Modern Casting articles from June 2005

Modern Casting archives from June 2005

Bodine to expand new high-pressure diecasting facility.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Bodine Aluminum, Troy, Mo., is expanding its high-pressure diecasting facility in Jackson, Tenn., before it has even opened. Following the decision by Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America, Erlanger, Ky., to expand its engine transmission...

Citation Corp. emerges from Chapter 11 protection.(Industry News)
June 1, 2005... Eight months after filing for financial protection, Citation Corp., Birmingham, Ala., exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May. At the time of its filing, Citation had a total debt of $550 million in secured loans, letters of credit and trade...

Wescast secures new contracts with GM, Ford.(Industry News)
June 1, 2005... Wescast Industries Inc., Brantford, Ontario, Canada, announced it has secured new contracts to supply cast and machined iron exhaust manifolds for two future General Motors (GM), Detroit, and Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, Mich., programs. ...

Traveling exhaust provides mobile solution to fume collection.(Product Innovations)(Beltech Engineering)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Traveling Exhaust Provides Mobile Solution to Fume Collection--In recent years, efforts have been made to eliminate exhaust fumes, smoke and odor present in metalcasting facilities. In many plants, a contributor of exhaust is the traveling...

Firm gains speed, accuracy with redesigned molding system.(Product Innovations)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Firm Gains Speed, Accuracy With Redesigned Molding System--AB&I Foundry, Oakland, Calif., recently installed a New Generation DISA 270-A from DISA Industries Inc., Oswego, Ill. The system--the first to be installed in the world--can produce...

Just a little obsessed.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
June 1, 2005... I'll admit my infatuation with metal castings is a little strange. I walk down the aisles at Home Depot looking at the faucets to see which are cast. I look underneath strangers' cars to catch a glimpse at how castings might have been used in...

Bodine to expand new Tennessee casting plant.(North America)
June 1, 2005... As part of the increased presence of Toyota vehicles in North America, Bodine Aluminum, Troy, Mo., is expanding its automotive high-pressure diecasting facility in Jackson, Tenn., before it has even opened. Following the decision by Toyota...

Citation Corp. exits Chapter 11 bankruptcy.(North America)
June 1, 2005... Eight months after filing for financial protection to resolve cash flow problems, Citation Corp., Birmingham, Ala., exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May in a stronger position to compete in a difficult marketplace. Citation filed for...

Wescast gains contracts to produce exhaust manifolds for future General Motors, Ford projects.(North America)
June 1, 2005... Wescast Industries Inc., Brantford, Ontario, Canada, announced it has secured new contracts to supply cast and machined iron exhaust manifolds for two future General Motors (GM), Detroit, and Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, Mich., programs. ...

Auburn suspends production at Plant 2 facility for modifications.(North America)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Auburn Foundry Inc., Auburn, Ind., temporarily shut down the operations at its Plant 2 facility in May, affecting more than 200 employees (Auburn's other facility, Plant 1, closed in December). According to Dennis Maude, Auburn Foundry CFO,...

Atlantic States to install new technology, will be first U.S. facility to reduce mercury emissions.(North America)(Cast Iron Pipe Co)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... With an investment of $9.3 million, Atlantic States Cast Iron Pipe Co., Phillipsburg, N.J., will become the first North American metalcasting facility to implement a mercury emission control system. Expected to be in operation by 2006, the...

Alcoa Automotive Castings.(Newscast)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Alcoa Automotive Castings, Farmington Hills, Mich., will close its Hawesville, Ky., facility by the end of the year, affecting 158 employees. The closure is a result of excess capacity in Alcoa's automotive castings manufacturing system.

MacKenzie Castings LLC.(Newscast)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... MacKenzie Castings LLC, Arlington, Wash., was officially sold by Dorothy Nerison to two current employees at the metalcasting firm, Tony Cooper and Steve Greene.

Hodge Foundry to improve operations.(North America)
June 1, 2005... With a $1.7 million loan received from the Industrial Development Authority in Mercer County, Pa., Hodge Foundry Inc., Greenville, Pa., is planning to increase capacity and upgrade various operations in its facility. The iron casting firm...

AFS Magnesium Div. developing new heat treatment method to reduce time, cost.(Metalcasting Associations)
June 1, 2005... The AFS Magnesium Div. 6 Research Committee, Schaumburg, Ill., presented new developments in magnesium heat treatment cycles that can lead to significantly lower costs of magnesium cast components. As part of committee discussions dating to...

Southwestern Foundry Co. Ltd.(Newscast)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Southwestern Foundry Co. Ltd., Paris, Texas, closed its operations in May due to lack of business, as reported by the Paris News.

Superior Industries International Inc.(Newscast)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Superior Industries International Inc., Van Nuys, Calif., announced that its board of directors declared a 3.2% increase in the company's quarterly cash dividend to $0.16 per share, marking the 22nd consecutive year of a cash dividend increase....

Alfe Heat Treating Inc.(Newscast)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Alfe Heat Treating Inc., Fort Wayne, Inc., is investing $1.5 million in new heat treating equipment and building additions for its Wabash, Ind., facility to accommodate new business it received during the last year.

Appleton Electric Co. LLC.(Newscast)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Appleton Electric Co. LLC, Rosemont, Ill., agreed to pay a $10,000 fine to settle air pollution violations at its South Milwaukee, Wis., metalcasting facility, as reported by the Business Journal of Milwaukee.

Dynacast Inc.(Newscast)
June 1, 2005... Dynacast Inc., Charlotte, N.C., relocated its Industrial Products Div. headquarters to 7810 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy, Suite 200, Charlotte, N.C., 28227.

Hartley Controls Corp. (Simpson Group), Aurora, Ill., recently supplied several model 18 Mk2-2552 automatic bond determinators with compactability control to various metalcasting firms.(Newscast)
June 1, 2005... Hartley Controls Corp. (Simpson Group), Aurora, Ill., recently supplied several model 18 Mk2-2552 automatic bond determinators with compactability control to various metalcasting firms. The firms include: Alabama Castings, Aliceville, Ala.,...

Godfrey & Wing, Cleveland, acquired Niagara Impregnation Services.(Newscast)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Godfrey & Wing, Cleveland, acquired Niagara Impregnation Services, Niagara Falls, N.Y. The impregnation company's operations in Niagara Falls will be closed, but its former customers will be served at the Godfrey & Wing plants in Cleveland and...

Quality certifications.(Public Notice)
June 1, 2005... The following metalcasting and supplier organizations have received recent certifications or passed surveillance audits: H & H Casting Inc., York, Pa., (ISO 9001:2000); Littlestown Foundry Inc., Littlestown, Pa., (ISO 9001:2000); IGC...

Calendar of events.(Calendar)
June 1, 2005... July July 16--Mineral & Metals Review Foundry Seminar, J.W. Marriott Hotel, Juhu, Mumbai, India. July 24-26--Casting Industry Suppliers Assn., Summer Meeting, LaFonda on the Plaza, Santa Fe, N.M. August August 4-5--AFS...

Hayes Lemmerz International Inc.(Personals)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Hayes Lemmerz International Inc., Northville, Mich., appointed Christine M. Sweda to director of taxes.

Dameron Alloy Foundries.(Personals)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Dameron Alloy Foundries, Compton, Calif., hired Steve Fichter, quality control manager, Frank Martinez, accounting manager, Hector Ruelas, production control, Wesley Shimizu, product engineer, Jose Villa, finishing supervisor, and Eric Hout,...

Aarrowcast.(Personals)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Aarrowcast, Shawano, Wis., named Raymond B. Grigg president.

The Dexter Co.(Personals)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The Dexter Co., Fairfield, Iowa, appointed Frank Fritz vice president of finance, secretary and treasurer, Dan Hirsch senior vice president of foundry operations, and Todd Stillwell vice president of sales and marketing,

Obituaries.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Obituary)
June 1, 2005... Russ Van Rens, West Allis, Wis., died April 22. Van Rens was the vice president of sigma and quality at BRP U.S. Inc., Sturtevant, Wis. He was a member of AFS and had most recently been awarded special recognition by the Lost Foam (Div. 11)...

CDC supports metalcasting industry's silicosis assertions.(WASHINGTON ALERT)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention )
June 1, 2005... The metalcasting industry's contentions that deaths attributed to silicosis were declining and that OSHA's proposed lower exposure limits were unjustified was recently reinforced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In...

Senators advance bill imposing tariffs on Chinese imports.(WASHINGTON ALERT)
June 1, 2005... Senators Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) struck a deal with Senate leaders to advance their bill imposing tariffs on Chinese imports unless that nation changes its currency laws. The senators tacked on the provision as an...

U.S. steps up pressure on China's intellectual property rights violations.(WASHINGTON ALERT)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... In April, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) released its annual "Special 301" report on the state of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection around the world. The findings of an Out-of-Cycle Review (OCR) of China's...

Casting of the Year.(ME Global Inc)
June 1, 2005... This year's Casting of the Year reflects the forward thinking of a steel caster to see its challenges as opportunities and become a part of aerospace history in the process. As the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)...

Examining new PPE guidelines for ferrous melting.(Personal protective equipment )
June 1, 2005... The AFS Safety and Health Committee (10-0), Schaumburg, Illinois Every day, you, an iron casting facility employee, removes slag off the top of the melt in a furnace. You've worked in the melting operation for years (adding scrap, removing...

A.L. Johnson secures castings in plaster: by means of the rubber plaster molding process, A.L. Johnson Co. provides its customers with near-net-shape parts at accelerated speeds.(A.L. Johnson Co)
June 1, 2005... During the last year, an Oregon-based electronics manufacturer was looking to have an alternator enclosure produced as a diecasting. Its customer demanded to see a prototype of this enclosure, but a diecast prototype would take months to create...

Costing for castings.
June 1, 2005... Estimating the cost of an engineered cast metal component can seem like trying to solve an advanced algorithm. It's a complex process with a wide range of numbers to factor in with just as many variables to account for--and there are no...

1st quarters points to solid casting shipment growth: if forecasts hold, the next few years could bring a booming world market for castings.
June 1, 2005... A look at the first quarter results for 2005 reflects the forecast for solid growth in almost all metalcasting markets. Original forecasts for the next few years were based on a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increase of 4.3% in 2005, but...

"Procurement" fad must end.(metal casting industry)
June 1, 2005... Twenty years ago or so, a group of purchasing professionals at Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, Ill., pioneered a concept that became known as "partnering" as an antidote to the insanity that had ruled relationships between metalcasting firms and...

AFS chapter news.(American Foundrymen's Society)
June 1, 2005... TRI-STATE--In April, Robert Wolf, Canfield and Joseph Inc., and Trey Hayes, Acme Foundry Inc., preside over the chapter's Ladies' Night at Cherokee Casino in Tulsa.--by Thomas Hahn [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WESTERN MICHIGAN--In March,...

Chapter meetings.(Calendar)
June 1, 2005... CENTRAL MICHIGAN June 18--Turtle Creek Golf Course, Union City, Mich.; Golf Outing. CENTRAL NEW YORK Aug. 27--Greenview Golf Club, West Monroe, N.Y.; Golf Outing. CENTRAL OHIO June 17--Eaglesticks Golf Club, Zanesville, Ohio; Board of...

AB&I Foundry gains speed, accuracy with redesigned molding system.(Case History)
June 1, 2005... AB&I Foundry, Oakland, Calif., a metalcasting facility that produces cast iron soil pipes and fittings as well as jobbing work, was looking for a way to increase production and reduce manpower in order to stay competitive. The company turned to...

Traveling exhaust provides mobile solution to fume collection.(New Product)
June 1, 2005... It's no secret that exhaust fumes, smoke and odor are present in metalcasting facilities, and in recent years, strong efforts have been made to disperse and eliminate the fumes. In many metalcasting facilities, a contributor of exhaust is...

Non-crucible furnace.(METALCASTING SUPPLIES)
June 1, 2005... Thermtronix Corp., Adelanto, Calif., now manufactures its Non-Crucible furnace, which was designed for both continuous and batch melting aluminum operations as a durable, refractory-lined furnace that does not use crucibles. This feature on a...

Vacuum casting machine.(METALCASTING SUPPLIES)
June 1, 2005... MCP Tooling Technologies now offers the 5/05, a high-capacity vacuum casting machine that accelerates the production of wax patterns for investment casting. The machine is fitted with a heated cup module to melt and maintain the temperature of...

Microgage Bore Alignment Kit.(METALCASTING SUPPLIES)
June 1, 2005... Pinpoint Laser Systems is introducing a new precision Microgage Bore Alignment Kit for industrial applications. The product is suited for aligning extrusion presses, rams, precision screws, lathes and turning centers, propeller shafts and stem...

Remembering the fallen.(SHAKEOUT: In case you didn't know ...)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Metalcasting processes are based on taking old pieces of metal and forming them into new shapes. Typically, there is no link between the old and the new, but occasionally, metalcasters have the opportunity to create something of special...