2012 Issue 334

The Ductile Iron News
To Promote the production and application of ductile iron castings
Ductile Iron News - Issue 3, 2012
FEATURES
2012 FALL MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
Speaker Bios - AM Session
Iron Control in a Large Induction Melt

Foundry - Brandon Reneau
Cast, Clean, and Make Money - Gene

Muratore
Observations for Management on Iron

Foundry Safety Statistics - Ted Schorn
Introduction to THORS - The Online

Learning Resource - Al Alagarsamy &
John Mirka
Speaker Bios - PM Session

Melt Yard and Deck Basics - Larry Helm
Optimizing Magnesium Recovery - Brian

Johnson
New Developments in Binders & Coatings
for DI - Doug Trinowski
Blending Optimization in the DI Industry Peter Moulder
D EPARTMENTS
News Briefs
Back Issues
Issue 3, 2012
Mark your calendars for the 5th Keith Millis Symposium Oct. 14-17, 2013
The Fall Technical and Operating meeting of the Ductile Iron Society was held on October 2426, 2012 at the Embassy Suites in East Peoria, Illinois. The Wednesday started off with the
Research Committee meeting and with a record of 46 members attending. More information
can be found by visiting the Research Committee on the DIS website. In the afternoon all the
other Operating Committee meetings were held including the Board of Directors meeting.
The first day was concluded with our reception.
On the second day, the attendees were presented with 9 different speakers and a panel of 4
speakers on, Back to Basic Melt Shop. You can find out more about each presentation and
the panel presentations by clicking on the topic/speaker on the menu on the left hand side of
this page. At the banquet that evening, the proceedings were hosted by the Ductile Iron
Societys President, Patricio Gil.
DIS Home Page
Patricio Gil, CEO of Blackhawk Foundry de Mexico
The attendance for the Fall meeting was 152. This was a record for the last 10 years.
Thanks to all members and guests for attending and making this a very successful meeting.
Patricio then introduced our guests for this meeting. David Champagne, Steve Niekamp and
Jim Stubbs of Midwest Foundry (Minster Machine) of Ohio, Matt Sharifi, Dale Wells and Jim
OBrian of Ariel Corporation of Ohio, Kurt Larsen of ARG from Denmark, Stephen Kamykowski
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and Kyle Rabine of Brillion Iron Works of Wisconsin, Sean Betty and Terry Oldfield from VAE
Nortrak of Illinois, Martin Deters of Tenneco, Bill Weller of Ajax Tocco, and Jim Hauska of
Foundry Support Operations, Inc.
After the meeting concluded, Midwest Foundry joined as a Foundry member and Ariel
Corporation joined as a Research Patron.
Along with these guests we also had Ross Rosmait (FEF Key Professor) and Jacob Lehman
(Asst. Professor) of Pittsburg State University and 6 students who were Brennon Holenda, Jon
McPherson, Shawn Moody, Chad Morrell, Josh McLennan and Macon McNair attend our
meeting as student guests. Along with these students we had 2 students from the University
of Northern Iowa and they were Coleman Housman and Matthew Wason.
From l to r, Shawn Moody(Pittsburg State) Brennon

Holenda(Pittsburg State) Matthew Wason(Northern Iowa)
Coleman Housman(Northern Iowa) Jon
McPherson(Pittsburg State) Macon McNair(Pittsburg
State) Chad Morrell(Pittsburg State) Josh
McLennan(Pittsburg State)
Patricio then introduced all the new members that joined the DIS since our last meeting in
June 2012 in Muskegon, MI. Re-joining the DIS was Cifunsa Del Bajio and representing them
to receive their new membership certificate was Alberto Pinones along with Teo Quintero
and Daniel Gomez Ballesteros. Also joining the DIS as new members were Pacific Alloy
Castings Company from California, Associate member Cobra Trading represented by Kevin
Dykstra and Ryan Hoefler, Associate member Snam Alloys from India and Associate member
Rex Heat Treat represented by Mel Ostrander.
Next Patricio asked Gene Muratore of Rio Tinto to come to the front and present each
speaker with a token of appreciation for volunteering to speak to our group. Gene then asked
each speaker from the morning session to come to the front of the room to receive their gift.
Doug Trinowski of HA International spoke on, New Developments in Binders & Coatings for
Ductile Iron.
Doug Trinowski of HA International & Gene
Guy-Roger Nauroy of FerroPem who spoke on, Long term Price Evolution on Silicon Based
Alloys.
Guy-Roger Nauroy of FerroPem
Ted Schorn of Enkei America, Inc. who spoke on, Observations for Management on Iron
Foundry Safety Statistics.
Ted Schorn of Enkei America, Inc. & Gene
Al Alagarsamy, DIS Consultant and John Mirka of Thors who spoke on, Thors The Online
Learning Resource.
Al Alagarsamy DIS Consultant & Gene John Mirka of Thors & Gene
Brian Johnson of Hickman Williams & Company who spoke on, Optimizing Magnesium
Recovery.
Brian Johnson of Hickman Williams & Company & Gene
Then Patricio invited Kathy Hayrynen of Applied Process to present our DIS gift to the
afternoon speakers. Thanks go out to both Kathy and Gene for volunteering to act as our
morning and afternoon technical chair persons.
Gene Muratore of Rio Tinto who spoke on, Cast, Clean and Make Money.
Gene Muratore of Rio Tinto
Eli David of Globe Metallurgical Sales, Inc. who spoke on, Production and Use of Ferro Silicon
Alloys.
Eli David of Globe Metallurgical Sales, Inc. and Kathy
Then the speakers who participated in the panel on Back to Basic Melt Shop.
Larry Helm of Seneca Foundry
Kyle Anderson of Waupaca Foundry & Kathy
Brandon Reneau of Caterpillar, Inc. & Kathy
Dan Webb of Progress Rail & Kathy
Peter Moulder of Management Sciences Associates, Inc. who spoke on Reduction in Material
Costs in a Ductile Iron Melting/Foundry Environment: Promises & Observations.
Peter Moulder of Management Sciences Associates, Inc.
Patricio then finished off the proceedings of the banquet by asking the Plant Manager of
Caterpillars Foundry operation in Mapleton, IL to come to front of the group and give them a
brief presentation on the history of the plant and safety guidelines for the tour that the group
will go on the next morning.
Gary Bevilacqua of Caterpillar Inc.
The Ductile Iron Society wishes to extend our appreciation and gratitude for hosting the plant
tour on the final day. Thanks especially go out to Brandon Reneau for organizing the
arrangements for the tour. We also would like to thank Gary and the many folks at
Caterpillar who volunteered to host and act as tour guides.
Please mark your calendars for our next Ductile Iron Societys Annual meeting will be held on
June 5-7, 2013 at the Westin Indianapolis with a tour of Pure Power Technologies
Metalcasting Group in Indianapolis, IN. Please check the DIS website at www.ductile.org for
more details. Also the Ductile Iron Society will hold a Production Seminar in late March, 2013
in Mexico and March 5-6, 2013 in Chicago, IL. Again, check the DIS website for more details.
The Ductile Iron Society would also like to acknowledge those folks who make the meetings
run smoothly and volunteer their time to the operation of the DIS.
Pete Guidi of Hitachi Metals Automotive Comp USA DIS Treasurer
Susie Lambert & Jim Wood
Bruce Blatzer
THE FEF COLLEGE INDUSTRY CONFERENCE 2012
The FEF College Industry Conference was recently held at the Westin Michigan Avenue
in Chicago. Over 280 industry executives (including nine FEF Past Presidents), student
delegates, key professors and university administrators were in attendance this year.
The conference began on Thursday, November 15, with the Career Information
Session which gave 81 student delegates the opportunity to interact with
representatives of 43 companies in the metal casting industry. The Information
Session and social time before and after the event is structured to facilitate the
sharing of job opportunities and to connect students to potential employers in the
industry.
During the General Session on Friday, the following speakers shared their vast
experiences in the metal casting industry: Dwight Barnhard (Superior Aluminum
Castings), Mo Lynn (Fairmount Minerals), and John Keough (Applied Process).
The FEF/AFS Distinguished Professor Award was given to FEF Key Professor, Scott
Giese, University of Northern Iowa, in recognition of his demonstrated personal
interest in his students, as well as his knowledge of the industry. As part of the
luncheon this year, the Student Delegate scholarships were presented (see next page
for complete list) - 20 students were awarded a total of $44,500.00. Additionally, the
Keith Millis and Ron Ruddle scholarship recipients were announced, as well as the
recipient of the first William Allan Hunter Scholarship.
At the Annual Reception on the evening of November 16, FEF's highest award, the E.J.
Walsh Award, was presented to longtime FEF Board Member & Treasurer, Rob Steele.
Next year's conference will be help on November 21 & 22 at the Westin Michigan
Avenue in Chicago. Plan now to attend this exciting event!
CIC Student Delegate Scholarships-November 16, 2012
AFS Detroit-Windsor-George Booth Schol. - Andrew Miko - Michigan Tech

AFS-Saginaw Valley Scholarship - Lawrence Hengesbach - Western Michigan
AFS Southwestern Ohio Scholarship - Colin Galey - Case Western Reserve
Ron & Glenn Birtwistle Mem. Scholarship - Steven Brown - Pittsburg State
Ron & Glenn Birtwistle Mem. Scholarship - Mary Seals - Virginia Tech
Donald Brunner Scholarship-ThyssenKrupp Waupaca - David Kalchbrenner - Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Paul Carey Memorial Scholarship - Jeremiah Hardwick - Trine University
Clifford Chier-Badger Mining Corp. - John Anderson-Wisconsin-Platteville
Wm. E. Conway Scholarship-Fairmount Minerals - Austin DePottey - Michigan Tech
Tony & Elda Dorfmueller Scholarship - Jose Saucedo - Inst. Tecnologico de Saltillo
John Deere Scholarship - Justyna Baginska - Penn State
Richard Frazier Scholarship - Foster Webb - Trine University
Loper Award - Shawn Moody - Pittsburg State
Modern Casting Scholarship - Shawn McKinney - Virginia Tech
Chester V. Nass Memorial Scholarship - Melissa Wright - Michigan Tech
Robert W. Reesman Mem. Scholarship - Laura Kraus - Missouri Univ. of Science & Tech.
MAGMA Scholarship-John Svoboda - Alicia Steele - Michigan Tech
Gary Thoe Scholarship-ThyssenKrupp Waupaca - Nicholas Dixon - Western Michigan
Ray Witt Memorial Scholarship - John Pischak - Missouri Univ. of Science & Tech.
Robert V. Wolf Mem. Scholarship - Jennifer DeHaven - Missouri Univ.of Science & Tech.
Special Scholarships
Keith D. Millis Scholarship - Brennon Holenda - Pittsburg State
Keith D. Millis Scholarship - Eric Nixon - Trine University
Keith D. Millis Scholarship - Coleman Housman - Univ. of Northern Iowa
Keith D. Millis Scholarship - Christopher Slinger - Wisconsin-Platteville
Ron Ruddle Scholarship - Andrew Oman - Western Michigan
William Allan Hunter Mem. Scholarship - Brett Hunter - Univ. of Alabama
Patricio Gil (DIS President), Brennon Holenda (Pittsburg State University) & Jim Wood (DIS Executive Director)
Patricio Gil, Coleman Housman (University of Northern Iowa) & Jim Wood
We would also like to acknowledge Eric Nixon of Trine University and Christopher Slinger of
Wisconsin-Platteville who were not in attendance to receive their scholarships.
Jim Wood
DIS Executive Director
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Located in Strongsville, Ohio, USA

15400 Pearl Road, Suite 234; Strongsville,Ohio 44136
Billing Address: 2802 Fisher Road, Columbus, Ohio 43204
Phone (440) 665-3686; Fax (440) 878-0070
email:jwood@ductile.org
Issue 3, 2012
FEATURES



Johnson

Muratore


John Mirka
D EPARTMENTS
Speaker Bios
October 25, Morning

Session
News Briefs
Back Issues
DIS Home Page
Gene Muratore - Session Chair

DOUG TRINOWSKI
DOUG IS A DEGREED CHEMIST AND BRINGS OVER 30 YEARS OF FOUNDRY AND PHENOLIC
RESIN TECHNICAL EXPERTISE. DOUG IS CURRENTLY THE VP OF TECHNOLOGY FOR HA
INTERNATIONAL. IN THIS ROLE, DOUG LEADS ALL RESEARCH AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
FOR FOUNDRY RESINS, REFRACTORY AND LOST FOAM COATINGS AND AUXILIARY
MATERIALS. HIS CAREER STARTED AT QC CHEMICALS FORMERLY THE QUAKER OATS
COMPANY IN 1976. HE THEN JOINED DELTA-HA IN 1989 AS A TECHNICAL SALES
REPRESENTATIVE. DOUG IS ACTIVE IN THE AFS AND IS CURRENTLY CHAIR OF DIVISION
COUNCIL. IN ADDITION, HE IS A PAST CHAIR AND DIRECTOR OF THE CAST METALS INSTITUTE.
HE IS ALSO A TWO TERM PAST CHAIR OF THE DETROIT-WINDSOR AFS CHAPTER. DOUG HAS
BEEN HONORED TO RECEIVE AN AFS SERVICE CITATION AND AWARD OF SCIENTIFIC MERIT. HE
ALSO SERVES ON THE ADVISORY BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR THE METAL CASTING CENTER,
DEPARTMENT OF TECHNOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA IN CEDAR FALLS,
IOWA. DOUG HAS JUST ACCEPTED THE POSITION OF GLOBAL DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH &
DEVELOPMENT FOR HUTTENES-ALBERTUS BASED IN DUSSELDORF, GERMANY.
GUY-ROGER NAUROY
GUY IS CURRENTLY FERROPEMS FOUNDRY SALES MANAGER OUT OF FRANCE. HE IS
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SALES OF INOCULANTS, NODULARISERS, FOUNDRY CORED WIRE
WORLDWIDE FROM 2 FRENCH PLANTS AND ONE SOUTH AFRICAN ONE. GUY HAS BEEN
WORKING FOR FERROPEM FORMERLY PECHINEY ELECTROMETALLURGIE FOR THE PAST 30
YEARS. HE WAS INITIALLY THE PRODUCTION ENGINEER IN 4 DIFFERENT FERROSILICON,
INOCULANTS AND SILICON PLANTS. HE THEN BECAME THE MANAGER OF A SILICON PLANT,
THEN IT MANAGER DURING THE MERGER WITH FERROATLANTICA. GUY HAS HELD HIS
CURRENTLY POSITION SINCE 2007.
TED SCHORN
TED HAS RESPONSIBILITY FOR QUALITY FOR THE NORTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS OF ENKEI
CORPORATION, THE WORLDS LARGEST PRODUCER OF CAST ALUMINUM ROAD WHEELS. HE
HAS WORKED IN VARIOUS QUALITY AND MANUFACTURING POSITIONS FOR NEARLY 30 YEARS,
THE LAST 23 WITH ENKEI. TED IS ACTIVE WITHIN THE TECHNICAL COMMITTEE STRUCTURE OF
AFS, HAVING SERVED AS DIVISION COUNCIL, ENGINEERING DIVISION AND QUALITY SYSTEMS
file:///C|/WEBSHARE/062013/magazine/2012_3/speakerbios2.htm[7/3/2013 12:13:09 PM]
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE CHAIR. HE HAS EARNED NUMEROUS AWARDS FROM AFS INCLUDING
THE AWARD OF SCIENTIFIC MERIT, TWO RAY WITT AWARDS AND WAS THE 2005 HOYT
MEMORIAL LECTURER. TED CURRENTLY SERVES ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF AFS. HE
HAS WRITTEN SCORES OF TECHNICAL PAPERS AND IS A FREQUENT CONFERENCE SPEAKER.
1 ST AL ALAGARSAMY
AL IS WELL KNOWN AMONG THE DIS PARTICIPANTS. HE HAS BEEN INVOLVED WITH IRON
FOUNDRIES FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS AND HAS WORKED WITH THREE MAJOR FOUNDRY
GROUPS IN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FUNCTIONS. PRESENTLY, HE CONTINUES TO
WORK AS A CONSULTANT TO FOUNDRIES AND CASTING USERS ALIKE. HE HAS SERVED AS
RESEARCH COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN AT AFS AND DIS. HE HAS DEVELOPED TRAINING
MATERIALS FOR THE IRON FOUNDRIES IN AREAS OF METALLURGY, SAND CONTROL, CASTING
DEFECTS, ETC. HE IS WELL-RECOGNIZED IN THE DUCTILE IRON INDUSTRY AND RESEARCH
INSTITUTIONS. HIS EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND INCLUDES BACHELORS OF ENGINEERING IN
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AND A MASTERS IN FOUNDRY SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING.
2 ND JOHN MIRKA
THE THORS WEBSITE WILL BE DEMONSTRATED BY JOHN. JOHN HAS BEEN WITH THE THORS
TEAM SINCE FEBRUARY 2012 SELLING TO OEMS AND SUPPLIERS. JOHN ALSO HAS AN ACTIVE
ROLE IN TRAINING THORS USERS.
BRIAN JOHNSON
BRIAN RECEIVED A BACHELORS OF SCIENCE IN METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING FROM THE
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON IN 1998. HE WORKED FOR GREDE FOUNDRIES IN
REEDSBURG, WI WHERE HE WAS PLANT METALLURGIST FOR 4 YEARS, ELECTRIC MELT
SUPERINTENDENT FOR 4 YEARS AND TECHNICAL SERVICES MANAGER FOR 4 YEARS. HE HAS
SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE WITH COVERED TUNDISH LADLES, PURE MAG CONVERTERS, ELECTRIC
MELT, CUPOLA MELT, PRESSURE POUR FURNACES, HORIZONTAL MOLDING AND VERTICAL
MOLDING. TWO YEARS AGO HE JOINED HICKMAN WILLIAMS AND COMPANY AS TECHNICAL
SUPPORT FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS AND SALES PEOPLE.
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Phone (440) 665-3686; Fax (440) 878-0070
Issue 3, 2012
FEATURES
Speaker Bios

Kathy Hayrynen - Session Chair

EUGENE MURATORE

Johnson
Muratore
John Mirka
D EPARTMENTS
October 25, Afternoon Session
News Briefs
Back Issues
DIS Home Page
GENE GRADUATED FROM CASE WESTERN UNIVERSITY IN 1970 WITH A BACHELOR OF

SCIENCE IN METALLURGY. GENE SPENT THE NEXT 20 YEARS AS AN OPERATING
METALLURGIST FOR THREE FOUNDRIES IN THE PRODUCTION OF GRAY AND DUCTILE
IRON CASTINGS. GENE HAS BEEN THE SENIOR FOUNDRY METALLURGIST FOR RIO TINTO
IRON & TITANIUM SINCE APRIL OF 1991. AS SUCH, GENE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR
TECHNICAL SERVICE TO THE US, CANADA, MEXICO AND PARTS OF ASIA. GENE IS ACTIVE
ON 6 AFS TECHNICAL COMMITTEES, A BOARD MEMBER OF THE CHICAGO CHAPTER OF
THE AFS, AND A MEMBER OF THE AFS RESEARCH BOARD. IN ADDITION, GENE IS ALSO
ACTIVE WITHIN THE TECHNICAL STRUCTURE OF THE DIS AND 2 TERM PAST BOARD
MEMBER.
ELI DAVID
ELI GRADUATED FROM THE ISRAEL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY WITH HIS BACHELORS
DEGREE IN MATERIALS ENGINEERING AND KENT STATE UNIVERSITY WITH HIS MASTERS
OF BUSINESS IN FINANCE. ELI STARTED HIS FOUNDRY CAREER AT THE QUALITY
CASTINGS COMPANY IN ORVILLE, OHIO AS CHIEF METALLURGIST AND TECHNICAL
DIRECTOR, WHERE HE WAS EMPLOYED FOR SLIGHTLY OVER 10 YEARS BETWEEN 1979
AND 1989. THIS POSITION PROVIDED EXTENSIVE EXPOSURE TO MANUFACTURING,
METALLURGICAL AND QUALITY ASPECTS OF PRODUCTION OF GRAY, DUCTILE AND
MAGNESIUM CASTINGS. ELI IS CURRENTLY AND FOR THE LAST 8 YEARS HAS BEEN
EMPLOYED BY GLOBE METALLURGICAL INC. AS GENERAL MANAGER FOR FOUNDRY
PRODUCTS. PRIOR TO THIS POSITION ELI WAS TECHNICAL MANAGER FOR GLOBE
BETWEEN 1989 AND 2003. HE HAS MADE NUMEROUS PRESENTATIONS AT AFS AND DIS
MEETINGS ON VARIOUS METALLURGICAL AND OTHER CAST IRON FOUNDRY RELATED
TOPICS. ELI HOLDS A PATENT AS CO-INVENTOR OF THE FLEXIPOR PROCESS (AN INMOLD
TREATMENT METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF DUCTILE IRON)
BACK TO BASIC MELT SHOP PANEL
LARRY HELM
LARRY GRADUATED FROM THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY WITH HIS BACHELOR OF
SCIENCE IN METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING. HE IS ALSO A FEF SCHOLARSHIP HOLDER.
HE THEN RECEIVED HIS MASTERS DEGREE IN INDUSTRIAL MANAGEMENT FROM
LYNCHBURG COLLEGE. HE HAS WORKED IN A VARIETY OF POSITIONS FOR ELYRIA
FOUNDRY, LYNCHBURG/INTERMET CORPORATION, BLACKHAWK FOUNDRY AND IS
CURRENTLY QUALITY MANAGER WITH SENECA FOUNDRY. HOLDS CERTIFICATIONS OF
CERTIFIED QUALITY ENGINEER AND CERTIFIED QUALITY AUDITOR FROM ASQ. HE IS A
PAST CHAIRMAN OF THE AFS CAST IRON DIVISION #5 AND A RECIPIENT OF THE AFS
SERVICE CITATION. LARRY HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE FOUNDRY INDUSTRY FOR THE
LAST 41 YEARS.
KYLE ANDERSON
KYLE GRADUATED FROM MICHIGAN TECH IN 2011 WITH A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
DEGREE IN MATERIALS SCIENCE. HE IS CURRENTLY WORKING AS A METALLURGIST AT
WAUPACA FOUNDRYS PLANT 4 IN MARINETTE, WI.
BRANDON RENEAU
BRANDON GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI ROLLA WITH A
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING. HE HAS WORKED FOR
INTERMET FOUNDRY IN DECATUR, IL FOR 4 YEARS, AND THEN INTERMET FOUNDRY IN
HAVANA FOR 4 YEARS AND CURRENTLY THE PLANT METALLURGIST AND MELTING
GROUP MANAGER AT CATERPILLAR MAPLETON FOUNDRY FOR THE LAST 8 YEARS.
BRANDON IS A MEMBER OF THE 5R & 5P COMMITTEES AT THE AFS AND DIS RESEARCH
COMMITTEE VICE CHAIRMAN. HE HAS BEEN A PROACTIVE SUPPORTER OF AFS AND DIS
RESEARCH BY CASTING SAMPLES AT CAT.
DAN WEBB
DAN GRADUATED FROM AURORA UNIVERSITY WITH HIS BACHELORS DEGREE IN
ORGANIZATIONAL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT THEN HIS ASSOCIATES DEGREE IN
AGRICULTURE BUSINESS MANAGEMENT FROM ILLINOIS CENTRAL COLLEGE AND AN
ASSOCIATES DEGREE IN APPLIED SCIENCES FROM ILLINOIS CENTRAL COLLEGE. DAN IS
CURRENTLY THE ACCOUNT MANAGER AT PROGRESS RAIL WHICH IS A WHOLLY OWNED
SUBSIDIARY OF CATERPILLAR.
PETER MOULDER
PETER HAS AN UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME. HE
ALSO OBTAINED HIS MASTERS DEGREE FROM THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN

WASHINGTON, DC. PETER IS CURRENTLY IS AN ACCOUNT MANAGER WITH
MANAGEMENT SCIENCE ASSOCIATES IN PITTSBURGH, PA. PETERS ACTIVITIES INCLUDE
DEFINING THE APPLICATION OF TECHNOLOGY FOR THE RESOLUTION OF OPERATIONAL,
MATERIAL MANAGEMENT, AND ENERGY ISSUES FOR METALS COMPANIES THAT ARE IN
THE PRIMARY OR MELTING SECTION OF THE INDUSTRY. SPECIFIC AREAS OF EXPERTISE
INCLUDE MATERIAL OPTIMIZATION, PROCESS AUTOMATION AND INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY. HIS PRIME FOCUS NOW IS ASSISTING FOUNDRIES ACHIEVE BETTER AND
OPTIMAL USE OF RAW MATERIALS AND RAW MATERIAL PURCHASING. PETER HAS
BEEN A PARTICIPANT IN THIS INDUSTRY FOR THE LAST THIRTY YEARS. POSITIONS HAVE
INCLUDED SOFTWARE ENGINEERING, SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT,
CONSULTING, AND SALES AND MARKETING.
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FEATURES
Link to Presentation: Melt Yard and Deck Basics (Training Moments)


Johnson


Muratore


John Mirka
Issue 3, 2012
LARRY HELM
LARRY GRADUATED FROM THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY WITH HIS BACHELOR OF
SCIENCE IN METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING. HE IS ALSO A FEF SCHOLARSHIP HOLDER.
HE THEN RECEIVED HIS MASTERS DEGREE IN INDUSTRIAL MANAGEMENT FROM
LYNCHBURG COLLEGE. HE HAS WORKED IN A VARIETY OF POSITIONS FOR ELYRIA
FOUNDRY, LYNCHBURG/INTERMET CORPORATION, BLACKHAWK FOUNDRY AND IS
CURRENTLY QUALITY MANAGER WITH SENECA FOUNDRY. LARRY HOLDS
CERTIFICATIONS OF CERTIFIED QUALITY ENGINEER AND CERTIFIED QUALITY AUDITOR
FROM ASQ. HE IS A PAST CHAIRMAN OF THE AFS CAST IRON DIVISION #5 AND A
RECIPIENT OF THE AFS SERVICE CITATION. LARRY HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE
FOUNDRY INDUSTRY FOR THE LAST 41 YEARS.
D EPARTMENTS
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file:///C|/WEBSHARE/062013/magazine/2012_3/helm.htm[7/3/2013 12:13:10 PM]
Melt Yard and Deck Basics

(Training Moments)
Larry Helm
Seneca Foundry
We Bring Iron to Life
ABSTRACT
This article is a written version of a presentation made at the Ductile Iron Society Meeting held
in Peoria, IL on October 24-26, 2012. It contains basically three components: 1st a little about
who is Seneca Foundry, 2nd some information about melting and alloying practices employed at
Seneca; and 3rd some general observations gathered over the years on melting, alloying, and
general foundry topics.
WHO IS SENECA FOUNDRY

We are a family owned foundry located in North Central Iowa; that can trace our heritage as a
company back over 100 years. Metals poured include: Gray Iron grades G30, G35, and G40; Ductile Iron
grades D60, D65, D80, D100, and D120; along with Austempered and High Silicon-Moly Ductile Irons.
Molding entails: Green Sand a Hunter 10 to a turntable and a Hunter20 to pallet lines, weights 1-90#;
No-Bake weights up to 250#; and Lost Foam weights up to 100#. Core making consists of Shell, Cold Box,
and No-Bake. Heat treating in house is annealing and stress relieve, other is performed by outside
sources. Melting is by 2-2 ton medium frequency furnaces. Also included is Top Notch Tooling, a full
service pattern shop; and Gold Chip Machining, a casting machine shop.
IRON YARD
Our iron yard is very simple, one grade of steel, from one source (a back-up source is
available).Manganese content is a compromise for use in both Gray and Ductile iron. Many
foundries are not able to accomplish this and as a result will have piles of several grades in their
yards. For us it works well, and allows us to minimize our need for inventories and storage area.
In pig iron again only one grade is used (also from only one supplier), and is used only in Ductile
Iron to control Mn and other elements levels in our base iron. Our returns are stored in meal
tubs by iron type. Each gating system and riser is marked with the corresponding iron grade ex:
G30, D80, etc. and after blasting is placed into the metal tubs. Unlike in cupola melting returns
segregation for S control is very important in electric melting, so we work hard in keeping
materials properly separated. Which brings us to our first Universal Law.
MURPHYS LAW OF IRON YARDS

Beware, keep everything well marked and separated on the yard;
especially all grades of returns!
Nothing is worse than going looking for that special material that was put out onto the yard
the other day, and finding it gone; mixed into who knows whatever pile or charges. As
mentioned before all of our returns are blasted and then handled in tubs in the yard. We work
to keep sand, dirt, trash, non-ferrous material, and junk out of the iron yard. This leads to our
next law.
THE 1st LAW of ELECTRIC FURNACES

Metal is easier to melt than Slag.
Studies have been done showing that is takes several times the number of kilowatts of power
to melt 100# of slag as 100# of metal, thus anything that can be done to minimize non-metallics
in our melt yards, and thus our charges; improves the efficiency and cost effectiveness of our
electric melting operations. Cupolas are a different animal; there more dirt/sand can be
tolerated due to the slagging practice that is established in order to flux the surface of the
pieces of coke for maximum carbon and heat transfer. But even in cupolas if too much in the
way of this dirt and sand is added (especially going into mud in inclement weather) you can pay
a real penalty in chemistry and temperature control, along with excess flux and coke usage.
Bottom line, a cleaner charge is a better charge.
MELTING OPERATION
Our furnace linings are Silica with 1.0% Boron Oxide, thus on sintering in a lining with Ductile
Iron we will experience the B ferritizing effect on pearlitic grades. We try as much as possible to
sinter in on Gray Iron. As a bonus the higher Si content in the sinter also seems to start the
lining out better, with less overall wear and patching over its life. We will take a lining out after
35 to 45 heats, we tend to be conservative on this, but we also have outstanding coil life. If we
must sinter in on Ductile Iron, we definitely stay away from pouring D100 right after the sinter;
and even D80 if possible. If we have to go D80 we will over alloy with Mn for a period of time
(typically for 2 hours), to counteract the B effect. In our charge make-up all materials are
weighed against a designated recipe, and are dried out (not preheated) before charging.
The importance of precise material weights cannot be overstated. This gives us another law.
THE 2nd LAW of ELECTRIC FURNACES

What you put in, is what you get out!
Again cupolas are different. There in charge make-up you are looking at losses in certain
elements, such as Mn, Si, etc. This effect, along with the fact that various materials melt at
different levels in the stack, gives you a sine wave of chemistries. With a cupola you are always
looking at the center of the sine wave as your desired chemistry. But in electric melting these
losses dont occur. What you see is what you get. To me making charge make-up that much
more important in electric melting.
We use a heel melting practice, thus the drying of the charges mentioned earlier. Dont want
wet metallics being submerged in the bath. Molten iron and water dont mix well. Our initial
charge into the furnace is 3800# and we normally tap out 550# ladles. Thus we are only
changing 1/7 of the furnace on each tap/charge. This allows us pretty consistent chemistry
control. We will pour multiple metal grades in a day, utilizing change-over charges (one per
furnace) to go from Ductile to Gray, or from Hi-Sil-Moly to Gray. This brings up the cast iron
version of pour acid into water.
CAST IRON LAW of MIXING

Ductile can go into Gray, but not the reverse!
Ductile returns can mix into Gray iron allowing for extra alloys to be used. The reverse raises
the S content in the Ductile, undesirable. Ductile carbon raisers again OK, you will have to add
some S. The reverse is a disaster, just ask someone who did it! Even in ferrosilicons it is true.
What would happen if a Ti ferrosilicon, good in Gray Iron for certain conditions; got accidently
added to some Ductile? As a result we always refer to the Law of Mixing.
ALLOYING
For furnace alloys we use two carbon raisers, one for Ductile and one for Gray; S content
obviously being the difference. One common SiC, iron pyrite to flavor the Gray Iron, a low alloy
75% FeSi for silicon units as needed, Ferro Mn and Cu and Ferro Moly for trimming. Our Ductile
is produced using a tundish treatment ladle, our own design; using a Balanced (1%) RE, 5%
MgFeSi. The final inoculant for both metals is a Ca Bearing 75% FeSi. Ferro Mn, Cu, and Ferro
Moly are used for ladle additions for various iron grades. Some Ti Bearing 50% FeSi is used for
some special Gray Iron jobs. It is kept basically under lock and key. Which brings up the:
LAW of FERROSILICONS
All Ferrosilicons are not created equal!
How often have we heard in our shops But they looked the Same! In my career ferrosilicons
have caused more probably issues than any other alloys, other than maybe Sn; or possibly FeCr
in Ductile Iron. Our Ferrosilicons contain various levels of combinations of Al, Ca, Sr, Z, Ba, Ti,
and who knows what else! Trying to explain to someone on the floor why some are meant to
work better than others for certain applications, has always been a challenge. While talking
about ferrosilicons two other items come to mind. Overall in our industry we have tended to
use inoculants of too large of a size for a given application. For instance the sizing which would
be good for a 5000# transfer ladle; is not what you would want to use in a 500# pour off ladle.
Studies have shown that the smaller the amount of iron, the smaller the sizing should be on the
inoculant. Also the uniformity of sizing, controlling a consistent % of fines is important.
Our final inoculation is done upon the transfer of iron from the transfer/treatment ladle into
the pour off ladle. On some certain jobs we add an additional inoculant into the mold. You can
add an inoculant in the transfer ladle, in the pour off ladle, into the iron stream, into the mold;
or into multiple locations. Any of which can be effective processes.
CHEMISTRIES
You will naturally end up choosing C and Si ranges that suit the type of castings which you pour.
At the same time you will control residual element levels, and levels of Pearlite formers and
stabilizers for the grades of metal which you pour. But eventually you will bump into:
HELMS LAW of CHEMISTRIES

There will always be one (or more) jobs that will not run in
your established ranges. Accept it, and adjust as needed.
Or, get rid of the job(s)!
Over the years I have been able to keep many gating/rigging people very busy in trying to solve
scrap issues that we eventually only solved by adjusting the chemistries, typically C and Si. If
you cannot easily do these necessary adjustments on an individual job basis, then help out your
head and tell sales to remove the brick wall. At Seneca we re-gated one Gray Iron job multiple
times in order to prove what Taguchi experiments had showed; that only a higher carbon would
solve the issue. Result back to the original gating, and scheduling of pour off to allow the higher
carbons. This can also happen with certain parts in especially heavier (or thinner) section sizes,
where sometimes creative alloying is required.
TESTING/SAMPLING
We test the base iron always before starting to pour from a furnace, both thermal analysis and
spectrometer samples. Any adjustments are made before starting of pouring. After we start
pouring additional base furnace samples are poured every 4 ladles/charges. Final chemistries
are poured with any test bars, with additional finals throughout the day on Gray Iron; and a
final on every ladle of Ductile. We wont burn all of them, but we pour them to have available in
case we see any possible issues. We use chills sometimes on Gray Iron when looking for data,
and pour micros on all ladles of Ductile. We always burn all specto samples 3 times. Good
testing is important to keep from falling into:
MURPHYS LAW of CHANGES

Never make a major process change on data from only one test!
Ever have someone make an alloy % change to the MgFeSi after making only one burn on a
sample, only to find that the single burn was on a slag stringer? Or make big C and/or Si
addition changes on what turned out to be a faulty T/A cup reading? Enough said. Refer to the
above law when preparing to make changes to the operation.
Besides routine testing; look at testing the metal under any/all conditions. This would include
for instance out of a furnace that has sat for a while, at start-up, the first ladle of the day; and
at pour-off, the last ladle. It may tell you some interesting information about the metal going
into your castings. You may find yourself at the:
3rd LAW OF ELECTRIC FURNACES

Unlike professional wrestling, Monday Morning Iron is Real!
It can, and will exist, in any style of electric furnace: coreless melters, channel holders, or
pressure pour units. Monday Morning Iron is basically metal which has suffered a loss (or
destruction) of nucleation. It can happen faster than you think, especially in medium frequency
melters. We can see it happening especially on holding the furnaces overnight; and on furnace
pour-off on Gray Iron. We have worked on the issue by adjusting charge materials/alloys to
increase nucleation, and by paying closer attention to furnace metal temperatures. Now the:
4th LAW of ELECTRIC FURNACES

DO NOT superheat the metal any more than necessary!
Increased and/or unnecessary superheating will only harm the metal, nothing good comes from
it. It can contribute to more slag formation, it causes destruction of nucleation, it can cause
carbon boil; it is bad for the furnace linings. And at the same time it raises your costs for the
additional electricity. Just dont put any more power into the metal than you need for good
operations and the types of castings you are pouring.
OTHER FOUNDRY GOOD PRACTICES

This discussion on metal superheating is a great lead-in to a good rule of thumb adhered to by
my old foundry professor.
METAL CHARACTERISTICS
Pour any given part: As cold as you can.
As fast as you can;
And, as quietly as you can!
Dr. D.C. Williams, OSU
This statement doesnt mean to pour all iron at a temperature that is barely liquid. It means
simply dont pour any hotter than is necessary for that given part. It doesnt mean to fill the
mold so fast that it blows out at the parting line. It does mean not to dribble the iron in so
slowly that bad things start to happen to the mold and the metal. And it does mean to try to
design the gating to minimize iron velocity and turbulence during filing. All of these
characteristics will help in producing good castings. For more on pouting times refer to this old
rule of thumb for horizontally parted molds.
POURING TIMES
A reasonable aim point in seconds; is the Square Root of the
Pour Weight of the Mold.
As an example this would mean a 10# mold in about 3 seconds, a 100# mold in 10 seconds, a
1000# mold in 31 seconds, and a 100,000# mold in about 5 minutes. Is this a hard and fast rule,
no it is an approximation. Some people would say we cant pour that fast; others would say we
would never pour that slow. But I would bet that if you go out and time a number of jobs you
will be slower than these numbers/times. Again the point here is the same as Dr. Williams. The
faster you can fill an individual part, the better off you will be. As examples obviously vertical
machines are much faster than these times, with only say 5-6 seconds of time to fill a mold. And
in Lost Foam you can see downsprues with designed fill rates as high as 30-50# per second.
TRAINING MOMENTS
At the beginning of this article under the title, I had in parenthesis the term Training
Moments. At Seneca each morning the Plant Manger has a meeting where we review
production results against plan, scrap rates, safety subjects, and also a segment we call
Training Moments. In just a few minutes we will go over topics such as the ones in this article
on melting. And others such as sand, molding, cores, heat treat, clays, etc, basically just about
any topic concerning foundry operations. The idea is to present in bite sized chunks, little bits of
knowledge/wisdom concerning foundries. We have been doing this for over a year and have
had good feedback from employees as they better learn how and what they do affects the
castings they are producing.
To finish I will leave one more nugget of wisdom from a supervisor I once worked with who was
tired of dealing with runouts on a particular part number. He stated:
PLOGS LAW
You generally get a much better looking casting if you keep all of the
metal in the mold!
Thank you.
FEATURES


Johnson


Muratore


John Mirka
D EPARTMENTS
News Briefs
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DIS Home Page
Issue 3, 2012
Link to Presentation: Iron Control in a Large Induction Melt Foundry
BRANDON RENEAU
BRANDON GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI ROLLA WITH A
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING. HE HAS WORKED FOR
INTERMET FOUNDRY IN DECATUR, IL FOR 4 YEARS AND THEN INTERMET FOUNDRY IN
HAVANA FOR 4 YEARS AND CURRENTLY IS THE PLANT METALLURGIST AND MELTING
GROUP MANAGER AT CATERPILLAR MAPLETON FOUNDRY FOR THE LAST 8 YEARS.
BRANDON IS A MEMBER OF THE 5R & 5P COMMITTEES AT THE AFS AND DIS
RESEARCH COMMITTEE VICE CHAIRMAN. HE HAS BEEN A PROACTIVE SUPPORTER OF
AFS AND DIS RESEARCH BY CASTING SAMPLES AT CAT.
THE DIS WELCOMES BRANDON WHO IS HERE TO TALK ABOUT BASE IRON CONTROL
IN A LARGE INDUCTION MELT FOUNDRY

View
Publications
Phone (440) 665-3686; Fax (440) 878-0070
file:///C|/WEBSHARE/062013/magazine/2012_3/reneau.htm[7/3/2013 12:13:11 PM]
Back
B
k to B
Basics
i Base
B
Iron Control in a Large
y)
Induction Melt Foundry)
Brandon
a do Reneau
e eau
Caterpillar
DIS T&O Meeting, October 24 -26, 2012

Peoria, IL
Caterpillar, Mapleton
Foundry
60
60,000
000 ship
hi tons
t
per year
Gray and ductile iron castings for
Engine components
p molding
g methods
Multiple
25 lbs to 20,000 lbs castings

Peoria, IL
Incoming Raw Materials

Pig Iron Sorel
Steel scrap
3 ft plate
2 ft plate
Low Mn busheling
Mid Mn busheling
Low Mn punchings (cover)
Gray and Ductile Returns

Borings
Peoria, IL

Pig Iron Supplier Certs and quarterly check

Peoria, IL

Steel scrap
Met Lab checks 1 load per week per
supplier by spectrometer

Peoria, IL

Steel scrap
Met Lab checks 1 load per week per
supplier by spectrometer

Peoria, IL

Borings
Met Lab checks 1 load per 2 weeks per
supplier by xray diffraction

Peoria, IL
Incoming Alloy Materials

Graphite
Coke (gray iron); check quarterly
Low Sulfur crystalline (ductile iron);
check each shipment
p
SiC check quarterly

FeSi (furnace) check quarterly

Peoria, IL
Incoming Alloy Materials
FeMn
FeCr
FeMo
Cu
Pyrite
FeSi (inoculants)
M F Si (wire)
MgFeSi
( i )
MgFeSi (ladle)
All checked each

shipment

Peoria, IL
Melting Equipment
Melting
g Furnaces
(2) 60 ton line frequency induction
((1)) 30 ton med. Freq.
q Induction
(1) 12 ton Arc

Peoria, IL
Melting Equipment
Holding Furnaces
(7) 55 ton Holders
Optimum chemistry and temperature
Minimize melting downtime
Odermath Treatment room

Wire feed
Treat 30,000 lbs
Projelta Treatment room

Wire feed
Treat 21,500 lbs
Peoria, IL
Controls
Temperature / Chemistry
Fill charge car order is important

Empty charge car into furnace
Run counts into furnace to melt to bath
Take temperature via probe (Heat to 2600 F)
Take chemistry via chill mold (after 2600F)
Spectrometer and Leco C/S
Run final counts into furnace
Deslag furnace
Take temperature
Tap
p iron to transfer ladle
Peoria, IL
Controls
Chemistry Specifications
CAT 1E Engineering Specifications
Set absolute minimum or maximum
Foundry target Specifications

Set targets to achieve specific properties on
each casting
Tighter than Engineering Specifications

Peoria, IL
Controls
Things
g we dont do
Chill wedges from base iron
Thermal Analysis
Rely on
Chemistry
Good practice
Load charge cars properly

Follow consistent melt process (time and temp)
D t h
Dont
hold
ld iron
i
in
i melters
lt
Inoculate well

Peoria, IL
For additional information,

please
l
contact:
t t
Brandon Reneau
Caterpillar, Inc Mapleton Foundry
(309) 633 8406
(309)-633-8406
Reneau_Brandon_L@cat.com

Peoria, IL
Issue 3, 2012
FEATURES
Link to Presentation:
Optimizing Magnesium Recovery


Johnson


Muratore


John Mirka
D EPARTMENTS
News Briefs
Back Issues
DIS Home Page
BRIAN JOHNSON
BRIAN RECEIVED A BACHELORS OF SCIENCE IN METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING FROM
THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONCIN-MADISON IN 1998. HE WORKED FOR GREDE
FOUNDRIES IN REEDSBURG, WI WHERE HE WAS PLANT METALLURGIST FOR 4 YEARS,
ELECTRIC MELT SUPERINTENDENT FOR 4 YEARS AND TECHNICAL SERVICES MANAGER
FOR 4 YEARS. HE HAS SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE WITH COVERED TUNDISH LADLES, PURE
MAG CONVERTERS, ELECTRIC MELT, CUPOLA MELT, PRESSURE POUR FURNACES,
HORIZONTAL MOLDING AND VERTICLE MOLDING. TWO YEARS AGO HE JOINED
HICKMAN WILLIAMS AND COMPANY AS TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR THEIR
CUSTOMERS AND SALES PEOPLE.
THE DIS WELCOMES BRIAN WHO IS HERE TO TALK ABOUT OPTIMIZING MAGNESIUM
RECOVERY THIS TALK WILL RELY ON BRIANS EXPERIENCES IN THE FOUNDRY AND
ON A LITERATURE REVIEW OF WORD DONE AS RELATES TO MAGNESIUM RECOVERY.

View
Publications
Phone (440) 665-3686; Fax (440) 878-0070
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Optimizing
O
ti i i
Magnesium
M
i
Recovery
Brian Johnson
p y
Hickman, Williams & Company
Overview
Introduction.
Cover Materials.
Materials
Ladle Design and Maintenance.
Tundish.
Tundish
Timing and Iron Control.

Temperature.
p
Sulfur Control.
Alloy Decisions.
Additions
Additi
(Ca,
(C Al,
Al Ba,
B and
d RE).
RE)
Magnesium Content.
Sizing.
Introduction
Optimizing Magnesium Recovery.
There are several ways to treat ductile iron and
the scope of this presentation will focus on
MgFeSi alloys.
The converter process and cored wire process are
beyond the scope of this presentation.
MgFeSi alloys have low vapor pressures which

makes the addition of these alloys
y challenging.
g g
They react violently which makes recovery of the
Magnesium difficult.
Introduction
Due to the low vapor pressure there is one
over riding theme in increasing
Magnesium Recovery.
Delay the reaction as long as possible to
maximize the amount of magnesium captured
by the iron.
Cover Materials
Purpose is to delay the MgFeSi reaction as
long as possible allowing for more iron
capture of magnesium.
Traditional materials.
Steel should be clean and dry.

Ductile iron spill or turnings clean and dry.
Alloys such as copper on pearlitic grades .
FeSi dependent upon base silicon levels.
Cast shape made from left over iron in ladle.
Cover Material (contd)

Alternatives to traditional cover materials.
Filling the ladle faster (50-100 #/second).
Get as much iron into the ladle as possible
increasing the recovery of magnesium
magnesium.
This may require furnace / ladle modifications
to achieve and being able to do this safely is
paramount.
Faster fill times may allow for lower tap
temperatures.
temperatures
Alloy
y Addition vs. Ladle Design
g
Open Ladle = 1.8%

Alloy Pocket = 1.6%
1 6%
Sandwich = 1.5%
T di h = 1.4%
Tundish
1 4%
Alloy Addition vs. Process Changes
[6]
Shows progression in a chart from previous slide
slide.
Covered Tundish Ladle Design

Tundish Ladle.
Iron tap hole diameter
needs to control iron
flow upon tapping
(does not allow air to
be pulled into ladle).
Cover helps
p in
improving recoveries.
Pocket maintenance
i critical
is
iti l so alloy
ll fits
fit
into pocket from 1st
ttreatment
eat e t to last.
ast
Tundish Ladle Design

Ladle p
pocket modification
to create a taller / deeper
pocket.
O
Optimizes
ti i
recoveries
i by
b
delaying / prolonging the
MgFeSi reaction.
Cover material may be
reduced or even
eliminated.
Accuracy of alloy delivery
to pocket is even more
critical.
Versus
Tundish Ladle Maintenance

Tap hole and pocket maintenance are critical
to maintaining optimal magnesium recovery.
Tap hole gauges can be used to ensure
consistent diameter / shape for ladles after reline
and
d during
d i use.
Requiring some frequency of pocket maintenance
during ladle use can help maintain recoveries
through out the life of ladle.
Drain ladles.
When not in use hang ladles over a slag bed.
Allowing for as much iron and slag to naturally fall out of
ladle as possible makes operators job easier and helps
to extend the life of the pocket.
Timing
g and Iron Control
Add alloy just before tapping iron.
The heat in the ladle can initiate ignition of
MgFeSi alloy.
Tap temperature will directly impact the

amountt off MgFeSi
M F Si needed.
d d
Increasing the speed of tapping or improving the
g tap
p
insulation on ladle will allow for lowering
temperature which directly reduces the amount of
alloy needed.
Consistent Base Sulfur control is also

necessary for consistent recovery.
Operators tend to error on the safe side, so it is
always easier to increase Mg than to decrease Mg.
Timing
g and Iron Control
Avoid torching as long as possible.
The torching causes a sulfur reversion which will
require additional MgFeSi upon start-up.
start up
Torch heat is only surface heat and does not penetrate the
lining, try only using for known extended down times.
g with iron is much more effective for heating
g
Ladle washing
up a ladle but is often not feasible in many operations.
Be aware of where chemistry results are

coming
g from.
Some foundries are testing chemistry after treatment.
Information used to adjust alloy usage only not for ensuring
quality.
S
Some foundries
f
d i are testing
t ti
chemistry
h i t from
f
last
l t iron
i
poured.
This information is used for usage control and quality
assurance.
Alloy Design Discussion

The Magnesium Reaction.
Mg + O = MgO
Mg + S = MgS
Magnesium will deoxidize and

desulfurize and this action contributes
to the Magnesium Requirement.
Mg Recovery = .76 (Sbase Sfinal) + Mgresidual x 100
Mginitial
[1]

It can be assumed that less available
oxygen and sulfur would allow for
better utilization of the Magnesium.
With this
thi iinformation
f
ti we can look
l k tto
the Ellingham Diagram for ideas to
modify
dif th
the ttreatment
t
t alloy
ll or
treatment process to achieve the
d i d effect
desired
ff t off improving
i
i
Magnesium recovery.
Close to
Preferential
4/3Al+O2 = 2/3Al2O3
2Ba+O2 = 2BaO
2Ca+S2 = 2CaS
2Mg+O
2M
+O2 =
2MgO
Preferential
R
Reactions
ti
2Ca+O2 = 2CaO
2Ce+S2 = 2CeS
[2]

Near treatment ranges of 1800 K or 2770 F
we see that
th t th
the mostt effective
ff ti reducers
d
off S
and O are Cerium and Calcium.
We also see that Barium and Aluminum are
beginning to become a factor in the
reactions.
Lets keep in mind these are equilibrium
reactions
ti
and
d give
i us direction
di
ti to
t further
f th
investigate.

Calcium-The observation from the Ellingham diagram
is confirmed. Notice the range of sulfurs over which
tests were run.
[3]

Calcium Depending on sulfur starting point there is
an optimum level of calcium in the alloys to have.
[3]
[3]

Cerium.
The action of Cerium (RE) is well documented
in the literature.
Impact on deleterious elements.
This benefit is also shown in the Ellingham

diagram with its reaction with Sulfur.
Producing Spheroidal Graphite Cast Iron by
Suspension of Gas Bubbles in Melts AFS
T
Transactions,
ti
voll 83,
83 1975
1975. [5]
Produced Ductile iron with 1% Cerium addition.
Th
The economics
i recently
l h
have fforced
d ffoundries
di
to try to minimize this in their alloys.

Aluminum.
From the Ellingham diagram we see Al will react more
readily
dil with
ith O than
th Mg
M att elevated
l
t d temperatures.
t
t
Aluminum is recognized for contributing to pinhole
formation in iron castings..Aluminum will also add
to the slag formation
formation, resulting in poor furnace
performance, more ladle and holder maintenance and
increased risk for slag inclusions in castings At
higher aluminum levels, FeSi-based alloys will tend to
i
improve
solubility,
l bilit but
b t the
th increased
i
d slag
l formation
f
ti
and tendency for pinholes should call for caution. [4]
The greatest benefits were achieved when Al was
introduced in to the iron via the inoculant late in the
process or as a pre-conditioner of the base iron early
in the process. Al added via the MgFeSi provided the
minimum benefit. [4]

Barium.
One
O eo
of tthe
e object
objectives
es of
o a
preconditioning treatment with high
level of barium containing ferrosilicon is
to manage or control the oxygen and
sulfur activity, promoting the formation
of oxysulfphides of barium (BaO and
BaS). The aim is to promote a
consistent magnesium recovery and a
reduction of the addition of magnesium
alloy. [1]

Barium 9% Ba FeSi as cover for 5% MgFeSi
MgFeSi, iron
taken to a pressure pour furnace.
[1]
Percent Reccovery
P
Barium 9% Ba FeSi as cover for 8% MgFeSi, iron

transferred into pouring ladles and poured into
molds. Results from molds.
[1]
Alloy Discussion
Barium
a u 9% Ba
a FeSi
eS added as a p
pre-conditioner
e co d t o e prior
p o to pu
pure
e
magnesium treatment. Amount of pure magnesium as required
to achieve a specific final Magnesium residual from pressure
pour furnace.
[1]

Magnesium
M
i
C t t
Content.
3-4% Mg.
Less violence in the reaction.

Less emissions (lower smoke).
Improved recovery due to quieter reaction (65-80%)
As a ratio to Mg,
Mg the Ca
Ca, Al and RE are higher
higher.
5-6% Mg.
Less alloy use = less slag generation.
More
M
volatile
l til reaction
ti
with
ith llower recoveries
i (50%(50%
60%)
Alloy Sizing.
A finer and wider sizing will give a denser
alloy bulk packing in the sandwich and by that
y will be reduced. [[6]]
the reactivity
Alloy Summary
Calcium (Ca)
(Ca).
Ca helps to create a quieter reaction and has been shown to
improve Magnesium recovery.
Rare Earths (RE).

Will help in improving Magnesium recovery but recent
economics have made this a less desirable option.
Aluminum (Al).
May provide desired reduction in oxygen activity as a preconditioner but may enhance sensitivity to H2 pinholes.
Barium (Ba).
Has been shown
sho n to positively
positi el improve
impro e Magnesi
Magnesium
m recovery
reco er
as a pre-conditioner or cover alloy.
Local environmental requirements should be understood.
Magnesium (Mg).
Lower content improves recovery, this becomes a function
of economics.
Lower content alloys tend to have higher levels other
h l f l alloys
helpful
ll
as a ratio
ti to
t Mg
M content.
t t
Summary
The reaction between the MgFeSi alloy
and the iron must be delayed as long as
possible.
possible
Cover materials.
Tap speeds.
Ladle maintenance
maintenance.
Alloy pocket design.
Factors affecting the amount of alloy

needed
d d mustt be
b controlled
t ll d as well.
ll
Base sulfur control/consistency.

Iron tap
p temperature.
p
Alloy design considerations.
Alloy addition and testing timing.
References
[1] Preconditioning Effect of Barium in Ductile Iron Production,

Proceedings of the AFS Cast Iron Conference, September 29-30, 2005,
J.Fourmann
[2]The Ellingham Diagram Web Tool,

www.engrsjsu.edu/ellingham/ellingham_tool_p1/php
[3] Thermochemistry of Nodulization and Inoculation of Irons,

P
Proceedings
di
off th
the AFS C
Castt IIron Inoculation
I
l ti
C f
Confernece,
S t 29
Sept
29-30
30
2005, S. Lekakh, D. Robertson, C. Loper Jr.
[4] Aluminum Benefits in Ductile Iron Production, Proceedings of the Keith

Millis Symposium on Ductile Cast Iron
Iron, October 20
20-22,
22 2008
2008, I.Riposan,
I Riposan M.
M
Chisamera, S.Stan, P. Tobac, G. Grasmo, D. White, C. Ecob, C. Hartung
[5] Producing Spheroidal Graphite Cast Iron by Suspension of Gas

Bubbles in Melts
Melts AFS Transactions,
Transactions vol
vol. 83
83, 1975 S.Yamamoto,
S Yamamoto
Y.Kawano, Y.Murakami, B.Chang and R.Ozaki
[6] Ductile Iron Production A comparison of Alternative Treatment

Methods,, T.Skaland

please
l
contact:
t t
Brian Johnson Technical Sales
2015 Spring Road
P.O. Box 5225
Oak Brook, IL 60522
(630) 418-3209 - Cell
(630) 574
574-2376
2376 - Fax
bjohnson@hicwilco.com
www.hicwilco.com

Peoria, IL
FEATURES
Link to Presentation: "New Developments in Binders & Coatings for DI"


Johnson


Muratore


John Mirka
D EPARTMENTS
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Issue 3, 2012
DOUG TRINOWSKI
DOUG IS A DEGREED CHEMIST AND BRINGS OVER 30 YEARS OF FOUNDRY AND
PHENOLIC RESIN TECHNICAL EXPERTISE. DOUG IS CURRENTLY THE VP OF
TECHNOLOGY FOR HA INTERNATIONAL. IN THIS ROLE, DOUG LEADS ALL RESEARCH
AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT FOR FOUNDRY RESINS, REFRACTORY AND LOST FOAM
COATINGS AND AUXILIARY MATERIALS. HIS CAREER STARTED AT QC CHEMICALS
FORMERLY THE QUAKER OATS COMPANY IN 1976. HE THEN JOINED DELTA-HA IN
1989 AS A TECHNICAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE. DOUG IS ACTIVE IN THE AFS AND IS
CURRENTLY CHAIR OF DIVISION COUNCIL. IN ADDITION, HE IS A PAST CHAIR AND
DIRECTOR OF THE CAST METALS INSTITUTE. HE IS ALSO A TWO TERM PAST CHAIR OF
THE DETROIT-WINDSOR AFS CHAPTER. DOUG HAS BEEN HONORED TO RECEIVE AN
AFS SERVICE CITATION AND AWARD OF SCIENTIFIC MERIT. HE ALSO SERVES ON THE
ADVISORY BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR THE METAL CASTING CENTER, DEPARTMENT
OF TECHNOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA IN CEDAR FALLS, IOWA.
DOUG HAS JUST ACCEPTED THE POSITION OF GLOBAL DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH &
DEVELOPMENT FOR HUTTENES-ALBERTUS BASED IN DUSSELDORF, GERMANY.
THE DIS WELCOMES DOUG WHO IS HERE TO TALK ABOUT NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN
BINDERS & COATINGS FOR DUCTILE IRON

View
Publications
Phone (440) 665-3686; Fax (440) 878-0070
file:///C|/WEBSHARE/062013/magazine/2012_3/trinowski.htm[7/3/2013 12:13:12 PM]
Novel Urethane No-Bake Binder

For Reduced Smoke and Odor
Doug Trinowski
HA International LLC

Peoria, IL
Evolutionary Improvements

Peoria, IL
Agenda
g
Making the Case
Emissions Data
Phenolic Urethane Background
TEOS-based Urethane No-Bake Binders
Background
Data
EH&S
Customer Experience
Frequently Asked Questions
Summary
S
Peoria, IL
The Reality
y
Foundries are subject to environmental pressures
from different perspecti
perspectives.
es
MACT Standard Only largest Involved

Area Source Legislation A Few More Involved
Permit Issues All Involved
Nuisance Odors All Involved
Work Exposures All Involved
Bottom
B
tt
Line:
Li
Every
E
foundry
f
d iis iinterested
t
t d iin th
the
environmental impact of their operation
Peoria, IL
Making The Case

How do we improve the
p
environmental impact
of Phenolic Urethane
No-Bake binders?
Permit Issues
Nuisance odors
AFS/CERP Published Emission

Factors
CERP No-Bake Baseline Pouring, Cooling &
Shakeout Tests In Iron
Process
Emission
E
i i Factors
F
(lbs HAP/ton)
CERP Test Reference
PUNB (high solvent)
2.00
1256-1211 DG
PUNB (low solvent)
1.521
1410-113 FP
Target a UNB system

with 30% reduction in
HAPs and VOCs at
Pouring, Cooling &
Shakeout
THE PHENOLIC URETHANE

PROCESS
CHEMISTRY
Phenolic Resin
(Part 1)
+ Isocyanate Resin
(Part 2)
Amine Hardener
Urethane Polymer
What is in a Phenolic Urethane

R i ?
Resin?
Part 1 Resin
Phenolic Base Resin
Solvents & Plasticizers
Additives
40-60%
40-50%
5-10%
Part 2 Resin
Isocyanate
Solvents
Additives
70-80%
20-30%
20
30%
5-10%
Part
P t3C
Catalyst
t l t
Peoria, IL
Phenolic Urethane
Hi t i l Process
Historical
P
Limitations
Li it ti
Environmental
Conventional PUNB systems are solvent-based
Aromatic hydrocarbons
Source of VOCs & HAPs
Use of aromatic hydrocarbons as solvent has led to high VOC

content
20 to 30% in the system
y
Product Development Strategy:

Reduce emissions and odor profile of Phenolic Urethanes by
replacing traditional petrochemical solvents
solvents.
No compromise to productivity or performance

Peoria, IL
TEOS Solvent
The Latest Generation

Solvent for Urethane
Binders
TEOS (Tetraethyl Ortho
Silicate)
Silicon-based solvent
combining
bi i organic
i and
d
inorganic characteristics
Primary environmental
advantage over Aromatic
Hydrocarbon or Biodiesel
Solvents is reduction of
smoke & odor
Potential to reduce gas
defects
Reduces odors during
pouring, cooling, shake out
Other performance
advantages seen
TEOS Solvent Application

In North America, TEOS has recently been
introduced in no-bake applications
Already in widespread use in Europe for nearly
ten (10) years
10-15% of all UCB systems sold in Germany
Its primary benefit and advantage is smoke & odor

reduction at pouring
pouring, cooling and shakeout

Peoria, IL
TEOS-based
TEOS
based UNBs
UNB s
Key product characteristics:

Replaces aromatic solvents
in Part 1 & 2 with TEOS
Provides excellent strength
development
p
and reactivity
y
Uses existing
Activators/Catalysts
Performs on a variety of
different sands
sands, including
new and reclaimed
Very low smoke and odor
at pouring
Lower HAP generation
than Conventional UNB
Fully mechanical
reclaimable
Conventional UNB
TEOS UNB
Sand Performance Examples

Data displayed
Reactivity
Tensile Strength Development
Collapsibility

Peoria, IL
Work and Strip Time

Conventional vs.
vs TEOS based UNB
New Silica, 1% Resin 55/45 Pt1:Pt2
4.0
4
3.5
3.5
3.1
3.2
M inutes
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
05
0.5
0
Work Time
Conventional UNB
Strip Time
TEOS based
Strength Performance - New Sand

Conventional vs. TEOS based UNB
300
285
249
Tensile, p
T
psi
250
213
195
200
150
176
149
100
50
0
10 min
60 min
24 hr
Time After Strip

Conventional UNB
TEOS based
Work and Strip Time - Mechanically Reclaimed

Conventional
C
ti
l vs. TEOS b
based
d UNB
Resin level - varies, 60/40 Pt1:Pt2
66
6.6
6.1
5.5
M inutes
5
4
3.5
3.6
3.8
3
2
1
0
Work Time
Conventional UNB -1.1%
Strip Time
TEOS based - 1.1%
TEOS based -0.9%
Performance - Mechanically Reclaimed

Conventional
C
ti
l vs. TEOS based
b
d UNB
Resin level - varies, 60/40 Pt1:Pt2
200
174
Tensile, psi
166
148
150
134
126
111
97
100
50
87
43
0
10 min
i
60 min
i
24 hr
h
Time After Strip

Conventional -1.1%
TEOS based - 1.1%
TEOS based - 0.9%
Dilatometer Collapsibility
1800F, 50 psi Load
Conventional vs.. TEOS based UNB
time (s
seconds
s)
200
188
187
180
160
140
120
100
binder type
Conventional UNB
TEOS based
The Nose Knows

Peoria, IL
Overview of Odor Measurements

Odor measurements (olfactometry) using a close-to-practice test sample
at the Institute for Foundry Technology (IFG)
Odor Comparison
C
Conventional
ti
l vs.. TEOS UCB S
Systems
t
75% reduction
80000
70000
60000
OU/m3
50000
40000
Conventional
TEOS
TEOS based
TEOS-based
systems result in
significant odor
reductions
72,000
60% reduction
48,500
30000
35% reduction
20000
18,900
16,000
10000
8,800
5,600
0
5 minutes
30 minutes
Sample Time
60 minutes
OCMA VOC Comparison

OCMA VOC EMISSIONS TEST
Conventional UNB 0.81 lbs/ton

Conventional UNB System (low solvent)
Shimadzu UX6200H Electronic Balance

1.00% (B.O.S.) - 55/45 Pt 1:Pt 2, 3% Catalyst (B.O.Pt 1)
New Sand
OCMA Results:
TEOS H
Hybrid:
b id
0.99 lbs per ton sand
Slightly higher than

conventional low
solvent at equivalent
binder level
Similar VOCs at
reduced binder level
Emissions ((lbs VOC / ton sand)
0.81 lbs per ton sand
0.900
0.800
0.700
0.600
0.500
0 400
0.400
0.300
0.200
0.100
0.000
0
10
11
12
11
12
Time (hours)
OCMA VOC EMISSIONS TEST
TEOS UNB Pt 1/ Conv Pt 2
Shimadzu UX6200H Electronic Balance
TEOS UNB
0.99 lbs/ton
1.00% (B.O.S.) - 55/45 Pt 1:Pt 2, 3% Catalyst (B.O.Pt 1)

New Sand
1.000
0.900
Emissions (lbs VOC / ton

n sand)
Low solvent UNB
1.000
0.800
0.700
0.600
0.500
0.400
0.300
0.200
0.100
0.000
0
Time (hours)
10
Emissions Testing
Emissions at PC&S
were measured at UNI
Metal Casting Center
Used improved
methodology
Three systems
compared:
Conventional UNB
Hybrid TEOS Part 1 /
Conventional Part 2
Full TEOS UNB
Pouring Cooling & Shakeout

Pouring,
Real Time VOC
Measurement
Hybrid TEOS Part 1 /
Conventional Part 2
27% reduction in
Total Hydrocarbons
(
(THCs)
)
Full TEOS UNB

42% reduction in
THCs
TotalVOCs;Pouring,Cooling,ShakeOut
450
Conventional UNB:Max423.5ppm
400
350
C
Conventionalzeroadjusted
ti
l
dj t d
HybridTHCzeroadjusted
300
ppm
HybridTEOS UNB:Max291.1ppm
FullTEOSTHCzeroadjusted
250
200
150
FullTEOSUNB:Max119.1ppm
100
Gasfiredladlepreheater
50
0
0
20
40
60
80
Time,min(0=pouring)
100
120
140
Particulate Matter Analysis

PM emissions
measured
Qualitative differences
confirm field
experience
Conventional
Hybrid
EU TEOS UNB SYSTEM

P1: 0,6 % on sand
P2: 0,6 % on sand
P3 : 4% on P1
Toluene
Xylene
mg
g / kg
g sand
Aromatic
160
203
53
TEOS
OS
128
8
147
31
3
Base
e 100
Benzene
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
AROMATIC
TEOS
BTX
Customer Experience
TEOS-based UNB
UNBs
s have been introduced at grey
grey,
ductile iron and steel foundries in the U.S. starting in
late 2011
Recently introduced at a large Midwest steel foundry

Peoria, IL
Customer Experience
Smoke and odor at pouring dramatically reduced
Substituted for conventional UNBs with equal or
better core & mold and casting quality.
Require lower binder levels to produce tensile
strength comparable to conventional systems.
Hot strength as good as conventional, including
applications for large steel castings
castings.
Lower Part 1 viscosity provides better flowability
and eliminates pumping issues in cold climates.
Less sticking sand on patterns.
patterns

Peoria, IL
Frequently Asked Questions
Expected variation in binder %

Reductions of 5% 10% in binder content seen in practice
Hybrid produces highest strengths
Does the system smoke?

Dramatic
D
i reduction
d i iin smoke
k
Small amount of white smoke observed after pouring; dissipates quickly
Is the system odorless?

Dramatic reduction in odor at pouring
Different, less persistent odor during coring and molding
Effect of lower flash point compared to conventional UNBs does it

make a difference, if yes how?
No issues in practice with flash point

Peoria, IL
Summary
Key product characteristics:
Very low smoke and odor at pouring
Lower HAP generation than Conventional UNB
Provides excellent strength development and reactivity
Resin level reduction
Uses existing Activators/Catalysts

Fully mechanically reclaimable

Peoria, IL
For additional information, please

contact:
HA International LLC
630 Oakmont Lane, Westmont, IL 60559
Phone: 630-575-5700
Website: www.ha-international.com
www ha-international com

Peoria, IL
Questions?

Peoria, IL
FEATURES


Johnson


Muratore


John Mirka
Issue 3, 2012
Link to Presentation: Cast, Clean, and Make Money
EUGENE MURATORE
GENE GRADUATED FROM CASE WESTERN UNIVERSITY IN 1970 WITH A BACHELOR OF
SCIENCE IN METALLURGY. GENE SPENT THE NEXT 20 YEARS AS AN OPERATING
METALLURGIST FOR THREE FOUNDRIES IN THE PRODUCTION OF GRAY AND DUCTILE
IRON CASTINGS. GENE HAS BBEN THE SENIOR FOUNDRY METALLURGIST FOR RIO
TINTO IRON & TITANIUM SINCE APRIL OF 1991. AS SUCH, GENE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR
TECHNICAL SERVICE TO THE US, CANADA, MEXICO AND PARTS OF ASIA. GENE IS
ACTIVE ON 6 AFS TECHNICAL COMMITTEES, A BOARD MEMBER OF THE CHICAGO
CHAPTER OF THE AFS, AND A MEMBER OF THE AFS RESEARCH BOARD. IN ADDITION,
GENE IS ALSO ACTIVE WITHIN THE TECHNICAL STRUCTURE OF THE DIS AND 2 TERM
PAST BOARD MEMBER.
D EPARTMENTS
News Briefs
Back Issues
DIS Home Page
THE DIS WELCOMES GENE WHO IS HERE TO TALK ABOUT CAST, CLEAN, AND MAKE
MONEY

View
Publications
Phone (440) 665-3686; Fax (440) 878-0070
file:///C|/WEBSHARE/062013/magazine/2012_3/muratore.htm[7/3/2013 12:13:13 PM]
Cast,, Clean,, and Make

Money
Gene Muratore
Ri Tinto
Rio
Ti t Iron
I
and
d Titanium
Tit i
America
A
i
Ductile Iron Society T & O Meeting

October 2525-26, 2012 Peoria, IL
Outline
Thoughts
Importance of Knowledge
Reeling in Profit
V l Ch
Value
Chartt
Conclusions

Thoughts
Foundries and Fisherman
Alliterative
Aromatic
Requires Specific Tools
Require
q
Long
g Hours
Requires Specific Knowledge-Training
Might Require Casting (vs Trolling,
Netting, Seining)
Product must be cleaned in order to
be saleable.
Knowledge-Where
Ductile Iron Society

DIS T & O Meetings
Regional Conferences
N ti
National
l Conferences
C f
DIS Training Classes
CMI Classes
Suppliers
Regional Conferences
Attract National/Global Speakers
Geared to Local Issues

National Conferences
AFS Research
Aging of Gray Iron
Thin Wall Ductile Iron
Technical Committee Reports

Experiences with Channel Clogging

DIS Committees, Research,

Marketing, et al
Peer to Peer Interaction
Networking
Ductile Iron Focused Research

DIS Training/Cast Metals

Institute
Foundry Manager Surveys Want:
Fewer Imports
Less Government Regulation
Higher Selling Prices
Better Trained Workers

DIS Training/Cast Metals

Institute
Foundry Manager Surveys Want:
Fewer Imports
Less Government Regulation
Higher Selling Prices
Better Trained Workers

Suppliers
Tend to Hire Veterans

History of Engagement
Vested Interest
N t
Networked
k dN
Nationally/Internationally
ti
ll /I t
ti
ll

Knowledge-What
Part 1
Engineering Properties
Specifications/Grades
Weldability
U
Upgrading
di through
th
h Heat
H t Treatment
T
t
t
Improvements Possible via Filtering

Engineering Properties
Difficult to Sell That Which You Dont
Know!

Specifications/Grades
Does It Fit Your Operation.
What Are the Potential Margins?
Competitive Material(s)?

Welding
Historically Considered Impractical
Has Limited Some Designs in Ductile
Iron
Successful Applications Have Not
Been Widely Advertised
Currently
C
tl Viable
Vi bl

Impact Properties @ +20C
Weld Metal
Fusion Zone
HAZ
D til Iron
Ductile
I
Steel
50-90 joules
12-20
12
20 joules
14-16 joules
12 16 jjoules
12-16
l
40-50 joules

Upgrading Through Heat

Treatment
Potential New Markets
Conversions
ADI
2008 Shipments = 200,000 NT
2011 Shipments = 220,000 NT
2012 Shipments
p
= 280,000
,
(est)
( )
(Source-AP)

Improvements Possible
With Filtering
Improved Mechanical Properties
Improved Machinability

Benefits of Filtration

Knowledge-What
Part 2
Improvements
p
Through
g Late
Inoculation
Use of a Quality Index (Tartaglia,
Gundlach, Goodrich )
Solidification Modeling

Late Inoculation
Beneficial in All Moduli
Particularly Beneficial in Thin
Sections and Heavy Sections

Benefits
Higher Nodule Count

Improved Nodularity
Fewer carbides
L
Less
segregation
ti
Higher Mechanical Properties
Improved Machinability
Quality Index
DIS Research Project #46 Ductile
p y Optimization
p
Iron Structure/Property
& Enhancement
Q Was Utilized to Select
An Index Q
Significant Producers

Solidification Modeling
GOAL- Make It Correct the First Time

Reeling In Profit
US Still World #1 in Design

Embrace Technology
Build a Sales/Marketing Approach
A id Commodity
Avoid
C
dit Pricing
Pi i
Discover your Niche
Find Discrete Market Opportunities
Will Fish Jump Into the Boat?
Value Chart
* Exchange Rate Sensitive
Region
Quality
Price*
Logistics
Investment
Technology
Total
NA
10
10
10
44
EU
10
10
40
JKT
40
China
10
10
40

Conclusions
The Casting Industry is Dynamic
Opportunities Abound
The Doors of Wisdom Are Never
Closed

Thank You
Questions?

FEATURES
Link to Presentation: Blending Optimization in the DI Industry


Johnson


Muratore


John Mirka
D EPARTMENTS
News Briefs
Back Issues
DIS Home Page
Issue 3, 2012
PETER MOULDER
PETER HAS AN UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME.
HE ALSO OBTAINED HIS MASTERS DEGREE FROM THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN
WASHINGTON, DC. PETER IS CURRENTLY IS AN ACCOUNT MANAGER WITH
MANAGEMENT SCIENCE ASSOCIATES IN PITTSBURGH, PA. PETERS ACTIVITIES
INCLUDE DEFINING THE APPLICATION OF TECHNOLOGY FOR THE RESOLUTION OF
OPERATIONAL, MATERIAL MAMAGEMENT, AND ENERGY ISSUES FOR METALS
COMPANIES THAT ARE IN THE PRIMARY OR MELTING SECTION OF THE INDUSTRY.
SPECIFIC AREAS OF EXPERTISE INCLUDE MATERIAL OPTIMIZATION, PROCESS
AUTOMATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. HIS PRIME FOCUS NOW IS
ASSISTING FOUNDRIES ACHIEVE BETTER AND OPTIMAL USE OF RAW MATERIALS AND
RAW MATERIAL PURCHASING. PETER HAS BEEN A PARTICIPANT IN THIS INDUSTRY
FOR THE LAST THIRTY YEARS. POSITIONS HAVE INCLUDED SOFTWARE ENGINEERING,
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT MAMAGEMENT, CONSULTING, AND SALES AND
MARKETING.
THE DIS WELCOMES PETER WHO IS HERE TO TALK ABOUT REDUCTION IN MATERIAL
COSTS IN A DUCTILE IRON MELTING/FOUNDRY ENVIRONMENT: PROMISES AND
OBSTRUCTIONS

View
Publications
Phone (440) 665-3686; Fax (440) 878-0070
file:///C|/WEBSHARE/062013/magazine/2012_3/moulder.htm[7/3/2013 12:13:14 PM]
Blending Optimization in
the Ductile Iron Industry
Peter Moulder
Management Science Associates (MSA)
Pittsburgh Pa

Peoria, IL
Presentation Agenda
g
Types of Optimization
A Brief History of Mathematical/Linear Programming
Advantages of and Technical Improvements in Optimization
Typical Metals Industry Related Optimization Applications
Cost Savings Examples
The Power of Post-Optimality Analysis
Ductile Iron Application

Uses
Objections
Why Optimization?
What percentage of your costs are
raw materials?
Significant chemistry variation in
melting?
Significant Inventory build up?
Not effectively using revert?
Effectively using ERP system in the
melting area?
Blending Optimization
There are two basic types of optimization solvers available commercially
today Heuristics Approaches and Mathematical Programming
Formulations.
Formulations
Heuristics Approaches include Genetic Algorithms, Neural Nets, Fuzzy
Logic and others. Heuristic Approaches lead to a solution that is usually
reasonably close to the best answer. They do not by their very nature
guarantee optimal solutions. These close is good enough type
solutions also forfeit a tremendous amount of sensitivity information
that can be extremely valuable in real world settings
settings.
Mathematical Programming Formulations include the techniques of
linear programming, integer programming, and goal programming, as
well
ll as many operational
ti
l research
h techniques.
t h i
The
Th results
lt from
f
these
th
techniques can be proven optimal, and are demonstrably superior to
others in the blending problem domain.
Optimization
p
and Foundry
y Automation
ERP / Business Software
Optimization
Process Automation Software
Scrap
Y d
Yard
Furnaces
DIS Annual Meeting, June 2, 2011

Dallas, Texas
Casting
History of Linear Programming

George Dantzig is known as the Father of Linear Programming
for his development of the simplex method, first published in
1947. The first applications were developed for the Army during
the second world war to plan expenditures and returns in order
to reduce costs to the Army and increase losses to the enemy.
D D
Dr.
Dantzig
t i was th
the iinspiration
i ti ffor th
the movie
i Good
G d Will Hunting.
H ti
Many of the central concepts of optimization theory are derived
or inspired from linear programming
programming. To this day
day,
improvements to this class of solution techniques are
continually being made.
Problems solved with these techniques include microeconomic,
food blending, inventory management, HR resource allocation,
airline ticketing/scheduling,
g
g, transportation/delivery
p
y routing,
g,
petrochemical plant optimization and many other applications.
Least Cost Optimization

p
History
y
Technology
Late 1970s Timeshare Systems
Early 80s
80 s to late 80
80s
s Mini Computer Systems (DEC
(DEC,IBM)
IBM)
Mid 90s Client Server, Interfaces to other systems
Ethernet, PCs
PC s
2000s SAAS / ASP
- Integration
g
with ERP
Least Cost Optimization Forms
Spread Sheet EXCEL with Solver

Self Contained Calculators
Fully Functional Systems
Optimization with material parameters
Commercial LP (unlimited parameters, mixed integer,
support)
Integration with ERP , Business, Transaction systems
Inventory
I
t
reall time,
ti
reserved
d updates
d t
Purchasing
Melting (i.e. Heat Planning, Spectrometers, Alloy
systems)
Scrap Yard Systems
E-Commerce , Metal Exchange
State-Of Art Technology
Multi heat,
heat Multi grade
What If
Scenario Building
Simple , effective, flexible , adaptable Human Machine
Interface
8
Mathematical Programming Advantages

In the metals industry, the basic blending problem is to find the least cost
combination of materials to meet chemical, size and other constraints for a given
grade of steel.
A mixed-integer linear program (MILP) is an excellent approach to solving this
type of cost minimization problem. The MILP technology provides the ability to
solve situations the other methods cannot handle, or handle through non-optimal
workarounds. These include:
Limiting the number of materials in a solution
Using materials in discrete quantities (e.g., butts, slugs, etc.)
Minimum usage amounts (i.e.,
(i e use no increments of materials < 50 lbs.)
lbs )
Polynomial and/or Non-linear fractional case constraints
Grouping Materials
Other custom formulated constraints i.e. Filters
Provides a wide range of sensitivity analysis on costs and constraints
Provides assistance in diagnosing infeasible results
Metals Industry Scrap Optimization Models
Single Heat Charge

determine least cost combination of materials
to produce a given grade
Multi-Heat Campaign Optimization

determine the optimal
allocation of materials over an entire schedule
Alloy Additions Calculations

determine the additions required to a
molten bath to produce a given steel grade
Purchasing Planning
determine the necessary materials needed to
produce a production schedule, considering on hand inventory, an
anticipated revert stream and market materials
Under Crane Loading Optimization determine the best replacement

material to use as an operator is loading a scrap bucket
Marshalling Yard Planning determine what materials should be

loaded into rail cars for a specific time/frame schedule, and an
indication of when switching should occur
Post Optimality
p
y Analysis
y
One frequently overlooked but extremely powerful feature of
mathematical programming driven blending optimization is Sensitivity
Analysis As a result of the optimization process,
Analysis.
process costs are derived for
various alternative solutions on the way to finding the optimal. These
costs can be used to determine the impact of materials and constraints
submitted to the model. Two important aspects of the sensitivity
analysis are Reduced Costs and Dual Prices.
The Reduced Cost indicates how changing the cost of a material not
chosen by the LP will affect the optimal solution
solution, or in other words
words, the
amount by which that materials cost must improve before the LP will
have an optimal solution in which that material is part of the solution.
The Dual
Th
D l Price
P i indicates
i di t how
h
sensitive
iti th
the optimal
ti l solution
l ti
iis with
ith
respect to the costs associated with binding constraints. The dual price
for a constraint is the amount by which the optimal solution total cost
changes if the right hand side (RHS) of the constraint were increased by
one (1) pound, provided that this change does not change the solution.
Cost Savings Examples

The savings
Th
i
cited
it d below
b l
come ffrom actual
t l trials
t i l and
d studies
t di
conducted for clients. Possible savings that could be achieved
by any one company in particular, are heavily contingent on
current practices
practices, accuracy of chemical and other information
information,
inventory availability and product mix. Some previous results
are:
A 10% savings on heat charge costs was demonstrated by analyzing
data from a three-month time span. This comparison was between an
existing optimization model and a newer MILP optimization model.
Multi-heat optimization continually shows a 2-5% savings over
solving individual heats.
S
Savings
i
off 58%
5 8% were d
demonstrated
t t d ffor an iintegrated
t
t d mill
ill b
by
modifying their standard charge mix and expanding the types of
scrap to consider.
A Foundry operation reported a 15% decrease in raw material costs
when a purchase planning function was implemented.
Uses in Ductile Iron Foundries

Refine Standard Charges in a fluctuating scrap
purchasing market
Consider
C
id diff
differentt materials
t i l tto use iin a Ch
Charge
Updates to Standard Charges (number of, and
number of materials)
Consider Market material offerings
Convert Gross Material weight to Chemistry
driven melt in connect desired physical and
mechanical properties to chemistry
Extend metallurgical requirements to material
melting
Nodulization
Cleavage
Uses in Ductile Iron Foundries
Optimize Revert flow

Minimum, maximum, fixed, percentage
Manage replacement valuations
Assist in hitting chemistry (chemistry control) and added
ladle weight
Reduce variability of elemental melt in chemistry
See effects of market prices on raw material costs and
usage
Obt i optimized
Obtain
ti i d us off material
t i l in
i a multi
lti grade
d
environment
Reduce excess inventory
Provide a least picture of raw material purchases
Business Analytical Tool
Uses in Ductile Iron

Foundries
Reduce Variance in Melting and Final chemistry

Provide connectivity to a ERP ITEM based software
Actual costing
Material tracking
BOM interface
Least Cost MRP interface
MRP
Purchasing
DIS Annual Meeting, June 2, 2011

Dallas, Texas
Objections in Ductile Iron Environment
Dont believe in technology

Cultural
Many years of doing things the same
Resistance to change
Minimal number of Grades being melted
Minimum number of Standard Charges
Minimal number of Materials
L
Low
price
i differential
diff
ti l among materials
t i l
Limited Purchasing Horizon
Look at purchase of software cost rather than results
IT objections
Unsuccessful in the past
Objections in Ductile Iron Environment

Li
Limited
it d number
b off scrap suppliers
li
Limited staff
Already using optimization
Satisfied with performance
No results
Conclusions & Questions
Mathematical
M
th
ti l P
Programming
i
Models
M d l have
h
b
been effectively
ff ti l
solving blending optimization problems for many years in a
wide variety of industries
There are many metals industry blending problems that can

benefit from optimization and provide a very fast ROI
Improvements in the underlying solver technology have

increased the speed of solutions, provided the ability to
impose practical considerations on the mathematical problem
(e g limiting number of materials,
(e.g.,
materials etc.),
etc ) and provide effective
feedback to operators making the models easier to use and
understand
Sensitivity Analysis provides additional value to savvy users

S
and can determine the cost impact of following certain
practices and constraints for review and evaluation
Conduct a Trial

please
l
contact:
t t
Peter Moulder
MSA, Pittsburgh PA
724 265 6442
412 302 7481 (cell)
pmoulder@msa com
pmoulder@msa.com
www.msa.com/metals

Peoria, IL
FEATURES


Johnson


Muratore


John Mirka
D EPARTMENTS
News Briefs
Back Issues
DIS Home Page
Issue 3, 2012
Link to Presentation: Observations for Management on Iron Foundry Safety

Statistics
TED SCHORN
TED HAS RESPONSIBILITY FOR QUALITY FOR THE NORTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS OF
ENKEI CORPORATION, THE WORLDS LARGEST PRODUCER OF CAST ALUMINUM ROAD
WHEELS. HE HAS WORKED IN VARIOUS QUALITY AND MANUFACTURING POSITIONS
FOR NEARLY 30 YEARS, THE LAST 23 WITH ENKEI. TED IS ACTIVE WITHIN THE
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE STRUCTURE OF AFS, HAVING SERVED AS DIVISION COUNCIL,
ENGINEERING DIVISION AND QUALITY SYSTEMS TECHNICAL COMMITTEE CHAIR. HE
HAS EARNED NUMEROUS AWARDS FROM AFS INCLUDING THE AWARD OF SCIENTIFIC
MERIT, TWO RAY WITT AWARDS AND WAS THE 2005 HOYT MEMORIAL LECTURER.
TED CURRENTLY SERVES ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF AFS. HE HAS WRITTEN
SCORES OF TECHNICAL PAPERS AND IS A FREQUENT CONFERENCE SPEAKER.
THE DIS WELCOMES TED WHO IS HERE TO TALK ABOUT OBSERVATIONS FOR
MANAGEMENT ON IRON FOUNDRY SAFETY STATISTICS

View
Publications
Phone (440) 665-3686; Fax (440) 878-0070
file:///C|/WEBSHARE/062013/magazine/2012_3/schorn.htm[7/3/2013 12:13:15 PM]
Observations for
M
Management
on IIron
Foundry Safety Statistics
Ted J. Schorn
Enkei America,, Inc.

Peoria, IL
Outline
Overview of historical performance
y
on safety
Safety performance topography
Observations and recommended
focus

Peoria, IL
HistoricalTrend,TCIR
,
18
TottalCaseInciidentRate
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
2003
2004
IronFoundries
2005
2006
AllFoundry
2007
2008
2009
2010
PrivateManufacturing
DrawnfromTable1,NonfatalInjuryandillness,BureauofLaborStatistics
Peoria, IL
Historical Trend DART Rate

HistoricalTrend,DARTRate
9
8
DARTR
Rate
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
2003
2004
IronFoundries
2005
2006
AllFoundry
2007
2008
2009
2010
Peoria, IL
HistoricalTrend,LCIR
3.5
3
DARTTRate
2.5
2
1.5
1
05
0.5
0
2003
2004
IronFoundries
2005
2006
AllFoundry
2007
2008
2009
D
f
T bl 1 N f t l I j
d ill
B
f L b St ti ti
Peoria, IL
2010
180
16000
160
14000
140
12000
120
10000
100
8000
80
6000
60
4000
40
2000
20
0
0
2003
2004
2005
IronFoundries
2006
2007
AllFoundry
2008
2009
2010
Peoria, IL
Manufaacturingemplloyment,100
00's
Foun
ndryEmploym
ment,1000's
EmploymentTrend,Foundry&Manufacturing
BLS Data Collection Strategy

I j
InjuryandIllnessTopology
d Ill
T
l
Natureofdisabling
condition
Sourcedirectly
producingdisability
Afoundryworker
sprains
hisback
from twistingwhile
moving
parts
fromaconveyorintoabin

Peoria, IL
Partofthebody
affected
Event or Exposure
EventorExposure
C
CaseRate
NatureofIllnessorInjuryleadingtodays
away,IronFoundries,2010
I
F
d i 2010
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
(1)Incidenceratesrepresentthenumberofinjuriesandillnessesper10000fulltime
workersandwerecalculatedas:(N/EH)X20000000where
N=numberofinjuriesandillnesses
EH=totalhoursworkedbyallemployeesduringthecalendaryear
20000000=basefor10000fulltimeequivalentworkers(working40hoursperweek
50weeksperyear).

Peoria, IL
PartoftheBodyAffectedleadingto
Part
of the Body Affected leading to
daysaway,IronFoundries,2010
CaseRate
e
51.8%
51
8%90Back
23.2%80
Shoulder
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
38.3% Finger
22.2% Wrist
11.7% Hand
33.6%
33
6% Foot/Toe
32.4% Knee
70.6% Eye
Trunk
Upper
Lower
Extremities Extremities
Head
Multiple

Peoria, IL
Body
Systems
CaseRate
Sourceofinjuryorillnessleadingto
daysaway,IronFoundries,2010
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Peoria, IL
EventorExposureleadingtodaysaway,Iron
F
Foundries,2010
d i 2010
120
C
CaseRate
100
80
60
45.4% Struck by
21% Caught in
19.1% Struck against
31% Lifting
40
20
0

Peoria, IL
Numberofdaysawayfromworkfor
injuriesandillnesses,Ironfoundries,
2010
70
60
CaaseRate
50
40
30
20
10
0
1
35
610
1120
CasesinvolvingXdaysaway
2130

Peoria, IL
31+
Ageofindividualssufferingnonfataloccupational
injuries and illnesses involving days away from work
injuriesandillnessesinvolvingdaysawayfromwork,
ferrousfoundries
30.0%
Perce
entofTotalCases
25.0%
20.0%
%
2006
2007
15.0%
2008
2009
10.0%
2010
5.0%
0.0%
Under14 14to15
16to19
20to24
25to34
35to44
45to54
55to64

Peoria, IL
65and
over
Seniorityofindividualssufferingnonfataloccupational
ferrousfoundries
60.0%
PerccentofTotalCases
50.0%
40.0%
2006
2007
30.0%
2008
2009
20.0%
2010
10.0%
0.0%
Lessthan3months
3monthsto11months
1yearto5years
Morethan5years

Peoria, IL
Hoursworkedatthetimeofnonfataloccupational
ferrousfoundries
25.0%
Pe
ercentofTotalCases
20.0%
2006
15 0%
15.0%
2007
2008
10.0%
2009
2010
5.0%
0 0%
0.0%
Lessthan1 1 2hours 2 4hours 4 6hours 6 8hours 8 10hours
hour
10 12
hours

Peoria, IL
12 16
hours
Timeofdayofnonfataloccupationalinjuriesand
illnesses involving days away from work ferrous
illnessesinvolvingdaysawayfromwork,ferrous
foundries
30.0%
PerccentofTotalCaases
25.0%
20.0%
2006
2007
15.0%
2008
2009
10 0%
10.0%
2010
5.0%
0.0%
12:01AM
4:00AM
4:01AM
8:00AM
8:01AM
12:00PM
12:01PM
4:00PM
4:01PM
8:00PM
8:01PM
12:00AM

Peoria, IL
Not
reported
Dayoftheweekofnonfataloccupationalinjuriesand
illnesses involving days away from work ferrous
illnessesinvolvingdaysawayfromwork,ferrous
foundries
30.0%
PerrcentofTotalC
Cases
25.0%
20.0%
2006
2007
15.0%
2008
2009
10 0%
10.0%
2010
5.0%
0.0%
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday

Peoria, IL
Saturday
RecordableCasesByFoundryType
3%
Iron
3%
13%
Steel,investment
45%
Steel,notinvestment
Aluminumdiecasting
15%
Nonferrousdiecasting
15%
Aluminumnotdiecast
Nonferrousnotdiecast
6%
EmploymentByFoundryType
6%
Iron Foundries have

45% of the
recordable cases
but
only 36% of the
employment
l
within the foundry
industry
y
Iron
Steel,investment
14%
36%
5%
Steel,notinvestment
Al i
Aluminumdiecasting
di
i
Nonferrousdiecasting
14%
15%
10%
Aluminumnotdiecast
Nonferrousnotdiecast
2010 Data,
Data Source: BLS

Peoria, IL
What do we do now?
OBSERVATIONS ON THE
DATA FOR IRON FOUNDRIES
Peoria, IL
A game plan
Benchmark
Data
Internal
Action
Internal
Analysis
Interpretation
Comparison

Peoria, IL
General observations
Foundries have a significantly higher
j y rate than p
private
recordable injury
manufacturing over twice the
g
average
Iron foundries have consistently had
higher recordable injury rates than
the foundry industry average
Peoria, IL
The foundry industry, and iron
particular,, have made
foundries in p
significant strides in safety
performance in the period
p
p
of 2006
2008
2008, performance has
Since 2008
reached a plateau for foundry and all
manufacturing
Peoria, IL
Safety data does not support the
y that:
myth
The young guys get hurt more often
The less experienced guys get hurt
more often
Late in the shift or OT work causes
injury

Peoria, IL
Our workforce is aging and the
p
older workers need to
experienced
Follow safety rules; no exemptions!
Work within their limits
Be methodical about set ups,
procedures and checks
p

Peoria, IL
Key Focus
The key area to work in improvement
g
and work place
p
layout
y
is ergonomics
and handling
Sprains/Strains #1
Lifting, overexertion injury
Very high back and shoulder injury
Managing parts
Peoria, IL
Key Focus
Ergonomics and handling is also a
g issue that has to be treated
training
as seriously as using proper PPE
Proper lifting practice
Reaches and extensions
Knowing when to stop; fatigue,
fatigue heat
issues
Peoria, IL
Summary
The foundry industry has come a
g way
y but has much farther to g
go
long
Iron foundries are the largest
segment of the industry and lead the
indicators we must set the pace
and the direction of our industry
industrys
s
image
Peoria, IL
Summary
The industry statistics need to be
g
used in YOUR FOUNDRY to generate
improvement where you work
Dontt worry about the industry
industry, care
Don
about YOUR PEOPLE

Peoria, IL

please
l
contact:
t t
Ted J.
J Schorn
2900 W. Inwood Drive, Columbus, IN 47201
Office: 812-373-7000
Fax: 812-373-7020
tschorn@enkeiamerica.com

Peoria, IL
FEATURES


Johnson


Muratore


John Mirka
Issue 3, 2012
Link to Presentation: Introduction to THORS - The Online Learning Resource
1 ST AL ALAGARSAMY
AL IS WELL KNOWN AMONG THE DIS PARTICIPANTS. HE HAS BEEN INVOLVED WITH
IRON FOUNDRIES FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS AND HAS WORKED WITH THREE MAJOR
FOUNDRY GROUPS IN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FUNCTIONS. PRESENTLY, HE
CONTINUES TO WORK AS A CONSULTANT TO FOUNDRIES AND CASTING USERS
ALIKE. HE HAS SERVED AS RESEARCH COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN AT AFS AND DIS. HE
HAS DEVELOPED TRAINING MATERIALS FOR THE IRON FOUNDRIES IN AREAS OF
METALLURGY, SAND CONTROL, CASTING DEFECTS, ETC. HE IS WELL-RECOGNIZED IN
THE DUCTILE IRON INDUSTRY AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS. HIS EDUCATIONAL
BACKGROUND INCLUDES A BACHELORS OF ENGINEERING IN MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING AND A MASTERS IN FOUNDRY SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING.
D EPARTMENTS
News Briefs
Back Issues
DIS Home Page
2 ND JOHN MIRKA
THE THORS WEBSITE WILL BE DEMONSTRATED BY JOHN. JOHN HAS BEEN WITH THE
THORS TEAM SINCE FEBRUARY 2012 SELLING TO OEMS AND SUPPLIERS. JOHN ALSO
HAS AN ACTIVE ROLE IN TRAINING THORS USERS.
THE DIS WELCOMES AL & JOHN HOW ARE HERE TO TALK ABOUT THORS THE
ONLINE LEARNING RESOURCE
View
Publications
Phone (440) 665-3686; Fax (440) 878-0070
file:///C|/WEBSHARE/062013/magazine/2012_3/alagarsamy%20and%20mirka.htm[7/3/2013 12:13:16 PM]
Introduction to THORS - The Helpful Online Resource Site

Foundries and other manufacturing industries face many challenges. One of these challenges is how to
impart effective training to employees. Foundry operations are becoming more automated which
reduces the tediousness of the work resulting in less employee boredom and minimizes their exposure
to harsh, repetitive motion. As the processes are automated, a higher level skilled workforce is required.
Foundries are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain skilled workers. It is becoming a
necessity to train and educate workers in many areas of the foundry since there are no technical schools
to train them. In addition, as the work force gets older and retire, skill sets are lost.
Learning needs to be job specific as well as general. Replacement workers need to be adequately trained
to prevent quality and productivity concerns. When workers are trained, the effectiveness of training
needs to be evaluated and the training needs of everyone should be tracked for reinforced training on a
periodic basis. The challenge is to structure the learning by job category and by employee and to track
the progress of each employee from trainee to journeyman.
A well-trained workforce and continually monitored and updated training will result in a knowledgeable
workforce. This knowledge can then be institutionalized and will not be lost when someone leaves the
company. Once this knowledge is easily accessible and transportable across the division and company,
continual training becomes easier and structured and will keep the company from becoming obsolete.
Current training methods involve different settings:
Off-site training - One or two employees are sent outside the plant for several days to be trained in one
area such as melting or sand control, etc. This type of training is expensive and results in lost work time
at the plant. Training is generic in nature and other employees in the department will not be exposed to
the same training. Knowledge gained by a few individuals is not easily transferable to others.
On-site training -To train the whole group at a time will disrupt production. Worker turnover requires
continued training. Obtaining the best trainer is also difficult. The training content needs to be
developed and updated to keep up with changes and new technology. Training methods and the
delivery methodology rarely change resulting in loss of effectiveness.
To overcome these challenges and to enable foundries and other manufacturing companies to train,
evaluate and track the progress of employee learning, a new format has been developed. This new
format includes training that is on demand and tailored to the needs of each individual and enables
management to streamline the training process. Also, the technical content is updated with multiple
sensory learning to make it very effective and retainable for a longer period of time. The following
article explains in detail this new learning process along with its advantages.
THORS is a useful site for both casting producers and users alike.
1 of 7
THORS - The Helpful Online Resource Site

THORS (The Helpful Online Resource Site) is an online educational program that presents complex
manufacturing processes like castings, machining, gears, forgings, polymers (rubber and plastics) and
numerous other processes in clear, easy-to-understand language for the layman to understand.
THORS stands out among other products of its kind by its innovative format. It makes learning easy and
interesting with unique animations containing live demonstrations of various manufacturing processes,
images of real equipment, flowcharts showing the flow of processes from beginning to end and
numerous other visual effects. THORS uses quizzes to test the ability of people to retain what they have
learned, and to further reinforce that learning. The learning content in THORS has relevance to both
Original Equipment Manufacturers who build products using castings, machining, gears, and so on, and
to their suppliers who manufacture these same products.
THORS is unique in its philosophy, that helping people apply what they learn is the greatest benefit to an
organization. We believe that knowledge is important to developing an individual, but helping that
individual apply that knowledge in making the right value decisions is what provides an excellent return
to the OEM and their suppliers. THORS accomplishes this using a set of unique tools like the Supplier
Manager, the Parts Manager, the RFQ (Request for Quotation) Manager, the Tooling Manager and The
Dashboard.
The knowledge in THORS was acquired by collaboration with subject matter experts, including industry
veterans who want to give back to the industry, well-respected manufacturers and original equipment
manufacturers, all of whom contributed to and verified the accuracy of the content. THORS stores all of
this valuable, difficult-to-find information in one place, saving companies numerous hours of research
and eliminating time spent confirming reliability of information sources. The content in THORS keeps
companies informed on the cutting edge of technology in the manufacturing industry, enabling them to
out learn and outperform the competition. True learning is boundaryless. For example, castings are
machined and gears need to be machined before gear cutting. THORS is unique in its ability to transport
the learner seamlessly between casting, machining and gear modules. THORS is a dynamic entity, where
content is added regularly to make it deeper and broader, based on feedback from our customers and
input from our domain experts.
THORS Solves Several Key Problems That Companies Face

By solving several key problems companies face, THORS immensely improves OEM and supplier
performance and profitability. These problems are, employees making poor value decisions, companies
failing to preserve institutional knowledge when employees leave, and companies not effectively and
efficiently onboarding new employees with domain and institutional knowledge.
Making the Right Value Decisions

Leaders of an OEM or their suppliers agree that the success of their company depends on the ability of
its people to make the right value decision. Poor value decisions that employees make result in the
2 of 7
largest losses in company productivity and profits. Leaders are keen to foster the ability of their
employees to make right value decisions. There are many factors that influence the ability of an
individual to make right value decisions such as inadequate depth of knowledge, lack of access to
previously gained experience, or missing previous history.
THORS provides a solution for a person starting in the organization, a solid foundation of knowledge,
and for experienced employees, the ability to drill deep and improve their depth of knowledge. It
presents information and learning material in a unique and interesting flowchart format that gives the
reader a 20,000 foot view and the ability to drill down to the layer that interests them. The information
is provided in a layperson friendly format, where all the person needs is the ability to read English and
operate a mouse. The information is presented in such a manner that people understand the whole
process or picture, and what role they play in the success or failure of their company. Giving people this
view of the big picture and the ability to drill into the details is critical to enabling their decision-making
ability. THORS provides quizzes, which can be used to constantly test knowledge retention. Finally, the
true benefit of learning comes from applying what is learned; THORS shortens the distance between
learning and applying and enables employees to make good value decisions, resulting in increased
productivity and profits for the organization.
Challenges in Preserving Institutional Knowledge and Effective Onboarding of New Employees

Today people move more frequently from company to company; employee turnover is much higher
than it was several decades ago. This poses two new problems to both OEMs as well as manufacturers.
The first is how to retain knowledge within the company when a person leaves, which we call
institutionalizing knowledge. Second is how do you quickly onboard a new comer with specific domain
knowledge so he is productive very quickly.
THORS has the functionality to capture knowledge that has been generated by many years of experience
and trial and error, and institutionalize it. While this knowledge is stored in many companies as a series
of documents usually in folders, THORS provides a unique way to store this information contextually.
The ability to weave in company-specific knowledge on top of process-specific domain knowledge is a
critical element in the ease and speed of orienting and onboarding new employees in a consistent
manner. Knowledge and experiences grow every day, and THORS provides a vibrant platform that can
continue to grow as your organization grows. Employees can start learning from the basics and keep
progressing deeper and deeper as their ability and confidence improves.
Applying Knowledge with Interactive Tools

The Supplier Manager
The Supplier Manager tool provides Original Equipment Manufacturers and their suppliers a common
platform. There are several inefficiencies in the typical engagement process between an OEM trying to
source product from a supplier, and a manufacturer trying to sell product to an OEM. OEMs do not
have a robust platform to effectively capture supplier capability so that they can keep current with the
constant improvements and investments by the supplier. The supplier in turn struggles to effectively
3 of 7
portray his unique abilities to the OEM, especially getting the OEM to remember his unique capabilities
when the OEM is going out to source product. This lack of understanding of the suppliers capabilities
results in many request for bids being sent erroneously which frustrates the supplier, makes him less
efficient, and causes loss of productivity to the OEM.
THORS Supplier Manager effectively solves this problem, by providing a secure space where both the
manufacturers can effectively display their capabilities, and the OEMs can effectively identify the right
supplier by their capabilities. It also provides a level of collaboration between people in an organization
across continents and cultures, driving efficiency and productivity.
The RFQ Manager
Building on the Supplier Manager is the RFQ Manager, which streamlines and makes efficient the entire
quoting process. The Intelligence behind the THORS RFQ Manager matches OEM requirements to the
supplier capability, and ensures that the supplier receives request for quotes for parts that are
completely within his capability. It also provides cutting edge tools that make the entire supplier
selection and bid evaluation process very efficient for the OEM.
The Tooling Manager
The Tooling Manager tracks and manages tooling inventory. Companies spend millions of dollars on
patterns, dies, fixtures, gauges, etc., yet few have a truly robust system that tracks and manages these
assets. The Tooling Manager has a collaborative and structured framework for suppliers to store the
information pertaining to OEM owned tooling at a location that is accessible to both. It also has a depth
of functionality in storing all pertinent information related to tooling in one location.
The Parts Manager
The Parts Manager provides a centralized platform to store all information pertaining to the parts that
the OEM procures. This solves the problem of storing the information that exists at multiple locations
within an organization and streamlining the storage and access to this information. This is a focal access
point for storing institutional knowledge and subsequently making it easy for onboarding.
4 of 7
It is important to note that all of the tools above have a THORS thread feature that facilitates
communication between the OEM and the manufacturer. All relevant communication is
stored in one location and is not lost in one persons mailbox.
The Dashboard
This is a THORS tool that will enable companies to structure and manage learning within an organization
all the way down to an individual. This tool gives the company the ability to customize learning based on
the job function, prior experience and specific needs of the individual. The THORS Dashboard can track
the progress of an individual and facilitate data-based decision making within an organization.
The THORS Structure and Learning Philosophy

THORS is a cloud-based solution that is accessible any time and any place. Subscribers can log into
THORS from anywhere in the world, as long as they have the right browser version and an Internet
connection. It saves time and money, because people do not have to take time off from work and
travel to a specific work location. THORS has a unique built-in search functionality; it is meant to be
a real-time reference tool for the user.
THORS learning philosophy is based on a multi-sensory learning method that includes written material,
audio, video, interactive tools, quizzes, etc., that have been proven to improve knowledge retention.
The chart below shows how the multi-sensory method improves what people remember after two
weeks.
5 of 7
While THORS provides a good breadth and depth of knowledge, we can also develop custom content,
and tailor the content to a specific location, plant or department. The program has the capacity to
upload entire in-house training modules for companies, including specific machines, processes, safety
and quality information, customer concerns, etc. All proprietary information is uploaded to a secure,
protected site.
THORS believes that there is no end to knowledge or learning, and have created a learning environment
that is constantly living and growing. Unlike printed training material that becomes obsolete the second
it is printed, THORS online training content is constantly updated, based on input from the user
community and domain experts.
THORS Building an Ecosystem
THORS is really a thriving ecosystem, where original equipment manufacturers and their suppliers come
to learn, collaborate and transact business. It is a hub that strives to make all its stakeholders more
knowledgeable, efficient and always striving to find a better way to do things.
6 of 7
THORS Widely and Enthusiastically Received by Original Equipment Manufacturers and Their Suppliers
THORS has been widely and enthusiastically received, the quotes below describe how customers feel
about THORS:
I think of THORS as an interactive, well-organized, encylopedia and wikipedia for "how things are
made". They are building the tool on a category-by-category basis utilizing global experts.
I think the tool as shown would be helpful to the new engineer regarding the explanation of an
overall process.
Very impressive! I would suggest that this is an extremely powerful tool that could incorporate a
number of functions outside of just education, (i.e., engineering, purchasing, quality, etc.) I think
we ought to move very quickly to incorporate this tool into Caterpillar, especially while the cost is
still nominal.
I was very excited about this program. Not only will it help me, it will also help our younger
employees who have never run any machines or have been in foundries to help teach them the
basics so they know what people are talking about.
It will also help me learn more about processes I have had limited exposure to even though I have
been in manufacturing for over 30 years. It also would be updated to newer technology as it is
developed.
Future THORS Modules
Modules have been released for Castings, Machining and Gears. Modules that are currently in various
stages of development include Engineering Drawing for non-engineers, Polymer Processing (Rubber and
Plastics) Forgings, Steel Manufacturing, Heat Treatment, and Metal Forming (including stamping and
fine blanking). Future potential modules include Oil Seals, Motors, Powder Metallurgy, and Fasteners.
THORS provides a vibrant fast growing source of knowledge on the manufacturing universe for both
original equipment manufacturers and their suppliers. For more information on THORS, visit the THORS
Web site at: www.thors.com.
7 of 7
FEATURES


Johnson


Muratore


John Mirka
Issue 3, 2012
Link to Presentation:Base Iron Melt Control
KYLE ANDERSON
KYLE GRADUATED FROM MICHIGAN TECH IN 2011 WITH A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
DEGREE IN MATERIALS SCIENCE. HE IS CURRENTLY WORKING AS A METALLURGIST
AT WAUPACA FOUNDRYS PLANT 4 IN MARINETTE, WI.
THE DIS WELCOMES KYLE WHO IS HERE TO TALK ABOUT BASE IRON MELT
CONTROL
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Back to Basics
Base Iron Melt Control
Kyle
y Anderson
Waupaca Foundry

Peoria, IL
Melt Department

Peoria, IL
Raw Material
Premium Pig
Regular Pig
Steel
Slitter
Plate
Pl t
Returns
High and Low
Copper
No Obsolescence
Peoria, IL
Testing
Steel analyzed
y truck load
every
Pig iron
delivered by
boat; analyzed
every shipment

Peoria, IL
Furnace Chemistry
0.04
0.035
0 03
0.03
P
S
0.025
CR
MO
0.02
SN
TI
0.015
AL
0.01
0.005
0
1 3 5 7 9 11131517192123252729313335373941434547495153555759616365676971737577798183858789

Peoria, IL
Issue 3, 2012
News Briefs
FEATURES



Johnson

Muratore


John Mirka

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MEETINGS - BUSINESS - PEOPLE

MEETINGS
BUSINESS
Cintas Launches Flame Resistant Clothing Webpage

New online resource provides educational tools and product information
CINCINNATI October 10, 2012. Every year, thousands of workers are involved in electrical arc
accidents, molten metal splashes, flash fires and combustible dust explosions on the job. To educate
companies about these risks, as well as what they can do to comply with new industry standards,
Cintas has launched anew websitededicated to its Flame Resistant Clothing line.
Cintas is the largest provider of professionally managed flame resistant clothing programs in North
America. Not only does Cintas provide personal protective apparel, but it also now provides employers
with an online resource to stay updated regarding standards and guidelines for safety compliance in
the workplace.
We developed this website to enhance our safety message and to be a resource for safety managers
across North America when it comes to protective apparel. We care about the safety of our customers
who rely on our uniforms to do their work, and we want to be seen as more of a resource that just a
uniform provider, says Jeff Koehne, protective apparel marketing manager at Cintas. With this
website, which will be updated continually with educational videos, regulation updates and other
industry and hazard information, we can be their main resource for safety information and product
developments as well.
Over 500 hundred Fortune 1000 companies and hundreds of thousands of individuals rely on Cintas
personal protective apparel, making Cintas the most trusted source for flame resistant clothing. Two
separate lines of flame resistant clothing are offered, one for everyday tasks and one for working in
greater risk environments, and their protective apparel specialists can help companies design and
implement customized programs to meet every need.
To learn more, visit the new Cintas Flame Resistant Clothing website
at:http://www.cintas.com/FlameResistantClothing/.
Rachael Keshishian
Account Associate and
Social Media Coordinator
Rubin Communications Group

4542 Bonney Rd. Suite B
Virginia Beach, VA 23462
rachael@rubincommunications.com
Tel:(757) 456-5212
Cell:(757) 818-4625
Fax:(757) 456-5224
POSTED 01-08-2013
Indiana Foundry Hits Record on Days Without Lost Time

Bremen Castings Celebrates 495 Days
Foundries and machine shops are notoriously known for being dangerous places, but one Indiana
foundry is changing the tides of the industry. Bremen Castings Inc. (BCI) in Bremen, Indiana has gone
almost 500 days without lost time. Lost time injury is defined as an occurrence that resulted in a
fatality, permanent disability or lost time from work of one day or shift and possibly more.
President JB Brown notes, We have an incredible staff that come to work and every single day, but
weve implanted strategies and procedures to make sure that everyone is accountable for everyones
safety while at work. One example is that require all employees to file near miss reports. So if
there is a cable in the way or a slippery step, the employee is responsible for moving it and filing a
report to inform upper management of the issue. This example is then looked at by our executive
file:///C|/WEBSHARE/062013/magazine/2012_3/nbriefs.htm[7/3/2013 12:13:34 PM]
team to determine how we can possibly change things in the future to prevent a possible situation
from happening. BCIs last lost time occurred over a year ago and required their employee to miss
one full shift of work. Since then the foundry and machine shop have gone incident free.
In the future BCI would like to establish a zero incident culture, 1,000,000 man hours without a lost
work time and two years without lost work time. JB Brown is available to speaking about this
milestone and their safety initiatives within Bremen Castings. Please contact me to schedule an
interview.
Carolyn Blackman | Publicist
Empower Public Relations
625 N. Michigan Avenue- Suite 2500
Chicago, IL 60611
O: 312.854.8830
C: 312.375.4106
POSTED 01-08-2013
NEWS RELEASE
Monterrey, Mexico, 23 October 2012 Metallic surface preparation experts, Wheelabrator Group, celebrated
the opening of a brand new 34,000 sq ft manufacturing & aftermarket parts and service facility in Mexico
under the name WG Plus de Mexico. Our investment plans are to continue to expand our company globally
to meet the growing demands and needs of our customers. (Robert E. Joyce Jr., President and CEO,
Norican Group). Local Mayor, Ing. Jaime H. Rodriguez Caldern also pledged support for the local
community.
WG Plus de Mexico S. De R.L. de C.V. facility
With a doubling of existing capacity, the Monterrey, Mexico facility supports regional (OEM) Original
Equipment Manufacturing and aftermarket sales as well as equipment manufacturing operations for our
global customer base. This facility is the culmination of investment in local operations since opening a
small sales office in 2006. Following a rapid increase in sales, Wheelabrator Group made the decision to
move to a larger facility in 2008 to provide expanded services to our customers. The requirement of
additional space to meet local customer service, inventory requirements and the creation of a supply chain
operation facility for the assembly of standard OEM equipment demanded the transition to a still larger
facility in 2011. The 2012 expansion provides heavy duty manufacturing, secondary light assembly
operations and aftermarket support to service the increased demand for all of the Americas.
See how the opening was broadcast on Info7 News: http://info7.mx/a/noticia/357142
Unique after sales capability
The organization offers complete equipment support services on a global level, which is unique in the
industry. Wheelabrator Plus provides the necessary support to keep equipment running at optimum capacity.
Replacement parts, services, maintenance, modernization of equipment, and training provide customers
support to help them reduce operating costs, maximize customer productivity and leverage technology to
support manufacturing improvements: "We stand ready to serve our customers wherever and whenever
they require our support. Ask any of our team members how we can help you increase your profitability."
(Robert E. Joyce Jr., President and CEO, Norican Group).
Wheelabrator currently employs 25 people in Monterrey, and this number is expected to increase.
Further information
Publisher and press contact:
Wheelabrator Group
Pamela Akin
Marketing Manager, Americas
Tel.: 706 884 6884 Ext 2295

Email: pam.akin@noricangroup.com
www.wheelabratorgroup.com
POSTED 01-08-2013
2011 Overall Steel Recycling Rate Hits All-Time High

Record levels of steel scrap consumption announced on America Recycles Day
November 15, 2012, Pittsburgh, PA -- In celebration of America Recycles Day, the Steel
Recycling Institute (SRI) announced today that the recycling rate for the worlds most recycled
material steel is at an all-time high of 92 percent. More than 85 million tons of steel scrap
was consumed by steelmaking furnaces 2011an increase of nearly 10 million net tons versus
2010.
Jim Woods
Sr. Director, Communications
Steel Recycling Institute
p: 412.922.2772 x215
f: 412.922.3213
c: 412.974.2586
e: jwoods@steel.org
POSTED 01-08-2013
N E W S R E L E A S E
Agency Contact: Rosemarie Ascherl 440.234.1812 x126 rascherl@sonnhalter.com
Corporate Contact: Jeff Naymik 216.361.1900 x510 jnaymik@osborn.com
Osborn Offers Complete Line of Metal Finishing Solutions
CLEVELAND November 2012 Osborn offers a complete line of metal finishing products.
Popular go-to metal finishing products available from Osborn include:
ATB Wheel Brushes. The complete line of advanced technology brushing wheel brushes includes
narrow- and wide-face models, small ring locks and specialty treated configurations. The brushes
feature abrasive nylon filaments that eliminate the need to clean finished surfaces on metallic and nonmetallic surfaces.
ATB Disc Brushes. Available in three standard stock configurations, max density, turbo and standard,
the disc brushes are reliable, high-performance tools with consistent quality. These flexible brushes
easily integrate into automated machinery, CNC machining centers, transfer lines and robotic cells.
NovoFlex Flexible Honing Tools. These self-centering tools will conform to the bore surface and
provide a consistent, even surface finish. They feature round, abrasive beads at the end of flexible
filaments with either silicon carbide or aluminum oxide grit.
All Osborn abrasive products are designed for superior performance and long life, using durable
materials.
At Osborn were proud to offer our customers an extensive metal finishing line and a large array
of standard products, said Jeff Naymik, marketing manager at Osborn. We also pride ourselves
on engineering custom finishing solutions for every application.
Osborn is the worlds leading supplier of surface treatment solutions and high-quality finishing
tools for hundreds of industrial and commercial applications such as metal finishing, honing and
surface polishing. Celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2012, Osborn now includes operations in
15 countries and serves customers in more than 100 countries. A unit of Jason Inc., Osborn
carries more than 10,000 standard products and more than 100,000 customized solutions to
serve a diverse of group customers and industries. For more information, visit
welding.osborn.com.
POSTED 01-08-2013
Heartland Institute, 13 Others Sign Letter

Urging Congress to Oppose Carbon Taxes
Fourteen conservative think tanks and advocacy groups have joined forces to urge Congress to oppose carbon
taxes. The open letter, written by The Heartland Institute, was released and delivered to members of Congress today
and appears below.
The letter was signed by representatives of the following organizations:
The Heartland Institute The American Conservative Union
Americans for Limited Government Caesar Rodney Institute
John Locke Foundation Cascade Policy Institute
Tennessee Tax Revolt Nashville Tea Party
Maryland Taxpayers Association American Tradition Partnership
Competitive Enterprise Institute Freedom Action
The Liberty 21 Institute The Cherokee Tea Party Patriots
The following statement from John Nothdurft, director of government relations at The Heartland Institute, may be
used for attribution.
Creating a new tax on carbon will do nothing to fix the debt crisis we are facing. Dont be fooled. The brunt of a
carbon tax will hit the pocketbooks of consumers and workers by driving up the cost of energy and other necessary
goods as well as pushing manufacturing jobs overseas.
These 14 think tanks and advocacy groups want Congress to know that a carbon tax will not save us from the fiscal
cliff. The focus in Washington should not be what new taxes we can come up with, but rather how can we grow the
economy and curb long-term entitlement spending.
To speak with Mr. Nothdurft or other carbon tax experts at The Heartland Institute, please contact Tammy Nash at
tnash@heartland.org and 312/377-4000. After regular business hours, contact Jim Lakely at jlakely@heartland.org
and 312/731-9364.
Dear United States Senators and Representatives:
Recently, several current and former elected officials have called for adoption of a revenue neutral carbon tax or a
carbon tax swap. Under this proposal, a new tax on the carbon content of fossil fuels would be imposed,
presumably to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and protect the worlds climate. The revenue raised by the new tax
would be offset by reductions in other taxes or simply returned to taxpayers and consumers.
On behalf of the members represented by our organizations, we urge you to oppose efforts to impose a carbon tax,
whether revenue neutral or otherwise. Enacting a carbon tax, with or without promises to offset the tax burden by
reducing other taxes, is a bad idea for the following reasons:
Carbon taxes are job killers. Energy cost is tightly correlated with economic growth, and any increase in the price
of energy has negative impacts on job creation, per-capita income, and growth in GDP. Since 80 percent of energy
consumed in America comes from fossil fuels, a carbon tax would raise energy costs across the board, hurting every
industry and every consumer.
Promises of revenue neutrality will be broken. Reductions in other taxes or programs to rebate to consumers the
revenue generated by a carbon tax will almost certainly be temporary, while the new tax rate will rise over time.
Promises to cut taxes are rarely kept and are never binding on future legislatures. Accordingly, a newly imposed
carbon tax will be revenue neutral only for a short time, and then become a source of rapidly rising tax revenues.
Carbon is already taxed high enough. Americans in every state except Alaska already pay a combined federal and
state gasoline tax that is higher than a carbon tax would need to be set at to pay for the negative effects of carbon
dioxide produced by their cars and trucks. Opinion polls show the American public are adamantly opposed to paying
higher taxes in the name of battling global warming. (Diesel and gasoline account for about 29% of total U.S.
greenhouse gas emissions.)
Higher carbon taxes cause environmental harm. Carbon taxes force the substitution of wind and solar power for
fossil fuels, but these alternative energy sources cause real and substantial environmental damage. Wind turbines,
while providing merely 2 percent of U.S. electricity, kill at least 440,000 birds each year, including many endangered
species, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Wind power kills a similar number of bats and requires the
development of vast areas of pristine land. Solar thermal power is similarly land-intensive and utilizes substantially
more water than coal and natural gas power.
Reducing carbon dioxide concentrations in the air causes environmental harm. Plant growth is limited by the
amount of carbon dioxide in the air, and the modest increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide during the past century
helped make possible record crop production and the expansion of plant life throughout the planet. Reductions in
atmospheric carbon dioxide would cause a reduction in crop production, plant growth, and biosphere richness.
Reducing carbon dioxide emissions is unnecessary for three reasons:
U.S. carbon dioxide emissions already are declining. U.S. carbon dioxide emissions are lower than they were at
the turn of the century. This decline is accelerating as low-cost natural gas, made possible by the shale gas
revolution, induces utilities to replace high-carbon coal power with lower-carbon natural gas power. Other market
factors also are inducing a long-term decline in carbon intensity, and no new taxes are necessary to continue this
trend.
Reducing U.S. emissions wont stop or delay climate change. While U.S. carbon dioxide emissions already are
falling, emissions in India, China, and other developing countries are rising rapidly, causing global emissions to rise
regardless of what we do in the U.S. In fact, increasing energy costs in the U.S. would simply drive manufacturing
(and jobs) to India and China, where energy costs are lower and carbon dioxide emissions per-unit of output are
higher.
Global warming fears are overstated. Real-world temperatures continue to rise much more slowly than predicted
by global warming advocates, and real-world weather and climate data reflect few if any of the predicted negative
consequences of global warming.
For these reasons, we the undersigned urge you to oppose efforts to impose so-called revenue neutral carbon
taxes on American consumers.
Sincerely,
Joseph Bast
President
The Heartland Institute
Al Cardenas
Chairman
The American Conservative Union
William Wilson
President
Americans for Limited Government
Barrett E. Kidner
Chairman & CEO
Caesar Rodney Institute
Roy Cordato, Ph.D.
VP for Research and Resident Scholar
John Locke Foundation
Tina M. Pisenti
Executive Vice President & COO
Cascade Policy Institute
Ben Cunningham
Tennessee Tax Revolt
Nashville Tea Party
Dee Hodges
President
Maryland Taxpayers Association
Donald Ferguson
Executive Director
American Tradition Partnership
Myron Ebell
Director
Freedom Action
Competitive Enterprise Institute
Larry Kaufmann
Executive Director
The Liberty21 Institute
Jim Rust
The Cherokee Tea Party Patriots
POSTED 01-08-2013
CHARTER MANUFACTURING COMPANY PURCHASES WELLS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, INCLUDING

DURA-BAR AND DURA-BAR METAL SERVICES
Acquisition Adds New Iron Bar Division to Charter Family of Companies
MEQUON, Wis. Charter Manufacturing Company today announced it has acquired Dura-Bar and Dura-Bar Metal
Services as part of its stock purchase of Illinois-based Wells Manufacturing Company. As a result of the acquisition,
Charter adds a fourth division focusing on specialty iron bar to its family of companies, which also includes Charter
Steel, Charter Wire and Charter Automotive.
Dura-Bar is a world leader in the production, technology and application of continuous cast iron bar stock, and DuraBar Metal Services is a distributor of Dura-Bar products and bronze alloys. Charter Steel is a leading American supplier
of carbon and alloy steel bar, rod and wire products, and Charter Wire is a leading supplier of precision cold finish
bar, cold-rolled steel custom profiles, flat wire and other wire coil products. Charter Automotive is a Tier 1/Tier 2
supplier of engineered components and assemblies for the automotive industry.
Dura-Bar and Wells Manufacturing Company make an excellent match for Charter Manufacturing, said John A.
Mellowes, Chairman and CEO of Charter Manufacturing, a family-owned company now led by the third and fourth
generations of the Mellowes family. Both are family-owned companies that are respected leaders in their particular
industries. For Charter, the acquisition of Dura-Bar and Dura-Bar Metal Services allows our organization to diversify
and extend our reach into new markets. The acquisition complements our continuing, strong focus on the automotive
sector, and while that will always be important to Charter, this acquisition extends our reach into the capital goods
market.
Thomas W. Wells, Chairman, President and CEO of Wells Manufacturing Company and the third generation of his
family to lead the privately-held company, said the acquisition strengthens Dura-Bars position as an international
leader in providing continuous cast iron bar stock. Wells will play an active role on the transition team.
This acquisition strengthens Dura-Bars future and enhances its ability to grow nationally and internationally for the
long term, he said. Both Charter and Wells share similar value structures and a work culture that will allow the
organization to be the most competitive cast iron bar enterprise in the world.
Charter shares our commitment to people and a focus on being an invaluable resource to customers, Wells added.
The two companies are extremely compatible, and both have strong track records as high-quality, committed familyowned businesses. We anticipate a long and successful future.
Wells Manufacturing Company has approximately 360 employees at its Dura-Bar facilities in Woodstock, Ill.; York,
Penn.; Salisbury, N.C.; and Changzhou, China. Charter has operations in Milwaukee; Cuyahoga Heights and Fostoria,
Ohio; Lichfield, U.K.; and Wuhu, China. Charter employs about 1,500 people.
Mellowes said that there will be no employment or staffing changes for the foreseeable future, and he praised DuraBars solid management team and highly skilled workforce. One of the most attractive parts of this acquisition is that
Dura-Bar has high quality people on its team, he said. Their commitment to continuous improvement, high
standards and customer satisfaction fit well with our mission.
Mellowes added that the timing of the acquisition was ideal for Charter because of positive economic developments
worldwide and the fact that Charter has a strong balance sheet.
This is a great move at the right time, and Charters acquisition of Wells and Dura-Bar will allow us to continue to
strengthen our existing businesses and reach into new markets, Mellowes said. We feel very positive about the
future of our company and our industry, and this acquisition demonstrates our optimism.
The sale was approved by federal regulators and is effective immediately. Terms of the transaction were not
disclosed.
POSTED 01-08-2013
Press Release
Commitment in the Indian foundry market
ASK Chemicals invests in new manufacturing facility in India

Hilden (Germany), November 13, 2012
With a celebratory groundbreaking ceremony, ASK Chemicals laid the foundation for the
construction of a new plant in Kurkumbh (near Pune), India. The company is thus opening a
further chapter of its Indian-German cooperation. The first step is to build a 12,000 sqm
manufacturing and storage facility on an area of 80,000 sqm, where binders, coatings,
auxiliary materials and risers will be produced for the Indian foundry industry. The new
main plant of ASK Chemicals will enable vital new jobs to be created in Kurkumbh. The
completion of the production site is planned for 2014.
With this commitment, ASK Chemicals, the worlds leading supplier of foundry chemicals, is
creating the basis for continuing the successful expansion of its business activities on a key
target market in Asia.
On the companys strategic planning, Stefan Sommer, CEO of ASK Chemicals, says: Our
intention is to grow faster than the total Indian market. Indias economic power plays a
fundamental role for the investment by ASK Chemicals. We are firmly convinced that the
Indian foundry industry will profit from our many years of experience and our profound
expertise in this important key industry, says Mr. Sommer on the occasion of the
ceremony, looking ahead.
Dr. Jochen Landes, Managing Director of ASK Chemicals India, sees great opportunities for
development for the company in India. I am delighted that our company chose Kurkumbh
for this investment and can hardly wait to see the new facility grow.
As a member of the global network, ASK Chemicals India has access to the entire foundry
expertise of the Germany-based global player and is thus able to provide customers in the
whole of India with its innovative products and services.
Figure 1: The ASK Chemicals team releases doves
NEWS RELEASE
11 December 2012
MOLYBDENUMS CONTRIBUTION TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

IMOAs Secretary General, Tim Outteridge, gave a presentation to the China International
Tungsten Molybdenum & Vanadium Forum 2012 in Changsha, China, on 12 November,
entitled Molybdenums Contribution to Sustainable Development.
Attended by some 200 delegates including producers and converters, the conference was
a further opportunity to raise awareness of molybdenums contribution to sustainable
development.
Mr Outteridge described the key properties of molybdenum before outlining the
challenges to sustainable development arising from global energy demand,
industrialisation and urbanisation. Taking each of these in turn, he demonstrated how the
unique attributes of molybdenum were being put to use in the development of sustainable
practices and technologies.
Molybdenum is an important enabler of many sustainable technologies through its use as
an alloy and occasionally as a primary component. In different alloys, molybdenum
enhances strength, even at high temperatures, maintains toughness, increases durability
and provides exceptional resistance to corrosion. Chemically, it is serves many uses as a
catalyst.
Molybdenum already makes a substantial contribution to sustainable development in
many technologies and applications which I outlined in the presentation, said Mr
Outteridge. It plays a key role in many renewable energy applications such as
hydroelectric, wind and solar and helps to protect the environment through its use in
catalysts for the production of ultra-low sulfur diesel, and in alloys for flue gas
desulfurization installations at power stations.
Vehicle engines and power stations run more efficiently at the higher temperatures
enabled by moly-containing alloys, and in high strength steels molybdenum contributes
towards lightweighting of cars and trucks and to reducing raw material and energy use
in construction projects.
The challenges of sustainable development must be addressed and molybdenum has a
role to play in many technologies and applications which are in use today, actively
contributing to a more sustainable future, he added.
For more information contact:
Alan Hughes
T: +44 (0)1606 852011 M: +44 (0)7759 243969
E: ahughes@imoa.info
POSTED 01-08-2013
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The Ductile Iron News

To Promote the production and application of ductile iron castings

Ductile Iron News - Issue 3, 2012

Speaker Bios - AM Session

Iron Control in a Large Induction Melt

Cast, Clean, and Make Money - Gene

Observations for Management on Iron

Introduction to THORS - The Online

Speaker Bios - PM Session

Optimizing Magnesium Recovery - Brian

Blending Optimization in the DI Industry Peter Moulder

DIS Home Page

Patricio Gil, CEO of Blackhawk Foundry de Mexico

file:///C|/WEBSHARE/062013/magazine/2012_3/index.htm[7/3/2013 12:13:08 PM]

The Ductile Iron News

From l to r, Shawn Moody(Pittsburg State) Brennon

file:///C|/WEBSHARE/062013/magazine/2012_3/index.htm[7/3/2013 12:13:08 PM]

The Ductile Iron News

Doug Trinowski of HA International & Gene

Guy-Roger Nauroy of FerroPem

Ted Schorn of Enkei America, Inc. & Gene

file:///C|/WEBSHARE/062013/magazine/2012_3/index.htm[7/3/2013 12:13:08 PM]

The Ductile Iron News

Brian Johnson of Hickman Williams & Company & Gene

Gene Muratore of Rio Tinto

Eli David of Globe Metallurgical Sales, Inc. and Kathy

file:///C|/WEBSHARE/062013/magazine/2012_3/index.htm[7/3/2013 12:13:08 PM]

The Ductile Iron News

Larry Helm of Seneca Foundry

Kyle Anderson of Waupaca Foundry & Kathy

Brandon Reneau of Caterpillar, Inc. & Kathy

Dan Webb of Progress Rail & Kathy

file:///C|/WEBSHARE/062013/magazine/2012_3/index.htm[7/3/2013 12:13:08 PM]

The Ductile Iron News

Peter Moulder of Management Sciences Associates, Inc.

Gary Bevilacqua of Caterpillar Inc.

file:///C|/WEBSHARE/062013/magazine/2012_3/index.htm[7/3/2013 12:13:08 PM]

The Ductile Iron News

Pete Guidi of Hitachi Metals Automotive Comp USA DIS Treasurer

Susie Lambert & Jim Wood

file:///C|/WEBSHARE/062013/magazine/2012_3/index.htm[7/3/2013 12:13:08 PM]

The Ductile Iron News

THE FEF COLLEGE INDUSTRY CONFERENCE 2012

file:///C|/WEBSHARE/062013/magazine/2012_3/index.htm[7/3/2013 12:13:08 PM]

The Ductile Iron News

CIC Student Delegate Scholarships-November 16, 2012

AFS Detroit-Windsor-George Booth Schol. - Andrew Miko - Michigan Tech

file:///C|/WEBSHARE/062013/magazine/2012_3/index.htm[7/3/2013 12:13:08 PM]

The Ductile Iron News

Located in Strongsville, Ohio, USA

file:///C|/WEBSHARE/062013/magazine/2012_3/index.htm[7/3/2013 12:13:08 PM]

The Ductile Iron News

To Promote the production and application of ductile iron castings

Speaker Bios - PM Session

Iron Control in a Large Induction Melt

Optimizing Magnesium Recovery - Brian

Cast, Clean, and Make Money - Gene

New Developments in Binders & Coatings

Blending Optimization in the DI Industry Peter Moulder

Speaker Bios - AM Session

October 25, Morning

Gene Muratore - Session Chair

The Ductile Iron News

Located in Strongsville, Ohio, USA