Engineering & Smart Manufacturing Division

To enhance and accelerate the adoption of engineering solutions and smart manufacturing technologies including Industry 4.0 to lead in the global metalcasting industry with continuous improvements in quality, optimized production efficiency, and streamlined industrial supply chain.

The AFS Engineering and Smart Manufacturing Division advances those goals through panels, papers, plant tours, plant reviews, technology demonstrations, research, benchmarking, knowledge transfer and professional networking. Areas of focus include simulation driven design & engineering; planning systems; best practice data standardization; automation and robotics; sensors & data capture, exchange, and security; Artificial intelligence, energy efficiency; and other plant-engineering topics that arise. Committees or task groups will be launched to address areas of concentrated focus.

Industry 4.0 Committee

The Industry 4.0 Committee investigates and provides insight and pathways to collect and use data from sensors and systems to analyze, visualize, and learn from the data to drive organizational improvement, cultural evolution, and knowledge generation, making foundries more competitive and sustainable. Activities include developing recommended standards and best practices for the metalcasting community.


Working Group

  • Standards & Common Languages

Division Award

AFS Plant Engineering Award

The Plant Engineering Award recognizes a company/division/corporation for its plant engineering achievements in the planning, installation, operation, and maintenance of foundry equipment and processes. The award's emphasis is on the application and implementation of new and innovative equipment associated with existing and new cast metal technology.

The award is intended to encourage the advance of technical expertise and professionalism of Foundry Engineering in the application, operation and maintenance of foundry equipment, including the associated management control and information systems.

Deadline: Dec. 1

Download Application & Criteria  

Past Winners:

2013: Bay Cast
2014: Metal Tech Inc.
2015: Aarrowcast Inc.
2017: Waupaca Foundry Plant 1, 2-3
2018: GM GPS Saginaw
2019: Emerson/Appleton Group
2020: Donsco & Dotson Iron Castings
2021: N/A
2022: Kimura Foundry


Contact:
Greg Kramer, Technical Director
gkramer@afsinc.org
847-824-0181 ext. 224