Scott Giese 
Sand Conference Chair, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA

Greg Colvin
Honeywell Aerospace, Phoenix, AZ

Basic Science of Clay

Michelle Ring
Ductile Iron Society, Carmel, IN

Causticized Lignite

Liam Miller
American Colloid Co., Hoffman Estates, IL

Water Surfactants
 
Matt Hall
REFCOTEC, Inc., Orrville, OH

Clay Activation Principles and the Effects of Advanced Oxidation 

David Paulsen
Furness-Newburge, Inc., Versailles, KY 

This panel answers “what is clay activation? And how do I improve it?”, focusing on key methods to improve sand properties and foundry efficiency. Topics include the fundamentals of bentonite clay structure, the role of water in activation, and the benefits of causticized lignite as a clay modifier and dispersant. The use of surfactants and advanced oxidation processes to improve clay activation and reintroduce recovered clay will also be discussed. The panel will highlight case studies and practical insights for optimizing sand systems while reducing costs and environmental impact.

Aaron Kaboff
HA Group, Westmont, IL

With Environmental initiatives increasing across the industry and within our government, it is important to consider new technologies to reduce our effect on the environment. An emerging technology that is showing benefits is Stack Molding. In testing, Stack Molding can decrease the amount of sand, resin, equipment footprint, and manpower needed to produce quality castings. With the added benefit of Silicate and Biodiesel technologies, foundries will be able to reduce not only their emissions, but also the cost to produce quality castings. This presentation reviews the advantages of Stack Molding as well as environmentally friendly resin technologies that optimize the benefits and makes it a premier approach to high production casting environments.

Jennifer Bentz
SRC Pipeflow Technology Center, Saskatchewan, Canada

Clay minerals are an important material input into the production process for many industries, including foundries, and can affect the process even in small quantities, even at 1%. It is therefore important for these industries to measure clays accurately and reliably in a timely fashion. The current method for measuring clays is a manual laboratory method (the Methylene Blue Index), that is time-consuming, potentially unreliable, and subjective based on the visual determination of a titration endpoint by a technologist. SRC’s Pipeflow Technology Centre™ has developed an automated digital clay analyzer that increases the reliability and speed of the active clay measurement that also has online clay analysis capability.

Jay Morrison, Carpenter Brothers, Inc., Mequon, WI

Effective dust collection is a critical component of modern foundry sand systems. This presentation explores how    dust collection systems affect operational efficiency, environmental compliance, and worker safety in the foundry.       By capturing fine particulate matter, these systems prevent contamination of the sand, improve casting quality, and reduce wear on machinery. Additionally, proper dust control and monitoring contributes to regulatory adherence and creates a safer, healthier workplace. Key topics will include the mechanics of dust collection, integration within sand reclamation processes, and strategies for optimizing system performance to meet     production and environmental goals.

Kirk Keithly
ExOne, Lapeer, MI

Moderator:
 
Michelle Ring
Ductile Iron Society, Carmel, IN 

Panelists: 
Missy Gruwell
Simpson Technologies Corp., Naperville, IL

Sara Timm
Waupaca Foundry Inc., Waupaca WI

Monica Fisher
HA Group, Westmont, IL

Marketing isn’t just for sales. This panel will share practical ways technical experts can support company goals through communication, branding, and outreach.

A look at personal branding for technical employees—how simple, everyday actions can help you represent both yourself and your company more effectively. Then, a case study of a recent product launch will be presented from a marketing point of view. From initial trials through foundry production, the result wasn’t just strong sales, it was lasting customer support driven by performance and trust. Finally, we’ll discuss the role of technical education as marketing. Creating useful content—whether it's technical papers, how-to guides, or videos—can help customers understand your products and expand their foundry knowledge base. This panel offers straightforward, real-world examples of how marketing and technical can work to support each other.

Tom Prucha
IJMC Editor, Metal Morphasis LLC, Rochester Hills, MI

Sand casting continues to offer the most economical approach to produce complex shaped metal components in the widest variety of cast materials. The IJMC, along with the AFS Transactions, is the best repository for papers on the global advances in research and technology helping to present that information and enhance our knowledge and understanding of sandology. Over the past few years numerous papers of various topics that include chemical binder system and bond development, additives, sustainable materials and  beneficial reuse, alternative sands and aggregates, new mold and core making processes, process simulation and modeling, sand testing and evaluation techniques, sensor development,  Additive Manufacturing -3D Sand Printing, data collection and Industry 4.0, and other optimization research are some of the areas concerning molding methods and materials that have been published in the International Journal of Metalcasting (IJMC). This talk will review some key findings from these papers and potential areas for further investigation to help to continue to advance sand technology for metal castings.

Drinks & Appetizers

 
Joe Muniza
ASK Chemicals, Dublin, OH 

Aaron Kaboff
HA Group, Westmont, IL 

Colin DeWood
REFCOTEC, Mason, IL 

The shakeout process in foundries is a critical stage where molds are broken apart to retrieve castings, but it is also a significant source of odor and smoke emissions. Regulation of these emissions, primarily caused by the thermal decomposition of organic binders during casting, continue to come under higher scrutiny  This presentation explores innovative binder technologies aimed at mitigating odor and smoke generation during core / mold making, core storage and during the shakeout process. By examining advancements in low-emission binder formulations, the presentaiton will demonstrate the effectiveness in reducing volatile organic compounds (VOCs), smoke and odorous compounds.  The presentation will also highlight the integration of these technologies with process optimizations to achieve sustainable casting operations. Results from pilot trials and industrial applications demonstrate that these binder solutions not only reduce environmental impacts but also improve air quality and regulatory compliance within foundry operations. This research underscores the potential of binder innovations to align foundry processes with evolving environmental standards while maintaining casting quality and efficiency.

Brian Rachwitz, EJ, East Jordan, MI

Monitoring sand system properties is important for maintaining the long-term stability of green sand casting processes. At times changes made to the sand system may seem minor but can result in significant changes within the system affecting casting quality and cost.    A process monitoring testing program and data analysis of usage/generation of materials can help ensure that issues are detected quickly, and actions can be implemented to maintain stability.

Lauren Innis
The Lawton Standard Co., De Pere, WI

Virtual or Pre-recorded Presentation w/ live Q&A

Properly set sand testing frequency and can improve process control—but when testing frequency doesn’t match operations, it can mask variation or even create it. This presentation draws on examples from foundries, showing how overly frequent Methylene Blue testing led to unnecessary adjustments and increased variation, while other fixed-schedule testing can miss process shifts. Finding the right test frequency can result in meaningful data and stable operations.

Dorothy Havlin
The Nugent Sand Co. Inc., Norton Shores, MU

Sand segregation poses significant challenges to mold and core-making processes which can adversely affect casting quality. How and why does segregation occur and what consequences can result from variability and in sand distribution.  

Kiel Krause
American Colloid Co., Hoffman Estates, IL

Michelle Ring
Ductile Iron Society, Carmel, IN

Travis Frush
American Foundry Society, Schaumburg, IL

Caitlyn Dickson, EJ, Elmira, MI

Equalizing the distribution of mullers, marine grade plywood, and other options to consider.
 

TBA

Annie Nelson
Waupaca Foundry, Inc., Waupaca, WI

•  Mechanical Reclamation
  • Cory Ashburn, Simpson Technologies Corp., Aurora, IL
• Thermal Reclamation
  • Zach Meadows, EC&S, Birmingham, AL
• Mechanical Separation & Clay Reintroduction
  • Mark Pine, Sinto America, Grand Ledge, MI

Kylee Rothenburger
MPS Mankato LLC, Mankato, MN