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AFS News
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Many energy related presentations will be given at CastExpo to help you cut costs and reduce your facility's carbon footprint. Key presenations include: "How to Implement an Energy Conservation Program in Your Facility," James Schifo, Kermadia, Inc., "Energy Matters, The Effect of Energy Costs on Profitability," Robert Eppich, Eppich Technologies and "Energy Efficient Melting, Transportation and Holding in Aluminum Casting Operations," Mark Osborne, General Motors Powertrain, Edward Eckert, Mike Kinosz, Apogee Technology, Inc., Ray Petersen, Aleris International.
CastExpo'10 will be held March 20-23 at the Orange County Convention Center South Hall, Orlando, Fla. To register for the show, click here.
Join AFS today, register for CastExpo today ... and save! A special membership rate applies, for a very limited time. For more information, contact Leo Baran, AFS director of membership services, at
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The 22nd Annual Safety in the Foundry Seminar will be held April 6-8 at AFS Headuarters, Schaumburg, Ill. Topics at this year's event will include conducting an effectivce safety inspection, OSHA recordkeeping, lean manufacturing, noise and hearing conservation, machine guarding, gas fired equipment inspection & test procedures and combustable dust safety.
For more information, contact Jennifer Head, course coordinator, at
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or click here to download a conference agenda. To register, click here.
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With the future of the Western Canadian metalcasting industry in mind, the AFS British Columbia Chapter has developed a scholarship program to encourage and support students interested in following a career path to the industry. The focus of this scholarship is to encourage students to continue their goal of becoming metalcasting technicians and/or engineers.
The scholarship, valued at $500 is available to engineering and geosciences students. Scholarship selection will be based on academic standing, professional or community involvement, a written statement and the student's current resume.
For more information or to apply for this scholarship, contact Crystal Lambert, AFS British Columbia Chapter, at
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A highlight of CastExpo is the Hoyt Memorial Lecture, which will be presented this year on Tuesday, March 23, at 10:15 a.m. in the Metalcasting Technology Theater (located on the show floor).
The lecture, "How Can We Become a Practical Green Foundry Industry?" will be given by Gary Gigante, ThyssenKrupp Waupaca Inc. The presentation will focus on barriers that prevent the metalcasting industry from being green, along with new technologies that need to be developed for a greener industry.
CastExpo'10 will be held March 20-23 at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla. To look at the full conference program, click here. To register for the show, visit http://www.castexpo.com/.
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The metalcasting industry recognized twelve cast components as top designs for the 2010 American Foundry Society and Metal Casting Design and Purchasing Casting Competition. These components are being used in a variety of industries, including automotive, construction, medical and military.
Important Note: High-resolution digital photos of each casting are available at www.afsinc.org/2010castingcompetition.
Dotson Iron Castings, Mankato, Minn., earned top honors in the annual competition for its Alternator/Air Conditioning Bracket. The component supports and attaches the 12 lb. high output alternator and 14 lb. air conditioning compressor on the engine of John Deere skid loaders and replaces an 11 piece steel weldment. The cast version of the alternator bracket accommodates the various angles and surfaces necessary for accurate mounting surfaces and hold alignment.
Dotson’s component was made using ductile iron, weighs 10.7 lbs., measures 15 x 6 x 5 in. and was cast via horizontally-parted green sand molding. Converting the alternator and air conditioner bracket from a weldment to machined casting saved 48% of the cost of a welded assembly. Additional savings are realized with 10% reduced scrap rejections at the assembly line.
AFS also awarded five Best-in-Class honors and six Honorable Mentions. Following is a look at each of the award-winning components.
2010 Best In Class
Liftgate Inner, Meridian Magnesium Products of America, Eaton Rapids, Mich. The single piece magnesium casting achieved a more than 20% weight reduction over the traditional steel liftgate and integrated six parts into one panel, the largest of its type in the world.
Four Cylinder Intake Manifold, Eagle Aluminum Cast Products, Muskegon, Mich. The high performance automotive aftermarket manifold was less expensive to manufacture than the sheet metal alternative and provided a 5% engine performance boost.
Laparoscopic Surgery Instrument, Aristo-Cast Inc., Almont, Mich. The seven tiny parts have wall thicknesses as low as 0.035 in. and slots of 0.04 in. The “stationary jaw” part has a 0.04-in. diameter hole through two interior walls and could not be machined.
Fuel Filter Housing, BRP Powertrain GmbH & Co. KG, Spruce Pine, N.C. A complex coring design included seven independent passages that had to be tight to 2.5 cu. cm per minute at 6 bar units of pressure. The original design was simpler, but lost foam allowed the more complex coring.
Guide, Sioux City Foundry Co., Sioux City, Iowa. The cast part eliminated many of the finishing requirements of the weldment and is 600 lbs. lighter with no sacrifice in strength. The customer realized a $1,500 cost reduction.
2010 Honorable Mention
Lower Frame Casting, Pier Foundry & Pattern Shop Inc., St. Paul, Minn. The casting provided a 34% cost savings over the steel weldment by eliminating the need to laser cut and weld together the steel pieces. Lead times were reduced from two to three months to two to four weeks.
Ecotec 2.4-L Cylinder Block, Nemak Dillingen GmbH, Monterrey, Mexico. Nemak produced the part for General Motors, which received a part with strengthened main bearing bulkheads and cylinder bore walls, a refined oil distribution system and more than a dozen additional cast-in features from the original lost foam part.
Oil Tank, Denison Industries, Denison, Texas. The lubrication system component for large, off-road vehicles provided reductions in cost and lead time over the previously produced fabrication through a complex core assembly and tight process controls.
Transmission Input Housing, P&H Mining Equipment (OEM), Milwaukee, Wis. The housing combined the function of two fabrications; it provides a mounting fixture for an electric motor while also housing the transmission. The component accounted for an annual savings of $2.1 million and a 70% reduction in machining time.
Locking Hinge Assembly, Signicast Investment Castings, Hartford, Wis. The locking hinge fits on a wheelchair and is more durable than its aluminum counterparts. The metalcaster delivers the three-piece assembly black zinc plated and achieves mating between the parts as-cast, eliminating a broaching step employed by the aluminum predecessor.
Diesel Particulate Filter Bracket, Citation Columbiana, Columbiana, Ala. The component features all as-cast mounting surfaces and bolt holes and requires no machining. It has reduced, uniform wall thicknesses, combined with ribbing for strength and lighteners to help further reduce the final part weight.
This year’s Casting Competition was sponsored by MAGMA Foundry Technologies, Schaumburg, Ill. MAGMA will provide Dotson Iron Castings with a one-year license of MAGMASOFT software, including training and implementation assistance.
For more information on the competition, contact Dave Krugman, AFS, at
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or 847/824-0181 x286.
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