January 1, 2002... Caption: At the Foundry Educational Foundation (FEF) College Industry Conference in November, MODERN CASTING magazine presented its annual "Partners Scholarship" to Sean McNerney, Kent State Univ. Pictured with McNerney are Kent State FEF Key...

Defense Logistics Agency Program to continue. (AFS/CMI News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... A new Defense Logistics Agency program, Procurement Readiness Optimization--Advanced Casting Technology (PRO-ACT), will continue within AMC for up to the next 5 years. The goal of the project is to move the Dept. of Defense (DOD) casting...

Sand strength machine donated to CMI. (AFS/CMI News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Caption: DISA Industries, Inc., Holly, Michigan, recently donated a Dietert 490-A Sand Strength Machine to CMI for use in its sand laboratory. The 490-A is able to conduct green compression and splitting-strength tests on green sand as well as...

www.disagroup.com. (Website Spotlights).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Answers to many questions, latest press releases, product information and specification, and requests for brochures are all just a click away. The web site shows how Disa Industries in the United States covers all facets of the foundry industry...

www.cisa.org. (Web Spotlights).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Nearly 70 supplier companies make up the Casting Industry Suppliers Association. The mission of CISA is to educate its members and work on challenges that are common to all. Such things as labeling, packaging, handling procedures, OSHA and EPA...

www.laempe.com. (Website Spotlights).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Laempe offers the unique CoreCenter concept combining core shooter, sand mixer and gas generator under a single controller with a Windows based PC. The company has expanded its product line to the economical LL series for the jobbing foundry...

www.hottinger-na.com. (Website Spotlights).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Hottinger's wide product range comprises: turnkey projects, single and multi-station core shooting, mold dumping machines and mold closing devices, handling equipment using robots and manipulators, customized machines to suit specific...

www.wsf-industries.com. (Website Spotlights).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Job-proven Dewaxing Autoclave Systems by WSF assure uniform ceramic shell heating for complete process mold dewaxing. Steam pressure build-up to 130 psig achieved in less than five seconds. Shorter cycle times are possible since system...

www.ivinc.com. (Website Spotlights).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Today, there are ever-changing EPA, DNR and OSHA compliance issues dealing with indoor and outdoor air quality. IVI offers all necessary services to bring the workplace into compliance through engineering, fabrication and installation of...

www.electro-nite.com. (Website Spotlights).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Heraeus Electro-Nite is the world leader in measurement, monitoring and control of molten metal processes. The company has worldwide manufacturing, sales and service locations. Heraeus' manufacturing and quality control systems are ISO 9001...

www.simpsongroup.com. (Website Spotlights).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Simpson Technologies manufactures mullers, coolers, core sand mixers and 3818 compactability controllers. Simpson+Gerosa manufactures a complete line of sand testing equipment. Beardsley & Piper manufactures mullers, core machines, scrubbers,...

www.inductotherm.com. (Website Spotlight).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Based in Rancocas, New Jersey, Inductotherm is a global leader in the manufacture of induction furnaces for metal producers. With manufacturing facilities in 14 countries, the company has built more than 10,000 melting systems. Inductotherm...

www.dykast.com. (Website Spotlights).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Established in 1961, DY-KAST Supply is a major distributor and manufacturer of non-ferrous die casting and foundry supplies. A wide variety of products are available including: Ladles, Skimmers, Electric Infrared Die Heaters, Die Clamps, "T"...

Pick-and-place manipulator lifts up to 7500 Lb, performs 700 Lifts/Hr. (New Product).(Product Announcement)
January 1, 2002... Thyssen Henschel America, Inc., Green Bay, Wisconsin, has introduced the Andromat Manipulator for pick-and-place operations. This handling technology features a gripper to pick up castings and is designed to replace a manual labor and fork...

Core connector attaches cores together. (New Product).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Cores often are attached to produce core packages or complex cores made in several pieces. Common processes for this connection include shooting a connecting core or gluing two cores together. As an alternative to these methods, Core-Lock,...

Lithium copper pieces eliminate porosity, improve casting conductivity. (Case History).
January 1, 2002... West Coast Stainless Products, a custom caster located in Huntington Park, California, relies on lithium to degas its molten baths. Founded in 1970, the 46-employee foundry primarily serves the pump industry, but it also produces 50 different...

Desktop spectrometer. (Metalcasting Supplies).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
January 1, 2002... The Assure desktop spectrometer from ThermoARL offers quantitative analysis, grade identification and metal sorting. Charge-coupled device technology provides the metal analysis. This technology features 8000 detectors on one chip, providing...

Oxidation-Resistant coating. (Metalcasting Supplies).(Aremco Products Graphi-Coat 623)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
January 1, 2002... Graphi-Coat 623, by Aremco Products, Inc., is a high-temperature, oxidation-resistant coating that protects graphite electrodes, crucibles and continuous casting fixtures used in metalcasting. This titanium diboride-based coating inhibits the...

Spindle-Blast deburring system. (Metalcasting Supplies).(Guyson RXS-900 blast machine)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
January 1, 2002... Guyson Corp. has introduced its RXS-900 mid-size spindle blast machine. The system uses abrasive and non-abrasive media to perform impact treatment operations like shot peening, deburring, cosmetic finishing, etching and surface preparation. It...

As many industries push toward production of the lightest (yet strongest) components possible, how do you see steel castings changing over the next 5-10 years? (Voice of the Industry).
January 1, 2002... "Thin-wall steel castings can, in many cases, be the best casting solution for lightweight, high-performance applications. As component wall thicknesses decrease, the critical property criteria limiting casting designs can be the elastic...