2021 MCC Schedule at a Glance

ALUMINUM & LIGHT METALS DIVISION

Franco Chiesa, Jean-Nicolas Rousseau, David Levasseur, Quebec Metallurgy Center, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada

Aluminum A356 stepped castings, with plates 6mm, 19mm and 38mm in thickness, were sand cast from melts with three gas contents, providing a wide range of casting conditions and solidification times varying from 0.6 min to 15 min. The plates were radiographed and the local microporosity distribution measured so the level of microporosity could be related to the radiographic quality expressed by a frame number per standard ASTM E155 reference radiographs. This made predicting the radiographic quality of a casting by solidification modeling possible.

CAST IRON DIVISION

Scott Giese, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA; Jerrod Miller, Wear-Tek, Spokane, WA; Chris Barnes, Caterpillar Inc., Deerfield, IL

Iron casting experiments were performed to observe the effect of a high- and low-thermal diffusivity ceramic sand on graphite morphology and ferrite/pearlite ratio. When compared to baseline silica sand, observable differences in mechanical properties were noted as a result of the thermal behavior of the ceramic sands. Panelists from both academia and industry will speak to the challenges and considerations when operating a foundry using non-silica sands.

INNOVATION THEATER SPONSOR PRESENTATION

ALUMINUM & LIGHT METALS DIVISION

Kumar Sadayappan, CanmetMaterials, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Amanada Aguiar, Sumanth Shankar, Light Metal Casting Research Centre, Mechanical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

Hot Tearing Susceptibility of aluminum alloys was investigated using a constrained rod hot tearing test apparatus to simulate and characterize hot tearing. The test apparatus and procedure were validated using Al-Si-Mg and Al-Cu families of alloys. Subsequently, the test was used to characterize new structural Al-Zn alloys being developed for high-pressure die casting application. It was found that introducing small amounts of Fe that promotes evolution of eutectic phases can alleviate the hot tearing problem. In this presentation, the details of the investigation are presented and discussed.

HOYT LECTURE

Greg Miskinis
Retired, Waupaca Foundry

The foundry industry has been in a state of transformation for over 2,600 years. From shapes carved into stone, to topologically optimized and additive manufacturing-facilitated creations, the evolution of metalcasting is easily witnessed. Whether this change has come about by man, method, material or market is debatable. With the gradual shift from personal vehicles with internal combustion engines to semi- or fully autonomous electric vehicles, competing in these shrinking markets will likely require agile and novel foundry solutions. This Hoyt Lecture will examine how foundries have been transformed primarily by shifts in the workforce, market pressures brought by global flattening (competition), environmental, health and safety changes, and even by disaster.

SPONSORED BY:

CASTING DESIGNERS AND BUYERS

Andrew Halonen, Mayflower Consulting LLC, Calumet, MI

Opportunities for lightweighting with metal castings abound through material choice and smart designs. Examples in iron and aluminum will be shared, along with current trends and future opportunities for reducing weight in cast components.

COPPER DIVISION

Justine Parker, Cardno Chemrisk, Boulder, CO

The continued appearance of lead in drinking water is likely due to a variety of conditions besides the 0.25% in the newer brass fittings. This talk will look at the range of possible lead sources that could be significant contributors to lead in drinking water and how this compares to brass fitting data. We will also take a broader view and discuss what the current science is saying regarding the sources of lead contributions to elevated blood lead levels in children.

WOMEN IN METALCASTING

Sandy Calabrese, General Motors, Defiance, OH

The social movements that defined 2020 are causing companies to identify and address barriers to creating and sustaining a more diverse and inclusive workforce. What steps can individuals take to nurture diversity, equality, and inclusion? Join us for a presentation on how we can champion ourselves and others toward achieving professional milestones and progressing equal-access opportunities.

View the best in foundry achievements in the Casting of the Year gallery. Presented by AFS and Casting Source magazine, this annual competition recognizes manufacturing excellence by North American metalcasters and designers/users of metal castings.

SPONSORED BY:

Gain in-depth insight into a selection of curated products and services for foundry customers in the Product Showcase, accessible 24/7 from the virtual lobby.

ALUMINUM & LIGHT METALS DIVISION

Rafael Gallo, Spencer Bishop, Pyrotek Inc., Aurora, OH

The intention of this paper is not to delve in all the engineering and metallurgical intricacies of the low pressure casting process but rather to concentrate in one specific area, which is sometimes neglected: the filter being used in the sprue bushing during the filling of the mold cavity. While the final quality of the casting is strongly affected, among many other variables, by the mold filling process, the efficiency and throughput of the process is negatively influenced by operational issues encountered around mold filling factors induced by using steel filters, such as erosion of the sprue bushing and the spreader, need of special handling of sprue returns, more frequent mold changes, lack of casting process consistency, etc. A filter technology is introduced to assist in eliminating and/or reducing the mentioned issues. Detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis of the benefits are provided.

CAST IRON DIVISION

Gorka Alonso, Jon Sánchez, Gorka Zarrabeitia, Ramon Suarez, IK4-Azterlan, Durango, Spain; Dr. Doru Stefanescu, The Ohio State University and University of Alabama, Dublin, OH

High-silicon spheroidal graphite (SG) irons present significant challenges to the production of sound castings as it is particularly susceptible to significant shrinkage defects. The critical phase is the end of solidification when, as the amount of eutectic graphite generated decreases, graphite expansion may become insufficient to compensate the solidification shrinkage, increasing the risk of microshrinkage (microporosity) formation. The goal of this industrial research was to assess the efficiency of eight commercial inoculants in minimizing porosity occurrence in a 3.45%C, 3.75%Si SG iron. Metallographic analysis was conducted on the TA cups to evaluate the nodule count and size distribution. SEM analysis was used to study the type of nuclei, and tomography to quantify the amount of porosity in each TA cup. An attempt was made to correlate the graphite formation rate during eutectic solidification with the porosity level. Inoculants rich in Zr seemed to produce the best results.

INNOVATION THEATER SPONSOR PRESENTATION

When being there soon is not soon enough.

ALUMINUM & LIGHT METALS DIVISION

Emre Cinkilic, Michael Moodispaw, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH; Yeou-Li Chu, Ryobi Die Casting, Shelbyville, IN; Xinyan Yan, Alcoa Technical Center, New Kensington, PA; Francis Caron, Alcoa Technical Center, Deschambault, QC, Canada

Molten aluminum processing is crucial to energy and melt efficiency and product quality (chemistry and cleanliness) in the casting industry. Many materials are involved in aluminum melt processing, including refractory and flux materials. The fundamental thermodynamic reactions among these materials in melt processing determine the energy efficiency and throughput (melt recovery) of the melting and casting operations. Currently, most of the process control and optimization in molten aluminum processing is conducted using traditional trial-and-error and design of experiment methods, with limited use of analytical tools available to the industry. This session presents fundamental thermodynamic modeling for aluminum melt processing involving refractory materials. Various ingredients of refractory materials were evaluated for higher melt recovery rates, and the modeling results were validated in lab-scale experiments.

CAST IRON DIVISION

Cathrine Hartung, Elkem Foundry Products, Kristiansand, Norway; Robert Logan, Elkem, Mooresville, NC; Leander Michels, Elkem Silicon Products, Kristiansand, Norway

Historically, inoculation has been around since the 1930s. Over the years, many different theories have evolved to explain how inoculation works. At the same time, many different inoculation compositions have been developed for use in foundry operations. In today’s foundry, the inoculation process utilizes a typical addition of between 0.05 to 1% of a specialized FeSi alloy containing controlled amounts of one or more elements, including Al, Ca, Ba, Sr, Ce, La, Mn, Bi, S, O, and Zr. The inoculant provides nucleation sites that promote graphite precipitation and growth, together with iron solidification based on a stable Fe-C system. In this session, the history and evolution of inoculation will be presented, along with a description of the common understanding of what an inoculant is, how the effect and performance of an inoculant can be measured, and what factors can affect inoculation performance.

METALCASTING RESEARCH

Jiten Shah, PDA LLC, Naperville, IL

Shah will give an update on a newly upgraded, user-friendly, web-based Casting Alloy Data Search (CADS V 3.0) tool for casting design engineers with over 350 engineering properties data sets of commonly used ferrous and nonferrous alloys with pedigree information, such as the molding process, section thickness and composition. Also, another ongoing research project focused on data mining historical production data and applying modern tools, such as physics-based virtual simulation, ICME, machine learning and artificial intelligence, to develop meta models for better casting designs and an intelligent manufacturing system, will be presented. This Industry 4.0 big data project demonstrates how to optimize design and solve quality issues and is capable of real time process control with further integration. Both research projects are funded by AMC/DLA, managed by AFS and led by PDA LLC.

CASTING DESIGNERS AND BUYERS

Andy Mastalir, The C.A. Lawton Co., De Pere, WI

Small but important changes to a component’s design can lead to significant cost, weight, and time savings. Early design discussions with a qualified casting source will pay dividends.

COPPER DIVISION

Andy Shea, A.Y. McDonald Manufacturing Co., Dubuque, IA

Brass foundries have seen an increase in leaker scrap when pressure testing brass castings since the switch to no-lead materials. This investigation examines the impact of turbulent gating on pressure tightness and mechanical properties for the C89833 material.

FUTURE LEADERS OF METALCASTING

Your 1st Year in Metalcasting
JB Brown, CEO, BCI Solutions, Inc.

3 Cs- Culture, Connection and Consistency (2021-136A)
Dana Cooper-Hayes, Cooper Hayes LLC, Stevensville, MI

How to Influence Without Authority (2021-136B)
Denny Dotson, Dotson Iron Castings, Madison Lakes, MN

The Importance of Data Driven Goals (2021-136C)
Henry Lodge, Lodge Mfg. Co., South Pittsburg, TN

Leadership Self-Awareness (2021-136D)
John Wiesbrock, Waupaca Foundry, Waupaca, WI

AFS Future Leaders of Metalcasting presents an interactive session of metalcasting leaders sharing their stories with attendees through panel discussions. Bring your questions and share your stories in these worthwhile mentoring discussions.

SPONSORED BY:

ALUMINUM & LIGHT METALS DIVISION

Robert Mackay, Glenn Byczynski, Nemak US/CAN Business Unit, Windsor, ON, Canada; Abdallah Elsayed, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada

The latest generation of high-performance cylinder blocks are produced with the precision sand casting process (PSCP). To achieve the required properties, integrated chills are incorporated and can result in large variations in secondary dendrite arm spacing (l2) throughout the casting, providing unique challenges to optimizing the heat treatment (T7 temper) and complying with existing automotive requirements. This work proposes a new way to fully assess the appropriate heat treat development for PSCP engine blocks. The results indicated artificial age temperature differences of as little as 4C (within CQI-9 for furnace temperature specification of ±5C) can produce significantly different casting properties. Mechanical properties, the Quality Index, and cryogenic stress testing were all measured to determine casting suitability for service. The work finally outlines a more effective protocol for the selection of artificial age temperature which produces an optimized and functional engine block casting.

CAST IRON DIVISION

Patricio Gil, MAPPSA, Ramos Arizpe, Mexico

Understand the current world market trends in terms of manufacturing technology and how those changes are affecting the iron foundry industry and questioning the traditional business models. Gil will review the main variables that influence the iron foundry’s performance from a management perspective and discuss how those variables are linked to our technical infrastructure and our market decisions.

INNOVATION THEATER SPONSOR PRESENTATION

Starting your digital journey doesn’t have to be complicated. You can start small with Industry 4.0 tools to centralize all your foundry data, and then apply AI to consistently cut scrap. We will show you how a green sand foundry cut scrap by 40% using AI-driven recommendations to identify process optimization across the entire casting process.

ALUMINUM & LIGHT METALS DIVISION

Dr. Yasser Zedan; Marawn Hamid, British University in Egypt, Cairo, Egypt; Yasser Zedan, ETS-Montreal, Canada, Montreal, QC, Canada; Herbert Doty, General Motors, Pontiac, MI; Salvador Valtierra Gallardo, Nemak, S.A., Garza Garcia, N.L., Mexico

The present study was carried out to study the machinability, i.e., milling characteristics, of an Al-6%Cu-0.7%Si alloy (in the as-cast, T5 and T7 aging conditions) and compare these characteristics to those of well-defined B319.0 (as-cast, T7-treated) and A356.0 (as-cast, T6-treated) alloys. Wet milling was carried out on 15 blocks prepared from each alloy using new carbide inserts for about 120m machining distance. Thirty-five blocks (12 in x 7 in x 1.5 in) were employed. The experiment comprised the CNC machine, the blocks to be machined, a table dynamometer with piezoelectric sensors that are responsible for detecting and measuring the cutting forces, a signal amplifier and an A/D converting unit. New and dull cutting inserts were used for each alloy group. Thirteen layers of material were removed from each block, where each layer consisted of 10 paths, and the depth of cut was 1.35 mm.

CAST IRON DIVISION

Laura Bartlett, Simon Lekakh, Suyash Pawaskar, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO

Increasing usage of boron in automotive steels progressively contaminates cast iron charge mixtures. Many controversial opinions are held about boron’s effect on the structure and properties of cast iron with no agreement about acceptable critical concentrations of this element in cast iron. Therefore, an experimental study was performed to uncover the effects of boron in Class-30 gray iron. Ferro-boron additions were used to increase boron up to 130 ppm in several laboratory heats. Thermal analysis was utilized to determine the effect of boron on phase transformations during solidification and the eutectoid transformation. Mechanical property tests and microstructural analysis were conducted to determine the effect of boron at different carbon equivalents. The results showed that the effect of boron in cast iron was significantly affected by carbon equivalent. Preliminary discussion about the mechanisms of boron effects on phase transformations and properties of gray cast iron will be presented.

CAST IRON DIVISION

James Cree, Mike Robles, Jr., Adam Hoover, Grede - New Castle, New Castle, IN

Ductile iron nodularity is of critical importance to its quality, but nodularity determination by metallographic analysis can be problematic. The widespread practice of estimating nodularity via comparator chart is highly subjective and prone to unacceptably high variation. An improvement over visual metallographic estimates is digital image analysis (IA) by which subjectivity can be greatly reduced, but the more reliable results obtained from IA are time consuming and difficult to implement in a production environment. For this session, the use of ultrasonic velocity testing via a standard coupon was evaluated as a possibly more reliable technique for determining front-end (real time) nodularity. Major results will be presented, along with details necessary for implementation of front-end ultrasonic nodularity determination using standard coupons (FEUNDUSC) as standard practice.

CASTING DESIGNERS AND BUYERS

Curtis Taylor, BRP, Spruce Pine, NC

Hear the story of how the two-stroke 300HP V-6 marine engine block called the G2 Snipe came to be cast in aluminum via the lost foam method. The one-piece design eliminated the need for multiple castings, weldments, and their assembly. Casting such a complicated part may seem like more trouble than it’s worth, but the cost savings from eliminating individual parts were considerable.

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DIVISION

Eric Meyers, Oil City Iron Works Inc., Corsicana, TX; Stephanie Salmon, AFS Washington Office, Washington, D.C.

AFS is focused on ensuring that policies crucial to the metalcasting industry remain front and center of the new 117th Congress and Biden Administration. Hear critical updates on the most recent advocacy efforts related to AFS priority issues in Washington, D.C., on pandemic relief, infrastructure, trade and safety.

STEEL DIVISION

Roy Stevenson, Daniel Coyle, Gerald Richard, MAGMA Foundry Technologies, Schaumburg, IL

Steel foundries seeking to survive and thrive in difficult economic environments must consider both internal and external opportunities and threats when planning for the short- and long-terms. While external threats, such as sharp decreases in steel casting demand, are outside of the control of steel foundry management, opportunities are present within all steel foundries to reduce costs, improve on-time delivery performance and shorten lead times. This session will investigate the impact inconsistent as-cast quality has on scrap and rework costs and how inconsistent as-cast quality makes it difficult for steel foundries to remain responsive while trying to win new work and/or meet customer delivery requirements. A model will be used to estimate the cost of scrap, rework and yield for different size steel foundries and case studies will help to highlight the potential that exists for each of these categories.

INNOVATION THEATER SPONSOR PRESENTATION

Having been at the forefront of the thermal processing industry for close to 70 years—Inductotherm knows how to take foundry automation to the next level. By providing melt shops with efficient, customized equipment for their induction melting, heating, holding and pouring requirements while employing the latest “end-to-end” automated technology like IoT and robotics for virtually any metal or material, we are able to provide foundries with advanced solutions. Please watch our presentation to learn how technology is shaping the future of the melt shop and what it can do for you.

STEEL DIVISION

Kaustubh Rane, Michael Beining, Swaroop Behera, Amir Kordijazi, Ajay Kumar, Radeep Rohatgi, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI

A cost-effective procedure to surface alloy WCB steel butterfly valve sand castings using mold coatings incorporating metal and ferroalloy powders was studied in this research.

STEEL DIVISION

Robert Tuttle, Saginaw Valley State University, University Center, MI

The work presented in this session uses two different TiC master alloys in casting experiments. The goal was to determine whether these master alloys could produce grain refinement. Metallography, mechanical testing, and thermal analysis were employed to understand the role of these master alloys on the microstructure of 1030. The mechanical properties of the treated steels were lower than the baseline, yet the macrostructure was finer in the treated steels. Thermal analysis found no change in solidification reactions. It appears that TiC is likely formed at the end of solidification and acts as a grain growth restrictors while the casting cools.

STEEL DIVISION

Hathibelagal Roshan, Maynard Steel Casting Co., Milwaukee, WI

Development of lightweight steel for use in armored vehicles has been the subject matter of research by several institutions for many years. Maynard Steel Casting Company in Milwaukee has invented lightweight steel weighing up to 70% less than solid steel on an industrial scale using a sand casting process. Two U.S. patents have been granted for this invention. In order for a material to be used to make components in armored vehicles, it needs to have ballistic- and blast-resistant properties listed in military specifications. The designers of components in military vehicles expect optimization of the behavior of the component based on computer simulations using appropriate failure models. There is a paradigm shift from design-make-shoot and evaluate concept to model-simulate-optimize-make-shoot and evaluate. Various requirements of components used in armored vehicles and the research efforts to meet these requirements will be presented and discussed.

STEEL DIVISION

Laura Bartlett, Koushik Karthikeyan Balasubramanian, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO; Zach Henderson, Doug Imrie, Southern Cast Products, Jonesboro, AR; Mingzhi Xu, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA

Gating system design plays an important role in determining the quality and mechanical properties of castings. Recently developed naturally pressurized gating systems have been proclaimed by some to completely eliminate defects in steel castings; however, this has not been quantitatively studied. In the current study, the efficiency of different gating systems on reduction of inclusions and the corresponding mechanical properties was studied in quenched and tempered SAE 8630 steel castings using a combination of computational modeling coupled with experimental evaluation of industrially produced test castings. A novel mold design allowed for the simultaneous comparison of four different best practices and gating systems. Inclusion analysis revealed presence of mainly Al2O3, complex Al2O3-MnS inclusions, and eutectic type II MnS. The naturally pressurized system provided the cleanest castings with the highest notch toughness. Eutectic type II MnS that formed during solidification negatively affected toughness and this obscured the effect of pre-existing alumina inclusions.

ALUMINUM & LIGHT METALS DIVISION

Swaroop Behera, Amir Kordijazi, Arthur Jamet, Pradeep Rohatgi, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI; Ana Fernández-Calvo, AZTERLAN, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Durango, Spain

An Artificial Neural Network was developed to investigate the effect of section size and type of AlSi10MnMg alloys (primary or secondary) on water wettability of the cast samples. Additionally, corrosion resistance was studied using a linear polarization experiment. The developed model was able to predict CA values with the Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.96. The section size of the casting did not appear to have a measurable effect on the contact angle. However, the secondary alloy exhibited significantly higher contact angles than the primary alloy; as demonstrated by confocal microscopy images, the secondary alloy exhibited higher surface roughness than the primary alloy when polished under identical conditions, presumably due to more intermetallic compounds. The primary alloy possesses more corrosion resistance than the secondary alloy, possibly due to the larger fraction of intermetallic compounds in the microstructure of the secondary alloy serving as galvanic sites in the corrosion reaction.

CASTING DESIGNERS AND BUYERS

Dave Rittmeyer, Hoosier Pattern Inc., Decatur, IN

Advancements in additive sand technology have fostered its emergence from a prototype-only process to a process viable for production casting applications. This presentation will provide a view of how the use of additive sand for production castings will grow in the coming years.

ALUMINUM & LIGHT METALS DIVISION

Michael Moodispaw, Emre Cinkilic, Alan Luo, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

The total melt loss generated during melt processing can be greatly reduced by efficient use of flux, particularly for melting aluminum scrap or secondary alloys. Effective use of cover fluxes can significantly reduce dross generation and the amount of metallic aluminum trapped within the dross, while drossing fluxes can return up to 50% of the trapped aluminum. To evaluate flux ingredients used in the casting industry, computational thermodynamic software was used to calculate the driving force for reactions between 15 flux ingredients and 15 common alloying and impurity elements in foundry alloys. The thermodynamic calculations, combined with other properties, were used to provide a desirable list of cover and drossing ingredients, which are being experimentally validated.

MARKETING DIVISION

Rich Austin, Corporate Strategies, A Sandler Training Center, Naperville, IL

Selling in the COVID era has not changed what we sell; it has changed how we sell it. Twenty-five years ago, salespeople thrived by developing expertise in their products and services and furthermore, the features and benefits associated with both. Today, prospective clients are savvy, sophisticated, and well-educated. They are no longer looking for features and benefits; they crave value-added, customized, efficient interactions that are personally impactful. With furloughs, budget freezes, and work-from-home policies, getting prospective decision-makers to engage is indefinitely harder and every opportunity needs to be re-qualified in each step of the sales process. It is no wonder that salespeople are reluctant to hunt for new business and fear their approach is intrusive or inappropriate in the current environment.

Re-envisioning the psychology that drives salesperson and prospect behavior today provides striking data toward process change for the success of both parties. This session will peer behind the curtain of the adaptation of modern sales and give attendees a glance at not only what overperforming salespeople are doing right now, but the technology they are leveraging to change the game.

Attendees will learn:
• The top five psychological anchors that hamper salespeople.

• How to engage in ethical prospecting practices.

• Habits of consistently overperforming salespeople.

• How to leverage a predictable process for sales efficiency during unpredictable times.

ENGINEERING DIVISION

Gaetano Coraggio, Magaldi Technologies LLC, Atlanta, GA

Over the years, the casting procedures for steel and aluminum alloy products have developed distinctive features in terms of casting practices, machinery, process, and quality control methodologies. This session will discuss the casting cooling curves that affect the material properties and how it is possible to cool down the castings per client requests through accurate cooling system design. The combined use of analytical methods (i.e., CFD analysis), experimental tests, an in-house built test rig, and on-field measurements allow setting the correct parameters to obtain an effective cooling process.

MOLDING METHODS & MATERIALS DIVISION

Hannah Ullberg, Kaustubh Rane, Amir Kordijazi, Pradeep Rohatgi, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI

In this work, a critical review of the casting of metal foams for biomedical applications is presented, outlining the opportunities for markets for castings. Additionally, this work presents a novel, low-cost pressure infiltration casting technique which enables the synthesis of magnesium foams for use as bone scaffolds. Foam and mold shapes were designed to take into account the requirements of bone cell regrowth. These designs were 3D printed using polylactic acid (PLA), then placed in plaster to form the molds. The plaster molds were sintered, then pressure infiltrated with a magnesium alloy, AZ91E, to form foams. Simulations were performed for compression response of foams for varying beam and pore sizes and shapes. A simulated foam compressed 0.23mm under loading that cortical bone can withstand, 150MPa. The experimental and simulated results show that a low-cost magnesium foam can be cast with a controlled porosity and strength similar to bone.

MOLDING METHODS & MATERIALS DIVISION

Sritama Kar, ASK Chemicals LP, Dublin, OH

In order to investigate the root cause of shrink defects in aluminum alloy A319, the solidification rate of this alloy in the sand molds prepared by a Cold Box system, has been studied. A statistical analysis is done on the time-temperature data collected during the solidification process in the range of 650C to 583C right before the liquid metal loses its ability to flow as it reaches the critical fraction of solid. This analysis predicts the factors that would affect the rate of solidification of the castings by a certain percentage. The order of impact of the factors found in this study is different than that of the previous study based on the temperature range of 650C-400C degrees - 400 and conclusive for finding a solution to shrink defects.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Harry Moser
Reshoring Initiative, Kildeer, IL

Reshoring and foreign direct investment (FDI) have brought back over 700,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs in the last 11 years. At the same time, the COVID crisis has demonstrated the risk of long supply chains. In fact, a recent BDO survey showed that 24% of companies are planning to change the country in which they source or produce, and 22% plan to reshore to the U.S.

Harry Moser, president of Reshoring Initiative, will explore how U.S. foundries can take advantage of the trend toward shorter supply chains and what that means for reshoring and FDI. Plus, discover how Reshoring Initiative’s Total Cost of Ownership Estimator and the Import Substitution Program can help your company land contracts that otherwise would have gone overseas.

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING DIVISION

Ken Siersma, Mahfuj Ahbab, Chung-Whee Kim, EKK, Inc., Farmington Hills, MI

Product designs created with topology optimization or generative design include geometrical features that are lean and organically derived. Metalcasting continues to be a practical process for manufacturing, but traditional casting processes are often incapable of creating parts with such complex organic geometries. 3D printed sand mold casting technology can eliminate or greatly reduce this limitation. Accurately modeling the filling and solidification processes for these complex castings is of utmost importance. This session will show that a geometrically flexible finite element method mesh is particularly suitable for 3D printed sand mold casting simulation, compared to the more commonly used orthogonal structured mesh. A demonstration of a novel advanced mesh coarsening scheme will be included.

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING DIVISION

Jerry Thiel, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA; Eric MacDonald, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX

Molding process variation has been the source of casting defects and ultimately delays in product delivery. It is estimated that quality issues including casting defects resulting from process variation can cost manufacturers millions in rejected parts or delivery delays. Determining variations in the molding and casting processes can provide valuable information to improve the casting process. This information can form the basis for foundries to advance into manufacturing 4.0. Data from the molding and casting process can aid metalcasters in refining their processes to higher levels than ever before possible. Sensors within molds can collect process data which includes temperature, pressure, moisture, and gas chemistries. Temperature as well as mold gas emissions are used to determine the degree of sand curing by measuring volatile organic compounds released during polymerization. Sensors in areas or rooms of the foundry can measure environmental conditions as well as respirable dust.

CASTING DESIGNERS AND BUYERS

Jeremy Lipshaw, Unaffiliated, Ferndale, MI

The casting supply chain has an opportunity to leverage the inherent strengths of its product into a competitive advantage by embracing sustainability assessments based on Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). While classical vehicle sustainability metrics primarily consider how materials affect fuel economy via lightweighting, LCA accounts for the entire life cycle of the material or product, including the production, use, and end-of-life. Due to their recyclability and lower embodied energy, castings have the potential to be more sustainable in this framework compared to other metals manufacturing methods. However, the casting industry is currently underprepared to compete in LCA-based evaluations. There is a significant shortage of LCA literature for castings compared to other material processes. Furthermore, the well-documented and inaccurate perception problem within industry that castings are heavy and outdated discourages researchers from considering this line of study. This presentation speaks about how the casting industry would benefit from LCA-based sustainability metrics.

LOST FOAM DIVISION

Sarah Jordan, Mark DeBruin, Skuld, LLC, Gahanna, OH; Alan Luo, Emre Cinkilic, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

Ductile iron is desirable for lightweighting as it has an optimum specific strength when cost is considered. This is especially true for its heat-treated variation, austempered ductile iron (ADI). The authors report on U.S. Department of Energy funded research for thin-walled ductile iron. The influence of chemistry for 65-45-12, 80-55-06, and 100-70-03 was studied across various thicknesses for ductile iron cast in lost foam and resin bonded nobake sand. Carbide-free results in sections as thin as 0.76mm were obtained. Lost foam casting’s dimensional tolerance control was also investigated.

LOST FOAM DIVISION

Sarah Jordan, Mark DeBruin, Skuld, LLC, Gahanna, OH

Decades ago, it was predicted that lost foam would take over nearly 30 percent of the casting industry. Yet despite its advantages, the process has a negligible market share. This presentation will address the idea that lost foam is unsuitable for small volumes. Many hold the belief that lost foam casting requires expensive tooling and specialized equipment. This large upfront investment in tooling and equipment then has to be amortized across large production volumes. However, lost foam casting can be done by machining foam and manual compaction. This method still maintains the tight dimensional tolerances of lost foam casting: typically 0.002 per inch tolerance plus the machined foam tolerance. Process details on how any foundry can diversify into lost foam casting as well as common defects to avoid will be shared. The design benefits of lost foam, including the latest research showing the ability for as-cast threads, will also be covered.

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING DIVISION

Brandon Lamoncha, Humtown Products, Columbiana, OH; Kelley Kerns, HA-International LLC, Westmont, IL; Travis Frush, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA

The panel, made up of researchers, material suppliers and operators, will discuss where we were, where we are and where we are going in additive manufacturing in the foundry Industry.  The presentation will cover the latest advancements in materials and equipment for 3D sand printing.

LOST FOAM DIVISION

Marshall Miller, Tesserract4D, Irving, TX

While successful in the production of aluminum base, copper base, irons and carbon steel, the lost foam process has been unable to produce lower carbon content stainless steels such as CF8M (0.08C maximum) due to carbon pick up and non-uniform carbon distribution. The session will demonstrate the successful production of CF8M stainless steel through the application of the latest in bead technology for patterns and gating, gating design, aggregate permeability and LOI impact and coating as developed by the lost foam process products supply chain in the actual operating foundry environment.

HOYT MEMORIAL LECTURE

Tom Prucha
Metal Morphasis LLC, Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Metalcasting, Rochester Hills, MI

Change is constant, as nothing stays the same. Consider the words of the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu: “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them—that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” Some changes are the result of biology and the passage of time, within the natural cycle or order of things. Others are self-generated, under our own control and willful effort, or dependent upon encounters with significant others—family, friends, colleagues, and others close to us. Still, other changes occur because of circumstance or fate, a proverbial “date with destiny” and often beyond what we feel is in our control. Whether it is our personal life or occupation, like metalcasting, this change can facilitate transition and transformation. Prucha has coined the term metalmorphasis and this lecture is a reflection of how to embrace change and utilize it as a vehicle for new opportunities. Beyond the philosophical, this lecture looks at how we as metallurgists and metalcasters apply change (time, temperature, pressure, chemical reactions, etc.) to transform metals and create metalmorphasis.

CASTING DESIGNERS AND BUYERS

Mark Mundell, Lethbridge Iron Works Co. Ltd., Lethbridge, AB, Canada

In this case study presentation on the 2020 Casting of the Year, Mundell will talk about the process of manufacturing an opener main body casting — a textbook example for a casting conversion from a steel fabrication.

CASTING DESIGNERS AND BUYERS

David Gilson, SinterCast Inc., Naperville, IL

This Silver Anniversary Lecture provides a timely update on a paper originally presented at Metalcasting Congress in 1996, “Air Flow Variations Within a Corebox: A Study of Vent Open Area and Sand Variables” by D.M. Gilson, K.B. Horton, and P.B. Carr of Ashland Chemical Co. in Columbus, Ohio. This study confirmed some generally accepted venting guidelines, but also contradicted some expected outcomes. Gilson will provide new insights into this research on the air flow characteristics of common foundry vents.

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING DIVISION

Nathaniel Bryant, Jiayi Wang, Travis Frush, Jerry Thiel, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA

Recent advancements in additive manufacturing technology for metalcasting have revolutionized the foundry industry’s capability to create molds, cores, and expendable tooling. While extensive research has been conducted to optimize materials and parameters used in 3D sand printing, little progress in these areas has been made in the field of expendable tooling for investment casting. The University of Northern Iowa has completed a preliminary investigation to realize the effect of binder saturation and wax infiltration on the burnout characteristics, as well as the physical and mechanical properties of a commercially available polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) powder commonly used for the additive manufacturing of expendable tooling. Specimens were created using the University VX1000 3D printing system and subsequently post-processed according to the manufacturer’s specifications. It was determined that both the saturation level and wax infiltration process significantly influence the measured properties.

ENGINEERING DIVISION

Bob Baird, General Motors, Carmel, IN; Zach Meadows, EC&S, Birmingham, AL

As foundries analyze energy efficiencies that can dramatically improve production processes, they must recognize energy leeches and guide operations on how to implement change. There are melting operational “leeches,” such as excess holding of molten metal, charging methods and practices, as well as improved designs for gates and sprues. Another leech in foundry operations is compressed air. Dirty inlet filters, excessive operating pressures or air leaks are all leeches that can be easily recognized and corrected — with sustained maintenance practices. Additionally, lighting leeches are often overlooked, but improvement in this area is extremely beneficial. Outdated, dirty light fixtures or simply leaving lights on unnecessarily are both opportunities to conserve energy consumption.

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING DIVISION

Tom Mueller, Mueller AMS, New Berlin, WI

3D-printed patterns have been used to create prototype investment castings for more than 25 years and have become the preferred method of creating prototype castings. Not only do printed patterns save time and money in the development of investment castings, they reduce the risk of cost overruns and delays in market introduction of the product incorporating that casting. However, the additive manufacturing systems currently used to print the vast majority of prototype patterns range in price from $70k to $800k. Considering prototype castings average about 2% of most investment foundry revenues, it is hard for foundries to justify making that large of a capital investment that only affects a small percentage of their revenues.

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING DIVISION

Tyler Nooyen, Waupaca Foundry, Waupaca, WI; Jiten Shah, Product Development & Analysis LLC, Naperville, IL

3D printed sand processes are being adopted by conventional production foundries over the last few years and has a promise to provide tighter dimensional tolerances than conventional sand castings, in addition to the design and rigging flexibility and agility without the need for any hard tooling. Authors will give an update on an AFS-funded research project on the dimensional tolerance assessment with 3D-printed sand iron castings. Additionally, Waupaca Foundry will share its experiences with 3D printed sand cores in a production environment.

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING DIVISION

Tom Mueller, Mueller AMS, New Berlin, WI

Weight is critical in aircraft and is a primary driver of fuel costs. This case study documents the efforts of Solidiform, an aluminum aerospace investment foundry, to undertake a lightweighting study on a casting they currently provide to a military supplier but that was targeted to be replaced with a lighter weight component. Solidiform teamed with an AM company and a software company to use topology optimization to redesign the component, use filling and solidification simulation to ensure that the redesigned casting could be successfully cast, and provide financial justification for a change to the new design. The effort resulted in a 65% reduction in weight and an 18-month payback for the military.

MELTING METHODS & MATERIALS DIVISION

Pete Satre, Allied Mineral Products Inc., Columbus, OH; Chuck Cushing, EMSCO Inc., Oregon, WI

This panel presents various aspects of coreless induction furnace startup, maintenance, controls upgrade and coil repair.

MOLDING METHODS & MATERIALS DIVISION

Liam Miller, Larry Kaiser, Jerald Darlington, Minerals Technologies Inc., Hoffman Estates, IL

Bentonite bonded molding sands often use green sand additives to provide beneficial properties to the molding sand and the casting process. In the 1980s, the AFS Green Sand Additive Committee generated the Dalton Chart, which outlines the relative impact common green sand additives have on green sand properties. Carbonaceous materials such as seacoal and causticized lignite are two additives that are widely used in green sand molding and appear in the Dalton Chart. In the present study, the impact of adding seacoal and causticized lignite to clay bonded molding sands was evaluated using a Design of Experiment and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) methodology. Lab-prepared green sand mixtures were prepared and tested for all green sand properties listed in the original Dalton chart. The findings will be discussed and compared to the original findings in the Dalton Chart.

MOLDING METHODS & MATERIALS DIVISION

Victor LaFay; Patricia LaFay, Common Sense Applications, Cincinnati, OH; Robert Steele, FACT, PonteVedra Beach, FL; Sandra Boehnke, IMERYS, Oberhausen, Germany

The green sand metalcasting process will generate emissions during pouring, cooling and shakeout because of the decomposition of organic materials that exist in the prepared molding sand. The selection of molding additives and core process has been the historical method of reducing these emissions. Through the introduction of a slurry that was recovered from a foundry green sand dust collection, a sustained reduction in emissions can be achieved.

ENVIRONMENTAL, HEALTH, AND SAFETY DIVISION

Bryant Esch, Waupaca Foundry Inc., Waupaca, WI; Jenny Pappalardo, Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Co., Charlotte, NC; Zeydi Gutierrez, McWane, Oakland, CA

Speakers will go over proactive vs. reactive community engagement, best practices for engagement strategies, case studies in community/stakeholder involvement (both positive and negative outcomes), and implementing a proactive engagement strategy at your facility.

ENVIRONMENTAL, HEALTH, AND SAFETY DIVISION

Dr. Ken Chapman, Ken Chapman & Associates, Tuscaloosa, AL

• No organization rises above its leader

• The connection between engagement and behavior

• From Engagement to behavior to ownership

• How "perspective" anchors "ownership"

CASTING DESIGNERS AND BUYERS

James Bohlen, Allison Transmission Inc., Indianapolis, IN

A supplier quality development engineer shares best-practice strategies for casting sourcing.

ENGINEERING DIVISION

Jim Wenson, Roberts Sinto Corp., Lansing, MI; Eric Nelson, Dotson Iron Castings, Mankato, MN; Lizeth Medina-Balliet, Neenah Foundry, Neenah, WI

This session shares a practical case study on how several industry foundries implemented real-time data collection to visualize and optimize their processes in order to increase their OEE (Overall Equipment Efficiency) and reduce operating costs. These improvements stemmed from the use of data driven predictive maintenance, machine and operation optimization and by providing complete visibility of the process to their teams.

MELTING METHODS & MATERIALS DIVISION

Bruno Sokoloff, ECO Ring, Chambeon, France

An environmentally friendly process for fully recycling alkaline batteries in hot-air cupolas to gray iron was initially developed and tested in France and is now fully deployed in production foundries in France and Italy (Germany expected in 2021). This process reduces cost, CO2, and FeMn briquette/alloys requirements while meeting all other environmental restrictions. This session presents the sourcing, permitting, process, and metallurgical aspects for success.

MOLDING METHODS & MATERIALS DIVISION

Jerry Thiel, Sairam Ravi, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA

Research into the breakdown of silica sand through mechanical attrition has led University of Northern Iowa researchers to information that could reduce the generation of respirable silica dust in the foundry. Although the results of the testing are preliminary, the information sheds new light at the current issue of meeting recent changes to the permissible exposure limit for respirable silica. This new information could allow some foundries that are at risk to meet the new regulations without extensive engineering solutions or material changes. The research demonstrates current technologies that can be used to reduce silica breakdown and control respirable silica.

MOLDING METHODS & MATERIALS DIVISION

Deepak Chowdhary, MPM INFOSOFT PRIVATE LIMITED, Chennai, India

Metalcasters have traditionally relied on experiential expertise in adjusting compactibility set-point at the compactibility controller. However, dynamically varying the set-point at the controller for near-precise translation to an optimal lab compactibility, factoring several influencing variables like relative humidity, ambient temperature, return sand moisture and temperature, GFN of the sand, and sand additives, is a challenge for most. Advanced machine learning technologies based on data-driven optimization of the green sand are applied to predict optimal lab compactibility. The research also integrates historical and real-time data of influencing variables from sensors and SCADA to predict dynamic and variable compactibility set-point at the controller. The study shows reduced variance of the delta between set and lab compactibility. Correspondingly, reduction in standard deviation in related sand properties and in casting defects was observed compared to pre and post machine-learning based compactibility control.

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DIVISION

Christopher Weld, Wiley Rein LLP, Washington, D.C

In recent years, Buy America and the Buy American Acts within the various federal agencies have received heightened focus and changes. This session will help American metalcasting facilities navigate through the various agency programs and requirements. You will learn what are the main differences between Buy America and Buy American, how agencies grant waivers, and how they enforce these key provisions.

MELTING METHODS & MATERIALS DIVISION

Pat Leper, Saveway USA Corp., North Canton, OH; Tim Hoyt, Allied Mineral Products, Columbus, OH

In the attempt to increase utilization and reduce costs per ton of alloy throughput, channel furnace operators inherently have issues that need to be addressed.  These issues can be costly or develop into added costs or reduced production over time. Some of the more common areas of concern are inductor issues, floor concerns, uppercase refractory issues such as erosion and build-up of materials, receiver and refractory cleaning. Our panel of refractory and operational experts will address these issues and be available for questions at the end of the presentation. 

MOLDING METHODS & MATERIALS DIVISION

Paula Vivas, Matthew Shoffner, Lee Horvath, ASK Chemicals LP, Dublin, OH

Chemically bonded resin systems like the phenolic urethane binder (PUB) are great binder systems for foundry core mold-making productivity and generation of high-quality castings. One of the drawbacks of some of these resin systems is the generation of high levels of smoke as the molten metal comes in contact with the chemically bonded sand structures (CBSS). Although a lot of work has been done to reduce pollutants and emissions by reformulating resin systems, the level of contaminants can still be an issue. This session will show the potential of a recently developed dual system engineered sand additive (ESA) that can reduce, in addition to veining, the level of smoke. This kind of dual engineered concept could improve foundry air quality and reduce undesired emissions and pollutants.

ENGINEERING DIVISION

Johnathan Corkery; Ken Siersma; Chung-Whee Kim, EKK, Inc., Farmington Hills, MI

Thermal distortion simulation has played a large role in identifying possible issues in the casting process. Despite the benefits of mold distortion simulations, flash remains a problem for casting manufacturers. It has been demonstrated that, using sufficiently accurate, yet-cost-effective, mold distortion simulations for multiple mold sections in conjunction with proper sets of simulation parameters, the areas most prone to flash can be identified. With further analysis, the areas of flash can be ranked in severity and visualized so the process and mold can be engineered to reduce post-processing and machining costs. Using this process, a strong correlation between flash predicted in the simulation and created in the casting process was observed.

MOLDING METHODS & MATERIALS DIVISION

Owen Herner, General Motors; Sam Ramrattan, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI

An automated impact testing machine was developed at Western Michigan University. The device can accommodate the AFS standard 50 mm diameter by 8 mm thick disc-shaped specimen (cookie). The new design allows the specimen to be automatically brought into test position. A linear impact energy is delivered to destructively fail the specimen. Further, the machine is designed to run with inline production of chemically bonded sand cores, molds, and disc-shaped specimens. The instrument measures the toughness of the sand binder composite and saves the data for analytics. This paper presents the machine design and tests results for various chemically bonded disc-shaped specimens.

CASTING DESIGNERS AND BUYERS

Jiten Shah, PDA LLC, Naperville, IL

This session, led by Casting Source Design Details columnist Jiten Shah, covers the tell-tale factors of a component or assembly that indicate producing it as an engineered cast metal part would save time and money and increase value.

ENVIRONMENTAL, HEALTH, AND SAFETY DIVISION

Greg Kramer, ME Elecmetal, Duluth, MN; Jeet Radia, McWane Inc., Birmingham, AL; Stephanie Salmon, AFS Washington Office, Washington, D.C.

• Water, Waste and Byproducts Management Committee

• Air Quality Committee 

• Health and Safety Committee

ENGINEERING DIVISION

Michael Stowe, Advanced Energy, Raleigh, NC

Foundry processes tend to be very energy intense as it requires large amounts of energy in various forms to melt, hold and then process molten metals. Managing and optimizing the consumption of this energy can provide economic, environmental and process improvements. This session will focus on the opportunity for AFS member foundries to participate in a strategic energy management cohort for implementing the principals of the ISO 50001 Energy Management standard and the DOE 50001 Ready program through a program sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO). This presentation will provide an overview of the ISO 50001 Energy Management Standard, the 50001 Ready program, and the DOE AMO cohort program.

MELTING METHODS & MATERIALS DIVISION

James Cree, Mike Robles, Jr., Isaiah Grybush, Ryan Sorrell, Adam Hoover, Grede - New Castle, New Castle, IN; Joseph Cruse, CC Metals & Alloys, LLC, Calvert City, KY; Kiel Krause; George Frigm, Heraeus Electro-Nite Co., LLC, Hartland, WI

The use of thermal analysis as a tool for the real-time chemistry control of carbon and silicon in ductile base iron is very important for seamless melt productivity by avoiding delays in waiting for laboratory analyses of those elements through the direct but time-consuming methods spectrometer or combustion. With the standard market availability of four different thermal analysis cup types encompassing the two binary choices of round vs. square and plain vs. tellurium in amounting to the four choices, thorough comparative testing of each cup type was conducted for gage repeatability and reproducibility analyses and other correlativity analyses. Major results of this testing and data analysis are presented herein along with discussion and conclusions regarding the relative merits of each of the four available cup types.