JAN/FEB 2022 | THE LEADING RESOURCE FOR THE METALCASTING SUPPLY CHAIN | VOL.

24

CASTING SOURCE
10 22 34
WHAT DO YOU KNOW WHO'S READY FOR A INDUSTRY OUTLOOK:
ABOUT YOUR TOOLING? COPPER-COVERED WORLD? STRONG SALES EXPECTED

MAKING
THINGS THAT
MAT
MA TTER
28
CASTINGSOURCE.COM

FROM ONLINE
INDUSTRYOUTLOOK JOBTRAINING
QUARTERLY SURVEY MONITORS CASTING SUPPLY CHAIN
AFS conducts The Metalcasters Quarterly Outlook Survey to track
the North American foundry industry’s business outlook, provid-
ing valuable, forward-looking economic information regarding
the casting supply chain. The survey measures key metrics using
anonymized data collected from validated metalcasters, includ-
ing sales trends, sales projections, employment numbers, wage
projections, capital investments, and business concerns and
priorities. Results from the Metalcasters Quarterly Outlook Survey
are shared in
AFS publica-
tions and used
in the biannual
AFS Metalcast-
AFS INSTITUTE COURSE
ing Forecast CATALOG PUBLISHED
& Trends. To AFS Institute released its 2022
view past catalog for metalcasting training,
survey results, including educationl options for
visit www. casting design and purchasing.
afsinc.org/ To view the catalog, visit
metalcasters- https://bit.ly/3JWI6JT. AFS Insti-
quarterly-out- tute offerings include e-learning,
look-survey. in-person classroom instruction,
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Redesigned in summer 2021, CADS (the Casting Alloy Data Search)
JOIN: is a unique resource provided by AFS in conjunction with the
AFS’s LinkedIn
American Metalcasting Consortium (AMC) and the Defense Logis-
tics Agency. All properties listed in CADS have a known “pedigree.”
Some data sources provide outdated information or exclude
original process-related details, such as part size, how it was made,
FOLLOW: or thickness of the material the test bars were taken from. But CADS
CAD
americanfoundrysociety offers detailed casting process pedigree information, offering cast-
ing designers a higher level of confidence. Access CADS at
www.afscads.com.
JAN/FEB 2022 | CASTING SOURCE | 3
CASTINGSOURCE.COM

CONTENTS
28

22

18
FEATURES

22 28 34
COPPER-COVERED MAKING THINGS INDUSTRY
WORLD THAT MATTER OUTLOOK
Kim Phelan Kim Phelan Casting Source Staff
Invigorated by new EPA approv- A foundry and a machine shop With the industry returning to pre-
als about copper’s COVID-killing teamed up to solve an 80-year- pandemic levels in 2021, further
and broad antimicrobial properties, old part design mystery and casting sales increases are antici-
experts urge the spread of copper creatively remake four castings pated in 2022.
products to halt the spread of illness. for a power company’s historic,
hydroelectric dam.
37
GLOBAL CASTING
CENSUS
Casting Source Staff
The COVID-19 pandemic had a
significant impact on production as
CASTINGSOURCE.com nearly all countries reported fewer
Cover: Design by Mike Berrafato shipments in 2020.

4 | CASTING SOURCE | JAN/FEB 2022

 A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN FOUNDRY SOCIETY
1695 N. Penny Lane, Schaumburg, IL 60173-4555
847-824-0181 • 800-537-4237 • FAX: 847-824-7848

46

15
COLUMNS DEPARTMENTS
6 EDITORIAL 3 FROMONLINE 39 INDUSTRYNEWS
Incredible Metal
Shannon Wetzel 13 BEFORE & AFTER 41 AFSRESOURCES
Underwater Clamp Assembly
10 INDUSTRYINSIDER Conversion Pays Off 45 ADVERTISERS’INDEX
What Do You Know About Your
Tooling? 15 CASTINGS WHERE 46 SHAKEOUT
David Charbauski Bronze-Kissed Bell
YOU ARE
16 DESIGNDETAILS Cast Cookie Form Delights at
Christmas
Engineered Component
Provides Fall Protection
Jiten Shah 21 DESIGNER’SSKETCHPAD
Cored Holes and Ribs
18 SOURCING
STRATEGIES
Why Do Foundries Have
Seasonal Shutdowns?
Benjamin Leonard

JAN/FEB 2022 | CASTING SOURCE | 5

CASTINGSOURCE.COM
EDITORIAL
INCREDIBLE
METAL
W
hen I first
began
covering
metalcast-
ing in
2005, I
was fas-
cinated with the wide range and
variety of properties that different
metals and their alloys exhibit, even
within the same alloy family. Elec-
trical conductivity, density, ductility,
hardness, corrosion resistance, and
thermal conductivity are all among
the properties that metals exhibit in
varying degrees. You get the feeling
that almost any application’s needs
from a material could be met by
some sort of alloyed metal if given
an infinite amount of time and ele-
ments to experiment.
While there is no magic work-
shop where researchers are study-
ing all things metal for all eternity,
thankfully many labs and institu-
tions are developing new alloys
with fine-tuned properties to meet
customer need. Others have set
about to prove and quantify known
or suspected characteristics.
As early as 2400 BC, ancient
Egyptian texts have referenced
using copper for sterilization
and to treat wounds. Now in the
2000 ADs, scientists have proven
copper’s antimicrobial proper-
ties, and work on this incredible
material continues. Initial studies
first sought to prove pure copper’s
antimicrobial properties, but now
researchers are working to expand
that to discover which copper al-
loys also have significant ability to
inhibit bacteria growth. More on
this work is on page 22 of this issue.
This research could have a signifi-
cant impact on public health if it
leads to the increased use of copper
products in high-touch areas.
6 | CASTING SOURCE | JAN/FEB 2022
CASTINGSOURCE.COM
STAFF
EDITORIAL
Communications Specialist
Katelyn Stanek
kstanek@afsinc.org
Contributing Editor
Kim Phelan
kphelan@afsinc.org
Managing Editor PRODUCTION STAFF
Shannon Wetzel VP Communications and Business
swetzel@afsinc.org Development
Ben Yates
byates@afsinc.org
Art Director
The studies on antimicrobial
copper is a fraction of the research Michael J. Berrafato
mberrafato@afsinc.org
and development conducted on
metal alloys all over the world. Customer Service
Metallurgists are constantly seeking Barbara Jackowski
bjackowski@afsinc.org
how to achieve certain recipes of
properties that will meet specific CONSULTING EDITORS
demands. This is critical to help
Casting Technology
industry continue to evolve.
Stephen T. Robison
Patricio Gil, CEO of MAPPSA, str@afsinc.org
stated in his Cast Iron Honorary
Tom Dore
Lecture last year, “In the end, the tdore@afsinc.org
market is open for new develop-
Management
ments and ways to offer better
products. Customers are not buying Doug Kurkul
dkurkul@afsinc.org
chemical elements or alloys, they
are buying mechanical properties.”
The possibilities for materials
continue to expand to meet needs.
Have a discussion with your casting
supplier if your needs have changed
or will be changing, and they might printed in usa
already have an answer for you. CS CASTING SOURCE MAGAZINE (ISSN 1523-4371) is published bi-
monthly and an extra issue in June by the American Foundry So-
ciety, Inc. Editorial, executive and subscription offices of publica-
tion: 1695 N. Penny Lane, Schaumburg, IL 60173-4555, 847/824-0181.
Subscription price: $185.00 per year U.S., Canada and Mexico; all
other countries $240.00 per year. Single copies: U.S., Canada and
Mexico $15.00 (+S&H), Foreign $15.00 (+S&H). CASTING SOURCE
DIRECTORY: U.S., Canada and Mexico $160.00 (+S&H), Foreign
$160.00 (+S&H). Canada Post Corp. Publications Agreement No.
is 40036409. Periodicals postage paid at Schaumburg, IL and ad-
ditional entry offices. The American Foundry Society, Inc., is not
Shannon Wetzel, Managing Editor responsible for statements or opinions advanced by authors of
papers or articles printed in its publications. CASTING SOURCE
If you have any comments about this editorial
MAGAZINE is indexed by Engineering Index, Inc., 345 E. 47th St.,
New York, NY 10017, and microfilmed by University Microfilms, 300
or any other item that appears in CASTING N. Zeeb St., Ann Arbor, MI 48106. © American Foundry Society, Inc.
2022. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to CASTING SOURCE
SOURCE, email swetzel@afsinc.org. MAGAZINE at 1695 N. Penny Lane, Schaumburg, IL 60173-4555.
CASTINGSOURCE.COM

CONTRIBUTORS ADVISORY BOARD

David M. Charbauski
Development Engineer, Global
Purchasing, Caterpillar INc.
Russ Rosmait
Professor of Manufacturing
Engineering Technology,
Pittsburg State University
Jiten V. Shah
President, Product Develop-
ment & Analysis
Edward J. Vinarcik
Quality and Technical Manager
Ron Walling
David Charbauski has Benjamin Leonard is the Jiten Shah is president of Technical Advisor and Assistant
40 years of experience McWane Ductile sales rep- Product Development & Professor, Ivy Tech
in the foundry industry. resentative for Maryland, Analysis (PDA) LLC (www.
He worked his way up the District of Columbia, pda-llc.com), and a 35
the management ladder and western Pennsylvania. year casting design and
from casting engineer to Leonard has been with manufacturing veteran in
foundry manager before the company since 2006 the areas of casting con-
moving to the OEM side and has spent most of his version, CAE & Simulation,
of the industry, work- time in the foundry in the additive & industry 4.0,
ing at Caterpillar in the casting and melting side, and contract research for
Casting Purchasing and holding positions such as new alloys, processes &
Supplier Quality areas. casting superintendent technologies.
and hot metal manager.

8 | CASTING SOURCE | JAN/FEB 2022

INDUSTRYINSIDER

WHAT DO YOU KNOW

ABOUT YOUR TOOLING?

DAVID CHARBAUSKI, CASTING BUYER (RETIRED)

I
’ve always found that good
recordkeeping can be one of
the key items to make you
successful in your career. Be-
ing able to quickly find
information can be highly valuable
in your personal and business life.
This holds true for keeping good
records of the pattern equipment
(commonly referred to as tooling)
your company owns. But what
records should you keep? Following
is a list of the items I have found to
be helpful.
Probably the most important
item on this list is the location of
your pattern equipment. Knowing
what foundry supplier holds which
tooling is highly important, espe-
cially if you own a large number of
patterns at numerous supplier loca-
tions. We are all painfully aware
of the supply chain issues affecting
business today, and situations such

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT

YOUR TOOLING David Charbauski has 40
• Location of pattern equipment, including foundry location and years of experience in the
storage location within the foundry. foundry industry. He worked
his way up the management
• Size of pattern and general description.
ladder from casting engineer
• Type of molding equipment it’s used for. to foundry manager before
moving to the OEM side
• Type of process it’s manufactured for. of the industry, working at
• Material of the tooling. Caterpillar in the Casting
Purchasing and Supplier
• Additional equipment used, such as lifting fixtures, de-finning plates, Quality areas.
coresetting gauges, machining fixtures, and straightening fixtures. CS

10 | CASTING SOURCE | JAN/FEB 2022

 INDUSTRYINSIDER

as fires and business consolidations on the pattern plate? Mounted im- special gauges that may be required
are common instances that can pressions can be any type of metal, for precision measurement and vali-
disrupt your flow of castings and as well as wood or plastic. The dation. Is your rough casting used
require you to move tooling to a same holds true for core equip- to produce multiple finished part
different metalcaster.  ment—process types often dictate numbers through different machin-
In addition to the foundry loca- what materials are used for a core ing configurations? If so, you may
tion, knowing the storage location box. Airset cores can use wooden, own multiple machining fixtures.
within the foundry itself can be metal, or plastic core boxes; shell Some castings require straightening
very helpful in the case of a foundry cores require an iron core box.  after heat treating, so a straighten-
ceasing business. This may not be Depending on the size and type of ing die or fixture could be part of
provided by your supplier unless spe- core produced, you may own addi- your tooling.
cifically requested. I have personally tional equipment. Some complex core Having a detailed description
been involved with trying to locate shapes may require a de-finning plate and photos of all the foundry-re-
tooling stored at closed foundries, to help remove core fins instead of lated tooling used to produce your
and it is not an easy or pleasant having them manually removed. Core casting is important. It can help
task to search through hundreds or assemblies may require a fixture to your engineering team understand
perhaps thousands of patterns and ensure the quality and integrity of the tooling requirements when design
coreboxes looking for your set of assembly. Large cores may need lift- changes are being contemplated. It
tooling. Knowing the storage loca- ing fixtures to help employees move also can help in the replacement of
tion would be very helpful in this them and coresetting fixtures and tooling in the case of a fire or other
situation. Also, proof of ownership gauges to help place the core accu- disasters at the foundry. If you don’t
can be extremely helpful in instances rately in the mold.  have detailed and accurate descrip-
where a bank has taken control If your casting is machined by tions of your tooling, you should se-
of the foundry assets. Having this the foundry, you undoubtedly own riously consider launching a project
proof will enable you to move your a machining fixture and perhaps to complete this effort. CS
tooling much quicker.
Having a description of the tool-
ing along with photos of it is ex-
tremely helpful. Often, you may re-
ceive documentation that seems to
be complete at first glance. For ex-
ample, a description might be, “four
impressions on a 20 x 24 pattern
and a two-cavity core box.” This is
really only very basic information,
and a lot more detail is required to
be considered an accurate descrip-
tion. We know the pattern fits a 20
x 24-in. flask, which is important,
but what molding process is the
pattern rigged for? Several brands
of molding machines use a 20 x 24
flask, not to mention the different
styles, such as squeezer, airset, and
cope and drag processes. Knowing
the process type is critical informa-
tion; the cope and drag and airset
molding processes have two pattern
halves to account for. If there are
any loose pattern pieces or shaped
chill patterns, these should also be
contained in the description.
The material used for the tool-
ing is also important. Is this an
aluminum matchplate that has
integrally cast impressions, or are
the pattern impressions mounted
JAN/FEB 2022 | CASTING SOURCE | 11
 BEFORE & AFTER

UNDERWATER CLAMP ASSEMBLY

CONVERSION PAYS OFF
A fabricated cable clamp responsible for holding underwater communication cables in place for offshore oil rigs did
its job ok, but eagle-eyed reps from casting supplier Eagle Precision Cast Products saw potential for more. During a
facility tour, they noticed the clamp assembly and felt it was an ideal candidate to produce in investment casting for
reductions in cost, weight, and part variability. Engineers at both companies worked together to produce drawings
for investment casting and finish machining. After the designs were settled, Eagle Precision, which is based in
Muskegon, Michigan, began ordering tools and machining fixtures and provided a lump sum estimate to the
customer that included the costs of delivering four wax tools (one for each component of the part to be cast) and
machining fixtures. The foundry estimated a lead time of 10 weeks for the delivery. Based on the estimate, the
company clearly saw a significant amount of money would be saved by producing the clamp as a casting. CS

BEFORE
The fabricated version required the client to perform
finishing in-house, and the number of components in
the original assembly meant more chances for part
inconsistency and weld points.

AFTER
Eagle Precision and the customer worked together to determine the optimal
material, which was 316 stainless steel. The first production run of the cast clamps
was delivered within the original schedule, and the parts were less expensive,
stronger, and more aesthetically pleasing than the fabricated versions.
The casting conversion saved the customer more than $100 per part—a
tremendous savings considering annual orders of between 5,000-6,000 parts.

JAN/FEB 2022 | CASTING SOURCE | 13

 CASTINGS WHERE YOU ARE CASTINGS

CAST COOKIE
FORM DELIGHTS
AT CHRISTMAS

O
ver the holidays, you might have enjoyed a Rosette cookie—a
light, crispy, deep-fried pastry in the shape of a snowflake or
star and often dusted with powdered sugar. This traditional
confection, which originated in Norway, is made with a
special tool called a Rosette iron. At first, the baking tool was
cast iron, but today they are most often cast in aluminum and seasoned so
the baked good will slide easily out of the mold.
To make a Rosette, bakers dip the iron in hot oil, then into the batter
and back into the oil. After 30-45 seconds, the dough forms a cookie ready
to slide off the iron onto the plate. CS

JAN/FEB 2022 | CASTING SOURCE | 15

DESIGNDETAILS
ENGINEERED COMPONENT
PROVIDES FALL PREVENTION
JITEN SHAH, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT & ANALYSIS (NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS)
A
safety-critical
aluminum part was
converted from an
I-beam weldment
to a thin-wall box
section using the semi-permanent
mold casting process for better
structural torsional rigidity, higher
load-bearing capacity, and reduced
weight. The EVEOOK for Bal-
lantyne Gear was created to help
roofers avoid injury from falls. The
1
THIN-WALL, HOLLOW BOX SECTION
ACHIEVED WITH BODY CORE.
• In this casting, the critical wall
section thickness is controlled
with a body sand core (1) that is
well supported at the core prints.
Uniform mechanical properties
16 | CASTING SOURCE | JAN/FEB 2022
company enlisted Carley Foundry
(Blaine, Minnesota) to produce the
invention in A356, an expensive
and easy-to-use alloy. This semi-
permanent mold casting method
2 4
are due to even cooling rates of
thinner walls within the same
casting.
• The most important and key
decision at the conceptual
stage while designing a casting
is the parting plane location
and orientation of the casting
with respect to gravity—up
(cope side of the mold) or
down (drag side of the mold).
offers excellent surface finish and
dimensional tolerances compared
to sand casting and generally better
properties due to higher cooling
rate for the same section thickness.
3
3
• If a casting is parted prop-
erly, access to the key features
requiring desired soundness can
be achieved with the attach-
ment and placement of the
gating and risering system to
produce quality castings with
repeatability and reproducibil-
ity. FEA-based design valida-
tions assist design engineers
in achieving optimized light-
weight configurations.

CASTING
PROFILE
Cast Component:
Eye hook for fall prevention
anchor in roof construction.
Material:
A356 T6.
Overall size:
2.5 x 24 x 31 in.
Casting weight:
16 lbs.
Casting process:
Semi-permanent mold/
gravity pour with a
sand core.
Jiten Shah is president
Jiten Shah Develop-
of Product
ment & Analysis (PDA)
LLC (www.pda-llc.com),
and a 35 year casting
design and manufactur-
ing veteran.
CASTING DESIGN WITH SMOOTH
TRANSITIONS AND MATCHING
FILLETS & RADII PROVIDE UNIFORM
CROSS SECTION AND COOLING
RATE, WHICH ULTIMATELY PROVIDE
THE DESIRED SOUNDNESS AND
UNIFORM PROPERTIES.
• Here, the fillets are nonvisible (2),
inside the walls at corners. The
radii are outside the four corners
(3) of the box section.
• The use of computer simulation
of mold filling and solidification
assist casting design engineers
to validate the casting and rig-
ging designs before permanent
mold tooling is fabricated. Also,
smooth transitions eliminate
sudden change in cross sections,
eliminate or reduce the stress
concentration, and provide better
fatigue life performance in highly
structural applications with
repeated loadings.
The EVEOOK for Ballantyne Gear was
created to help roofers avoid
injury from falls.
DESIGNDETAILS
MULTIPLE CORE PRINTS (4)
SUPPORT THE BODY CORE AND
HELP EASE DE-CORING (THE
REMOVAL OF SAND FROM INSIDE
AFTER CASTING IS COOLED).
• The body core print opening and
depth are critical to the strength
and stability of the body core
during manufacturing (handling,
placement in the mold, metal fill-
ing and solidification) to achieve
consistent quality. Too thin of
an opening and larger depth
may lead to core breakage and/
or distortion, which could cause
uneven wall section thickness,
potential porosities, and non-
uniform properties.
• AFS publications share many
design guidelines that a design
engineer can refer to for sizing of
the core prints. CS
JAN/FEB 2022 | CASTING SOURCE | 17
SOURCINGSTRATEGIES
WHY DO
FOUNDRIES
HAVE SEASONAL
SHUTDOWNS?
BENJAMIN LEONARD, MCWANE DUCTILE
C
ustomers will at
times ask why
manufacturing
facilities are shut
down. Let’s face it:
We live in an “I want the product,
and I want it NOW world,” and
no one wants to hear about a
shutdown. But the main reason
for a shutdown is ultimately for
the benefit of the customer.
Think about your car—doing
a quick walk-around your vehicle
to inspect the tire pressure, lights,
and wipers takes a quick minute
and can be done prior to each time
the vehicle is driven. However,
changing the brakes on your car is
The casting floor at McWane Ductile’s Utah foundry.
18 | CASTING SOURCE | JAN/FEB 2022
preventative maintenance that takes
additional time and requires the
car to be taken out of service. These
both help ensure you achieve the
goal of getting where you want to
go safely and without interruption.
The same applies to manufactur-
ing. Maintenance, such as checking
parts and fluids, etc., is completed
on a routine and often daily basis.
But large-scale improvements that
require equipment to be taken out
of service must be planned and are
vital for any production facility. This
process must be timed, monitored,
and controlled to ensure the start-up
is on time with minimal disruption
to the ongoing supply of products.
When Did Shutdowns
Originate?
In previous decades, shutdowns
were scheduled to coincide with
farming operations in the summer
Benjamin Leonard is the
McWane Ductile sales
representative for Maryland,
the District of Columbia,
and western Pennsylvania.
Leonard has been with the
company since 2006 and
has spent most of his time
in the foundry in the casting
and melting side, holding
positions such as casting su-
perintendent and hot metal
manager. In 2016, Leonard
took the job in outside sales.
Before working at McWane
Ductile, he spent time work-
ing at other McWane facili-
ties such as Tyler Union and
Bibby Ste Croix.

as well as the Christmas
and New Year holidays
falling at the end of the
year. Fewer employees
are involved with farm-
ing operations today,
but the summertime
shutdown is neverthe-
less an opportunity for
hard-working parents to
enjoy quality time with
their families, taking
much-deserved vaca-
tions conveniently co-
inciding while children
are off from school.
Winter or “holiday”
shutdowns again pro-
vide an opportunity for
families to enjoy hard-
earned time with their
families while reflecting
on a successful year.
Nothing is more criti-
cal to an operation than
its employees. The unmis-
takable message here is
the McWane Ductile phi-
losophy centers around
the importance of family.
Providing opportunities
to enrich families while
simultaneously schedul-
ing major repairs to a
facility is quite simply
good business practice.
Good business practice
equals efficient operations,
which in turn parlays into
happy customersÑhappy
customers with similar
goals to get the job done
and maintain a happy
family life.
Maintenance =
Sustainability
A manufacturer that
does not improve and
move forward is moving
backward and simply
will not endure over
time. How often do you
hear about a facility that
has been in operation
for over 100 years? This
longevity is extremely
SOURCINGSTRATEGIES
rare in society today
and quite an accom-
plishment. But facilities
within the McWane
family have done just
that. One example is a
building at a McWane
Ductile location called
the “hay house,” which
includes a door in the
ceiling where hay was
dropped down to the
horses. Facilities have
evolved from horses to
computers and auto-
mated equipment—all
necessary to sustaining
a quality operation.
Planned shutdowns are
critical to quality, too,
providing the opportu-
nity for the engineering
In the early 1900s, cast iron pipe is offloaded at a rail siding with crane and horse team to complete ma-
and wagons. jor maintenance vital to
the foundry equipment.
What Key
Equipment Requires
Maintenance?
The heart of ductile
iron manufacturing at
McWane begins with
the cupola. A cupola is
a cylindrical tube where
scrap metal and ad-
ditional materials are
loaded from the top and
melted as they drop to
the bottom. Cupolas
melt up to 80 tons of
recycled scrap metal per
hour with a continuous
flow of iron through a
hole roughly the size of a
regulation softball near
the bottom. Imagine over
1 million pounds of scrap
Horses pull loads of iron pipe, circa early 1900s. recycled every day. It’s an
amazing process, to say
the least.
The cupola is one
Let’s face it; we live in an “I want the product, of the best examples of
and I want it NOW world,” and no one why plants must even-
tually be shut down for
wants to hear about a shutdown. But it’s repairs. Maintenance
ultimately for the benefit of the customer. items such as refractory
repairs are completed
JAN/FEB 2022 | CASTING SOURCE | 19
SOURCINGSTRATEGIES

daily. Unfortunately, Safety and

the shell of the cupola Environmental—
does not last forever From the Bottom Up
and must eventually Commitment to
be replaced. It takes safety and the environ-
time to safely and ef- ment is also important.
ficiently complete the Just like daily mainte-
replacement process. nance on a car, safety
Overnight or week- checks are completed
ends are not enough daily. It is also vital to
time to complete the maintain and improve
task. Access to this key equipment and processes
equipment, along with for safety and environ-
other units, is usu- mental reasons, as well
ally restricted during as quality and produc-
routine operations. A tion purposes. Planned
planned maintenance plant shutdowns provide
shutdown is necessary. excellent opportuni-
An additional major ties to make significant
player in the foundry improvements.  
operation is the an- As McWane founder
nealing oven. Like the J.R. McWane said, “The
cupola, the annealing McWane Ductile customers take a tour of the foundry. glory of business is not
oven is vital to the to make money out of
casting process and al- it alone, but to make
lows the hot castings to cool slowly improve quality and productivity, progress in it, to develop men and
to remove internal stresses and keeping up with the demands of methods and products, to improve
add strength. At McWane Ductile, the marketplace. Zinc-metalizing the state of the art.” All three Mc-
cast pipe is annealed to achieve the process equipment is an excellent Wane Ductile pipe facilities have
proper physical properties of 60- example of quality improvement. achieved the VPP Star Worksite
42-10 grade ductile iron. The demand for zinc-metalized status through OSHA.
pipe has increased in recent years. 
Meeting Demand With When installed with V-BIO En- Why Do Shutdowns Matter to
Upgrades and Improvements hanced Polyethylene Encasement, the End-Customer?
Remember the hay house and zinc-metalized pipe may extend Shutdowns, whether full or
horses? Installation of modern the life expectancy of the ductile partial, are critical to the success of
equipment is essential to an opera- iron pipe, particularly in corrosive any manufacturing facility. Sustain-
tion. McWane Ductile implements environments, enhancing the water able business practices require a
a Six Sigma approach to modern- system’s sustainability. high level of commitment. One
ize facilities. Teams cannot simply look at
often include members the daily “I want it now”
ranging from the vice demands. Shutdowns are
president to an iron a necessary part of that
pourer. Team members commitment, with the
work in an atmosphere ultimate goal of provid-
designed to relieve ing quality products
them of their daily safely and sufficiently
duties and focus on the today, tomorrow, and
task at hand, evaluating for decades. Valued
where improvements customers inevitably
are needed, how they use McWane Ductile’s
will complete the job, products for sustainable
and when the optimal water systems and share
time for completion the same commitment to
will be.   excellence when building
New pieces of equip- “iron-strong” utilities for
ment are installed to A hot stick of pipe exits the casting machine. generations. CS
20 | CASTING SOURCE | JAN/FEB 2022
 DESIGNER’SSKETCHPAD

Cored If a component has been designed with a heavy section that has been cored,
ribs may be added for strength and to achieve uniform wall thickness. During
the design stage, remember when a component is designed with deep ribs,

Holes these ribs will require adequate draft to ensure removal or ejection of the
mold from the pattern. When working to increase the strength of a
component, it is best to use a quality material as opposed to adding mass and

and Ribs thickness. Heavy sections and thickened walls often lead to defects, which can
reduce strength. Ribs and other geometric features add strength by maintain-
ing a uniform wall thickness while increasing component surface area.

Keep Them Well Rounded

Cored rectangular holes in ribs and webs promote difficulties during casting manufacturing.
In ribs and/or webs, round or oval cored holes are preferred. However, if other shaped holes are required,
all corners should be rounded to enhance casting solidification.

Bump It Up
In highly stressed webs, ribs, and walls, beading cored holes is critical for increasing the
component’s service life. Although the design on the left is an acceptable design for a cored hole in a
highly stressed rib design, the left design is preferred to improve the service life of the component.

Ribs are an option, and not the goal when designing a cast product. The goal in all designs
TIP

should be to create a component without ribs, if possible. If the casting wall alone has
adequate strength and stiffness, the elimination of ribs results in lower stresses and
improved stress distribution in the component.

JAN/FEB 2022 | CASTING SOURCE | 21

 WHO’S READY FOR A
COPPER-COVERED
WORLD?
Invigorated by new EPA approvals about copper’s COVID-killing and
broad antimicrobial properties, experts urge the spread of copper
products to halt the spread of illness.
KIM PHELAN, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

22
I
f West Point’s ex-director of instruction for physical education should It was a watershed moment for
one day be talking to you about antimicrobial copper, one of his copper, according to CDA Director of
favorite subjects, businessman Tom Grace will hold up his hand toward Rod and Bar Adam Estelle, a copper
you and say, “This is one of the most dangerous instruments known to authority who has been collaborating
mankind.” He’ll go on to explain the sordid legions of germs transmit- with the EPA for over a decade. Over-
ted by human hands, which is why he’s so passionate about copper’s night, OEMs across every industry
naturally-occurring, germ-decimating properties. up and down the supply chain were
“It never calls in sick, it shows up for work 24/7 and never quits,” he at liberty to assert the EPA-approved
said. “It’s a low-tech, very cost-effective solution where you only pay the virus- and bacteria-killing claims
delta one time.” of copper on their product labels, as
It took years for him to be able to speak so frankly about copper, at least long as they sourced EPA-registered
as it pertains to his own product line. Grace, whose high-end fitness supply- copper alloy compositions from EPA-
house, Black Iron Strength, has served many college and professional athletic registered suppliers. And while no
teams since its inception in 1992, was one of many businesses that seized one anticipated or remotely desired
marketplace opportunity after the U.S. EPA first registered copper as a the global pandemic, it was indeed
bacteria-killing surface material in 2008. an inflection point for copper to
That was the last major EPA decision on copper’s antimicrobial properties for potentially star in a host of applica-
the next 12 years––then COVID-19 showed up. tions well beyond hospitals, encom-
Suddenly, decades of research on copper’s antimicrobial heroics compiled passing repetitively-touched surfaces
by McLean, Virginia-based Copper Development Association (CDA)––and in schools, restrooms everywhere,
a good many other studies, including a pair of eye-openers from the CDC restaurants, hotels, food process-
and the NIH––hard-shifted EPA into an abrupt fifth gear. So much so ing factories, mass transit, airports,
that on February 10, 2021, the regulator announced it was registering alloys laboratories, cinemas, retail and
containing at least 95% copper as having the ability to kill viruses, something office environments, fitness, HVAC,
copper experts never doubted. and more.
“New efficacy testing supported by the Copper Development Associa- “It certainly stimulated a lot
tion and conducted according to EPA’s protocols demonstrated certain high- of activity and innovation in the
percentage copper alloy products can continuously kill viruses that come into supply chain as more and more
contact with them,” stated the EPA press release. “Based on testing against companies became curious about
harder-to-kill viruses, EPA expects these products to eliminate 99.9% of these materials and were trying to
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, within two hours.” figure out how they might be able

Hospitals—not to mention restrooms everywhere—are just the beginning for applications where copper surfaces can play a pivotal role in killing
bacteria and viruses 24/7.

JAN/FEB 2022 | CASTING SOURCE | 23

to incorporate copper surfaces into
some of their products,” said Estelle.

Lawmakers Take Note

EPA’s action caught the attention
of some lawmakers, too. Less than a
month following the move, Congress-
men Brian Higgins (D-NY) and
Robert Latta (R-OH), co-chairs of
the Copper Caucus, invited their peers
to join them in bilateral support of
the copper industry, in view of its new
virucidal public health claims.
“With over 40,000 employees in 30
states and 100 Congressional Districts,
the domestic copper industry is a key
national driver contributing mightily
to the economic success of the United
States,” they wrote to fellow members
of Congress. “Beyond its antimicrobial
properties, copper, the world’s oldest
metal, is also one of the most versatile.
Copper products are 100% recyclable
and ... are key contributors in renew-
ables and energy efficiency, and both
electric vehicles and their charging
stations are powered by copper.
“This bipartisan caucus seeks to
work together to advance policy
positions and legislation which
would be helpful to the domestic
copper industry and to support the
EPA’s 2021 action freed manufacturers in a host of industries to bring high-touch products to
market and legally make agency-specified, germ-killing claims.
Members’ and the public’s awareness
of the benefits of copper and copper
alloys in their daily life.”
Meanwhile, for the year ahead,
the CDA will continue to collaborate
closely with the EPA to conduct
confirmatory testing on the virus-
killing properties of copper alloys
with lower copper content. “Secur-
ing virucidal claims for additional
copper alloy compositions would give
manufacturers even more solutions
to work with that span a wide range
of colors and engineering properties,”
said Estelle.
“We are optimistic that we’ll see
some progress hopefully this year,”
he added. “The immediate goals are
getting through the EPA process ...
it’s really about just removing bar-
riers to our members’ supply chains
and clearing the way for industry to
talk about this [antimicrobial] prop-
erty in a responsible and scientifi-
cally accurate way.”
A COVID Disclaimer
The official conclusion that copper
surfaces kill the virus causing COVID
was certainly cause for exuberance,
and no one could be more pleased
than Estelle, who said working with
the EPA has been mutually gratify-
ing. However, he is quick to remind
that surface transmission is not the
primary route through which COVID
is spread––rather, people are chiefly in-
fected by breathing airborne droplets.
“We’re very cautious about the
messages we put out concerning any
cause and effects specifically for
COVID,” he said. “I wouldn’t say the
risk is zero for picking up COVID
from a contaminated surface, but we

HERE’S YOUR PROOF

always make sure that we’re not posi-
tioning copper as some sort of silver
bullet for this particular virus that’s
The Copper Development Association has built an accessible digital primarily transmitted through the air.”
library of papers, studies, and various other resources it has accumu- Rather, CDA positions copper as
lated over the years while providing bodies of evidence to the U.S. supplemental to and not a substitute
Environmental Protection Agency. Want to read the science behind for hygienic and disinfectant practices
copper’s antimicrobial efficacy? Have at it right here: such as hand-washing and cleaning
https://www.antimicrobialcopper.org/evidence-and-studies. CS surfaces. “The best thing about it,”
he said, “is that it’s truly independent
from human behavior.”
COVID has perhaps been a
wake-up call, Estelle added. Advanc-
ing copper’s virus-killing efficacy
now––and establishing antimicro-
bial copper products more widely in
public places––could set society up
for a stronger defense should future
pandemics be highly transmissible
through surfaces.
Despite known transmission
realities, chemical cleaning of highly-
touched surfaces has saturated a

24 | CASTING SOURCE | JAN/FEB 2022

COVID-fearing world. Grace cited
data showing most people have been
exposed to 400% more harmful
chemicals since the start of COVID
in early 2020 from “all the incessant
cleaning,” he said. “I don’t know why
there isn’t more out there on antimi-
crobial copper.”

Marketplace Snapshot
Grace first read about copper’s
germ-killing properties in 2009 and
became so zealous about its potential
health and safety advantages in the fit-
ness industry that he spent four years
of R&D––and considerable consulta-
tion with the CDA––to engineer a
process for incorporating a solid cop-
per alloy into the knurled handle grips
of his company’s free weights. His
first customer for copper products was
the U.S. Olympic Committee, which
was outfitting a new training center in
Colorado Springs.
But the sales of copper-contain-
ing products haven’t exactly brought
Brinks trucks rolling to and from
his doors, said Grace. While Black
Iron Strength’s copper orders went
from 40% pre-COVID to 90%
today, and both college and profes-
sional sports teams have been early
adopters––with high stakes in the
health of their star athletes––Grace
has nonetheless been dismayed by an
underwhelming public response thus
far. He attributes lackluster invest-
ment in copper products by gyms
and other industries to the financial
devastation wreaked by year-long,
Black Iron Strength has incorporated copper into the grips on free weights, and owner Tom
Grace is confident copper’s public-health value will catch on in his industry once gyms recover
from pandemic-related hardships.
nationwide shuttering of businesses.
But he believes patience will
prevail.
“I’m a privately-held company,
and I have a long-term vision,” he
said. “I’m all in. I see the big picture,
and I know this is going to grab on
once things start getting back to
some new type of normal. I’m very
patiently waiting for that.”
His optimism springs from positive
persuasion that copper has no down
side. With a negligible 10% cost pre-
mium on average and EPA’s science-
backed stamp of approval, Grace said
he’s confident copper adoption in
the fitness world will indeed trickle
down from pro and college sports to
mainstream workouts. As for OEMs
at large, he believes now is the time
for companies to envision their own
possibilities with copper.
“What are the negatives? There
really aren’t any,” he said. “OEMs have
the opportunity to provide whatever
product they make using antimicrobial
copper, which, now more than ever, the
world desperately needs.”
International Snapshot
The world of academia continues
to join with industry in the pursuit
of more understanding about copper
and developing more ways to harness
its protective activity. On December
13, RMIT University in Melbourne,
Australia, announced it had de-
veloped a new process for creating
copper surfaces in castings whereby
bacteria––and antibiotic-resistant
superbugs––are killed 100 times faster
than standard copper. The university,
together with Australia’s national
science agency, CSIRO, published its
findings in “Biomaterials.” (https://bit.
ly/RMIT-copper)
“A standard copper surface will
kill about 97% of golden staph with-
in four hours,” said RMIT Distin-
guished Professor Ma Qian, who

Shown at 200,000 (left) and 500,000 (right) magnification, the post-dealloyed, comb-like copper surface enables release of germ-killing copper
ions much faster—just two minutes, according to RMIT’s research.

JAN/FEB 2022 | CASTING SOURCE | 25

Images magnified 120,000 times under a scanning electron microscope show golden staph bacteria cells after two minutes on (a) polished stain-
less steel, (b) polished copper, and in (c) and (d), the team’s micro-nano copper surface. Note the mechanical stretching of the bacteria cells
caused by the new copper surface’s super-hydrophyllic property that weakens the germ.

began his career in metalcasting.
“Incredibly, when we placed golden
staph bacteria on our specially-
designed copper surface, it destroyed
more than 99.99% of the cells in
just two minutes.”   structure that enables copper ions to
 According to RMIT’s press
statement, the release of copper’s
ions––toxic to bacterial cells as well
as virus cells, per the U.S. EPA––is a
slow process and researchers world-
wide are racing to discover how to
speed it up.
Qian and Ph.D. candidate Jackson
Leigh Smith, the lead study author,
used a cheap and scalable dealloy-
ing process that causes copper atoms
to reorganize themselves. First, they
developed their own version of a
copper-manganese alloy, at a 40-60
atomic ratio respectively. Dealloying
was as simple as immersing as-cast
products from the alloy in near-room
temperature hydrochloric acid (60C)
for about two hours. What happened
next could only be witnessed through
the lens of 200,000-X and 500,000-X
magnification instruments.
The manganese atoms are
99%–100% removed, leaving only
pure copper atoms that are trans-
formed into a porous, comb-like,
and dendritic micro-nano-micro-
more rapidly release to the surface
and destroy germs. The reconfigured
copper surfaces are also super-
hydrophilic, said Qian, creating a
water-loving interface that causes
bacterial cells to be stretched out,
deformed, and thus more vulnerable
to the attacking copper ions.
Another beneficial outcome stems
from RMIT’s dealloying process.
“The total internal surface area
of each gram of this new material is
11 square meters,” Qian said. “That’s
massive.”
Fast-firing copper ions, weak-
ened bacteria (due to mechanical
stretching) readily absorbing enemy
toxins, all enhanced by expanded
contact area between bacteria and
the copper surface is getting the job
done with unprecedented velocity,
as Qian’s small team has shown.
RMIT’s next phase will be finding
casting/manufacturing partners to
create real parts, which will enable
further testing of the new material
both in the laboratory and in pop-
ulation-dense environments such
as train stations and movie theaters.
Among the issues to be investigated
is whether dealloyed copper castings
retain their potency against germs
after surface oxidization (corrosion)
occurs, but scientific papers have
already documented copper oxide is
effective, said Qian.
Because copper kills harmful
microbes continuously and seems
unfettered by metalcasting as well
as metal forming and fabricating
processes, the sky’s the limit on how
humans will apply the germ-shield
gifted from nature.
“We’re going to continue to see
all sorts of different ways that we
can capitalize on this property of
copper,” said Estelle at the CDA,
“and we’re working to make sure we
get more and more options out there
to do that.” CS

26 | CASTING SOURCE | JAN/FEB 2022

The Liberty Utilities’ Powersite Dam
in Forsythe, Missouri, was built in
1913 and remains a favorite land-
mark in the community.

28
Making Things That

Matter
A foundry and a machine shop teamed up to solve an 80-year-old
part design mystery and creatively remake four castings for a
power company’s historic, hydroelectric dam.

V
KIM PHELAN, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

isit Liberty Utilities’ Powersite Dam in
Forsythe, Missouri––one of the first original
hydroelectric dams in the state––and you’ll
come away with two different perceptions
depending on where you spend your time:
Picnic and play outdoors at the site’s park-like
grounds and feel refreshed, or, for insiders
only, tour the inner-workings of the 100-plus-
year-old dam structure and wonder if you’ve
been transported to Alcatraz, minus the cells.
Either way, Taney County’s dam
on the White River, which, upon
its completion, created Lake Taney-
como in 1913, is a historic landmark
cherished by the community, especially
locals like Mike Renfrow who value
the preservation of old things that tell
stories of the past. Renfrow himself,
general manager at AFS Corporate
Member Monett Metals, is now a

One of the four 80-year-old, green cast iron crossheads meets its contemporary replace-
A cavernous passageway inside the dam building leads ment, which Monett Metals cast in steel. The finished crosshead casting is 20.5 in. long by
to the utility room housing four massive generators. 15.5 in. in diameter.

JAN/FEB 2022 | CASTING SOURCE | 29


One crosshead casting was installed into each of four generators that power the opening and
closing of 26 dam gates held shut by the White River in Taney County, Missouri.
part of the dam’s story, having worked
with a team that unlocked an ancient
casting conundrum and reverse-
engineered a worn cast-iron crosshead
ready for replacement.
In the 1930s, the dam under-
went some modernization and the
crossheads were replaced during the
upgrade; nevertheless, how Ren-
frow’s metalcasting predecessors
produced the complex part remains
mysterious––but devising the critical
crossheads’ contemporary counter-
parts needed inside each of the dam’s
four generators became a six-month,
obstacle-riddled puzzle for both the
low-volume job-shop foundry and its
customer, Aurora Motor and Machine.
As it happens, both companies special-
ize in very unique types of projects.
Aurora, also over 100 years old,
is one of the country’s rare machine
shops that performs most work manu-
ally, one piece at a time. Their collec-
tion of machinist tools displayed across
the walls give Aurora a Smithsonian
air, said Renfrow. As for Monett
Metals, which employs 75 people in
Monett, Missouri, it frequently creates
replacement parts for eclectic ma-
chines and antique vehicles, including
WW2 Cushman scooters. Special
among its achievements, the foundry
contributed cast metal ribbons (from
recovered Twin Towers steel) for a
9/11 First-Responders Memorial in
New York, as well as a 20-ft. stainless
steel eagle feather for an Osage Na-
tive American Veterans Memorial in
Oklahoma. In his estimation, Renfrow
said, the Taneycomo dam project and
the legacy it represents falls into this
prestigious category of historically
important work.
“When we were unloading the
crossheads at the dam and I was
running the hoist, it gave me a lot of
pride,” he said. “You know, foundry
work is a hard job. But when I have
a young employee who I see has
potential, I tell him, ‘You can go down
the road, and you can work at a call
center, or you can go somewhere and
put widgets in a box. But here, we
make things that matter. When I drive

WORK MIX AT MONETT METALS

About 30%–40% of Monett Metals’ work is related to the food indus-
try, such as extrusion castings. About a third is valve related, and then
another third to half (depending on market conditions) is in the oil
industry, including castings for fracking.

“The rest is just cats and dogs,” said General Manager Mike Renfrow.

“What makes us different is we’re open to lost foam, and we’re open
to 3D printed molds, and we’re doing more and more 3D printed sand
molds as well as prototyping. So, we will print an investment impres-
sion and go through the investment process. But instead of using wax,
we’re using a printed part that’ll burn out. If you don’t know the design
or the features, we can get a printed impression for a couple hundred
bucks versus a $6,000 hard tool and help you prototype until it’s an ap-
proved design––then we get a hard tool and run production.

“So we’re open to just about any wildcat idea, and we have the re- Raw castings were delivered from Monett
sources to make it happen.” CS Metals to Aurora Motor and Machine for
complex, manual finishing work.

30 | CASTING SOURCE | JAN/FEB 2022

around town, I’m looking for some- Casting Engineer Jesse Friend, and
thing that we made, and it gives you a the biggest challenges fundamentally
sense of pride that you make some- stemmed from the age and missing
thing that matters.’ That is certainly data of the 1930s part.
true about this project.” “All the original engineers or
anyone who knew anything about
Square 1 how the original casting was made
Joe Johnson, nearly 70, is an Aurora for, has been deceased for decades,”
machinist who some would call an art- he said. “So being asked to accu-
ist––he retired from his 35-year career rately measure a part that is this old,
as an electrician at Liberty Utilities, broken, and has no drawings what-
formerly known as Empire, and views Aurora Motor and Machine’s Joe Johnson soever, was like figuring out how the
his second career for the last nine years cut a gear rack along the full length, top pyramids were made.”
and bottom, of each crosshead. But before
as a passion and a hobby. Because of His first step in reverse engineering
he could do so, he took one of the original
his long connection with the power parts to Southwest Grinding in Joplin, the part, in the absence of a scanner,
company, he’s been the go-to source Missouri, to grind cutters to match the was to painstakingly measure the
for most part replacement work at crosshead that was made in the 1930s. entire part feature by feature, develop-
the dam, including linkage that opens ing a 2D drawing by hand. From this
the gates, which is prone to breaking. he constructed a 3-dimensional model
Meanwhile, Monett Metals had come don’t want to look at it. So we’ve got of the casting using Solidworks. Once
to lean on Aurora fairly regularly to a pretty good niche there.” an accurate 3D model was gener-
flatten out bowed metal pieces, such The 80-year-old crosshead ated, Friend ran an initial simulation
as end pieces of gear boxes, in the ma- replacements were just the sort of of the existing casting geometry to
chine shops’s 100-ton hydraulic press. challenge they like to sink their determine the natural progression of
The relationship proved fortuitous teeth into, he added. solidification. His initial simulation
just when Johnson was mulling over parameters included:
the newly arrived crosshead job, with Engineering Phenomenon • Alloy: WCB
nothing more than a “broken and One complexity seemed to lead to • Casting weight: 410 lbs.
busted old cast iron casting” to go on. another, said Monett Metals Senior • Pouring temperature: 2850 F
Having made a rough drawing,
Johnson first thought he’d remake the
four crossheads as weldments using
flat plate and tubular stock. But the ex-
ecution would be far from simple, and
Monett’s frequent presence at Aurora
brought the foundry top of mind for a
second opinion.
“It would have been so labor
intensive to make the weldments,”
Johnson said. “We got to thinking
about Monett Metals, so we called
over there and visited with them; we
set out our drawing and they said
they would like to do it. Casting was
the cheapest and best option.”
A low-volume, high-mix busi-
ness that does nobake sand mold-
ing, Monett also has an investment
foundry onsite to do lost wax invest-
ment casting. The company’s sweet
spot, said Renfrow, is 10–25 pieces in
sand; 20–25 as investment casting.
“But we do one-offs, which gives
us a whole niche; we are doing work
that no one else wants,” Renfrow
said. “For a typical investment
foundry, if it’s not 1,000 parts, they A finished crosshead is installed and ready for service in the Powersite Dam.

JAN/FEB 2022 | CASTING SOURCE | 31

Nothing about the original crosshead casting was standard by today’s protocols, so Aurora Motor and Machine, located in Aurora, Missouri,
found and purchased a 1950s jig mill in Cincinnati, Ohio, to cut the part’s gear racks and make the bore holes.
(The thinnest section of the part
was about ¾”.)
• CFS (Critical Fraction Solid)
calculations were set to be
calculated at 35% solid. This was
an overly critical number, he said,
chosen because of the critical
nature of the component. Nor-
mally, for a large sand casting,
50% solid would have been the
suggested starting point, which
would have displayed less poros-
ity in the simulation results.
• Niyama calculations (where tem-
perature gradient and cooling
rate are calculated during a simu-
Liberty Utilities’ employees lower one of the final three crossheads into position for installation.
32 | CASTING SOURCE | JAN/FEB 2022
lation) were set to be performed
at 40% solid.
• Silica sand was simulated as the
mold material.
Some of the features in the internal
passageway were inherently difficult to
measure, he said.
“For example, some features ap-
peared to be somewhat spherical,
almost egg shaped, and other features
I simply couldn’t get a good measure-
ment because I just couldn’t get my
hands in there!
“Adding to the complexity was
the fact that the original part was cast
iron,” he continued. “Our part would
be steel. When it comes to casting
engineering, the geometry that works
with cast iron does not work with
steel––they are completely different
animals and solidify completely dif-
ferent. Right up front, I knew I would
have to make adjustments to the
design of the internal passageways of
the casting.”
Simulation Saves the Day
His next challenge was determin-
ing the geometry that would have flex-
ibility based on part function, and this
was hinged on clear communication
with Johnson at Aurora Motor and
Machine to understand what mattered
and what didn’t.
Deciding how to core the internal
passageways was also problematic. In
the end, Friend concluded the only
way to create them was to create a
core within a core, which required
modeling the negative space of
each core separately, then modeling
the corebox around it, making sure
everything was drafted correctly, he
said, so the sand would pull out of
the box during molding.
“Running a quick draft analysis
in Solidworks showed that the main
internal passageway would require
removable pieces in the corebox that
would come out with the sand,” Friend
said. “You’re almost doing two forms
of engineering at once because you
have to add draft in such a way that
your molders don’t run into issues,
while at the same time ensuring that
the draft does not cause solidification
issues in key areas. I think it was the
 AUTHOR’S NOTE Photo courtesy of White River Valley Historical Society.
When She remi-
Mary Ann nisced with
Renfrow was him about
a school girl those experi-
in the mid- ences just
1940s, her a few days
class would before her
take picnic death on Dec.
field trips to 3. She was
the park at 84. Modern
the Taneycomo hydroelectric dam, a noteworthy Casting offers our condolences to Mike Renfrow,
attraction in the community even then. She couldn’t who championed the telling of this casting story ...
have guessed that her son, Mike, would be in- and demonstrated the old and personal connec-
volved in preserving the operation of the historic tions Taney County residents have with the Power-
landmark some 75 years later. site Dam. CS

most involved I have ever been in the
actual design of the pattern itself.”
Friend did eight total simula-
tions that drove decisions on pouring
temperature and height, risers,
insulated sleeves, gating and sprue,
runner and “slagtrap,” stainless steel
chills, geometry adjustments for ideal
solidification, zircon core, and more.
The final four crossheads were 20.5
in. long by 15.5 in. in diameter (with
4-flats), weighing 350 lbs.––with a
736-lb. pour weight (48% yield).
Small Part, Big Role
The crosshead is critical to the
opening and closing of the dam’s 36
gates, which are held closed by the
river itself. Johnson estimated each
crosshead bears up to 1,500 ft. lbs.
of torque.
Here’s how it works, from a me-
chanical perspective:
Each of the four crosshead cast-
ings has a rack/gear interface on its
top and bottom. Like a piston, the
casting fits inside a sleeve, which on
its top and bottom has worm gear
apparatuses. By manually operating a
yellow wheel handle, an operator can
shift the position of the crosshead
inside the sleeve/tube thanks to the
racked features on the casting.
The crosshead is attached to two
connecting arms protruding out of
the green sleeve/tube, and each arm
is attached to a downward shaft that
goes down a few floors––the arms
activate the gates that open and close
like a Venetian blind to provide water
flow to the generator waterwheel and
also regulate the speed of the generator
in proportion to the load. Each gate
resembles an airplane wing, tapered to
a point at one end.
Over time, the dam’s original
equipment has been updated, retrofit-
ted and digitized. Hydraulic rams
have been added to one end of each
crosshead so they are controlled with
hydraulics, but they can still be manu-
ally adjusted. Today, a bar attached to
the crosshead digitally sends a signal
between crossheads and gates. In the
dam’s control room, old, original dials
remain side by side with a new, state-
of-the-art control system that displays
real-time data.
Getting Creative With Machining
When the original crossheads
were cast over 80 years ago, they were
likely machined with dial indicators
and hand wheels on the machines;
machinists may have used a fly cutter
to cut the gear racks, Johnson specu-
lated. Nothing was a standard size, he
said––off just enough to “mess things
up.” For example, the bore hole
through the center and the cross hole
were 55 thousandths smaller than the
standard size, he said.
“So we bought a 4-in. reamer,”
he said, “and we did business with
Southwest Grinding in Joplin, Mis-
souri, so they sized that 4-in. reamer
to finish the hole at the correct size.
I also took one of the old crossheads
over there and they ground us some
cutters to match the gear rack on the
old crosshead.”
Back at Aurora, cutting each gear
rack down was a six- to seven-hour
manual machining job, but another
JAN/FEB 2022 | CASTING SOURCE |
problem had to be confronted in order
to do it.
“We did not have a machine in
the shop that we could do this with,”
Johnson continued. “So we bought
a 1950s jig mill to reach the length
that we needed to reach, to cut the
gear racks and to make the bores. I
guess that tells you how unique this
project was.”
Found on the internet in Cincin-
nati, the 24,000-lb. antique mill was a
$10,000 investment, and the only but-
ton pushing Johnson did for his work
was on the one to activate a digital
readout to set his spacing. “Everything
else was manual,” he said.
“Once we got that done, everything
else was standard tooling,” Johnson
added. “It took about two weeks per
crosshead to machine it all.”
In May 2021, pattern construction
was completed, and the first casting
sample was approved in August––the
finished, machined part was installed
at the dam by Johnson. A month later,
the remaining three crossheads were
completed then installed at the end
of September, and Renfrow was glad
to be part of the “backstage tour” and
hands-on experience of putting his
company’s work into place as part of
the dam’s continued legacy.
“Now that we’ve been successful
with this and other hydroelectric dam
work, we’ve become part of a Rolodex
of providers,” Renfrow said. “But this
one’s uniquely different. Because we
hit a home run and the guys at the
dam were excited and thankful, I think
it will open doors for us to be pulled in
on more of this type of work.” CS
33
 Industry Outlook:
Strong Sales
Expected

With the industry returning to pre-pandemic levels in 2021, further

casting sales increases are anticipated in 2022.
MODERN CASTING STAFF REPORT

A s forecast in January of last year, 2021 was a year of recovery for U.S. metalcasters, with casting sales
returning to pre-pandemic levels. After a dip in sales in 2020 that brought overall industry revenue
to $36.7 billion (down from $44.2 billion), the U.S. foundry industry reached $43.3 billion in cast-
ing sales and metalcasters are optimistic 2022 will be another strong year. Overall estimated revenue
for this year is $47.3 billion, according to the 2021 AFS Metalcasting Forecast & Trends, although it is noted that
a larger than usual number of difficult-to-predict variables may impact actual sales, including COVID-19, the
supply-chain challenges, and the worker shortage. This is a 9.1% increase over 2021.
In 2021, operating expenses were 80% of revenue for foundries. Foundry operating expenses break down as follows:
51.5% for cost of materials, 32.8% employee expenses, 7.3% buildings and expenses and 8.9% other expenses. According
to the report, an estimated 57% of foundries are profitable, with an average net income of 14.8% of revenues.
The number of U.S. facilities (excluding art and educational foundries) is estimated to be 1,725. Revenue per
facility from 2020 to 2021 increased by 18.6% and a 6.3% growth is expected into 2022.
More details on the industry outlook are shared in the charts on the following pages. The AFS Metalcasting
Forecast & Trends is developed from core data sourced from comprehensive business surveys from the Census
Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and other government agencies. CS

34
Industry Revenue ($ Millions)

Number of Facilities (Excluding Art Foundries and Educational Foundries)

Revenue Per Facility ($ Thousands)

FIND MORE DATA IN THE

AFS INDUSTRY MARKET
RESEARCH REPORT
The 2022 AFS Metalcasting Forecast & Trends is included as a benefit
for AFS Corporate Members. The complete report will be emailed
to Corporate Members and includes detailed charts on revenue and
growth benchmarks as well as cost, capital and profit benchmarks. The
outlook is also available to individual members for $750 and to non-
members for $1,000 through the AFS Bookstore at www.afsinc.org. To
invest in a Corporate Membership and receive the report at no cost,
contact Ben Yates at byates@afsinc.org. CS

JAN/FEB 2022 | CASTING SOURCE | 35

Percent of Companies That Are Profitable-2020

Average Net Income as a Percent of Revenue

Revenue Growth per Facility vs. Operating Expense Growth per Facility

Plant Utilization (% of Capacity)

$26.7
Annual average facility revenue in
millions forecast in 2022.

36 | CASTING SOURCE | JAN/FEB 2022

CENSUS OF WORLD CASTING PRODUCTION

Fewer Castings
Made in 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on
production as nearly all countries—except China—reported
fewer shipments in 2020.

I
A MODERN CASTING STAFF REPORT

n 2020, countries the effects of COVID earlier than with aluminum as the main metal
around the world most, but then rebounded to show poured.
felt the effect of a 6% growth overall. This comes The top 10 casting-producing
government-mandated after two straight years of produc- nations are listed on page 30.
work stoppages and tion retraction for China. Korea’s Once again, China, India, and the
restrictions due to the casting shipments were even with U.S. hold the top three spots.
COVID-19 pandemic. no decline or growth. The data reported in the Census
Nearly every country New to the census this year is of World Casting Production is sup-
surveyed reported a an entry from Indonesia. Accord- plied by each nation’s metalcasting
significant drop in ing to the Indonesian Foundry association or similar representa-
production in 2020 Industries Association (APLIN- tives, as well as the World Foundry
compared to 2019. One of the few DO), the country produced Organization and CAEF—The
exceptions was China, which felt 589,779 metric tons of castings, European Foundry Association.
JAN/FEB 2022 | CASTING SOURCE | 37
 2020 Casting Production (metric tons)

Gray Ductile Malleable Copper Other

Country Steel Aluminum Magnesium Zinc Total
Iron Iron Iron Base Nonferrous

Austria 33,400 91,700A 9,600 106,798 4,504 246,002

A
Belgium 43,000 3,900 - 5,500 - - - - - 52,400

Brazil 1,148,123 468,952 - 269,512 20,524 160,464 4,534 1,064 - 2,073,173

B
Canada 330,841 - - 90,091 14,237 211,374 - - 646,543

China 21,750,000 15,300,000 630,000 6,350,000 870,000 6,800,000 - - 250,000 51,950,000

Croatia 19,465 6,161 - 120 202 65,606 - - 131 91,685

A
Czech Republic 117,000 34,500 - 41,000 16,000 77,400 300 800 - 287,000

DenmarkC 28,900 58,100A - - 1,188 2,224 - - 112 90,524

A
Finland 17,300 23,100 - 6,700 2,415 1,730 - - - 51,245

France 431,900 593,600A - 41,900 16,118 293,529 - 18,880 2,180 1,398,107

Germany 1,618,700 957,100A - 138,000 46,076 652,738 20,489 49,761 19 3,482,883

Hungary 16,500 58,000A - 2,000 729 118,900 250 1,662 99 198,140

India 7,911,763 1,095,522 50,000 912,893 - 1,344,182 - - - 11,314,360
Indonesia 77,783 42,060 86,940 128,724 46,086 182,586 - - 25,600 589,779
A
Italy 534,400 300,600 - 58,000 38,168 540,296 3,676 75,834 1,235 1,552,209
Japan 1,598,113 1,169,743 29,439 153,000 57,019 343,651 - 13,792 82,146G 3,446,903
Korea (Republic of) 881,400 670,700 - 150,000 24,100 642,200 12,000D - - 2,380,400
E
Mexico 816,160 560,270 - 336,250 215,500 832,770 - 79,500 15,200 2,855,650
C A
Norway 8,800 22,300 - - - 6,526 - - 37,626
PakistanC 181,000 24,540 - 48,750 14,200 21,200 - - 2,730 292,420
Poland 360,000 124,000A - 40,000 4,800 272,000 - 6,000 2,400 809,200
A
Portugal 26,100 76,100 - 4,100 16,203 31,966 - 2,165 - 156,634
RomaniaC 15,000 1,500 - 3,500 3,000 60,000 2000 250 90 85,340
C E
Russia 2,184,000 - - 1,134,000 117,600 588,000 75,600 - 100,800 4,200,000
Slovenia 59,300 39,800A - 17,600 990 44,618 - 7,477 - 169,785
South AfricaC - - - - - - - - - 443,000
Spain 283,100 582,800A - 65,300 15,279 101,317 - 7,304 683 1,055,783
Sweden 126,000 51,000A - 20,200 - 56,400 - - - 253,600
Switzerland 8,400 11,900A - 2,500 2,023 10,815 - 762 - 36,400
Taiwan (ROC) 543,617 179,697 - 55,007 27,368 481,593 6,237 - - 1,293,519
A
Turkey 617,300 854,700 - 192,000 24,851 449,503 761 31,644 - 2,170,759
UkraineB - - - - - - - - - 1,560,000
U.K. 128,400 195,600A - 41,600 8,300 102,522 2,000 7,300 - 485,722
U.S. 7,616,824 304,279 1,425,120 47,786 354,802 9,748,811

WORLD TOTAL 49,532,589 23,597,945 796,379 10,317,847 1,907,255 16,028,028 132,351 352,773 838,227 105,505,602

38 | CASTING SOURCE | JAN/FEB 2022


GM TO UPGRADE INDIANA FOUNDRY TO SUPPORT ELECTRIC PICKUP
General Motors is planning a
$51 million upgrade at its alu-
minum die casting foundry in
southern Indiana to support manu-
facturing of the upcoming electric
Chevrolet Silverado pickup.
GM said it will install state-of-
the-art equipment at its sprawling
Bedford plant, which this year
began producing electric drive unit
castings for the 2022 GMC Hum-
mer EV Pickup and 2024 GMC
Hummer EV SUV, The Herald-
Times reported.
Production of the 2022 GMC
Hummer EV Pickup will begin in
December at GM’s Factory ZERO
assembly plant, located in Detroit
and Hamtramck, Michigan,
The planned upgrade at the
Bedford foundry will support the
manufacture of drive unit castings
for the Chevrolet Silverado EV and
other current casting applications,
company officials said.
BENTON FOUNDRY PROJECT RECEIVES STATE FUNDING
AFS Corporate Member Benton
Foundry, Benton, Pennsylvania, was
awarded a $3 million grant through
the Redevelopment Assistance
Capital Program (RACP), accord-
ing to Senator John R. Gordner
(R-27) and Representative David
Millard (R-109).  people of Columbia County and
The company’s footprint will ex-
pand by 70,000 sq.ft. and new robotic
equipment will be installed. This will
result in at least 50 new jobs and an
“This investment is another
example of the company bringing
along our workforce in our journey
to an all-electric future while we
increase of daily production to 200
tons, an increase of 50 tons per day.  AFS Corporate Member
“I would like to congratulate
Benton Foundry ... I am pleased
to see how the utilization of new
technologies can bring substan-
tial economic development to the
beyond,” said Senator Gordner.
“I look forward to seeing so
many life-sustaining jobs coming to
our area,” said Rep. Millard. CS
JAN/FEB 2022 | CASTING SOURCE |
INDUSTRYNEWS
strengthen our current products,”
said Phil Kienle, GM vice president
of North America Manufacturing
and Labor Relations.’ CS
TEMC WINS TAIWAN’S 26TH
NATIONAL QUALITY AWARD
TEMC won two national awards
in Taiwan: the National Award of
Outstanding SMEs and the Na-
tional Quality Award––it is the first
foundry to achieve these honors.
The company was recognized
for its green initiatives to create
a sustainable business. TEMC
has won the National Award of
Outstanding SMEs consecutively
since 2015, demonstrating con-
tinued improvement to its Qual-
ity Control Circle and engaging
employees in activities that help
them understand and apply
TEMC’s values. The foundry said
it’s committed to providing prod-
ucts internationally that meet the
European Green standards.
Taiwan is the first country to
establish a National Quality award
in Asia. The SME award is centered
around the implementation of Total
Quality Management. CS
39
INDUSTRYNEWS

AARROWCAST INC. SOLD TO CHARTER MANUFACTURING

Industrial Opportunity Partners
has sold AFS Corporate Member
Aarrowcast Inc. to Charter Manufac-
turing, a producer of carbon-steel bar,
rod, and wire products headquartered
in Mequon, Wisconsin. Terms of the
sale were not disclosed.
Aarowcast, based in Shawano,
Wisconsin, produces 50,000 tons
of gray and ductile iron castings
per year for agricultural equipment
manufacturers, government and
defense contractors, heavy truck
and industrial equipment builders,
pumps and valves, compressors, and
railroad products. The company
employs 290 people and has an an-
nual revenue of over $100 million,
according to media reports.
Charter Manufacturing is a $1.4
billion, fourth-generation family- major automakers, automotive of Aarrowcast, will retain his position
owned company with four operating suppliers, off-highway equipment and will report to Charter Manufac-
businesses: steel, wire, automotive manufacturers, and GE. turing President and Chief Operating
and Dura-Bar. Its customers include Randy Brull, president and CEO Officer Bob Venable. CS

AMERICAN CAST IRON PIPE CO. SUBSIDIARY PLANS $40 MILLION EXPANSION
AMERICAN SpiralWeld
Pipe Company in Columbia,
S.C., a subsidiary of AFS Corpo-
rate Member AMERICAN Cast
Iron Pipe Company, has announced
plans for a $40-million expansion
in Richland County. The multi-year
expansion, which will be accom-
plished in phases, is expected to be
completed by 2025 and will create
10 new jobs.
The company manufactures steel
pipe in diameters up to 144 inches,
as well as ductile iron pipe, valves
and hydrants for the waterworks
industry and electric-resistance-
welded steel pipe for the energy
industry. Its diversified product line
also includes high-performance fire
pumps, castings for large machinery
,and specialty rubber products.
“When companies like
AMERICAN SpiralWeld Pipe
Company find success here and
make the decision to invest in our
people further, it’s a huge win for
our state” said Governor Henry
McMaster. “We’re proud of the
partnership the Midlands has built
with AMERICAN SpiralWeld
Pipe Company and look forward
to continuing that relationship for
many years to come.” CS

THE LAWTON STANDARD CO. ADDS QESC, BUOYING CASTING GROWTH STRATEGY
The Lawton Standard Co.
recently added the facilities and
employees of QESC (Quality
Electric Steel Castings, Hous-
ton, Texas) to its growing casting
business. The new site will operate
as a sister operation to The C.A.
Lawton Co., De Pere, Wisconsin;
The C.A. Lawton Co., Minster,
Ohio; Temperform, LLC, Novi,
Michigan; and Penn-Mar Castings,
LLC, Hanover, Pennsylvania. Each
company will access the other’s
products and benefit from adopting
40 | CASTING SOURCE | JAN/FEB 2022
best practices across the family.
“We are proud to bring more
options––steel, iron, and more––to
our customers and prospects,” said
Alex Lawton, CEO of The Lawton
Standard Co. “Having a location in
Texas will provide a logistical ad-
vantage beyond our original reach.”
Barry Adamski, president and
COO at Lawton Standard Co.,
added, “Many jobs will be main-
tained or restored in Houston.
The users and buyers of compat-
ible castings will have additional
options, and we continue to grow
our business, a nice set of wins.
Our team there, including new site
manager Dennis Michels, transi-
tion manager Devin Galimore, and
many others from both organiza-
tions, has me really excited about
the prospects.”
The former QESC was formed
in 1948 as a privately held corpo-
ration. Over the years, it grew its
capacity from 35 tons per month to
over 1,000. It comprises 250,000 sq.
ft. across 26 acres. CS
 AFSRESOURCE

The American Foundry Society offers a wealth of information on casting design and purchasing not found anywhere
else. All the publications and online learning modules listed in these pages are available for purchase at
www.afsinc.org/estore.

PUBLICATIONS

2021 CASTING IMPROVING THE

SOURCE DIRECTORY EFFECTIVENESS OF
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try’s reference book of Written by quality
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based on his first-hand
experience in examining
IRON CASTINGS different methods of im-
ENGINEERING proving visual inspection
HANDBOOK procedures to minimize
Retail Price: $200.00 and/or eliminate quality
Member Price: $150.00 issues in manufactured
A must for profession- products.
als and students who are
familiar with or continue
to study the irons used to PRINCIPLES OF
make castings for a METAL CASTING
variety of use in our Retail Price: $104.00
everyday lives. Member Price: $83.00
The definitive met-
alcasting resource—
CASTING fully updated. Written
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Member Price: $30.00 Metal Casting, Third Edi-
For buyers, designers, tion, addresses the latest
engineers, specifiers, advances in the field.
producers, and users of
castings.

METALCASTING
PRINCIPLES
METALCASTING & TECHNIQUES
DICTIONARY, Retail Price: $200.00
Member Price: $150.00
3RD EDITION This textbook is com-
Retail Price: $50.00
prised of teaching and
DOWNLOAD
lecture material de-
Clear definitions are writ-
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ten in common termi-
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nology. The two-column
level as part of manu-
format makes it easier
facturing/metallurgical
to search for informa-
curriculum.
tion and cross-reference
terminology.

JAN/FEB 2022 | CASTING SOURCE | 41

AFSRESOURCE
E-LEARNING MODULES (Retail price for all modules is $100 each. Member price is $50.)
3D SAND PRINTING BENEFITS
This module compares the 3D
sand printing process with the
traditional sand casting process and
identifies the advantages of additive
manufacturing, including cost and
time implications. (0.1 CEU)
3D SAND PRINTING
PROCESS AND
TERMINOLOGY
This module defines and identi-
fies the different types of additive
manufacturing (AM).
(0.1 CEU)
ALUMINUM
CASTING ALLOYS
In this module, the various me-
chanical and physical properties of
aluminum that make it the casting
alloy of choice are defined.
(0.1 CEU)
ALUMINUM CASTING
APPLICATIONS
This module identifies the proper-
ties that should be considered in
the selection of an aluminum alloy
and briefly reviews the aluminum
alloy family characteristics that
make them suitable for general
casting applications. (0.1 CEU)
42 | CASTING SOURCE | JAN/FEB 2022
ALUMINUM CASTING
DEFECTS: GAS POROSITY
AND SHRINKAGE POROSITY
The difference between gas poros-
ity and shrinkage porosity is ex-
amined in this module along with
causes and the methods to control
them. (0.1 CEU)
CAST IRON DEFECTS:
SOLIDIFICATION
SHRINKAGE IN
GRAY CAST IRON
The focus of this module is on the
factors that affect solidification
shrinkage in gray iron. (0.1 CEU)
ELEMENTS IN CAST IRON
The role of carbon, silicon, and
alloying elements in cast iron is ex-
plored in this module. (0.1 CEU)
INTRODUCTION TO CAST
IRON HEAT TREATMENTS
This module examines the reasons
cast iron metalcasting facilities
heat treat their castings.
(0.1 CEU)
SIX FAMILIES OF CAST IRON
This module explores the
designation systems and details of
each of the six families of cast iron.
(0.1 CEU)
CAST IRON DEFECTS:
SOLIDIFICATION SHRINKAGE
IN DUCTILE CAST IRON
In this module, the focus will be on
the factors that affect solidification
shrinkage in ductile iron.
(0.1 CEU)
INTRODUCTION TO
CASTING DEFECT ANALYSIS
This module is divided into three
parts. Part 1 of this module is an
introduction to Metro Metalcast-
ing, Inc. (a fictional company) that
is experiencing a high percentage of
casting defects.
In Part 2, the seven categories of
casting defects are described and
participants will become famil-
iar with the “International Atlas
of Casting Defects.” In Part 3,
participants will learn how to use
the 10-Step Procedure to resolve a
casting defect. (0.3 CEU)
SAND RELATED DEFECTS
The sand molding process and the
four types of sand casting methods
are identified in this module.
(0.2 CEU)
SHRINK
RELATED DEFECTS
In this module, shrinkage and the
different types of shrink-related
defects are identified.
(0.1 CEU)
CASTING DEFECT
ANALYSIS PRACTICE
AND CONCLUSION
This module focuses on the practice
of using the 10-Step Procedure
to analyze a casting defect. This
module is the culmination of the
previous five modules.
(0.1 CEU)

INTRODUCTION TO
GREEN SAND DEFECTS
In this module, the visual inspec-
tion and physical properties needed
to look at green sand defects are
identified. (0.1 CEU)
COPPER CASTING ALLOYS
The Unified Numbering System
(UNS) of copper is explored in
this module; the different types
of copper alloys and the different
alloying elements in copper cast-
ings are identified. (0.1 CEU)
COPPER CASTING
APPLICATIONS
This module explores the numerous
mechanical and physical proper-
ties of copper alloys, the details of
the different copper families, and
use that information to choose the
specific copper alloy for three real-
world examples. (0.1 CEU)
COPPER CASTING
DEFECTS: SHRINKAGE
In this module, shrinkage porosity
is defined and various shrinkage
porosity characteristics and classifi-
cations will be identified (e.g., size,
distribution, location, and perfor-
mance). (0.1 CEU)
COPPER CASTING
DEFECTS: GATING
This module focuses on gating-
specific defects that occur in
copper castings. This module
also defines what a gating system
is and common terms related to
gating. Basic principles of solidi-
fication and shrinkage are also
discussed. (0.1 CEU)
BIG PICTURE OF THE
CASTING PROCESS
This module identifies the primary
casting processes and post-casting
production processes that occur in a
metalcasting facility. (0.2 CEU)
CASTING DESIGN FOR
CASTABILITY
This module focuses on how to
choose an appropriate casting
process based on the complexity
and manufacturability of a part.
(0.1 CEU)
CASTING MATERIAL
PROPERTIES
This module covers the following
topics: heat flow and cooling rates,
mold materials and methods, voids,
and irregularities, and postcasting
treatments. (0.2 CEU)
TYPES OF CASTING TOOLING
This module explores the differ-
ent types of tooling used in the
metalcasting industry: permanent
mold tooling, sand mold tooling,
and investment pattern tooling.
(0.1 CEU)
COLDBOX COREMAKING
PROCESS
In this module, the coldbox core-
making process, related terminolo-
gy, and the benefits/factors to using
the coldbox process are identified.
(0.1 CEU)
GREEN SAND
MOLDING PROCESS
This module identifies the com-
ponents needed to make a green
sand mold and explains how to
make a quality green sand mold.
Several molding processes are
discussed along with the topic of
venting. (0.1 CEU)
LOST FOAM BASICS
The basics of the lost foam pro-
cess are discussed in this module.
Terminology, the casting process,
and properties of the lost foam
casting process are also addressed.
(0.1 CEU)
JAN/FEB 2022 | CASTING SOURCE |
AFSRESOURCE
LOST FOAM DESIGN FOR
ALUMINUM CASTINGS
This module reviews the benefits
and identifies the design challenges
regarding foam, coating, and glue
considerations. (0.1 CEU)
NOBAKE MOLD AND
CORE DEFECTS
This module explores the vari-
ous defects that occur in nobake
molds and cores, such as slow
cure defects, low strength or poor
scratch defects, and lamination
defects. The nine areas of quality
control that must be addressed
are identified. (0.1 CEU)
NOBAKE MOLDS AND
CORE PROCESS
This module explains the rea-
sons for using nobake molds,
along with the basic terminology
regarding the nobake process.
The importance of work time
and strip time and the need for
production consistency in tem-
perature and time is discussed.
(0.1 CEU)
PERMANENT MOLD
CASTING PROCESS
This module will define the per-
manent mold casting process and
identify the four steps of the casting
process: preparation, filling, solidifi-
cation, and ejection. (0.1 CEU)
PURCHASING CASTINGS:
CREATE THE RELATIONSHIP
This module defines the purchasing
casting process from the perspective
of a new buyer-supplier relation-
ship. This process includes the fol-
lowing segments: pre-procurement,
supplier information gathering,
supplier analysis, and supplier rela-
tionship. (0.1 CEU)
43
AFSRESOURCE
PURCHASING CASTINGS:
GROW THE RELATIONSHIP
This module reviews the benefits
of growing the relationship be-
tween a purchasing casting buyer
and casting supplier. This module
also reviews the ways suppliers
can impact a buying organization
and discusses ways that both buy-
ers and supplier can grow their
relationship. (0.1 CEU)
PURCHASING CASTINGS:
MAINTAIN THE RELATIONSHIP
This module discusses maintain-
ing the purchasing casting buyer-
supplier relationship and key ter-
minology regarding maintaining
the relationship. By attempting to
understand the terms of the rela-
tionship between buyer and seller,
you gain a greater insight into the
basic workings of the economy.
(0.1 CEU)
44 | CASTING SOURCE | JAN/FEB 2022
STEEL CASTING ALLOYS
This module explores how
steel is made and identifies the
differences between cast iron
and steel. The different steel
alloy types and properties are
explained. (0.1 CEU)
STEEL CASTING DEFECTS:
SHRINKAGE
In this module, the two types
of steel shrinkage defects,
macro and micro shrinkage
porosity (voids), are explored.
This module also identifies
control measures to reduce or
eliminate shrinkage defects.
(0.1 CEU)
INTRODUCTION TO
STEEL HEAT TREATMENTS
In this module, steel heat
treatment is defined and the
basic steps to heat treating
steel are identified. The fol-
lowing heat treatment tech-
niques are introduced: an-
nealing, normalizing, quench-
ing, tempering, austempering,
precipitation hardening,
solution treating, and stress
relieving. (0.1 CEU)
STEEL CASTING DEFECTS:
OXIDES AND INCLUSIONS
This module will explore ox-
ides and inclusions that affect
steel castings. This module
will review the source of each
of these defects and mea-
sures to take to control these
defects.(0.1 CEU).
 ADINDEX

COMPANY PAGE PHONE FAX EMAIL/WEB SITE CONTACT

Charlotte Pipe &

Foundry Co. 9 704-348-5528 800-553-1605 ecooper@charlottepipe.com Elton Cooperc

Farrar Corp. 15 800-536-2215 www.farrarusa.com Gregg Farrar

Frazer &
Jones Co. 15 315-468-6251 315-468-3676 salesandinfo@frazerandjones.com James Murray
Hoosier
Pattern, Inc. 12 260-724-9430 260-724-9433 www.hoosierpattern.com Customer Service

Humtown
Products 7 330-482-5555 330-482-9307 www.humtown.com Customer Service

LAEMPE REICH 48 205-655-2121 205-655-2123 contactus@reichcompanies.com Jarek Olszak

Magma Foundry
Technologies, Inc. 14 847-969-1001 847-969-1003 info@magmasoft.com Steve Sikorski

Osco Industries 8 740-354-0371 www.oscoind.com T. Kayser

Product
Development &
Analysis LLC 44 630-505-8801 630-585-3006 info@PDA-LLC.com Customer Service

Richmond
Industries 11 732-355-1616 732-355-1617 sales@richmond-industries.com Customer Service

Standard
Manufacturers 47 888-956-6301 204-661-4613 www.standardmanufacturers.com Customer Service

Waupaca
Foundry Co. 2 715-258-6611 715-258-6731 www.waupacafoundry.com Customer Service

Design &
Buy Resources 41

ADVERTISING OPTIONS
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reaching an audience of buyers, designers and end users
of metal castings. Today, industry leaders engage with
Casting Source in many different ways. Choose the plat-
forms that fit your strategy best!

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dkathe@afsinc.org fabio@afsinc.org

JAN/FEB 2022 | CASTING SOURCE | 45


BRONZE-KISSED BELL
The Verdin Company (Cincinnati,
Ohio) designed, cast, and installed a
bronze bell made in the iconic shape
of a Hershey’s Chocolate “Kiss.”
The bell is mounted in a red brick
tower connected to Hersheypark’s
Chocolatetown building in Hershey,
Pennsylvania—the amusement park
is a leading destination for school
fields trips and tourists alike. The
175-year-old bell and clock maker—
one of only a few bell foundries in
the world—partnered with nearby
Cincinnati Inc., which created a 3D-
printed mold pattern for the project
46 | CASTING SOURCE | JAN/FEB 2022
OUT
SHAKE
on a Big Area Additive Manufactur-
ing (BAAM) machine. The pattern
was printed with a carbon fiber
ABS material and required a toler-
ance of ±0.010 inch, reported Brent
Donaldson, senior editor, Additive
Manufacturing Media.
Employing 3D printing for this
application of sand casting was a
cost- and labor-saving achievement.
Verdin’s usual modus operandi of
creating expensive permanent mold
patterns in cast aluminum carries the
risk of errors that lead to scrapped
patterns and elongated lead times.
According to Donaldson’s interviews,
the volume of 6061-aluminum alloy
for a permanent pattern would have
cost almost $20,000 compared to just
$700 for the carbon fiber used for
the printed pattern. And pattern lead
time shrank from over two months
to a mere five hours.
For proprietary tuning reasons,
Verdin casts bells upside down,
and the Kiss bell was no exception;
concerns about supports required for
the bell pattern’s inner cavity likewise
drove the decision to print the bell
mold pattern upside down, too. CS
 I!

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USA I 763.780.5213
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