Professional Documents
Culture Documents
has
hour-after-hour:
BEFORE AFTER
P. 17 COLUMNS
7 Editorial
Four Trends to
Watch in 2019
D. KURKUL
16 Washington Alert
AFS Submits
Comments on EPA’s
Affordable Clean
Energy Proposal
S. SALMON, J. HANNAPEL
P. 32
AND C. RICHTER
40 By The Law
Brush up on
Marijuana Laws
and Policy
D. RESSER
41 Safe Practice
OSHA Takes New
Approach to Safety
Incentives
D. HUNTER
P. 18 46 Marketing Mind
Something Old,
Something New
18 Faircast’s Fresh Start R. JEFFERSON
Bought out of foreclosure, three crucial months helped Faircast survive after its
future looked bleak. B. SANDALOW
DEPARTMENTS
23 Census of World Casting Production: Global Casting 3 From Online
Production Expands
Worldwide casting production grew by 5.3% during a busy 2017. 8 Industry News
A MODERN CASTING STAFF REPORT
17 In a World
28 Study Measures Potential Exposures From Sweepers Without Castings
Results of the research project demonstrate the use of well-maintained powered
industrial sweepers configured with HEPA filtration most likely do not contribute 42 Casting Innovations
to exposure. T. SLAVIN 43 Metalcasting Supplies
32 Excellence in Going Green 48 AFS News
Companies share how their sustainability projects led to environmental
improvements. The ideas that were implemented also helped businesses 49 College Connection
save costs. A MODERN CASTING STAFF REPORT
51 Classifieds
35 Designing Cores With Virtual Design of Experiments 55 Advertising Index
Virtual design of experiments and coremaking simulation can help establish
cost-effective production parameters that can be applied to other casting jobs 56 Shakeout
within a foundry. M. BLANDINO, I. WAGNER, J. STURM
moderncasting.com
Cover Design: Mike Berrafato
STAFF
PRINTED IN USA
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NEWSCAST
AFS Corporate Member Oil City customers, both new signings and and WDC Acquisitions LLC (Cres-
Iron Works (Corsicana, Texas) held customers now installed with Odys- ton, Iowa).
a blood drive in November. The event sey. During the July–September 2018 B&L has also brought five additional
was sponsored by Carter BloodCare. timeframe, three Midwest metalcast- customers online with Odyssey ERP
AFS Corporate Member B&L ers signed on to the browser-based software implementations: Ancast
Information Systems (Bridgman, Odyssey ERP software system: J&M Industries LTD (Winnipeg, Manitoba),
Michigan), announced the recent Precision Die Casting (Elyria, Ohio), Fisher Cast Steel (West Jefferson,
additions to the Odyssey group of New GLDC (Muskegon, Michigan), Ohio), Madison-Kipp Corporation
(Madison, Wisconsin), Quality Cast-
ings Company (Orrville, Ohio), and
Superior Brass & Aluminum Casting
Company (East Lansing, Michigan).
U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa)
visited Sivyer Steel (Bettendorf, Iowa).
During the visit, Loebsack met with
CEO Mike Baxley and president Keith
Kramer. According to local reports, Loe-
bsack learned about the facility’s progress
since being bought out of bankruptcy.
GH Tool & Mold, a Tooling Tech
Group (Macomb, Mich.) company
and a supplier of diecast tooling and
machining services, has received
DD2345 certification, which per-
mits access to unclassified military
technical data belonging to Canada’s
Department of National Defense
(DND) and to the U.S. Department
of Defense (DOD).
This certification enables G.H. Tool &
Mold to obtain unclassified export con-
trolled technical data, to request unclas-
sified visits directly with other certified
U.S. or Canadian defense contractors or
military facilities, and to attend gatherings
such as symposiums, program briefings,
meetings regarding advance requirements
or contracting agencies; and to pre-solic-
itation, pre-bid, pre-proposal, pre-award
conferences, workshops and tours.
Heimatec Inc. (Prospect Heights,
Illinois) announced that it will become
part of a new corporation, Platinum
Tooling Technologies Inc. Heimatec
provides live tooling for the North
American machine tool industry.
“I’d been pondering this move for
some time and, after considerable dis-
cussions with Heimatec GmbH, Tec-
nicrafts Industries, Henninger GmbH,
and other principals we represent, it
seemed time to make this decision and
move forward with the new company,”
said Heimatec president Preben Han-
sen, who will lead the new company as
its president and COO.
PERSONALS
AFS Corporate Member Busche further expand our R&D efforts and has assumed the role of CEO of KB
Performance Group (Southfield, drive innovation in our lightweight, Foundry Services. He is also currently
Michigan) announced the appoint- safety-critical casting and precision serving as 2nd Vice President of AFS,
ments of CFO Christopher Lilla, machining technology, we will also Chairman of the AFS Government
and Tamika Frimpong, Chief Hu- focus on strengthening our vertically Affairs Committee, and President of
man Resources Officer and Gen- integrated model to the benefit of our AFS/FIRST.
eral Counsel. These appointments customers, shareholders and partners. Tracy Dougherty has been named
following the addition of Joseph This is an exciting time for BPG as we vice president of sales at AFC-Hol-
Perkins as CEO in August 2018. build on our success to date and take croft (Wixom, Michigan). Dougherty
The majority of BPG’s senior our organization to the next stage of has been with AFC-Holcroft since
management team will now be growth and operating excellence.” 2008, and served in several sales-
headquartered at the company’s AFS Corporate related roles, most recently as the
Southfield Technology Center/ Member Kurtz Bros. company’s sales manager.
Corporate Headquarters, a research Inc. (Independence, AFS Corporate Member Bad-
and testing facility just outside of Ohio) announced ger Mining Corporation (Berlin,
Detroit. the addition of Mike Wisconsin) announced sales associate
“Chris and Tamika complete Lenahan to its ex- Mike Rockney has retired. In a related
our senior management team and ecutive management move, Pete Gravunder joined the
represent outstanding additions to team. Lenahan, who foundry sales team as a technical sales
Mike Lenahan
our organization given their back- brings more than 30 representative. Gravunder has held a
grounds and experience levels in the years of operational variety of positions at Badger in opera-
auto industry,” Perkins said. “As we leadership in the metalcasting industry, tions and quality control.
PERSONALS
Superior Tube, a unit of AM- manager, based at Superior Tube’s quality manager, Hassan Raid is now
ETEK Specialty Metal Prod- facility in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. EHS manager, Tamer Elbably was
ucts and a manufacturer of small Eric Lentz was tabbed as operations picked as planning supervisor, Brian
diameter tubing, announced several manager, Mark Heuberger is the Gorney joins as process engineer
appointments to its company staff. manufacturing engineering man- and metallurgist, and Superior Tube
William Scilingo was named plant ager, Scott Bussinger was chosen as has also appointed three additional
account representatives: Avery Cole-
man, Lauren Brunner, and Tyriq
Kershaw.
Pittsburg State University alum
Steve Sikorski, president of AFS
Corporate Member MAGMA
Foundry Technologies (Schaum-
burg, Illinois), was recently named
a winner of the university’s Dr.
Kenneth K. Bateman Outstanding
Alumni Award.
OBITUARIES
Richard Boyd
died November 10,
2018. He was 70. Boyd
had served as an AFS
National Director
from 1994-1997, and
was on the Board of
Directors of the AFS Richard Boyd
Keystone Chapter
for over 30 years. He also had been an
active member of the Steel Founders’
Society of America, serving in multiple
capacities. Boyd had a lengthy career in
metalcasting, working at Huntington
ON TIME
Ingalls Industries, Newport News
Shipbuilding, Nova Precision Casting
Corp., Pennsylvania Steel Foundry,
EVERY TIME
and Dodge Steel Co.
Stephen P. Ducha-
rme died October
24, 2018. He was 63.
Ducharme began his
foundry career as a
At REFCOTEC we realize that running out of product or having technical issues costs you money plant engineer with
by the hour. That’s why our production and technical team is always ready to respond when you
call upon us. With a 5-day standard lead-time and same day production and shipment possible Columbia Bronze
when necessary, you can rest assured product will be there when you need it. Stephen Ducharme Corporation. From
there, he moved to The
Federal Metal Co. in technical sales un-
REFCOTEC, INC. 330.683.8200 (fax) til 1995, and then began working at H.
330.683.2200 542 Collins Boulevard Kramer and Co. He had been a member
Orrville, OH 44667 of AFS since 1980 and was a member
sales@refcotec.com of the Copper Alloy Division of AFS
throughout his career.
CastExpo 2019 is around the corner. You have been anticipating it for three years—the chance to meet at the
largest North American gathering of the metalcasting supply chain. When attendees think of CastExpo, they
think of full-scale exhibits, cutting-edge technology demos, packed aisles, exciting new equipment, innovative
sessions and a show floor full of energy. Representatives of the entire metalcasting industry supply chain will be
at CastExpo 2019 on April 27-30, 2019, in Atlanta. Register early for the best rates.
D.C. UPDATE
Updated China Report Shows Currently, additional tariffs of 25% are in Due to the large number of retirements
Continuation of Market Distortion place on two lists of Chinese imports with a and ousted incumbents in both chambers,
In November, the United States Trade combined annual trade value of $50 billion. we have one of the largest freshman
Representative (USTR) released a report Additional tariffs of 10% are also imposed on a class of lawmakers in recent years, with
updating information on its Section 301 third list of $200 billion in Chinese goods, with100 new members. There’s a significant
investigation of China’s policies and those tariffs set to increase to 25% on January amount of work to be done to introduce
practices related to technology transfer, 1, 2019, absent intervention by President Trump. the metalcasting industry. Engagement is
intellectual property (IP) and innovation. Moreover, the looming specter of additional key to educating lawmakers and advocat-
The original report from March 2018 tariffs on a fourth list, which could cover an ing for pro-growth policies, so be sure
found China was doing little to protect IP additional $260 billion in Chinese goods—ef- to mark your calendars for the 2019 AFS
and innovation, leading to the implemen- fectively all or nearly all remaining imports from
Washington Fly-In on June 11-12.
tation of tariffs on imports of specific China into the United States—is also under AFS is eager to work with the 116th
goods from China. This follow-up report consideration by the administration. Congress, which officially begins work
finds that “China has not fundamentally on January 3, 2019, to ensure its mem-
altered its unfair, unreasonable, and New Congress Has Opportunity to Work bers focus on enacting measures that
market-distorting practices” since the Together to Improve Infrastructure and will further contribute to pro-growth and
March 2018 report. Develop the Workforce pro-manufacturing policies. One of the
The updated report details China’s The midterm elections are completed, with top priorities will be helping both par-
use of various tools to intervene in U.S.’ control of Congress now split, the Democrats ties come together to enact the kind of
operations including ongoing direct winning back control of the House of Represen- significant new infrastructure measures
investment in, and acquisition of, U.S. tatives and Republicans adding to their majority the President has long promised. This
companies and assets by Chinese enti- in the U.S. Senate. is an issue that leaders in both parties
ties, thereby allowing China to obtain “We congratulate all the winners from the have expressed support for, and AFS
cutting-edge technologies and intellec- midterm election and look forward to having expects them to make infrastructure a
tual property and generate large-scale the opportunity to educate newly elected mem- top priority early in the new year.
technology transfer at a record pace bers about the metalcasting industry’s many
For additional information, contact
in 2018. These lists of goods contain a contributions to our nation’s broader economic Stephanie Salmon, AFS Washington Off ice,
number of metal castings. prosperity,” noted AFS CEO Doug Kurkul. 202/842-4864, ssalmon@afsinc.org.
Faircast is not captive, and its biggest customer makes up only 8% of its business.
PRODUCTION
CONTROL
SOFTWARE
DESKTOP | CLOUD | APP
www.synchroerp.com
Global Casting
Production
Expands
I
n 2017, global production Of the 33 countries that pro- increase of 6.2%.
increased to more than vided data for the past two years, Total production of iron increased,
109.8 million metric tons, an 25 reported an expansion in annual with gray iron growing 6% and ductile
increase of 5.3% when com- volumes when comparing 2017 to iron expanding by 3.8%. Steel output
pared to the previous year, 2016. Among the top-10 countries grew by 6%, while aluminum produc-
according to this year’s Mod- in total output, Russia had the high- tion jumped by 6.7%.
ern Casting Census of World est growth in 2017 with an increase The data reported in the Census of
Casting Production. The nearly 110 of 8.3% in production. World Casting Production is supplied
million metric tons of metal cast- China increased its total produc- by each nation’s metalcasting associa-
ings produced in 2017 represent an tion by two million metric tons to a tion or similar representatives., as well
increase of 5.5 million tons. This total of 49.4 million. Meanwhile, the as the World Foundry Organization
rate of growth comes after two years U.S. saw its tonnage increase by 4%, and CAEF-The European Foundry
of less than a half percent growth. and the gray-iron heavy India saw an Association.
Belarus - - - - - - - - - 258,900
Belgium 26,900 8,400 A 7,300 - 799 - - - 43,399
Bosnia &
17,500 9,100 - 1,350 - 10,500 - - - 38,450
Herzegovina*
Brazil 1,261,107 517,222 - 186,616 20,811 223,359 5,458 1,154 - 2,215,727
WORLD TOTAL 49,043,244 26,428,148 764,034 11,281,541 1,776,282 19,076,302 196,645 666,869 371,612 109,863,577
* 2016 Results ** 2015 Results A Includes Malleable Iron B Source: Aluminum Association C Includes Magnesium D Includes all diecasting
E All iron F All nonferrous
SOLIDIFY YOUR
CASTING FUTURE!
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February 13-15, 2019
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(ask to be added to our mailing list), or visit,
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Study Measures Potential
Exposures From Sweepers
Results of the research project demonstrate the use of well-maintained
powered industrial sweepers configured with HEPA filtration most likely
do not contribute to exposure. tom slavin, slavin osh group llc (chicago)
Dry Sweepers
• OSHA has indicated the use of
sweepers not equipped with HEPA
filters is considered an “other
HEPA filtered sweepers, consider-
are basically vacuums, they generally ing them in the same category as [housekeeping] method” and they
use brushes to lift particles and push HEPA filtered vacuums. are not prohibited by the standard’s
them into the path of the vacuum. • Overall, the study data show a housekeeping provisions, as long as
This raises the question of how the 17% reduction with HEPA filtered they are operated and maintained
housekeeping provision of the rule equipment. However, the data also properly.
would apply: demonstrate substantial variability. • Although results vary consider-
(h) Housekeeping: (1) The • Maintenance is a key to the suc- ably, data for the 4-hour periods
employer shall not allow dry sweeping cessful operation of HEPA filtered before and after dry sweeping for
or dry brushing where such activity sweepers. To protect the HEPA all sites show that RCS exposures
could contribute to employee exposure filter from quickly overloading, a are slightly lower (about 9%)
to respirable crystalline silica unless staged filter system is used, requir- after sweeping.
wet sweeping, HEPA filtered vacuum- ing frequent attention. • Poorly maintained sweepers may
ing or other methods that minimize • Cleaning the filter can be a dusty increase RCS concentrations.
the likelihood of exposure are not process. If compressed air is used, Sweepers have filters that are effec-
feasible. (29 CFR 1910.1053 (h)(1). the operation should be performed tive at trapping some respirable
In order to determine whether in conjunction with a ventilation dust particles, although not as
powered industrial sweepers could system to capture the dust. efficiently as a HEPA filter. How-
contribute to employee exposure, AFS ever, filters can become damaged,
sponsored a research project to mea- Wet Sweepers seals can become compromised, or
sure exposures associated with use of • Wet sweepers are allowed by the hoppers can fill up and release dust.
sweepers and the results were shared standard. This may be indicated by a visible
with OSHA staff. In early October, • Only one set of tests was performed dust cloud as the sweeper travels.
OSHA agreed to allow the use of with wet sweeping and the data are • Industrial hygienists experienced
industrial sweepers not equipped with not considered to be reflective of in foundry operations have found
HEPA filters, as long as the employer wet sweeper performance due to sweeper operator exposures to be
follows other applicable requirements background activities and measure- low compared to other foundry
in the standard (e.g., the hierarchy of ment questions. activities. We recommend that
controls to reduce and maintain expo- • Maintenance is important for the sweeper operator exposure levels
sures below the permissible exposure water supply and to direct the mist and visual review of dust generation
limit) and maintains the equipment to the proper area of the brush. be used as indicators of sweeper
in accordance with manufacturer Too much or too little water can be fitness. Foundries that use dry
recommendations. OSHA encour- problematic. Droplet or mist size sweepers should measure operator
ages employers to acquire industrial may also be important to maintain. exposure, adhere to manufacturer
sweepers equipped with HEPA filters Some users have found ionized recommended maintenance prac-
when their existing sweepers need to water, such as waste ozonated water tices, and observe sweepers for signs
be replaced. of visible dust generation.
Average 36 33 3 9%
Median 34 25 9 26%
Definitions
TWA - Time-Weighted Average
µg/m3 - micrograms per cubic meter
mg/m3 - micrograms per cubic meter
(Standard) - A sweeper without additional attachments (curtaining) or features (misting or HEPA), representative of most commonly utilized sweepers in foundry environments
(HEPA) - Sweeper equipped with High Efficiency Particulate Air Filters
N/A - Not Applicable. Concentrations were non-detect, thus a reduction cannot be calculated
Notes
1. The limit of detection (LOD) for the respirable crystalline dilica samples was 12 µg/m3. Nondetect (ND) results are assigned 1/2 of LOD (6 µg/m3)
2. Samples analyzed under mod. NIOSH 0600, Gravimetric (Respirable Dust) and mod. NIOSH 7500/mod. OSHA ID-142; XRD (Respirable Crystalline Silica)
While not the focus of, nor round of testing. The results for HEPA during the day, and that level was still
measured in this research project, equipped sweepers are shown in Table below the Action Level.
industrial hygienists experienced 2. Overall, the data show a 17% reduc- By way of qualitative observation,
in foundry operations have found tion with HEPA filtered equipment. it is important to note that main-
sweeper operator exposures to be low However, the data also demonstrate tenance is also key to the successful
compared to other foundry activities. variability. Some of the factors that operation of HEPA filtered sweep-
We recommend that sweeper opera- may account for variability, in addi- ers. To protect the HEPA filter from
tor exposure and visual review of dust tion to the process issues discussed quickly overloading, a staged filter
generation be used as indicators of above, are the low background levels system is used, requiring frequent
sweeper fitness. Foundries who use at some of the sites. For example, the attention. Cleaning the filter can be
dry sweepers should measure opera- pre-sweeping level at site A location a dusty process. If compressed air is
tor exposure, adhere to manufacturer was below the detection limit, so a used, the operation should be per-
recommended maintenance practices, value of ½ the detection limit (i.e. 6 formed in conjunction with a ventila-
and observe sweepers for signs of vis- µg/m3) was used for calculations. The tion system to capture the dust.
ible dust generation. post sweeping measurement resulted
in a 287% increase over pre-sweeping. Wet Sweeping
HEPA Filtered Sweepers However, it is important to note that Only one set of tests was per-
Three test sites deployed HEPA the increase may have been due to formed with wet sweeping. The data in
filtered sweepers in an additional background process related build up Table 3 show a 13% increase in dust
Average 44 36 7 17%
Median 56 29 27 48%
Definitions
TWA - Time-Weighted Average
µg/m3 - micrograms per cubic meter
mg/m3 - micrograms per cubic meter
(Standard) - A sweeper without additional attachments (curtaining) or features (misting or HEPA), representative of most commonly utilized sweepers in foundry environments
(HEPA) - Sweeper equipped with High Efficiency Particulate Air Filters
N/A - Not Applicable. Concentrations were non-detect, thus a reduction cannot be calculated
Notes
1. The limit of detection (LOD) for the respirable crystalline dilica samples was 12 µg/m3. Nondetect (ND) results are assigned 1/2 of LOD (6 µg/m3)
2. Samples analyzed under mod. NIOSH 0600, Gravimetric (Respirable Dust) and mod. NIOSH 7500/mod. OSHA ID-142; XRD (Respirable Crystalline Silica)
Table 3. Summary of Area Samples From Foundry Sites Collected Before and After Sweeping Activities With Wet Sweepers
Foundry Sample 4-hr TWA 4-hr TWA Reduction Reduction
(Sweeper) Location (Pre-Sweeping) (Post-Sweeping) (µg/m3) (%)
A 59 56 3 5%
Site D B 50 56 (6) -12%
(Wet) C 51 63 (12) -24%
D 54 66 (12) -22%
exposure after wet sweeping, but that maintain. Some users have found that controls to reduce and maintain each
result is not reflective of wet sweeper ionized water, such as waste ozonated employee’s exposure to or below the
performance. A review of the real time water from pollution control systems, PEL in accordance with paragraphs
data shows a cyclic pattern of back- can help water bind to dust particles. (c) and (f )(1) of the standard. Such
ground events with one event in the controls could include appropriate
pre-sweeping period and three other Additional Considerations modifications to the sweepers (e.g.,
events in the post-sweeping period, For all powered industrial sweepers installing a shroud around the bottom
likely accounting for the data results. (HEPA or non-HEPA), the employer of the equipment to limit escaping
In addition, the possibility should be using the sweeper must ensure compli- dust) or establishing new, appropri-
noted that the real time monitor read- ance with all applicable provisions of ate work practices (e.g., limiting the
ings may have been affected by fine the silica standard, including the PEL. speed of operation). If feasible engi-
water particles. Thus, the employer must assess the neering and work practice controls
As with dry and HEPA filtered exposures of employees operating or are not sufficient to reduce exposures
sweepers, some qualitative observa- working in the vicinity of the sweeper to or below the PEL, the employer
tions can be made about wet sweepers. in accordance with paragraph (d) of must use them to reduce employee
Maintenance is important to maintain the standard. And if any of those exposure to the lowest feasible level
the water supply and direct the mist to employees are exposed to silica levels and provide appropriate respira-
the proper area of the brush. Droplet above the PEL, the employer must use tory protection. See 29 C.F.R. §
or mist size may also be important to feasible engineering and work practice 1910.1053(f )(1).
B eing environmentally
responsible and improv-
ing the bottom line
aren’t mutually exclusive goals. Many
facilities achieve better growth and
cost savings, improve their brand and
for promoting environmental sustain-
ability within a facility. Foundries,
inherent recyclers, have even more
of a business case for environmental
sustainability than many other indus-
tries. From implementing manage-
sustainability of natural resources.
The American Foundry Society’s
EHS Division presented its inau-
gural Green Foundry Case Study
Awards on Oct. 10.
The Green Foundry Case Study
reputation, strengthen stakeholder ment systems and metrics, to waste Awards recognize AFS Corpo-
relations, and boost their profitability. management and beneficial reuse, rate Members for achievements in
Often, a business case can be made metalcasters can play a key role in the sustainable industry, innovation and
environmental engagement. The
winners were:
• Kennedy Valve, a division of
McWane, (Elmira, New York),
first prize in sustainable industry.
• Waupaca Foundry Inc. (Waupaca,
Wisconsin), runner-up in sustain-
able industry.
• Amsted Rail Company (Grive-
port, Iowa), runner-up in sustain-
able industry.
• Clow Valve, a division of
McWane, (Oskaloosa, Iowa), first
prize in innovation.
• Waupaca Foundry Inc. (Waupaca,
Wisconsin), first prize in environ-
mental engagement.
Stormwater Improvement
McWane Inc. took first prize
for a significant stormwater
improvement project at its Kennedy
The inaugural Green Foundry Case Study Award winners at the 30th AFS EHS Conference are shown Valve division in Elmira, New York.
with their plaques. McWane diverted the normal flow
Alloy Replacement
McWane Inc. took first prize for
innovation by replacing a leaded
brass alloy with a low-lead brass
alloy for manufacture of their valves
and hydrants at its Clow Valve
division in Oskaloosa, Iowa. The
Waupaca Foundry Inc. submitted several case studies from a number of plants throughout the U.S. transition to no-lead alloys was
related to creative uses for spent sand and slag.
required by the Safe Drinking Water
Act, but hydrants and valves were
exempt. McWane went beyond the
of water from the foundry operations energy dependence earned the com- legal requirements and voluntarily
yard to a grassy area, where it can pany the 2009 Wisconsin Governor’s eliminated brass from its operations.
infiltrate into the soil versus sending Award for Excellence in Environ- This switch required the revision and
this same stormwater to the river. The mental Performance. approval of specifications from the
company also installed a vortex style American Water Works Association
particulate separator by Aqua-Shield Making Briquettes (AWWA), Underwriters Labora-
in the sand laden west yard storm- Amsted Rail Company Inc. col- tories (UL), Factory Mutual (FM),
water drain leading to the outfall. lected and sent 100 tons of grind- the National Sanitation Foundation
This device reduces total suspended ing fines each month to a nearby (NSF) and its customers’ specifica-
solids by 70%. briquetting company. This kept 100 tions. The resulting benefits included:
The local stormwater coalition was tons of waste out of the landfill each • Reduced lead exposure to
so impressed it is using this project as month. The briquettes were returned workers.
a model, hoping other locations in the to Amsted Rail for use as a feed- • Reduced hazardous waste gen-
county adopt similar practices. stock in its electric arc furnaces. The eration leading to a reduction of
benefits of the project include: their generator status.
Heat Recovery System • No longer having to search for • Eliminated process steps and
Waupaca Foundry Inc. installed a interested buyers to take this equipment needed in the bag-
heat recovery system at Plant 1 to heat byproduct off its hands. house system.
its building with previously wasted • Recycle grinding waste on site • Reduced lead in the stormwater
heat during cool months. It removed
an old glycol heat rejection system and
replaced it with a waste heat recovery
loop system to recover heat from their
cupola. The closed-loop system deliv-
The new system provides 70% of the
ers a heated water/glycol solution to
coils installed in the make-up air units
heating requirements in a typical
that provide space heating to various
zones throughout the facility.
Wisconsin winter,
The new system provides 70% of providing a two-year return
the plant’s heating requirements in a
typical Wisconsin winter, providing on the investment.
a two-year return on the investment.
This allowed the plant to reduce its
provide valuable insights. The defect however, all vents are active, the a completely compacted core in this
causes become visible and help core defect occurs during the gas- area (Fig. 6).
derive specific corrective measures sing process when gas is actively
(Fig. 5). In the center thin-walled injected through the vents. In the Optimizing Gassing and Purging
section, all designs present a slightly combustion chamber roof, sand is for PUCB Cold Box Processes
reduced compaction. The design of displaced directly below the vent- In core production, measuring
experiments reveals that this minor ing nozzles. Therefore, by closing technology for quantitatively deter-
reduction of core compaction can be these vents, the core quality is con- mining the processes taking place
slightly improved by increasing the siderably improved. The cores are during gassing is available only to a
shooting pressure. By closing the completely filled in these areas, and limited extent. Even if it is not pos-
vents in the combustion chamber due to the closed vents, the gassing sible to measure the amine transport
roof, the local compaction remains defect can no longer occur. Like- throughout the core box, the simula-
constant in all areas. The core qual- wise, the results prove the vents at tion of the gassing process delivers
ity in these areas is still acceptable the spaces between the cylinders quantitative results that allow for
after the shooting process itself. If, are required in order to guarantee the evaluation and virtual optimiza-
tion of the process.
In vertically parted core boxes,
gassing typically takes place top down,
with possibly very long gas flow paths.
The degrees of freedom in the core box
particularly apply to the variation of
the vents, to ensure the effective amine
transport into the lower areas that are
critical for curing (Fig. 7).
The quantitative evaluation of a
single simulation calculation reveals
the problems arising during the
gassing process. For normal vent-
ing nozzle configurations viable for
core production, a large part of the
amine is purged prematurely out of
the core box (here 80% in the upper
third). Only a little amine reaches
the bottom area of the core. Achiev-
ing a complete curing of the core
Fig 8. This graph analyzes the amount of injected amine that flows out of the core box in the without making changes to the core
individual core segments, and thus are not available for gassing of the critical bottom section.
box is only possible by increasing
F
oundry products cannot reach Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, an independently qualifying medical
their intended market without Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New York condition. Therefore, employers may
the labor of humans. That can and Rhode Island provide some em- want to engage in an interactive process
often mean issues related to employ- ployee protections from discrimination even if it is not required by law.
ment and labor steal attention away primarily on the basis of being a medical Despite the relatively new state stat-
from the critical operational issues marijuana cardholder or for testing posi- utes permitting medical marijuana use,
of the foundry. While the issue of tive for marijuana during a drug test. law enforcement officials may prosecute
marijuana use may not always be at The Massachusetts Supreme Court medical marijuana patients, even if they
the front of our minds in relation to a also recently ruled that employers may grow their own medicine and even if they
foundry operation, it can certainly affect need to accommodate off-duty medical reside in a state where medical marijuana
operations safety, relations between federal marijuana use in certain situ- use is protected under state law. The
different sectors of the workforce, and ations; New York has a similar policy. United States Supreme Court indicated
many more operation factors. As in the ruling of Gonzales v. Raich
more states legalize marijuana
use for medical or recreational
An effective workplace drug (2005) that Congress and the
Food and Drug Administration
purposes, employers continue
to struggle with how to address
policy may, in order to be should work to resolve this issue.
The Raich decision does not
the issue in the workplace. Your most effective, address the say that the laws of any medical
foundry may find that writing marijuana state are unconsti-
and communicating a clear and current attitudes of the time tutional; nor does it invalidate
consistent marijuana policy to be them in any way. Also, it does
valuable prior to the actual need and not rely upon the same not say that federal officials must
for the policy. prosecute patients. Decisions
Despite medical marijuana old drug and alcohol policy. about prosecution are still left
(or cannabis) laws in 46 states (as to the discretion of the federal
of the writing of this column), government.
marijuana is still illegal under federal law. This can mean if an employee in one When developing your marijuana
The federal government regulates drugs of these states is using marijuana with and drug use policy, keep in mind many
through the Controlled Substances Act a medical marijuana card, employers employers regard recreational marijuana
(CSA) (21 U.S.C. § 811), which does not likely cannot terminate their job on that use just as they would recreational alco-
recognize the difference between medical basis. However, if an employee is using hol use, with the additional understand-
and recreational use of marijuana. How- marijuana recreationally, the employee’s ing that unlike alcohol, marijuana is
ever, these laws are generally applied only job would likely not be similarly pro- still illegal under federal law. Certainly,
against persons who possess, cultivate, or tected. Other state decisions indicate many foundries already apply a drug-
distribute large quantities of marijuana, that possession of a medical marijuana free workplace policy; however, if your
so you may not be surprised to read some card may not protect an employee’s job foundry does not, perhaps it is time to
people openly grow, sell, and consume while violating work drug policies, but consider it with the advice of your busi-
marijuana products. Because of this, em- it may protect their employee benefits. ness attorney.
ployers have to be prepared for the fact Again, these rulings vary from state-to- Employers do not have to tolerate
that it is now much easier to obtain mari- state, so you need to consult your busi- on-the-job intoxication even if a worker
juana—and in new forms such as oils, ness attorney who needs to be familiar is using marijuana for medical reasons,
creams, brownies, etc. How are employers with the current state of marijuana so accommodations might include ad-
supposed to know what products may be laws in the state(s) where the foundry ditional time off or a leave of absence for
laced with marijuana? This information is located and/or where the foundry the period the worker needs to use the
may be difficult to ascertain, but employ- employees are working. drug. Workplace policies should clearly
ers may want to start being more mindful In the majority of states, includ- state employees cannot be drunk, high,
of changes in employee performance and ing California, employers do not have or otherwise impaired while at work. Ev-
indicators of an employee’s influence of to make accommodations even for eryone needs to know they cannot have
marijuana and other drugs. off-duty medicinal use. The current an edible at lunch and come back to the
Despite the federal statutes banning case law in California makes that clear, office or go back to the foundry floor. An
the possession, cultivation, and distri- but the law could evolve as attitudes workplace drug policy may, in order to
bution of marijuana, many states have regarding marijuana use change over be most effective, address the current at-
enacted medical and recreational use time. The underlying issue is that a titudes of the time and not rely upon the
statutes. Furthermore, statutes at least in medical marijuana cardholder may have same old drug and alcohol policy.
T
he Occupational Safety and Improvements to the Voluntary Protec- OSHA explained safety incentive
Health Administration (OSHA) tion Programs (VPP Policy Memo). This programs that reward workers based
does not currently have regula- VPP Policy Memo sets forth specific on leading indicators is always permis-
tions related to safety incentive programs safety incentive program criteria for sible. OSHA clarified, however, that a
or post-incident drug testing policies. It OSHA’s VPP participants to address program that rewards workers based on
has nonetheless opined on the valid- OSHA’s concern that, “(w)hen an incen- lagging indicators is also permissible, so
ity of certain types of safety incentive tive discourages worker reporting or, in long as the program is not implemented
programs and post-incident drug testing particularly extreme cases, disciplines in a manner that discourages reporting.
policies in order to advance key policy workers for reporting injuries or hazards, OSHA acknowledged that a rate-based
initiatives, namely: to improve the accu- problems remain concealed, investi- incentive program may have an inadver-
racy of injury and illness recordkeeping gations do not take place, nothing is tent effect of deterring employees from
statistics; and to incentivize employers to learned or corrected, and workers remain properly reporting an injury because
rely on leading rather than lagging indi- exposed to harm.” the employees may not want to lose an
cators to measure safety performance. On March 12, 2012, OSHA issued a opportunity to receive a reward. OSHA
Lagging and leading indicators are memorandum: Employer Safety Incen- stated that any inadvertent deterrent ef-
terms in the safety field to measure an tive and Disincentive Policies and Prac- fect of a rate-based program would like-
employer’s overall safety record. Lag- tices which expressed concern with safety ly be counterbalanced if the employer
ging indicators measure the outcome incentive programs that “unintentionally adopts positive elements, such as:
of undesirable events that have already or intentionally provide employees an • Rewarding employees for identifying
happened, such as work-related acci- incentive not to report injuries.” unsafe conditions.
dents. Leading indicators, on the other On May 12, 2016, OSHA adopted • Training employees to reinforce report-
hand, are safety metrics that precede a new regulation: Improve Tracking ing rights and responsibilities and em-
undesirable events, such as reporting of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses, in phasizes the employer’s non-retaliation
hazards, so an incident may be avoided. which OSHA created a new provision policy.
Employers often implement safety under its recordkeeping standard, section • Implementing a mechanism for accu-
incentive programs based on leading 1904.35(b)(1)(iv), that expressly bars an rately evaluating employees’ willingness
and lagging indicators. For example, an employer from retaliating or discriminat- to report injuries and illnesses.
employer pay its employees a monetary ing against any employee for reporting OSHA further stated most workplace
bonus or may provide non-monetary a work-related injury or illness. While drug testing is permitted, including:
prize, such as a pizza party, if employ- the new regulation did not expressly • Random drug testing.
ees report hazards (i.e., issues identi- place any restrictions on safety incentive • Testing unrelated to the reporting of a
fied during a Gemba walk), or if the programs or post-incident drug test- work-related injury.
employees do not sustain any injuries ing policies, OSHA explained in the • Testing under workers’ compensation
during a reporting period (i.e., a rate- preamble to the final rule certain safety laws.
based incentive program). OSHA is incentive programs and post-incident • Testing under federal law, such as a
concerned employees will be discour- drug testing policies would likely deter Department of Transportation rule.
aged from reporting an incident if it reporting. In October 2016, OSHA is- • Testing to evaluate the root cause of a
will affect their incentive pay. sued several guidance documents, stating workplace incident, so long as the em-
During the Obama administration, that it would enforce section 1904.35(b) ployer tests all employees whose conduct
OSHA took several steps to address (1)(iv) consistent with the preamble. could have contributed to the incident,.
safety incentive programs and post- Under the new administration, While OSHA referred to this new
incident drug testing policies: OSHA is taking a different approach. In interpretation as a clarification, it is really
On Sept. 28, 2010, OSHA com- October, OSHA issued an interpretation an about-face of its previously articu-
menced a National Emphasis Program “clarifying” its position. To avoid any un- lated views on safety-incentive programs
(NEP), Directive on its Injury and Ill- certainty, OSHA expressly stated section and post-incident drug testing policies.
ness Recordkeeping National Emphasis 1904.35(b)(1)(iv) does not prohibit safety OSHA expressly stated this new inter-
Program, which remained in effect for incentive programs or post-incident drug pretation supersedes any inconsistent in-
two years. Under this NEP, OSHA testing. OSHA elaborated that safety terpretative documents OSHA previous-
investigated companies with policies that incentive programs or post-incident drug ly issued. In light of this interpretation,
may discourage accurate recordkeeping, tests would only violate the standard “if employers may feel more comfortable
including safety incentive policies based the employer took the action to penalize implementing safety incentive programs
exclusively on lagging indicators. an employee for reporting a work-related and post-incident drug testing policies,
In June 2011, OSHA issued a policy injury or illness rather than for the but should still include the necessary
memorandum under its Voluntary legitimate purpose of promoting work- protections to ensure that employees are
Protection Program (VPP): Revised place safety and health.” In this case, the not deterred from reporting work-related
VPP Policy Memorandum #5: Further employer’s motive must be proven. injuries and illnesses.
METALCASTING MANAGEMENT
AND DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT
February 7-8, 2019 • The Mills House
Wyndham Grand • Charleston, South
Carolina • www.afsinc.org
This new, dynamic summit will advance
your leadership savvy and engage your
self-reflection. Anyone in the metalcast-
ing industry who currently leads or has
aspirations to lead the ever-changing
workforce should leverage this learn-
ing opportunity for motivating talent,
enhancing your culture, and identifying
your own leadership gaps. This is the
prime event for supervisors, HR pro-
fessionals and all leadership levels in
metalcasting.
Join us to take advantage of a personal
assessment, interactive workshops, and
roundtables giving immediate action-
able ideas to take back with you.
www.afsinc.org/conferences
ADVOCATE. EDUCATE. INNOVATE.
EDUCATE INNOVATE
O
ne of the big goals for AFS posters for AFS conferences.
is to constantly create more • Targeted marketing email.
value for Corporate Mem- • Social media.
bers. When the 2020 AFS Metalcast- • The Modern Casting Buyer’s
ing Forecast & Trends hits your inbox Guide.
at the first of the year, we hope you’ll • The Metal Casting Design & Pur-
take a few minutes to see what’s new. chasing Casting Source Directory.
We think you will find it an excep- We do all this, in house. We’re
tionally valuable resource. constantly talking to industry
After spending the year re- experts: suppliers, foundries, and
searching ways to make the Forecast buyers. We have the good fortune
more vital, we have an approach to interact regularly with them.
that could be called “something old, The Forecast, as you have known
something new.” it, offers you one kind of analyti-
Sometimes it’s good to try cal tool. We are adding to the tool
something new. On the other hand, box with analysis of other trends in Richard Jefferson
“if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” And metalcasting.
sometimes it’s not one or the other This year’s articles are a pilot (most everyone in Washington)
of those options, but both. project. Our plan is to expand and understands the full economic im-
For the old, the Forecast is not refine these analysis pieces each suc- portance of the entire metalcasting
changing, with the exception that cessive Forecast. Among the topics industry, not just one segment. This
we have been asked to ensure we in- we are going to cover are employ- is why we will continue reporting
clude a lesser-used alloy that we had ment and education in metalcasting, aggregate numbers along with the
stopped reporting on. The graphs supply chain, government affairs breakdown.
and the data will all be included. (USA), and energy. We hope to add Although not everyone appreci-
What’s new is the analysis of some other topics in coming years. ates the Forecast, there are those
issues vital to our members. Our We have absorbed various criti- who look forward to receiving it.
point is not to dig up “breaking cisms about the Forecast, which is One email I received stated, “We are
news,” but to delve into trends and normal. Thank you, one and all, looking at our 2019 budgets right
see if we can offer some helpful because you helped push us to make now and last year we used a projec-
information for the coming year, to these additions to the Forecast. One tion that AFS had published on how
provide a metalcasting context for of the criticisms is that aggregate they expected the foundry industry
our metalcasting readers. metalcasting numbers don’t help to perform in 2018. I was hoping to
Why are we going this direction? anyone. Aluminum foundries say get this projection for 2019 so I can
The AFS brand umbrella covers ar- they have little use for data about again use it in my own projections
eas of critical interest for metalcast- iron foundry output, and vice versa. for our company. Can you share this
ers: technical services (research, But wait. information with us?”
conferences, Metalcasting Congress, There is a most excellent reason Thank you for asking. Yes, we can
technical support, committees), to include aggregate numbers as a help you.
education (the Institute), member- key part of the Forecast. When the We are staying focused on our
ship services of a wide variety, AFS AFS goes about its important busi- goal of creating value for our mem-
Chapters, and media. ness on Capitol Hill and with exec- bers. For Corporate Members, your
Media is marketing and commu- utive branch agencies, it’s important Forecast will be delivered to your
nications on behalf of AFS Techni- that the non-metalcasting audience inbox in the new year.
cal Services, the AFS Institute, and
AFS Membership Services. We
produce a panoply of media:
• One AFS Metalcasting Forecast
GETTING THE FORECAST
and Trends.
For AFS Corporate Members the Forecast is a membership benefit. Individual
• Two magazines.
members may receive the Forecast for $750. The Forecast is available to anyone
• Seven newsletters.
for $1,000.
• Video.
• Promotional postcards, brochures,
CALENDAR
JANUARY 15-16 of iron melting and related processes.
Topics include charge materials selec-
ing industry who currently leads or has
aspirations to lead the every-changing
Introduction to Metalcasting tion; understanding of cost, value, and workforce should leverage this learning
SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS risk; information covering electric and opportunity for motivating talent, enhanc-
This course introduces the process of cupola melting procedures; refractory ing your culture, and identifying your own
metalcasting. It provides a broad picture lining and more. leadership gaps.
of what happens in a casting production
facility, while illustrating the technology,
variables and complexity involved in
FEBRUARY 6-7 FEBRUARY 19-20
producing a casting. Gating & Riser Design 201 AFS Advanced Foundry Waste and
SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS Byproducts Seminar 2019
AFS Headquarters
JANUARY 15 This course is a continuation of Gating &
Riser Design 101 with an emphasis on ap- SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS
WEBINAR: What Is an Inoculant and plication of sands, chills, sleeves, other ther-
What Does It Do?
WWW.AFSINC.ORG
mal control properties, fluid flow principles
and filtration.
FEBRUARY 26-27
Improving the Effectiveness of Visual
The concept of inoculation will be pre-
Inspection
sented, covering typical composition and
elements used along with an emphasis
FEBRUARY 6-8 SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS
on FeSi-based inoculants with controlled AFS Metalcasting Management and This course provides you with the informa-
chemistries. Development Summit tion needed to understand the factors
The Mills House—Wyndham Grand Hotel of influence on the human task of visual
CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA inspection, permitting true quality engineer-
JANUARY 29-30 ing of this critical operation.
Iron Melting 201 This new, dynamic summit will advance
SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS your leadership savvy and engage your
This course provides detailed coverage self-reflection. Anyone in the metalcast-
K
evin Slezak is a senior which had equipment and software CEO regarding potential technol-
attending the University that other spectrometers didn’t. He ogy applications.
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, investigated and tested the new “Signicast helped me obtain a
majoring in physics and materials features to ultimately determine if scholarship at the end of my intern-
engineering. Throughout his stud- the machine was working as de- ship, leading to an invitation to
ies, he has had some exposure to signed. Completion of the project the Investment Casting Institute’s
investment casting, and the senior meant better quality control for the technical conference,” Slezak said.
capstone project he chose to work company’s alloys in the future. The “My university’s relationship with
on with MetalTek International’s second project focused on explor- FEF helped make my trip to the ICI
Investcast division gave him even ing applications of ultrasound to conference possible, allowing me
more experience. processing. This project was very to network with experts in the field
Slezak’s knowledge and inter- open ended, leading to extensive and learn more about the investment
est in investment casting greatly background research and culminat- casting industry.”
expanded during the summer of ing in a report and presentation
College Connection is a recurring feature that runs
2018. He spent several months as given to various department heads in Modern Casting highlighting the metalcasting
a process engineer intern at invest- within the company as well as the programs and students at FEF schools.
ment caster Signicast Corporation.
His time was split between the
headquarters in Hartford, Wiscon-
sin, and their former headquarters
in Brown Deer, Wisconsin.
Several process engineer interns
at were Signicast, and they spent the
first several weeks rotating through
all the processing positions in the
Hartford facility. This allowed them
to obtain a quick but detailed picture
of the beginning-to-end production
process. Through the remainder of
the summer, each intern was assigned
a project that was to be their primary
focus while the remaining time was
spent assisting the process engineers.
This work included metallurgical
testing as well as tests and data analy-
sis related to other processes.
Slezak was assigned two summer
projects. The first project involved
testing the company’s relatively
newer optical emission spectrometer Kevin Slezak spent several months as a process engineer intern at investment caster Signicast.
Metalcasting-related degrees: Students can earn a BS in Materials Science & Engineering, but they can also earn an MS in
Mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Industrial Engineering.
Metalcasting course examples: The courses required to complete a Materials Science & Engineering degree are offered begin-
ning at the freshman level. Engineering Materials is where students start. Other required courses include Materials Processing
& Manufacturing, Physical Metallurgy, Thermodynamics of Materials, and Mechanical Engineering Experimentation. Engineering
Basis of Materials, Mechanical Behaviors of Materials, and Materials Laboratory are also required classes.
Professor notes: Pradeep Rohatgi has been the FEF Key Professor at UWM since 1993. He received both his MS in Materials Sci-
ence & Engineeering and his ScD in Materials Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
HIT YOUR
TARGET with
AFS CAREER
OPPORTUNITY PACKAGES.
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AD INDEX
Company Page Email/Website Phone FAX Contact
Didion International, Inc. inside front cover info@didion.com 636-278-8700 636-278-3155 Art Grillo
General Kinematics Corporation inside back cover mail@generalkinematics.com 815-455-3222 815-455-2285 Customer Service
CASTING
Fabio Cavalieri Joe Murphy
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A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN FOUNDRY SOCIETY fabio@afsinc.org AdSales25@aol.com