Modern Casting articles from July 2007

Modern Casting archives from July 2007

Question of the month.(moderncasting.com)
July 1, 2007... The May website question asked, "How do you reduce your standard lead time to deliver castings to customers more quickly?" Use Rapid Prototyping 46.7% Interrupt Regular Production 33.3% Standard Lead Times Are the...

Worth repeating.(HOTLINE)
July 1, 2007... "We don't buy new capability to get new business, we buy it to secure the business that has been offered." --Todd Farrar, marketing and sales manager, Farrar Corp.

Where were you? Fat and happy?(EDITORIAL)
July 1, 2007... If you are a North American metalcaster, we missed you at GIFA '07 last month. For those of you not familiar with this event, it is the world's largest metalcasting show and is held every four years in Dusseldorf, Germany. This year, more...

Boose Aluminum purchases two neighboring metalcasters, increases revenues by 30%.(North America)
July 1, 2007... Boose Aluminum Foundry Co., Inc., Reamstown, Pa., has increased its yearly revenues by 30% since last August, but rather than reconfiguring its existing plant, the aluminum job shop expanded outward, starting a new, wholly-owned company with...

GM to invest $44 million in automated diecasting cells at Bedford metalcasting facility.(North America)
July 1, 2007... General Motors Corp. (GM) will invest $44 million in its Bedford Foundry, Bedford, Ind., bringing total investments in metalcasting in the past several months to more than $160 million. The investment to install diecasting machines with...

Ford stops production at Windsor Casting Plant.(North America)
July 1, 2007... Production at the 73-year-old Ford Windsor Casting Plant, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, ended last month as Ford Motor Company continues to eliminate in-house metalcasting across the globe. The Windsor closing had been scheduled for some time,...

Laurel Manufacturing buys assets of modern die casting.(North America)
July 1, 2007... Roger Weston, owner of Laurel Manufacturing LLC, Elk Grove Village, Ill., announced his company has purchased the assets of Modern Die Casting, also located in Elk Grove Village. Laurel will operate from the 30,000-sq.-ft, facility formerly...

Chrysler castings group to benefit from new plant.(North America)
July 1, 2007... Chrysler Corp.'s Kokomo Casting and Kokomo Transmission, Kokomo, Ind., will see increased demand with the construction of a new transmission plant located in Tipton County, Ind., according to a company press release. The new plant will be...

AB Volvo to invest in casting production.(Around the World)
July 1, 2007... AB Volvo, Gothenburg, Sweden, a commercial transport supplier, said it will invest more than $241 million in its powertrain castings unit over the course of the next three years. The investment by AB Volvo, which is no longer related to...

The CMI-Schneible Group, headquartered in Holly, Mich., has acquired the assets of General Purpose Vehicles (GPV), New Haven, Mich.(Newscast)
July 1, 2007... The CMI-Schneible Group, headquartered in Holly, Mich., has acquired the assets of General Purpose Vehicles (GPV), New Haven, Mich. GPV designs and manufactures advanced technology vehicles for various national security applications, including...

Precision Castparts Corp., Portland, Ore., has agreed to acquire Caledonian Alloys Group Ltd., Livingston, Scotland.(Newscast)
July 1, 2007... Precision Castparts Corp., Portland, Ore., has agreed to acquire Caledonian Alloys Group Ltd., Livingston, Scotland. Caledonian, which employs approximately 300, operates nine facilities in six countries and provides nickel superalloy and...

CERP forum focuses on domestic production.(North America)
July 1, 2007... More than 100 industry leaders converged on Saginaw Valley State Univ., Saginaw, Mich., for the CERP Metal Casting Technology Forum, May 1-2. Many came from the private sector, but several government representatives also were in attendance....

Esco establishes partnership in Brazil.(North America)
July 1, 2007... Esco Corp., Portland, Ore., launched a joint venture with Soldering, Betim, Minas Gerais, Brazil, a manufacturer of wear-resistant steel products. Soldering serves the mining, sugar, heavy construction and cement markets and will now sell...

Bremer Manufacturing Company, Inc.(Newscast)
July 1, 2007... Bremer Manufacturing Company, Inc., Elkhart Lake, Wis., is celebrating 70 years in the sand cast aluminum metalcasting industry.

Radiac Abrasives, Salem. Ill. acquired Bates Abrasives Inc., Burlington, Wash.(Newscast)
July 1, 2007... RadiacAbrasives, Salem. Ill. acquired Bates Abrasives Inc., Burlington, Wash. a frill line, resin bonded cut-off and grinding wheel manufacturer.

Consolidated Engineering Company (CEC), Kennesaw, Ga., has been contracted to build and install a new drop-bottom furnace for Quartz Mountain Aerospace, Altus, Okla.(Newscast)
July 1, 2007... Consolidated Engineering Company (CEC), Kennesaw, Ga., has been contracted to build and install a new drop-bottom furnace for Quartz Mountain Aerospace, Altus, Okla., which plans to incorporate heat-treating in its in-house manufacturing...

Superior Industries International Inc.(Personals)
July 1, 2007... Superior Industries International Inc., Van Nuys, Calif., named its president and CEO Steven Borick chairman of the board. Louis Borick has been made non-executive founding chairman. The company made Sheldon Amman lead director.

PSC Metals Inc.(Personals)
July 1, 2007... Linda Bogdanovlc was promoted to vice president of human resources at PSC Metals Inc., Cleveland. Ted Ernstberger joined the company as vice president in charge of commercial scrap operations across the southeast.

KB Alloys Inc.(Personals)
July 1, 2007... Gary W. Boone retired from KB Alloys Inc., Reading, Pa., after 23 years that culminated in the position of product manager.

Frederick Manufacturing.(Personals)
July 1, 2007... Rick Cavallaro joined Frederick Manufacturing, Kansas City, Mo., as head of the environmental, safety and health department. Cavallaro was formerly director of membership services for the American Foundry Society, Schaumburg, Ill.

Obituaries.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Obituary)
July 1, 2007... Jack Huggins Schaum, Silver Spring, Md., died May 2, 2007. He was 88. Schaum was editor and later editor and publisher of MODERN CASTING from 1956 to 1982. However, his education and background were in metalcasting engineering and research. He...

Calendar of events.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Calendar)
July 1, 2007... July July 22-24--Casting Industry Suppliers Association Summer Meeting, La Fonda, Santa Fe, N.M. August August 9-10--AFS Chapter Officers Conference, Doubletree Hotel, Arlington Heights, Ill. September September...

Senators push antidumping policy; several Senate leaders introduced currency legislation aimed at countries with suspect export practices.(WASHINGTON ALERT: AFS Government Affairs Representative--Waterman & Assoc., Washington, D.C.)
July 1, 2007... Four leading Democratic and Republican senators proposed legislation in June aimed at penalizing China over its export practices. The bill, Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act of 2007, does not include stringent measures such as...

Make your voice heard.(On the Hill)
July 1, 2007... Federal lawmakers will be returning to their home states and congressional districts Aug. 6-Sept. 3. This provides an excellent opportunity for you to meet with your elected officials, develop stronger relationships and discuss the industry's...

OSHA plans to inspect 4,150 high hazard worksites.(On the Hill)(Occupational Safety and Health Administration)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Recently, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced it will target approximately 4,150 high-hazard worksites in its primary list for unannounced comprehensive inspections for the coming year. The primary list...

Do your additives add up? Picking the right additives will make your green sand recipe a can't-miss dish.
July 1, 2007... Green sand additives can be beneficial and economical, but miracle ingredients don't work as a replacement for poor metalcasting practice or engineering limitations. In order to achieve the best results, your additives must be used properly....

Will Washington leave metalcasters in the cold? The manufacturing industry needs help from the government, and five issues will have the most effect--currency manipulation, illegal immigration, unionization, paid leave and energy cost reduction.
July 1, 2007... Newpage Corp., Dayton, Ohio, filed a petition in 2006 with the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) that made reference to specific Chinese competitors receiving tax breaks, debt forgiveness and low-cost loans. The company wanted the government to...

Farrar goes from start to finish: Farrar Corp. has increased revenues by a factor of five since it devoted itself to becoming a one-stop ductile iron supplier in 1988.(Cover story)(Company overview)
July 1, 2007... World War II-era metal cutting lathes, mills and shapers turn endlessly in a corner of the old machine shop at Farrar Corp., Norwich, Kan. They crank away with mind-numbing repetitiveness, carving grooves into gears over and over again, just as...

Handle with care: clamps for transporting Blackhawk helicopter blades required strong structural castings with the precision to handle delicate composite material.
July 1, 2007... Rotor blades for U.S. Army helicopters used to be titanium components that were handled easily with steel blade clamps, which attach to the blades during their removal and transportation. But engineers found a way to design even lighter blades...

GIFA 2007, Part one: showcasing metalcasting's cutting edge: as the first in a two-part series, this article looks at sand mold and core making equipment, robotics and diecasting/permanent mold equipment unveiled at the world's largest metalcasting event.(GIFA 2007)
July 1, 2007... A MODERN CASTING Staff Report As the largest metalcasting show in the world, GIFA 2007 did not disappoint. More than 77,000 visitors from 80 nations made the trek to Dusseldorf, Germany, June 12-15 for four concurrent international...

Huge sales and fast growth? No thanks.(NOVEL SOLUTIONS)
July 1, 2007... The idea that small companies can be great companies, too, might not be a new one for metalcasters; most of you may be in one yourself. But in the wide world of business, it's the large or fast-growing companies that tend to receive the giant's...

Debt financing for the middle-market.(CAPITAL GAINS)
July 1, 2007... Whether you are looking to fund growth, make acquisitions, refinance current debt or take money off the table, now is a great time to access the capital markets. The market is at a capital-activity peak, with the availability of debt greater...

AFS announces casting design assistance program.(AFS/CMI NEWS)
July 1, 2007... The American Foundry Society (AFS), in partnership with Product Development & Analysis LLC (PDA), Naperville, Ill., announced a new casting design consultation service, Design Solutions, available to both AFS corporate members and metal casting...

Wisconsin Aluminum NE Wisconsin Chapter host tour.(AFS/CMI NEWS)
July 1, 2007... Suppliers, associates, family stock holders and city officials were among the more than 130 attendees that visited Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry Co. (WAF), Manitowoc, Wis., as part of the Northeast Wisconsin Chapter's May meeting. The...

Roshan receives CMI Directors' Award.(AFS/CMI NEWS)
July 1, 2007... Dr. Hathibelagal M. Roshan, Maynard Steel Casting Co., Milwaukee, received the CMI Directors' Award during the President's Luncheon and Annual Business Meeting, May 18, at the 111th Metalcasting Congress in Houston. Roshan received the...

Chapter meetings.(AFS/CMI NEWS)(Calendar)
July 1, 2007... CENTRAL NEW YORK Aug. 26--Greenview Golf Course, West Monroe, N.Y.; Golf Outing. CENTRAL MICHIGAN July 18-Martell's on the Green, Coldwater, Mich.; Closing Meeting. CENTRAL OHIO July 20--Eaglesticks Golf Course, Zanesville, Ohio;...

Tony Ramos.(Chapter Newscast)
July 1, 2007... In April, Tony Ramos, Integra Security Alliance, Elmhurst, Ill., discussed pre-employment screening and security checks.

Arturo Rendon.(Chapter Newscast)
July 1, 2007... In May, Beth Knipple, Bridgetown Cores Inc., Portland, Ore., was recognized for her service as chapter chair. Also in May, Arturo Rendon, Columbia Steel Casting Co. Inc., Vancouver, Wash., received the Foundry Person of the Month award.

Isidro Galicia.(Chapter Newscast)
July 1, 2007... In May, Isidro Galicia, Manex Corp., San Ramon, Calif., discussed lean manufacturing methodology, Six-Sigma and how properly training employees will maximize value and minimize waste.

CMI course schedule.(AFS/CMI NEWS)(Calendar)
July 1, 2007... CMI Course Schedule July 24-27 Gating & Riser Design-- Muskegon, Mich. Nonferrous (06-08) July 24-27 Practical Metallurgy of State College, Pa. Gray & Ductile...

Case history: automated grinding brings Frazier and Frazier up to speed.(PRODUCT INNOVATIONS)
July 1, 2007... With business growing, Frazier and Frazier Industries, Coolidge, Texas, was focused on ramping up production. But staffing the grinding department was a challenge, and a shortage of workers kept the rest of the metalcasting operation from...

Rotary and vibratory drums.(METALCASTING SUPPLIES)
July 1, 2007... Wheelabrator released a new line of rotary equipment, Ducta-Series, designed for ductile iron casting operations, as well as two new products in its line of vibratory drums. The Ducta-Series line includes a rotary sprue drum, shakeout and media...

Hydraulic wedges.(METALCASTING SUPPLIES)
July 1, 2007... LGT Manufacturing Co. Inc. has developed a new high tonnage hydraulic wedge for de-gating large castings. The Hydra Wedge model 237 will produce more than 60 tons of breaking force using only 2,500 psi hydraulic pressure and has several...

3D scanning software.(METALCASTING SUPPLIES)
July 1, 2007... Next Engine recently debuted its RapidWorks 3D scanning software with special features for SolidWorks users. It offers a suite of tools to allow designers to take raw points and turn them into idealized SolidWorks solid part files. The output...

Cleaner/degreaser.(METALCASTING SUPPLIES)
July 1, 2007... The new Oil Eater cleaner/degreaser is a water-based cleaning solution designed to replace multiple cleaning solutions. The cleaner cuts through oil, grease, carbon, sludge and dirt, encapsulating them into a solution that rinses off and leaves...

In their element.(SHAKEOUT: In case you didn't know ...)(training for seventh and eighth grade students about casting design)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Seventh and eighth grade students at White Cloud Middle School, White Cloud, Mich., gave casting design a shot through an artist-in-residence program that partnered them with artist Cara O'Brien to work on a sculpture for the school. Using the...