American Foundry Society, Inc. - American Foundry Society Is...

Gene Muratore, Fred Linebarger to Lead Ductile Iron Conference in September09/02/2010
The Best Practices in Ductile Iron Conference will be held Sept. 28-29 at AFS Headquarters, Schaumburg, Ill. This conference will review the basics of ductile ...
AFS Webinar: After the OSHA Citation Arrives...Now What?08/30/2010
AFS will be producing a 30 minute webinar "After the OSHA Citiation Arrives...Now What?" The presenter will be Darren Hunter, Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP, Chicago, ...
Dan Oman to Receive Keating Award at AFS Foundry Executive Conference08/26/2010
The American Foundry Society (AFS) will present Dan Oman, vice president, RMT Inc., Ann Arbor Mich., the James P. Keating Founders’ Freedom Award at the ...
Reduce Energy Costs With AFS Program08/24/2010
You need help managing the costs that impact your bottom line. For metalcasters, one of the greatest costs is energy. AFS, in association with TDI ...
2010 AFS Chapter Officer's Conference: New Decade, New Thinking08/16/2010
Thirty chapters, including the most recent addition–North Mexico–were in attendance at the 2010 AFS Chapter Officer’s Conference (COC), held Aug. 12-13, at the ...

Major OSHA Reform on the Horizon
Legislation representing the most sweeping changes to the Occupational Safety and Health Act since the 1970s is advancing through Congress. The bill, the Robert C. Byrd Miner Safety and Health Act of 2010, would significantly increase employer civil and criminal penalties for repeat and/or willful violations of the original act, strengthen whistleblower protections for employees, require the abatement of hazards during the citation contest period, and provide greater rights for victims of accidents and their family members to participate in violation proceedings.
"Plan B" Issued for Climate Change
The Presidential Climate Action Project (PCAP), a committee of environmental advocates founded in 2007, recently issued a report with policy recommendations for the Obama Administration that can be implemented in the absence of climate change legislation.
Debate Heats Up Chemicals Law Reform
Legislation is pending in both chambers of the U.S. Congress to overhaul the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which has not been updated since its enactment in 1976. According to environmental and health advocate groups, TSCA is inadequate at protecting both people and the environment from toxic chemicals since the thousands of new chemicals that have been created since its passage are excluded from its mandates.

American Foundry Society Is...

Under direction of the AFS Division Council, 88 Technical Committees, comprised of more than 800 volunteer AFS members, are leading the way in technology development and transfer.
The AFS Technical Division coordinates the technical program for the annual Metalcasting Congress.
AFS Research recommends and develops several research projects each year.
The full-time staff of the AFS Technical Department regularly respond to "hotline" requests for technical and operational assistance.
The AFS Library is the most complete library of metalcasting technology available in the English language. Information is available through technical literature searches, information retrieval, videotapes and compiled literature series.

The Cast Metals Institute, the educational arm of AFS, provides more than 80 courses throughout the year, covering nearly every aspect of the metalcasting process and industry.
AFS Special Publications offers metalcasters, design engineers and casting buyers a wealth of information through the publication of books and special reports.
The annual Metalcasting Congress provides metalcasters with the latest innovations in technology and services available to the industry.
CastExpo, held every third year in conjunction with the Metalcasting Congress, provides access to the latest in metalcasting equipment, processes, supplies and services.
Technical, management and government advocacy conferences are held each year to keep metalcasters informed of the latest developments in management training, legislative issues and technological innovations.

The AFS Washington Office monitors the activities of congressional committees, subcommittees and governmental agencies. AFS, with its chapters and state metalcasting associations, works to provide proactive representation on industry issues. AFS also works with government agencies to set reasonable environmental standards, determine acceptable ways of disposing or reusing waste metalcasting material and impact proposed legislation.
The annual Government Affairs Conference offers metalcasters a unique opportunity to be proactive in their government by scheduling face time with their state leaders.
The annual Environmental, Health & Safety Conference offers metalcasters the opportunity to learn about the latest legislative and regulatory standards.

Human Resources: AFS provides assistance and information in the areas of personnel, employee relations and management. The annual Labor Relations & Human Resources Conference offers HR professionals the latest information and best management practices for dealing with employee issues.
Marketing: The biennial Marketing & Selling of Castings Conference offers marketing professionals a unique opportunity to learn more about market trends, forecasts and shifts in the domestic and global metalcasting market.
AFS regularly publishes several management surveys and reports each year to provide metalcasters with the latest information on operational costs, wages, benefits and market forecasts.

The Marketing Division regularly attends trade shows to promote the use of castings in engineering designs.

AFS offers assistance to casting buyers and design engineers through publications, courses and special conferences to educate the end users on the benefits of castings as well as provide design tips and assistance.