“We knew we were sending money

out with every load, just unsure

how much. Initially we estimated
a one year payback. In reality
we were blown away with
a payback in less than 3 months.
Reliability…check.
Performance…check.
Payback…check.
Obviously we are thrilled!”
Steve Starks, Olin Brass

HIGHER CONCENTRATES, CLEANER MELTS.

MODERN
CASTING.COM
WEBSITE
COVID-19 Resources for Metalcasters
AFS has provided a compilation of resources for metalcasters to access
as they navigate the rapidly changing situation during the
coronovirus pandemic. The website is
www.afsinc.org/afs-covid019-coronavirus-resources.

CONNECT WITH US MEMBER POLL

How’s Business?
Follow:
@AmerFoundrySoc

Follow:
americanfoundrysociety

Like: American
Foundry Society

AFS foundry members were asked this question in a monthly poll.

Join: Foundry and The survey aims to give a brief look at metalcasters’ business outlook
Diecaster Network throughout the year to help early identification of trends. In March, 16
anonymous metalcasting operations reported how their business fared
compared to the previous month. Six reported a decrease in casting
orders, four reported an increase, and six said orders had remained the
same. The survey was sent out March 15, and next month’s survey will
better reflect how the coronavirus has impacted businesses.

April 2020 MODERN CASTING | 3

 APRIL 2020
A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN FOUNDRY SOCIETY VOLUME 110 | NUMBER 4

P. 18 COLUMNS
10 Editorial
Dealing With
Disappointment
S. WETZEL

40 Safe Practice
What Foundries Can
Do When There Is a
Respirator Shortage
T. SLAVIN AND

P. 28
K. ROWNTREE

P. 32
50 College Connection
Cal Poly Pomona
Shares Casting
With Community
P. LECHNER

DEPARTMENTS

3 From Online
18 COVID-19 Resources for Metalcasting
AFS has compiled resources for metalcasters facing the COVID-19 crisis. 12 Industry News
A MODERN CASTING STAFF REPORT
17 In a World
24 Foundry 4.0 & the Future Without Castings
How foundries operate in the future may look and feel much different than
metalcasting operations of today. S. WETZEL 41 AFS News
28 Process and Data Automation for the Mid-Sized Foundry 43 AFS Calendar
Industry 4.0 can propel metalcasting facilities, but automation means more
than robotics. J. LAGRANT
51 Classifieds
32 Case Studies in Foundry 4.0
Cutting-edge technology ranging from machine learning to augmented reality 55 Advertisers Index
is pushing metalcasting into a new phase of innovation. K. STANEK
56 Shakeout
36 Upgassing A356 Aluminum to an Intermediate Specific Gravity
A low pressure aluminum foundry incorporated a rotary degassing system
guided by a computer model to make controlled additions of hydrogen into its
aluminum 356 alloy. D. LIGHTLE AND B. BEGAN

moderncasting.com
Cover Design: Mike Berrafato

April 2020 MODERN CASTING | 5

 1695 N. Penny Lane
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Published monthly by the American Foundry Society, MODERN CASTING magazine presents the North American
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STAFF

Managing Marketing & Comm AFS VP, Marketing and

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April 2020 MODERN CASTING | 7

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EDITORIAL

Dealing With Disappointment

W
hen this issue arrives in readers’ inboxes, certainties they have identified to have the confi-
it will be right around the time we should dence and support to create new ways to serve their
be heading to Cleveland for the 2020 people and customers.”
Metalcasting Congress. The three stories in this issue focused on
Working at home instead of walking the show Foundry 4.0 (pages 24-35) help cover how the met-
floor or listening to the alcasting industry can evolve its operations to take
technology transfer going advantage of new technologies while also providing
on during the sessions is the kind of jobs and working environment that best
extremely disappointing. fit the current and upcoming workforce.
Unfortunately, it has been “Foundry 4.0 forces us to think about the
a season of disappoint- future: what are the future demographics that will
ment for us all. At least affect our industry, how will changing transporta-
we are not alone in that tion trends affect the type of castings we make,
regard. Cancelled vacations, what new regulations will need to be considered
cancelled sports, closed in our operations, what new energy sources will
schools, and job and finan- be incorporated in our business?” said David
cial loss, has made this past Weiss, VP of engineering and development, Eck
month a test even for the Industries (Manitowoc, Wisconsin). “As the rate
most resilient. of change increases and as advanced technologies
Yet, one of the most become ubiquitous, how can we use those tools to
comforting things to watch create a profitable, sustainable foundry businesses
has been how people and that can operate far into the future?”
industry have been re- There is no question it has been a difficult
sourceful. Manufacturers period, but it has sparked a burst of ingenuity. I
and foundries have rapidly look forward to returning to normal while also
adapted when they seeing how the
can—in incred- innovations-by-
ible ways (see page One of the most comforting crisis are rolled into
56)—and AFS has standard business
worked to support things to watch has been practices.
the industry as I’m also looking
everyone navigates how people and industry forward to the 2021
this period of
upheaval. On page
have been resourceful. Metalcasting Con-
gress—it will be a
18 in this issue, cathartic gathering
we share some of of the industry, I
the resources the think. It also coin-
society has compiled for its members to help them cides with the 125th anniversary of AFS. That’s a
now and through recovery. celebration to look forward to.
Eventually, the pandemic crisis will subside, and
life will return to a new normal: stability with some
changes. This week I chatted—from a distance—
with a neighbor who works as a firefighter for our
town. He said some of the ways they have adapted
their normal operating procedures when facing the
coronavirus likely will become improved standard
practice from now on.
The technology futurist Daniel Burrus, quoted
on page 20 of this issue, has had this advice for Shannon Wetzel, Managing Editor
businesses today: “while others may ‘wait and see’
what the future brings for our world post-pandemic,
anticipatory leaders are not looking at the long list If you have any comments about this editorial or any other
of things they can no longer do; they are creating a item that appears in Modern Casting, email
list of things they can do now using the hard trend swetzel@afsinc.org.

10 | MODERN CASTING April 2020

INDUSTRY NEWS
Benton Foundry to invest $21 million in expansion
AFS Corporate Member Benton
Foundry (Benton, Pennsylvania) will
be expanding its iron casting opera-
tions over the next three years, creating
at least 40 new jobs, according to an
announcement from Pennsylvania
Governor Tom Wolf. Roughly 80,000
sq.ft. of manufacturing space will ei-
ther be added, replaced or repurposed
in the $21 million investment.
The expansion will begin this
summer and focuses on the foundry’s
core room and cleaning and finishing
areas. According to Benton Foundry
president Jeffrey Hall, the plan for the
core room is to streamline operations,
add capabilities, and design-protect
for future resin systems and alternative
materials. The expansion will increase
capacity from 5,000 tons of core
per year to 10,000 tons. The invest-
ment will also build in the option to
incorporate sand reclamation for core
12 | MODERN CASTING April 2020
production in the future.
Significant changes will be made
in the casting cleaning and grind-
ing areas, as well. The current fleet of
cleaning equipment will be replaced,
and Hall anticipates adding a 14 cu.ft.
barrel drum, two 34 cu.ft. tumble blast
units, and a monorail system. Ben-
ton Foundry will increase its robotic
grinding cells from six to 10-12 with
the aim of robotically grinding up to
75% of all product shipped.
“Benton Foundry has prospered by
pushing into harder-to-make cast-
ings, which has made core assembly an
integral part of our success and growth
as we double the size of this portion of
the foundry,” Tim Brown, vice presi-
dent of Benton Foundry, said in a press
release. “We feel fortunate to partner
with world-renowned ergonomics and
industrial engineering professors from
Penn State University, in addition to
the Governor’s Action Team, whose
work reflects tangible results that will
provide sustenance for the continued
growth of our operation.”
Benton Foundry received a propos-
al from the Department of Commu-
nity and Economic Development for
the project, which includes a $150,000
Pennsylvania First Grant and $40,000
in Job Creation Tax Credits to be
distributed upon creation of the new
jobs. The project was coordinated by
the Governor’s Action Team, an expe-
rienced group of economic develop-
ment professionals who report directly
to the governor and work with busi-
nesses that are considering locating or
expanding in Pennsylvania.
Benton Foundry’s state-of-the-art,
automated facility pours 170 tons of
iron daily and anticipates being able to
increase its capacity to up to 225 tons
after expanding.  
 INDUSTRY NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS
Work Harder
Metalcasting Congress or Work Smarter?
Cancelled
The AFS Board of Directors has made the difficult deci-
sion to cancel Metalcasting Congress 2020. This outcome
became unavoidable, especially after the Ohio Governor
prohibited large public gatherings. Given the uncertainty
relative to the duration of mass-gathering bans, AFS does
not plan to reschedule the event.
Since so many foundry personnel, suppliers, casting
buyers, and students rely on Metalcasting Congress as the
single-most anticipated event on their annual calendar, this
was an especially difficult choice. Although this action also
comes at a significant financial cost to AFS, this course of
action was chosen for the well-being of registrants, exhibi-
tors and AFS professional staff.
For historical perspective, the last time Metalcast-
ing Congress was cancelled was in 1945, during the final
months of World War II. With roots going back 124 years,
AFS has been advocating for the vital interests of the
metalcasting industry; to educate current metalcasters and
encourage future foundry leaders; and to foster innovation
throughout the foundry community.
The Gold Medals, Service Citations and Awards of Sci-
entific Merit will be presented at the 2020 Foundry Leader- Hard work is not enough. Successful casting
ship Summit, September 20-22 in Lake Tahoe, California. operations require finding new, more efficient
Announcements about other awards, and other show-related ways of doing the work to increase profits
matters, will be made as details become available.
and outsmart the competition. You know that
AFS is developing plans for Metalcasting Congress in
Milwaukee on April 13-15, 2021, which will be celebrating all too well.
the 125th anniversary of AFS.
That’s why you see a growing number of
Foundry events cancelled worldwide Brokk remote-controlled machines in foundries
due to pandemic around the world. It’s the intelligent demolition
Many international foundry conferences and shows also powerhouse that combines power, precision
have been cancelled or postponed because of the spreading and flexibility in a unique, safe way.
COVID-19 pandemic. Following is a partial list of those
shows and whether they have been cancelled or postponed: Whether you are cleaning a ladle, de-bricking a
• Aluminum Association Spring Meeting, April
furnace or removing baked-on sand from a large
20-22: Moving to a virtual meeting, details to be
announced. casting, the remote-controlled Brokk machine gets
• NADCA Plant Management Conference, May 6-8, the job done with minimal plant shut down time
Indianapolis: Postponed to a future date TBD. and maximum ergonomics. Brokk. The smartest
• 2020 Practical Cupola Workshop, May 12-13, Rock- maintenance solution when the heat is on.
ford, Illinois: Postponed until September 29-30.
• Metal + Metallurgy China, May 13-16, Shanghai:
Postponed until August 18-20.
• WFO World Foundry Summit, May 18-19, New
York City: Postponed until 2021 date TBD.
• 10th BRICS Foundry Forum, June 9-11, Moscow:
Postponed, date TBD.
• CastForge 2020, Trade Fair for Castings and Forg- Intelligent Demolition Power
ings With Processing, June 16-18, Stuttgart, Ger-
many, Postponed until June 8-10, 2021. Brokk Inc. | Monroe, WA | 1-360-794-1277
• Ductile Iron Society Annual Meeting, June 3-5: info@brokkinc.com | www.brokk.com
Moving to a virtual meeting, details to be
announced.  

April 2020 MODERN CASTING | 13

INDUSTRY NEWS
Small foundries in all U.S. states eligible to apply for low-interest
loans due to COVID-19
The SBA announced it would offer
disaster assistance loans for up to $2
million for foundries and other small
businesses affected by the coronavirus.
These low-interest loans are avail-
14 | MODERN CASTING April 2020
able to businesses that have sustained
“substantial economic injury” due to
the spread of the virus. See more about
this and other COVID-19 resources
on page 18.
These loans can be used to pay off
outstanding debts, payroll and any
other bills they are unable to pay.
However, small businesses that have
access to credit are not eligible. Small
businesses with no available credit
qualify for an interest rate of 3.75%,
and nonprofits will have an interest
rate of 2.75%.
The SBA’s Office of Disaster As-
sistance will coordinate with state
governors that submit relief requests.
Once a state or territory is approved,
these affected businesses will receive
more information.
Even if your state is not yet offering
disaster assistance, you can begin to
prepare to apply by looking over the
information required.
In addition to disaster relief loans,
the SBA has a comprehensive list
of resources available to small busi-
nesses during the crisis. This includes
COVID-19 fact sheets; strategies
for employees to adhere to; common
problems small businesses may face,
like supply chain shortfalls; and local
assistance information.
Along with national loan programs,
the SBA has extensive satellite offices
and organizations to help small busi-
nesses during this time. This includes
CORE offices, Women’s Business
Centers, Small Business Develop-
ment Centers and Veterans Business
Outreach Centers.  
Let Us
Hear It
Whether you agree or disagree with
what you see in MODERN CASTING,
we welcome your comments.
To submit a letter,
send an email to
Shannon Wetzel, Associate
Editor, at swetzel@afsinc.org.
 INDUSTRY NEWS

Bremen Castings now called BCI Solutions

Bremen Castings Inc. (Bremen, was founded in Bremen. In 1972, Bre- announcement, to help support these
Indiana) unveiled March 17 on men Gray Iron Foundry changed its core concentrations of manufactur-
LinkedIn that it has a new name and name to Bremen Castings, Inc. (BCI), ing, BCI Solutions, Inc. has secured
website, BCI Solutions, to better represent the company and the equipment and talent for fixture,
www.bcisolutions.com. its manufacturing philosophies. pattern and tooling builds/repair. The
“To OEMs and the manufactur- Bremen is a registered ISO company will continue to supply the
ing world, BCIS is ‘Your Complete 9001:2015 / IATF 16949:2016 automotive, natural gas, military, agri-
Manufactured Solution,’” the com- manufacturing company that em- culture, mining, truck, lawn and garden
pany announced on its website. Along ploys almost 300. According to its industries and others.  
with manufacturing gray and ductile
irons as well as aluminum, steel and
billet, BCIS has also grown its ma-
chining capabilities to more than just
a machine shop, providing the base to
become a multipurpose manufacturer.
The BCIS manufacturing complex
now includes full assembly, packaging
and shipping logistics to warehouse
and distribution centers throughout
the world.
This is not the first time the com-
pany’s name has evolved. On March BCI Solutions’ continued evolution has included investing in automated
17, 1939, Bremen Gray Iron Foundry machines, machining, and 3D printing.

April 2020 MODERN CASTING | 15

INDUSTRY NEWS
SinterCast reports CGI production is up in 2020
Annualized SinterCast CGI
series production for the first
two months of the year reached
3.1 million Engine Equivalents,
providing a 5.4% year-on-year
increase. The sampling volume
at customer foundries remained
16 | MODERN CASTING April 2020
stable at recent run-rates
throughout February, providing
a positive indication for foundry
shipments into March, Sinter-
Cast AB reports.
The start of 2020 provided
new series production oppor-
tunities beyond the core cylinder
block and head market. During
February, Hyundai started produc-
tion of a new bedplate for a 3.0
litre V6 diesel engine in Korea. The
bedplate – mated to a SinterCast-
CGI cylinder block – had previously
been produced in ductile iron. The
conversion to CGI was introduced
to improve mold yield and to reduce
defect rates in the foundry, and to
realize productivity gains in ma-
chining. During March, SinterCast
also received a new order for large
components used in industrial power
applications. Series production is
expected to begin during the first
half of 2020, with the potential to
provide more than 100,000 Engine
Equivalents per year at mature
volume. The new order provides
the opportunity for the industrial
power sector to continue to account
for 5-10% of the total volume, even
as the core cylinder block and head
market continues to grow.
“The start of 2020 has introduced
obvious challenges, but also pro-
vided new opportunities,” said Dr.
Steve Dawson, president and CEO
of SinterCast. “While the series pro-
duction may be temporarily influ-
enced by the COVID-19 virus, we
remain confident in our long-term
growth, both for series production
and new installations.”  
OBITUARIES
John G. Hallworth, 68, Dover,
New Hampshire, died January 6.
He owned Cocheco Pattern Works
(Somersworth, New Hampshire) for
more than 40 years. Specializing in
historical and architectural patterns,
John’s work has been extensively used
in the restoration of the Boston Op-
era House, the Bunker Hill Monu-
ment, New York’s Grand Central
Station, the Boston Museum of Fine
Arts, the Massachusetts State House,
Shreves, Crump & Low, and the new
Boston Convention Center among
many others.
 IN A WORLD WITHOUT CASTINGS

In a World Without Castings

Would We Have Waffle Cones?

A handful of people in the world can claim the invention

of the ice cream cone, from the U.K. to Italy to the U.S. One
of the early inventors was Abe Doumar, whose imagination
was sparked when he bought a waffle at the St. Louis World’s
Fair and decided to roll it up and top it with a scoop of ice
cream. Doumar began selling the creations at the fair with so
much success, he worked with a foundry to cast an iron bak-
ing machine of his design to make more cones. This machine
allowed him to roll one waffle while three others cooked. In
1905 Doumar opened the first of what became a chain of
ice cream stands. One of those stands still operates today as
Doumar’s Ice Cream and BBQ in Norfolk, Virginia.

April 2020 MODERN CASTING | 17

COVID-19

Resources for Metalcasting

AFS has compiled resources for metalcasters facing the COVID-19
crisis. modern casting staff report

A ll supply chains, including the metalcasting

supply chain, have been seriously damaged in
recent weeks. These are challenging times, even
for an industry as resilient as metalcasting.
As the leading organization for the metalcasting
industry in North America, the American Foundry Soci-
states, legal HR advice for managing organizations during
COVID-19, and more.
This material may also be found at www.afsinc.org. Please
don’t hesitate to contact Stephanie Salmon at ssalmondc@gmail.
com, or other AFS staff members for more information.

ety (AFS) has continued its advocacy for metalcasting

in several important ways through the lockdown. AFS
continues to make resources available to its Corporate
Members, as well as to others in the industry, as you can
see from this edition of Modern Casting and by searching
our website, www.afsinc.org.
Here you will find economic information about options
for small businesses, how AFS has been communicating
with federal elected officials, information specific to certain
AFS Connects You With
Economic Information
Small Foundries in All U.S. States Eligible to Apply for
Low-Interest Loans Due to COVID-19
The Small Business Administration has created a com-

18 | MODERN CASTING April 2020

prehensive coronavirus page with all of its resources in one
place at www.sba.gov/page/coronavirus-covid-19-small-
business-guidance-loan-resources.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering
disaster assistance low-interest loans up to $2 million for
foundries and other small businesses affected by the corona-
virus. Businesses must have sustained “substantial economic
injury” from the spread of the virus.
These loans can be used to pay off outstanding debts,
payroll, and any other bills they are unable to pay. How-
ever, small businesses that have access to credit are not
eligible. Small businesses with no available credit qualify for
an interest rate of 3.75%, and nonprofits will have an interest
rate of 2.75%.
The SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance will coordinate
with state governors that submit relief requests (https://
disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/). Once a state or territory is
approved, these affected businesses will receive more infor-
mation. More up to date information about state programs
has been posted at www.afsinc.org.
Changes to Tax Filing Deadlines Due to COVID-19
The federal government and several states have extended
their deadlines to file and pay 2019 tax returns because of
the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The IRS pushed out the filing date for 2019 tax returns
from April 15 to July 15. Individual states have announced
changes as well. AFS has compiled some of these new dead-
lines on its website.
States Must Designate Metalcasting as Critical
Manufacturing Sector
Governors and local officials across the nation have
signed various “stay-at-home” or “shelter-in-place” orders in
an increased effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. These
orders vary in their scope in the restricted activities and
affected industries but they typically address: continuing
operations of critical businesses; restrictions on non-essential
businesses; the activities individuals may continue to per-
form; and other limitations on gatherings.
AFS is proactively reaching out and sending letters to
states and local governments urging them to adopt and
follow the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS)
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
Guidance on Critical Infrastructure Sectors and Workforce.
For information about states initiating work restrictions on
businesses visit www.nam.org/covid-state-orders.  Senate were on the verge of passing as Modern Casting was
CISA identifies 16 sectors considered to be “essen-
tial,” including critical manufacturing, defense, energy,
transportation, and water systems. The DHS CISA guidance
designated manufacturers to be an “essential industry,” so
manufacturers, including metalcasters and their respective
supply chains, can maintain their normal work schedules as a
necessary response to the COVID-19 crisis.
The guidance is designed to help state and local officials
as they work to protect their communities and ensures conti-
nuity of functions critical to public health and safety. Several
governors contacted have referenced this DHS CISA guid-
ance in their state’s recent stay-in-place orders, including
California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missis-
sippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
In addition, AFS is working closely with foundry state
organizations, AFS chapters, the National Association
of Manufacturers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and
American Chemistry Council urging states that have not yet
issued shelter-in-place directives to directly adopt the defini-
tion of “critical infrastructure” as defined by the Department
of Homeland Security (DHS) as a floor, and commit to keep
these critical manufacturing facilities open across the nation. 
Reliance upon common standards as outlined in the DHS
CISA guidance is critical at this time. 
If you need information or have any questions on
whether metalcasting and manufacturing has been deemed
essential in your county or state, please contact Stephanie
Salmon, AFS Washington Office, ssalmon@afsinc.org or
571-242-0186.
DHS CISA identifies 16 critical infrastructure sectors
“whose assets, systems, and networks, whether physical or
virtual, are considered so vital to the United States that
their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating
effect on security, national economic security, national public
health or safety, or any combination thereof.” (Presidential
Policy Directive 21). The following 16 critical infrastructure
sectors include: Chemical Sector; Commercial Facilities
Sector; Communications Sector; Critical Manufactur-
ing Sector; Dams Sector;  Defense Industrial Base Sec-
tor; Emergency Services Sector; Energy Sector; Financial
Services Sector;  Food and Agriculture Sector; Government
Facilities Sector;  Healthcare and Public Health Sector;
Information Technology Sector;  Nuclear Reactors, Materi-
als, and Waste Sector; Transportation Systems Sector; and
the Water and Wastewater Systems Sector.
AFS Advocating With
Elected Officials
AFS Pushes for Key Provisions in Stimulus Package to
Benefit Metalcasters
AFS has worked closely with the National Association of
Manufacturers (NAM) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
to ensure key provisions are included for the benefit of
metalcasters in the stimulus package which the House and
going to press with this edition.
AFS has called on Congress and the Administration as
legislative negotiations proceeded, to take critical steps to
support American manufacturers, and in particular, the met-
alcasting industry, during the coronavirus pandemic.
Key Provisions AFS was supporting in the bill:
1. Language to cancel payment of all payroll taxes typi-
cally paid by employers for the rest of the year.
2. Language expanding and streamlining loan programs
for small businesses with fewer than 500 employees
experiencing revenue loss as a result of the coronavirus.
April 2020 MODERN CASTING | 19

3. Language enabling the creation of credit facilities to
provide loans and loan guarantees to employers with
more than 500 employees experiencing significant
revenue loss as a result of the coronavirus.
These three ideas, combined with the following actions,
would ensure that U.S. foundries, their suppliers and
customers of all sizes have increased liquidity and access to
necessary financing to help them weather the temporary loss
in revenue caused by the coronavirus.
1. Payroll Taxes: Payroll taxes typically paid by employers for
the remainder of the year starting in March 2020. Each month,
employers remit more than $100 billion to the federal govern-
ment in the form of Social Security, Medicare, and unemploy-
ment taxes. Collectively, these taxes add slightly more than 15%
to the cost of employing the average employee.
Temporarily cancelling the collection of these taxes will
reduce employers’ costs of continuing to pay employees
regardless of whether they are working or on sick leave and
will increase liquidity for employers to help them respond
to losses in revenue. Further, for employers with fewer than
500 employees, cancellation of the taxes combined with the
refundability for paid sick and family leave included as part
of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act will provide
meaningful additional financial support.
2. Loans for Small Business: Loan programs should
be streamlined for small businesses with fewer than 500
employees experiencing revenue loss as a result of the coro-
navirus. The Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster
loan program for those impacted by the coronavirus should
be immediately made available nationwide, eliminating the
state-by-state and county-by-county certification pro-
cess. AFS also recommended giving SBA the authority to
streamline its disaster loans for amounts below $350,000 to
provide emergency capital more quickly to small businesses.
This should include removing the requirement that small
businesses demonstrate they cannot access credit elsewhere
before receiving the SBA-disaster loan.
3. Creation of Credit Facilities to Provide Loans & Loan
Guarantees for Large Businesses: AFS supports enabling the
creation of credit facilities to provide loans and loan guaran-
tees to employers with more than 500 employees experiencing
significant revenue loss as a result of the coronavirus. Specifi-
cally, legislation should expand the use of the Federal Reserve
Discount Window through the liberalization of the restrictions
of Section 13-3 of the Federal Reserve Act.
Then the U.S. Treasury, Federal Reserve, Office of the
Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) should work in
combination with banks to establish a system of credit
facilities to provide loans and loan guarantees that can be
accessed by businesses with more than 500 employees to
address disruptions created by the coronavirus emergency.
Banking regulators should temporarily suspend and review
requirements such as the liquidity coverage ratio and provide
flexibility in their supervisory expectations for banks extend-
ing credit to businesses. These actions should allow for an
orderly ration of a program of loans and loan guarantees.
Other recommendations include:
20 | MODERN CASTING April 2020
A FUTURIST’S PERSPECTIVE
Daniel Burrus, technology futurist and best-selling author
of Anticipatory Organizations, will present at the 2020 AFS
Foundry Leadership Summit, WWW.AFSINC.ORG/2020FLS.
Of the experience companies are having right now, Burrus
wrote this:
“ … while others may “wait and see” what the future
brings for our world post-pandemic, Anticipatory Leaders
are not looking at the long list of things they can no longer
do; they are creating a list of things they can do now using
the Hard Trend certainties they have identified to have the
confidence and support to create new ways to serve their
people and customers.”
When times are as difficult as they are now, everyone needs
to pull together, and in that spirit, we offer this as a unified pre-
sentation of resources identified by AFS for your benefit.
The Administration should encourage regulators to
provide financial institutions with flexibility regarding the
credit conditions of small and medium-sized businesses fac-
ing short-term challenges, including offering extended grace
periods and short-term loans.
The Administration and Congress should take steps to
ensure small businesses have working capital during the
pandemic. Measures for small-business bridge financing
should include:
• Waiving the requirement that small businesses prove
they cannot access credit elsewhere before receiving
SBA-backed financing up to $35,000 for a limited time
frame and within responsible credit-score criteria.
• Automatic referral by SBA to their lender-match
program for other financing options if a small business
does not qualify for an SBA loan.
• The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS) should allow employers to use scanned, photo-
copied, and electronic signatures as acceptable alterna-
tives to original signatures on all USCIS forms.
• The Administration should maintain the current
waiver to the hours-of-service regulations for com-
mercial motor vehicle drivers delivering goods critical
for coronavirus response efforts for the duration of the
emergency.
AFS Urged Administration to Classify Metalcasting
as Essential Industry
On Friday, March 20, AFS sent a letter to Vice President
Mike Pence in his role leading the COVID-19 task force,
asking the administration to identify foundries, their supply
chains, and workers as essential when drafting and enforcing
shelter-in-place rules during the pandemic.
“Countless sectors rely upon the existence of castings,
including those vital to critical infrastructure such as
national defense, medical, transportation, electric power
and energy generation systems, as well as our drinking
water and wastewater systems,” wrote Doug Kurkul, AFS
CEO. “Foundries are the mainstay of national defense.
… Critical castings are found in military aircraft, tanks,
ships, submarines, communication systems,” and other
vital defense weaponry, the letter said.
“As the Trump administration continues to take critical
actions aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19, we ask
that foundries (ferrous and nonferrous), their suppliers, and
their workers in the U.S. be recognized as “essential” to the
nation’s COVID-19 pandemic response. We also request
that you encourage state, city, and local governments to
make the same designation,” the letter said.
The complete letter is online at
www.afsinc.org/Essential_Industry_Letter.
HR Guidance to Members
Webinar covers legal concerns
The human resources function is always a critical concern
for anyone in the metalcasting supply chain, but that con-
cern is heightened during crises like the present one.
AFS is providing resources to support members who have
questions or need guidance.
Fisher Phillips, a law firm focusing on workplace law,
twice presented an AFS members-only webinar, which can
be found at www.afsinc.org/members-only-webinars. The
webinar offered guidance on a variety of vital HR issues fac-
ing small businesses right now.
The following is a partial list the important advice offered
in the webinar:
• “Accept that every day brings new facts and guidance.
We must try to plan, but next week will be VERY dif-
ferent.”
• The good news is that everyone should stay calm. Most
of us will not get very sick.
• The bad news is “cases will rapidly increase in all areas
and disruptions in travel, gatherings, business, and edu-
cation will occur —sooner than expected.”
• Messaging needs to be transparent and balanced—“not
too dark versus being Pollyanna.”
AFS COVID-19 (CORONAVIRUS) RESOURCES
It is vitally important that metalcasters take appro-
priate steps to reduce the impact of the COVID-19
(coronavirus) outbreak on your facilities, workers, cus-
tomers and the public. The information offered here by
AFS is not legal or medical advice and should not be
relied on as if it were. You should contact an attorney
or medical professional before taking action on the
information. There is much more information and a full
resource list at www.afsinc.org/afs-covid-19-corono-
virus-resources, including hand-outs on cleaning and
disinfecting facilities, cleaning and disinfecting reus-
able respirators, and preventative measures to stop
the spread of COVID-19.
• “It’s time for the CEO’s role—making the tough risk
weighing decisions based on sound advice of HR,
Legal, Operations, and Safety.”
• There are specific OSHA and ADA requirements for
handling employees who refuse to work because of the
public health and safety risk; these requirements are
sensitive to whether one employee voices concern, or
whether more than one employee does.
• How do employers respond when an employee, or a
customer, or a public member onsite has been exposed
or tested positive, or is actually ill?
• Is COVID-19 a Recordable and Reportable Workplace
Illness?
• What requirements can employers impose for using
masks? (For more information on masks please see Tom
Slavin’s article on respirators on page 40).
Those who are not AFS members can purchase the webi-
nar for $250 through the AFS store at www.afsinc.org. An
individual AFS membership costs half that: $125. Access to
all archived webinars comes with an individual membership. 
New Paid Family and Sick Leave Obligations
Take Effect on April 1
Metalcasters with fewer than 500 employees will be
required to provide paid sick leave and paid family and med-
ical leave to certain employees for coronavirus (COVID-19)
related reasons, but this paid leave would be 100% refund-
able to employers providing under the Families First Coro-
navirus Response Act signed into law by President Donald
Trump on March 18.
Under the law which took effect April 1, metalcasters
will have to provide two different forms of leave:
Employers must provide up to two weeks (80 hours)
of paid sick leave at 100% of an employee’s pay if an
employee is unable to work because of quarantine, they
are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or seeking a
diagnosis.  Employers must provide up to two weeks (80
hours) of paid sick leave at 2/3 of an employee’s pay if an
CDC Coronavirus Disease 2019 Website:
www.cdc.go/coronovirus/2019-ncov/index.html
CDC: Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers –
Plan, Prepare and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019:
www.cdc.gov/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-
response.hmtl
OSHA: Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19:
www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3990.pdf
AFS Members Only Webinar: COVID-19 Practical Guidance for
Metalcasters : www.afsinc.org/members-only-webinars.
April 2020 MODERN CASTING | 21
 COVID-19: OSHA ISSUES EMPLOYER GUIDANCE
There are no specific OSHA standards covering COVID-19.
However, OSHA has published guidance to help employers
protect their workers from exposure and prevent COVID-19
from spreading.
Under the General Duty Clause, employers are required to
furnish workers with a place of employment that is free from
recognized hazards that are causing, or are likely to cause,
death or serious physical harm.
• OSHA and the CDC recommend the following initiatives to
best safeguard your workplace:
• Engineering controls: Isolate employees from the
hazard using high-efficiency air filters or increasing
ventilation rates.
• Administrative controls: Change workplace proce-
dures to reduce or minimize a hazard by encourag-
ing sick employees to stay home and developing
emergency communication plans
• Safe work practices: Reduce the duration, frequency
or intensity of exposure to the hazard by providing
tissues and no-touch trash cans and require regular
hand washing or use of alcohol-based hand rubs.
• Personal protective equipment (PPE): Minimize
exposure by requiring correct use of PPE, such
as respiratory protection, goggles or gloves.
The appropriate type of PPE should be selected
based on the hazard to the employee, regularly
inspected and properly cleaned.

employee is unable to work because they need to care for
an individual in quarantine, their child’s school is closed
or they need to comply with directives from government
health officials.
Employers must provide up to ten weeks of expanded paid
family and medical leave at 2/3 of an employee’s pay if an
employee is unable to work because a child’s school is closed.
In addition, employers will be able to receive tax credits
for the wages paid to employees on leave:
For the first form of leave, employers will be eligible to
receive a refundable sick leave tax credit up to $511 per day
and $5,110 in the aggregate, for a total of 10 days when an
employee is sick or needs to quarantine.  Employers will
be eligible to receive a refundable sick leave tax credit up to
$200 per day and $2,000 in the aggregate, for a total of 10
days when an employee misses work to care for an individual

MOLD & CORE

TEST
Fifth Edition
HANDBOOK
The procedures contained in this handbook describe
the latest accepted methods for testing foundry sands.
Used by foundries around the world, these protocols
provide a strong benchmark for operating foundries
to measure mold and core effectiveness. This new
edition of the Mold and Core Test Handbook is the
direct result of dedicated foundry sand control testing
and research conducted by the AFS Molding Methods
& Materials Division committee members.

Buy your copy of the Mold & Core Test Handbook,

5th Ed. and save 20%. Offer ends May 1, 2020, so
place your order today!

ISBN: 978-0-87433-467-8
Softcover, 6 x 9, 340 pages
Product No. GM1900

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Prices listed reflect discount. For a table of contents or to

place an order, contact Customer Service 800-537-4237
(U.S. and Canada; 847-824-0181 all others), or e-mail
estoreservices@afsinc.org.

Published by the American Foundry Society

22 | MODERN CASTING April 2020

that is quarantined or their child’s school is closed. an initial question and answer guidance aimed at
For the second form of leave, employers will be eligible to helping employers administer emergency paid sick
receive a refundable childcare tax credit up to $200 per day leave and paid FMLA leave as part of the Families
and $10,000 in the aggregate. First Coronavirus Response Act. Among the key
Employers can also receive an additional tax credit for questions answered in the Q&A, the agency addresses
the costs of maintaining health insurance for employees on which (and when) employees should be included in
leave. The new law expires on December 31. the calculation to determine employer coverage, and
outlined how to calculate the employee’s regular rate
IRS Guidance on Reimbursement of of pay when providing emergency paid sick leave and
Paid Leave Provided by Employers paid FMLA.
Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, The department also made it clear it would not
eligible employers are reimbursed immediately through bring an enforcement action against employers for any
payroll tax credits for paid leave benefits mandated by violations within the f irst 30 days the law is in effect so
the act that are provided to employees. In a joint state- long as the employer is acting in good faith to comply.
ment issued on March 20, the U.S. Department of Labor, During this transition time, the DOL will focus on
the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the U.S. Depart- compliance assistance.
ment of the Treasury announced that employers may In addition, the department has made available a
now begin to take advantage of the tax credits, which are required workplace poster. Employers should post the
“designed to immediately and fully reimburse [employ- required workplace poster in their offices as soon as
ers], dollar-for-dollar, for the cost of providing Corona- possible and, to the extent they have workers working
virus-related leave to their employees.”  remotely, should also send them the poster via email
A key question for employers is how to obtain the tax and/or post it on an internal or external website. AFS
credits for reimbursement. In the joint statement, the will continue to post key documents to its COVID-19
DOL previewed the process of obtaining the tax credits. resource page related to the emergency paid sick and
Eligible employers that pay for qualifying leave under paid FMLA leave requirements.
the act will be able to refund the cost of the leave paid
to employees by withholding the commensurate amount
of money from the payroll taxes paid rather than deposit
them with the IRS as normal. The payroll taxes available
for retention include withheld federal income taxes, the
employee share of Social Security and Medicare taxes,
and the employer share of Social Security and Medicare
taxes with respect to all employees. If the amount of
payroll taxes is not enough to cover the cost of the leave
paid, employers will be able to file a request for an accel-
erated payment for the disparity from the IRS. The IRS
has indicated that the processing of these requests will be
done in two weeks or less.
The DOL also will issue emergency guidance regard-
ing the exemption for small businesses (less than 50
employees) from the leave requirements related to school
closings or childcare unavailability where the act’s
requirements would jeopardize the viability of the busi-
ness as an ongoing concern. The DOL indicated that the
exemption would involve “simple and clear criteria.”
The pending SBA Paycheck Protection Program loans
in the new Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Secu-
rity (CARES) Act which passed the Senate on March 26
can be used to cover paid sick leave. The legislation also
includes payroll tax credits (a new employee retention
credit). The bottom line is that metalcasters will need to
read the details of each of these programs and loan ben-
efits, and determine what works best for their business,
and how these all work together.

DOL Publishes Initial Guidance on How to Imple-

ment Emergency Paid Sick and Paid FMLA Leave
On March 24, the Department of Labor issued

April 2020 MODERN CASTING | 23

Foundry
ou d y 4.00
& the Future
How foundries operate in the future may look and feel much different than
metalcasting operations of today. shannon wetzel, managing editor

24 | MODERN CASTING April 2020

T he terms Industry 4.0
and the Fourth Industry
Revolution have been
around at least since 2014, but the
revolution is ongoing with fresh new
implementations continuing to enter
industries worldwide.
The metalcasting industry is
going through its own version of
a fourth revolution, and a growing
number of suppliers, foundries, and
end-users are creating new ways to
use the internet of things to do their
jobs more efficiently.
But what does Foundry 4.0
really mean?
“I would define Foundry 4.0 as
anything to do with new emergent
technologies, processes, procedure and
systems, that have a socioeconomic
impact on how foundries are currently
operated,” said Hideki Gebken, engi-
neering manager for Standard Manu-
facturers Services Limited (Winnipeg,
Manitoba, Canada).
As a subset of Industry 4.0,
Foundry 4.0 centers around smart
manufacturing and what the future
will hold with greater computing
power, connectivity, feedback, and
digitization of the physical world.
“I have always liked the concept
that manufacturing is nothing more
than imparting useful ‘shape informa-
tion’ to a raw material,” said Randy
Oehrlein, VP of engineering, Carley
Foundry (Blaine, Minnesota). “In
Foundry 4.0 we will encompass the
technologies that make shape infor-
mation move faster, more accurately,
and with reduced physical effort as
it is transformed into useful physical
April 2020 MODERN CASTING | 25
objects. In our industry’s case, that is
metal castings and tooling.”
Brian McCarthy, sales engineer,
Versevo (Hartland, Wisconsin) points
to how foundry pattern shops have
been involved with digital manufac-
turing using CAD, CAM, and CNC
technologies since the 1980s.
“We absorbed available technolo-
gies from other areas of manufacturing,
and made it standard in our industry,”
he said. “During the transition, the
younger generation was getting a lot
of pushback from the older genera-
tion. The next 10 years are going to
be a similar situation as the younger
generation thrives on technology and
will be needed to replace the number of
retirees in the next 10 years.  In order
for the metalcasting industry to attract
the younger generation (and be com-
petitive), there is going to be a need to
absorb some of the advanced manufac-
turing options available today that are
being utilized in other industries.”    ous ways current and emerging tech-
Foundry 4.0 includes many aspects,
including the use of robotics, artificial
intelligence, data and process automa-
tion, and other emerging technologies.
But it also encompasses how digital
manufacturing will affect the way
employees engage with each other, the
machinery and customers.
“Foundry 4.0 forces us to think
about the future: what are the future
demographics that will affect our
industry, how will changing trans-
portation trends affect the type of
castings we make, what new regula-
tions will need to be considered in our
operations, what new energy sources
will be incorporated in our business?”
said David Weiss, VP of engineer-
ing and development, Eck Industries
(Manitowoc, Wisconsin). “As the rate
of change increases and as advanced
technologies become ubiquitous, how
can we use those tools to create a prof-
itable, sustainable foundry businesses
that can operate far into the future?”
A conference that looks at the vari-
nologies can be applied by metalcasters
is scheduled for June 9-10 in Itasca,
Illinois. Put together by the Ameri-
can Foundry Society and members of
its various committees, the Foundry
4.0 Conference will cover key topics
like data collection and management,
data-driven decision-making, artificial
intelligence, augmented reality, virtual
reality, wearable technology, robot-
ics, automation, and cyber security, as
well as the related issues of workforce
development, recruiting, and training.
The conference will include foundry
case studies demonstrating how
implementation of data collection,
automation, and digital technologies
have changed and improved opera-
tions today. More information on the
conference is available at www.afsinc.
org/conferences/foundry-40.
In the following pages, you can also
read two articles on Foundry 4.0. The
first covers how small to mid-sized
foundries can use data collection to
automate its processes. The second shares
three case studies of how emerging tech-
nologies are being used in the metalcast-
ing industry today.

REGISTER FOR FOUNDRY 4.0 CONFERENCE

The AFS Foundry 4.0 Conference is scheduled to be
held June 9-10, at Eaglewood Resort, Itasca, Illinois.
For the most up-to-date information on this conference,
especially in terms of how the COVID-19 virus may affect
plans, check the website www.afsinc.org/conferences/
foundry-40.
Scheduled Sessions
• The Future of Work and the Worker: Challenges
and Opportunities for Manufacturing and Foundry
Industries
• Artificial Intelligence
• Data-Driven Decision-Making Using Sensors and
Controls
• Collecting and Analyzing Time-Series Data for Process and
Predictive Maintenance
• Capturing Unknown Variables using AI for Better Pro-
cess Control
• The Developing Digital Age: Cultural Changes That Will
Impact Manufacturing
• Laser Scanning and BIM for Complex Industrial
Installations
• Casting Quality Prediction Via Supervised Machine
Learning
• IoT and Sensors for Improving Predictive Maintenance
and Reliability in a Permanent Mold Foundry
How a Permanent Mold Foundry Is Taking the 4.0 Turn
Towards Data-Driven Melt Quality and Casting Process
Decision Making: Now What’s Next?
• Process Control and Traceability for the Foundry Industry
• Attracting, Hiring, and Managing Personnel in the New Manu-
facturing Environment
• Open Forum on Workforce Development and Training
• Digital Twins, Cyber Security and Digital Manufacturing for
the Metalcasting Industry
• Exoskeletons for Ergonomics
• Wearable Biometrics to Monitor Employees for Heat Stress
and Fatigue
• Case Study: Eye Tracking Glasses for Training Metal
Pourers
• Flexible Casting Cleaning in a Robotic Cell
• Robotic Pouring and Placement of Cores
• Mechanical Arm Design for Dipping or Coating
• Case Study: Augmented Reality for Equipment Maintenance
and Training
• Virtual Reality for Interactive Training
• Customer Perspective: Lockheed Martin’s Future Vision for
Foundries
• Achieving Real-Time Process Monitoring During Sand Cast-
ing With Additive Manufacturing and Wireless Sensors
• The Foundry in a Starship: Melting and Pouring in a Zero Grav-
ity Atmosphere.

26 | MODERN CASTING April 2020

 We’ve Got
the Industry
Covered
Visit us at
www.moderncasting.com
for extensive industry analysis
and reporting.

• Late-breaking industry
news
• Photo galleries
• Video
• Columns
• In-depth features
• Same dedication to
quality metalcasting
coverage.

MODERN
CASTING www.moderncasting.com
Process and Data Automation
for the Mid-Sized Foundry
Industry 4.0 can propel metalcasting facilities, but automation means
more than robotics. jim lagrant, university of massachusetts (amherst, massachusetts)
W hat is an auto-
mated foundry
going to look like
in the future? Do you foresee additive
manufacturing cells and collaborative
robotics seamlessly interconnected and
providing big data to advanced analyt-
ics? For most foundries with fewer than
100 employees, probably no time soon.
The gap between operations as
they are today and an interconnected,
automated enterprise is more like a
chasm in terms of finances, skillsets,
and physical limitations. However, like
many other manufacturers, met-
alcasters are beginning to realize that
having a connected enterprise to see
how their process is performing, and
making better decisions more quickly,
is what will enable them to keep
their company competitive. It can be
intimidating to think you have to take
a plunge into Industry 4.0. But if you
consider this digital transformation
as a journey from understanding to
advancing to outperforming, you’ll see
28 | MODERN CASTING April 2020
that there are incremental steps you
can take to start gaining knowledge
about your process without breaking
your budget.
Several solutions and devices are
available that are scaled and applicable
to the metalcasting industry.
Foundry equipment is typically
overdesigned and built to last. For
instance, it’s not unusual to see sand
mixers and breakdown furnaces
installed in the 90s still in use. This
equipment continues to run day after
day, but it doesn’t provide a lot of
information and it isn’t suited to the
people you are hiring today to run or
maintain them.
Some other equipment in a foundry
may be a little newer and is only a cou-
ple steps and a very small investment
away from producing useful informa-
tion. This automation can improve
your operations and lessen some of the
impact of an aging workforce. Apply-
ing process data collection and analysis
of business metrics gives all levels of
the organization a common view of
the health of the business.
In metalcasting, a lot of hands are
involved in the process. The equip-
ment is not a frontline player as much
as it is in other manufacturing plants
such as packaging or assembly. In a
foundry, equipment issues tend not to
be noticed by engineering or manage-
ment because operators are good at
working around issues that crop up.
Due to the manual nature of foundry
operations, these issues—and work-
arounds—can be unrepeatable, which
leads variability in our product.
Because of this variability, there
is a lot to be gained in automating
a manual process. You might begin
at looking at the pain point or the
problem to be solved. Do you know
how much energy it takes to hold your
metal overnight, or how often your
heaters fail? That might be reason
enough to collect data from the
process. Is your melt quality degrading
due to inconsistencies in additions?

Maybe you want to add visualizations
and prompts so the manual steps are
being followed consistently.
If you are having metal-to-mold
reaction, do you know what your
binder ratios are, or the last time they
were changed? If you are out of capac-
ity, do you know when your equip-
ment is running or is idle? You might
be surprised to see how often your
machine is not running during the
day. Or, do you get complaints from
your operators that it is too hot, too
cold, or the air quality is bad because
the exhaust system was turned on or
forgotten to be turned off ? Offload-
ing some of the standard actions that
operators do, such as process timing
or auxiliary systems such as ventila-
tion, can allow them to focus on what’s
important: making good product.
These improvements can also lead
to improved operator effectiveness,
better decision-making, and fewer
errors by providing them with added
features, such as human/machine
interfaces, alarms, and trend screens
that give access to information and
recommendations for action. It will
also help them adopt new practices,
procedures, or workflows that will
improve their productivity.
The application of process sand data
automation was applied at a mid-sized
aluminum sand foundry with high mix,
low volume work. Now the foundry
employs multiple connected systems that
collect, analyze, and report on the factory.
Time series data is collected around the
clock from its equipment. Visualization
was added at key processes. Informa-
tion is displayed to operators and they
are allowed to manipulate the process
in a controlled manner. Operators are
restricted in what parameters they can
adjust as well as how much adjustment
they can make.
The foundry also added the means
of collecting transactional data such
as melt temperature at the pouring
operation. That might seem obvious,
but once the data was available elec-
tronically, it could be fed into analyti-
cal software for charting and alarming.
Data that is entered into terminals on
the floor is fed into statistical pro-
cess control software which tells staff
whether the process is in control or
out of specification, and a top level
dashboard for foundry supervisors
allowing them to see right away which
part number, for instance, has an issue.
The foundry achieved its system
slowly and in stages and by managing
its capital.
Getting Started
To begin implementing process and
data automation in your own metalcast-
ing facility, first verify if the piece of
equipment you are considering is capable
of meeting the needs of the customer.
Customer demands might have changed,
or new environmental regulations might
have passed since it was installed that the
equipment may be incapable of meeting.
In this case, your money may be better
spent elsewhere.
Once you’ve identified the process, it
doesn’t have to be expensive or involved
to start collecting data to characterize
how it is running. A small investment
in a USB data logger and a motor cur-
rent transmitter (less than $500) can
provide valuable information. You will
be able to find out cycle time, machine
loading, order of operations, and per-
cent utilization. After you review that
data you can make the decision if you
need to get more sophisticated on your
data collection project.
One of the big challenges in auto-
Foundries can collect data at terminals on the shop floor and feed them into analytical software for
charting and alarming.
KEY POINTS
• Automating your legacy equip-
ment extends their life and pro-
vides visibility to your operation.
• Staged implementation allows
you to control capital and build
off early wins.
• Automated manual processes
provide consistency and open
them up to a larger workforce.
• Standardizing the display
and analysis of business data
makes it easier to interpret
and understand.
• Innovate, adapt and keep mov-
ing forward.
mating manual processes is the real or
perceived lack of repeatability. Even
though it is a manual process, at one
point in time, there were a series of
tasks that were determined to be the
best method. Over time, those manual
processes tend to degrade. The degra-
dation can be worse if best methods
were not documented. It is imperative
that you get agreement between the
operators and subject matter experts
on the correct sequence of steps and
what-if scenarios. Once that is done
you can begin documenting the func-
tional specifications of the automated
system used to create the data col-
lection scheme, control scheme, and
April 2020 MODERN CASTING | 29
revised work instructions.
Upgrading Equipment
There are three approaches for
equipment upgrades.
1. Best in Class: Retrofit exist-
ing equipment with third-party
connectivity solutions and add
sensors that directly measure key
process indicators.
2. Rip and replace: Fully scrap
legacy equipment and replace it
with modern, communication-
enabled machines.
3. In-house solutions: Solutions
created by internal personnel and
technical resources. These are infi-
nitely customizable to pinpoint
and address known issues.
One example of retrofitting existing
equipment is a nobake sand mixer that
has a legacy PLC from the OEM.
For a small investment, a commu-
nication module was added to the
PLC to make all the data available
from that process. Now that the data
was available, it needed to be stored
somewhere more sophisticated than
an Excel spreadsheet. In the past, this
data was typically stored onsite in a
Foundries can opt to reftrofit existing equipment, rip and replace equipment, or develop an in-house solution for connectivity.
30 | MODERN CASTING April 2020
process data historian server. Today,
there are numerous cloud data storage
options that can be selected a-la-carte,
and do not require significant internal
IT resources. Therefore, if you have
equipment with controllers in them
now, there is no reason to not collect
data from them.
In a rip-and-replace scenario, you
are replacing outdated equipment with
the most up-to-date technology. For
instance, another mold mixer that was
installed in 1992 was working fine from
a mechanical systems standpoint but
there was no visibility in the pro-
cess. The foundry could not tell how
frequently the binder ratios were being
adjusted by the operators on the floor.
For less than $20,000, new monitoring
and control equipment was built up
and tested offline before being installed
during maintenance shutdown.
In-house solutions can help address
the needs of new hires. If you look
at the new employee who is running
your equipment today, they typically
do not have a manufacturing back-
ground. Their previous experience
might be from Dunkin’ Donuts and
McDonald’s. These employees are
used to having access to information
at their fingertips, and they are eager
to learn. Process visualization delivers
job specific instructions, enforces rules
and reduces the complexity for the
inexperienced worker.
The aluminum sand foundry did
this by expanding the use of existing
equipment. For example, it added com-
munication cards to existing tempera-
ture controllers and tied them into the
melt deck supervisory touchscreen. This
way, the melt deck operator can man-
age the temperatures remotely. Logic
was added to bring the furnaces up to
temperature overnight to limit electric
peak demand. Without this logic, the
furnaces were all turned up at the start
of the shift, resulting in a large peak
demand charge. This is a good example
of an in-house solution that automated
some of those overhead decisions the
operators have to make.
Automating and Analyzing
Transactional Data
An issue with automating business
transactional data is that it comes
from multiple data sources (Excel,
access, ERP), and most mid-size
foundries have limited internal IT
support and a small operating team.
In this scenario, working with a
third party to help create your plat-
form may help bridge the gap. An
analytics platform can enable you to
connect your multiple data sources,
get real-time, hands-off analytics,
role-based dashboards, and alarming
and notification services for extra
attention when a process drifts out
of specification.
User-specific dashboards lead
to KPI charts for statistical process
control (SPC). One of the ques-
tions that is often hard to answer
is whether a process is doing better
or worse than last month and last
year. Differing time spans display
immediate data as well as long-term
trends, giving a clearer vision of
how the business is doing. Since the
dashboards and charts are automati-
cally updated as soon as raw data is
generated, all of the time spent on
scrubbing the data and generating
the graphics is eliminated. High
level dashboards indicate business
performance, and consistency in
graphics significantly reduce the
time spent debating what you are
looking at.
In the past decade there has been
an explosion of connected consumer
technology. Think of how many
people you know that have fitness
trackers or smart watches telling
them their heartrate or providing
directions. This commercial technol-
ogy has been hardened for indus-
trial use, resulting in a great number
of connected industrial devices that
can be added to equipment to col-
lect data and integrate with existing
business systems. This data can be
integrated into handheld devices to
display data real-time where it had
not been previously available. These
handheld devices can run aug-
mented reality (AR) platforms for
equipment training, maintenance,
and operation. These platforms are
one more method manufacturers
can use to close the workforce labor
and skills gap.
This article is based on an AFS
w ebinar originally presented in
July 2019. AFS members can watch
the full recorded webinar at www.
afsinc.org/members-only-webinars.
Jim Lagrant was the Vice President
of Engineering at Palmer Foundry
in Palmer, Massachusetts. He is cur-
rently the director of the Manufac-
turing Engineering program in the
Mechanical and Industrial Engi-
neering Department at the Univer-
sity of Massachusetts-Amherst. Jim
is seeking opportunities for students
to work with manufacturers, OEMs
and suppliers who are interested in
the transformation to Industry 4.0.
For more information, please contact
him at jlagrant@umass.edu.

AFS Institute Heads

North to Wisconsin to
Offer Regional Courses
The Institute offers a variety of topics in instructor-led training
programs to further your expertise in the different alloys of
metalcasting and to develop your green sand molding skills.

Iron Green Sand Green Sand

Melting 201 Molding 101 Molding 201
May 27-28 August 12 September 23-24
Fond du Lac, WI Fond du Lac, WI Eau Claire, WI

Get detailed coverage Learn the basics of the Take your knowledge
of iron melting and green sand molding to the next level related
related processes in this process used within a to the sand molding
201 level course. metalcasting facility. processes used within
green sand foundries.

Check out the AFS Institute’s full Calendar of Events and

reserve your seat today at afsinc.org/courses.

Questions?
Contact Jen Christian, AFS Institute, Director of Training Solutions,
jchristian@afsinc.org.

April 2020 MODERN CASTING | 31

Case Studies in
Foundry 4.0
Cutting-edge technology ranging from machine learning to augmented
reality is pushing metalcasting into a new phase of innovation.
katelyn stanek, afs marketing and communications manager

I t’s been called the next stage

of the industrial revolution—
“Industry 4.0,” or, for met-
alcasters, “Foundry 4.0.” Using data
analysis, connectivity, automation
and more, metalcasting facilities
ries and two machining facilities are
approximately 135 robots helping to
create the company’s gray, ductile,
austempered ductile, and compacted
graphite iron castings.
“We use robotics and automation
in every department, pretty much,
from the core room to the mill room

are growing smarter and smarter.

But what is “4.0” technology, and
how are foundries implementing it?
Below are three examples of ways
metalcasters and their suppliers are
integrating these new opportunities
into their processes.

Robotics and Automation

When AFS Corporate Member
Waupaca Foundry (Waupaca, Wis-
consin) opened a new machine shop
about a year ago to finish castings for
the heavy-duty truck market, it did so
with one eye on the future—and one
on its present.
“This facility is representative of
everything we’re doing in regard to
automation,” said Sara Timm, Wau-
paca’s marketing and communications
manager. “But the machining facility is LAEMPE REICH uses augmented reality to assist customers in maintaining their core machines. Here,
very progressive.” a technician views real-time video of a customer’s machinery while overlaying helpful graphics with
Across Waupaca’s seven found- the use of augmented reality.

32 | MODERN CASTING April 2020

Waupaca’s machining facility has automated machining cells and automated guided vehicles.

to packaging,” said Jarrod Osborn, At Waupaca’s machining facil- demanding. We’re increasing those
vice president of manufacturing and ity, human input comes mainly jobs and those wages.”
engineering at Waupaca. “What in the form of quality control As robotics and automation com-
we’ve experienced with automation and machine-tending. Of course, plement the workforce, they attract a
is movement away from repetitive automation doesn’t mean a lack of new kind of employee, according to
roles in the foundry, as well as better employees—the facility has about 15 Osborn. They also reveal a different
ergonomics and safety, and making it workers on staff. But employees use side of foundry work.
a more desirable job.” different skills than they otherwise “We develop the automation and
In the new machining facility would have. This has led to an over- robotics internally, so we have a good
at its headquarters in Wisconsin, all shift in Waupaca’s workforce. group of technical people,” Osborn
a robot unloads raw castings and “It’s changing the nature of said. “By having that set of tasks or
places them on a conveyer, while the jobs that we have here today,” jobs, it entices the younger crowds.
automated guided vehicles trans- Timm said. “Jobs are becoming more Many people don’t look at the foundry
fer parts to machining cells, where skilled, less repetitive, less physically as a high-tech workplace, but once
CNC lathes produce tight-tolerance
components. Even stacking parts
onto pallets is automated. This is
representative of the Foundry 4.0
movement transforming metalcast-
ing plants across the world.
“What we’ve experienced with
“Foundry 4.0, in my vision, is
a totally interconnected work-
automation is movement away from
space where the equipment and the
machines are connected and making
repetitive roles in the foundry, as well as
decisions based on data rather than better ergonomics and safety, and
having human interaction,” Osborn
said. “The machining cells are the deci- making it a more desirable job.”
sion-makers. They request parts and
tell it when the parts are complete.”

April 2020 MODERN CASTING | 33

they see what technology we have and
the direction we’re heading, it sheds a
new light on opportunities.”
Machine Learning
Metalcasters know a problem
when they see one—defects, failures,
or other issues. But those problems
are relatively rare. How much do they
know about their successful castings?
“You’re making 96% or 97% good
parts, but you don’t look at them
because you’re focused on when
there’s a problem,” said Adam Kopper,
engineering program manager at AFS
Corporate Member Mercury Marine
(Fond du Lac, Wisconsin). “Are we
A foundry worker wears an augmented reality unit while performing maintenance on a piece of
machinery.
34 | MODERN CASTING April 2020
knowledgeable on when things are
good? Are we using that data to our
advantage to help us identify when
things are not good? I felt like the
answer was no.”
This realization is part of what
spurred Kopper, a PhD candidate in
materials science at Worcester Poly-
technic Institute, to dive headlong into
machine learning, a subset of artificial
intelligence that uses data analysis to
allow computers to identify patterns
and make decisions.
With machine learning, Kopper
said, foundries could identify poten-
tial problems before they arise by
recognizing slight anomalies in, say,
temperature, that might otherwise be
ignored. This is one of nearly countless
opportunities—some of them already
in action, others mainly theoretical—
that manufacturers will take advantage
of as machine learning grows.
“All the equipment talking to
each other, engineers or analysts
being able to get at that data--the
key thing is you’re making data-
driven decisions,” Kopper said.
“How do we capture that knowledge
and ultimately have the machine
make those decisions? That’s the
long view.”
In a metalcasting facility,
machine learning could involve
many things—monitoring pressure
in real time to look for unexpected
deviations, or watching a machine’s
amp draw to anticipate equipment
failure. The latter is becoming com-
monplace, Kopper said.
“What manufacturers are doing
now is moving from preventative
maintenance to predictive mainte-
nance, which is putting monitors, flow
sensors, amp meters, whatever you
can measure, on that machine, so you
know what it looks like when it’s run-
ning well,” he said.
Ultimately, although machine learn-
ing is about looking toward the future,
some of it can be used to preserve
today’s knowledge and put it to use.
“I think a key issue in our industry,
and in a lot of manufacturing, is that
we’re losing expertise,” Kopper said.
Machine learning addresses that, he
continued, by asking, “How do we
capture that knowledge? How do we
turn tribal knowledge into data? What
data describes that tribal knowledge?”
Augmented Reality
Augmented reality might seem like
something you’re more likely to find in
a Silicon Valley startup than in a met-
alcasting plant, but for AFS Corporate
Member LAEMPE REICH, using
augmented reality in foundries makes
perfect sense.
The Trussville, Alabama-based
manufacturer of core machines has
offered augmented reality service sub-
scriptions to its customers for about a
year, lending remote maintenance help
to staff at foundries all over the world.
An automated guided vehicle transfers parts to machining cells at the Waupaca machining facility.
Augmented reality allows a computer-
generated image to be superimposed
over a person’s real-world vision with
the aid of glasses or other viewing
devices, combining those images into a
cohesive view.
“Fundamentally, it’s a rock-star
pair of safety glasses on steroids
with a computer stuck inside of it,”
LAEMPE REICH co-owner Peter
Reich said. “But it’s not about the
lens. It’s who’s behind the lens. It’s
our technicians empowering you to fix
your machine.”
Foundry workers wear the aug-
mented reality lenses to transmit real-
time video of what they’re seeing to a
technician at LAEMPE REICH, who
gives step-by-step instructions on how
to repair the core machine or perform
preventative maintenance. But aug-
mented reality technology means this
goes far beyond a typical call to a help
desk. As the technician speaks instruc-
tions into an accompanying headset,
he or she also superimposes images
directly into the foundry worker’s line
of sight—anything from diagrams to
hand-drawn arrows pointing to the
exact spot maintenance should be
performed. The worker wearing the
glasses can manipulate those windows
with the swipe of a hand.
“It’s about working together
towards a common goal, and the
device allows us to do that,” said
John Letts, who works in sales for
LAEMPE REICH. “They’ve got a
crescent wrench, they’ve got a mul-
timeter, and now we want them to
have a LAEMPEar device.”
When workers use augmented real-
ity for the first time, “There’s kind of a
big grin, like, ‘Man, this is cool!’” Letts
said. But one of the company’s goals
is to normalize the use of this type of
technology in foundries.
The services offered through
augmented reality are the same
things the company provides dur-
ing a regular onsite visit, but the new
technology allows it to give assistance
without travel time and expenses,
among other benefits. Letts said
augmented reality connectivity has
another kind of upside, too—workers
remember more, and as a result, they
gain confidence in their own abilities
to fix and maintain the machines.
“Augmented reality allows you to
work in your immediate environment,
and when you work together using
these intuitive tools, the knowledge is
retained. So, the foundry personnel
is empowered and a need for train-
ing is satisfied, all of which can lead
to higher retention for the foundry,”
Letts said. “And when our industry
adapts new technologies and new
tools, there is an opportunity to
attract a new generation of skilled
labor. That’s a win.”
Although augmented reality is
an emerging technology, Reich said
it shouldn’t intimidate workers who
don’t have high-tech skills – just the
opposite. In a world where machinery
is growing increasingly complex, a pair
of AR glasses can open up a lot of
possibilities, he said.
“We got an experienced guy at
the foundry who has all the skills
he’s needed for a generation to repair
and operate machinery, but in most
cases, he gets left behind when a new
machine with new features lands in
his plant. Rather than embrace that,
sometimes fear and defeat enter,”
Reich said. “[Augmented reality]
changes that. Rather than have our
technician doing the repair, this
empowers him to address the issue
with us virtually looking over his
shoulder, many times inputting better
documentation and focused coaching
than if we’re there.”
April 2020 MODERN CASTING | 35
Upgassing
A356 Aluminum
to an Intermediate
Specific Gravity
A low pressure aluminum foundry incorporated a rotary degassing system guided
by a computer model to make controlled additions of hydrogen into its aluminum
356 alloy. darrin lightle and brian began, foseco (cleveland)

R otary degassing is a well-

established practice for
removing hydrogen from
molten aluminum alloys. The principle
behind rotary degassing is to dis-
seminate inert or active gasses within
the melt and into the atmosphere. The
principle is effective and time-trusted.
However, the effectiveness of the
degassing process is greatly influenced
by variables including ambient condi-
tions, rotary degasser parameters, and
reproducing results occur even if the
degassing parameters are strictly main-
tained, which are often attributed to a
change in ambient conditions or the
melt temperature.
These issues with hydrogen control
the aluminum melt. The dissolved melt properties. A specific degassing become exaggerated when a par-
hydrogen seeks to equilibrate with the process may work brilliantly one day ticular casting requires a set level of
purge gas bubbles, which rise to the but fail to deliver the required qual- hydrogen. In certain cases, foundries
melt surface, carrying hydrogen out of ity the next day. These difficulties in may need to add controlled amounts
of hydrogen within a melt, especially
Table 1. Table of specific gravity average, difference from target and standard deviation. to help offset the problematic volu-
metric contraction (shrinkage) that
Average S.G. Difference From can occur in low-hydrogen melts.
(2.35 Target) s.g. Target STD Count
In applications where discernible
SMARTT 2.364432 +0.014432 0.012479 9572 amounts of hydrogen are required,
Incumbent 2.45 +0.10 0.045696 9572 aluminum foundries typically com-

36 | MODER N CAST ING April 2020

plete a full degassing cycle, then try to
add controlled amounts of hydrogen
via mixed gas additions, or “upgas-
sing.” A controlled process is preferred
over historical methods, such as using
potatoes or tree branches to add
hydrogen. Introducing hydrogen in a
controlled manner with gas additions
will reduce the creation of harmful
oxides that are notorious with pota-
toes or tree branches. Besides, adding
potatoes and branches are madden-
ingly inconsistent from treatment to
treatment.
However, the ability for controlled
amounts of hydrogen to go into solu-
tion is greatly influenced by the same
variables influencing the removal of Fig 1. A screen shot of degassing model is shown.
hydrogen via rotary degassing.
A low pressure aluminum foundry
in the central U.S. explored how
to make controlled additions to its
aluminum 356 alloy using a rotary
degassing system guided by a com-
puter model. At this foundry, a specific
gravity of 2.35 is optimum, which
typically required between 0.19 and
0.37 ml/100 cc of hydrogen depending
upon the metal temperature at mea-
surement. For reference, well degassed
356 alloy typically requires less than
0.11 ml/100 cc of hydrogen and can
generally achieve specific gravity levels
higher than 2.61.
Hydrogen additions were made
in the foundry’s historical degas-
sing cycle using a mixed gas ratio
of 80% nitrogen, 20% hydrogen.
Fig 2. This is a schematic of the reference metal treatment station.
The treatments were performed in a
transfer ladle nominally 1,800 lbs. in
capacity. Unfortunately, because of
the various influences on upgassing,
the specific gravity levels were often
more scattered than desired. The
historical degassing/upgassing treat-
ment was fixed at a 4-minute cycle,
the majority of which was strictly
mixed gas additions.
In 2017, the foundry decided to
incorporate a computerized self-
monitoring, adaptive, re-calculating,
treatment technology (SMARTT)
into its degassing/upgassing process
in hopes of reducing the scatter
of specific gravities achieved. This
technology uses a model for simu-
lating hydrogen levels within cast
Fig 3. This is a screen shot of the rotary degassing report of parameters.
aluminum alloys. A screenshot of

April 2020 MODERN CAST I NG | 37

 the degassing model incorporated
is presented in Figure 1. A dimen-
sional print for the implementation
unit appears in Figure 2. In addition
to degassing/upgassing, the new unit
automates both the grain refining
and cleaning flux processes.

The Implementation
With the computerized system, the
unit operator selects a preset program,
while inputting both a melt tempera-
ture and a melt batch code, prior to
starting the cycle. The unit incorpo-
rates the operator inputs, a built-in
ambient temperature thermometer/
hygrometer, and the degassing/upgas-
sing model to derive and send opti-
mized parameters (cycle times, RPMs,
and flow rates) to the treatment unit.
These parameters are run when the
operator starts the cycle.
One of the benefits of the model is
its ability to assess whether achieving
targeted specific gravity levels is even
possible. During the first day of imple-
mentation, the model assessed that the
mixed gas ratio of 80% nitrogen, 20%
hydrogen was insufficient for several
combinations of environmental condi-
tions (i.e., melt temperatures, ambient
temperatures and humidity levels) in
the operation. Hence, the unit was
switched to a mixed gas ratio of 60%
nitrogen and 40% hydrogen.
The unit model is outfitted with
a reporting function that can output
the cycle parameters into a spread-
sheet report. The report includes a
date stamp, time stamp and the melt
code along with all the various cycle
parameters. A partial picture of the
implementation report appears in
Figure 3. After 9,572 cycles were run
with each of the new processes and
the incumbent process side by side,
every specific gravity reading was
added into a column of the spread-
sheet report to assess each process’
performance. The report entailed
degassing cycles run between July
2017 and February 2018.

The Results
The results report was used to cre-
ate histograms for the ambient relative
Fig 4. These histograms depict, from top to bottom, ambient relative humidity (%rH), ambient
temperatures, and melt temperatures. humidity, ambient temperature, melt
temperature, and cycle times levels

38 | MODER N CAST ING April 2020

during the seven-month time frame
(Figures 4-5). The reports identified
the challenge in deriving an optimized
process since the various environmen-
tal conditions were in place during the
seven-month period:
• The humidity ranged from 14 to 66
(%rH) with some bimodal charac-
teristics.
• The ambient temperature ranged
from 37 to 111F.
• The melt temperature of the ladles
ranged from 1,263 to 1,402F with
exceptionally large scatter.
• The full degassing cycle times
ranged from just under 3 minutes Fig 5. This is a histogram of degassing cycle times using the upgassing system.
to nearly 7 minutes.
• The inert gas flow rates (not pic-
tured) ranged from 26 to 45 l/min.
• The mixed gas flow rates (not
pictured) ranged from 14 to nearly
39 l/min.
The mean (195 seconds), median,
and mode (both 192 seconds) were
calculated for the total cycle times
and each represents a time savings
over the incumbent process (240
seconds). The reduced cycle time
average is extremely beneficial since
peak production often requires seven
treated ladles per hour.
Both a histogram (Figure 6) and
box and whisker plot (Figure 7) of the
specific gravity measurements were
generated along with calculations for
the average, difference from average,
and standard deviation (STD) of the Fig 6. This histogram depicts computerized upgassing vs. manual specific gravities.
specific gravity measurements (Table
1). The results are impressive:
• Specific gravity average improvement
from 2.45 to 2.36 (target of 2.35).
• An improvement in calculated
difference from actual to target
specific gravity from 0.10 to 0.014.
• An improvement in standard devia-
tion from 0.046 to 0.012.
The net result of the new
degassing methodology implemen-
tation accomplished the project
objectives of improving productiv-
ity, improving process reliability,
and reducing spend.

The authors would like to acknowledge the efforts

of colleagues Mitchell Holland and Mark Cot-
ton (Foseco Account Executive) as well as Billy
Anderson (Porter Warner Industries Technical Sales
Representative) in collecting the data used for this Fig 7. A box and whisker plot of computerized upgassing vs. manual specific gravities.
project analysis.

April 2020 MODERN CAST I NG | 39

SAFE PRACTICE
What Foundries Can Do When There Is a
Respirator Shortage
TOM SLAVIN, SLAVING OSH GROUP LLC (CHICAGO) AND KAY ROWNTREE, INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE SCIENCES (WATERFORD, WISSCONSIN)
T
he COVID-19 crisis is
creating a huge demand
for NIOSH approved N95
respirators and diverting supplies
from industry to health care work-
ers. Protecting health care workers
is a priority, but what happens to
foundries who must protect workers
from toxic materials like respirable
crystalline silica, lead, cadmium or
hexavalent chromium? There a few
strategies that can help.
First, what does N95 mean and
why is it important? The NIOSH
N95 designation means that when
properly worn, the respirator will
block at least 95% of very small (0.3
micron) test particles. NIOSH tests
and certifies the respirators and lists
the approved ones by manufacturer
on its web site: https://www.cdc.
gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/
disp_part/N95list1sect3.html.
One way to alleviate the shortage
is to reduce demand. This can be
done in several ways:
• Limit voluntary use. Many
foundries allow workers to
use respirators even when not
required by exposure levels that
exceed regulatory limits. While
nice to do, this voluntary use
reduces the number of respira-
tors available to those who are
required to wear them. So one
of the first things that can be
done is to restrict the supply
of respirators to only those
required to wear them.
• Extend use. In some cases dis-
posable respirators are discarded
and replaced more often than
need be. For example, a respi-
rator may be thrown away at
lunch time and replaced with a
new one after lunch. Respirators
can be damaged when stuffed
in a pocket or tossed on a work
bench when not in use. Respira-
tors must be replaced when they
40 | MODERN CASTING April 2020
become discolored, damaged,
or clogged so that breathing
becomes difficult. With proper
use and care a respirator may be
able to last more than one shift.
It is important to store the res-
pirator in a container or a paper
or plastic bag when not in use
so it does not get contaminated.
• Reduce exposures. If respi-
rable silica is the contaminant
of concern, rotation of workers
may be an option to lower the
average exposure of each worker
to below the 50 µg/m3 Permis-
sible Exposure Limit (PEL)
as a Time Weighted Average
(TWA). This presumes that
there are enough workers in low
dust areas and that the expo-
sures in the areas of concern
are not too high. For example,
if the average exposure level
on a job is 75 µg/m3, rotating
workers after 4 hours in that
area to an area with an exposure
of 20 µg/m3 for the other 4
hours would bring the TWA to
48 µg/m3, which is just below
the PEL. For some foundries,
it may be possible to modify
schedules so that a dusty job is
performed over multiple shifts
in order to bring the TWA
exposure of any one individual
to below the PEL.
• Some foundries have had
trouble with respirators being
taken in number, by employees,
for use outside of work. For
that reason, it is suggested that
respirators be handed out one
by one to workers in high dust
areas, perhaps at your tool crib
or by the supervisor at the start
of the shift.
Another way to address the short-
age is to use other styles of respira-
tors. Options include disposable res-
pirators with other ratings (e.g. N99,
N100, R95, P95, P99, P100), reusable
elastomeric facepiece respirators with
N95 or better rated filters, PAPRs
with particulate filters or air supplied
hoods. The number designation, 99 or
100 means a higher percent efficiency
than 95%. The “P” or “R” designation
refers to protection against oil in ad-
dition to particulates.
The CDC also recognizes equiv-
alent respirators that are certified
by other countries under a testing
program that meets or exceeds the
performance of the N95 respirator.
These include such designations
as KN95 from China, P2 from
Australia, FFP2 from Europe and
N95 from Mexico, as well as higher
efficiency versions. A complete list
can be found at the CDC webpage:
www.cdcgov/coronavirus/2019-
ncov/hcp/respirators-strategy/crisis-
alternate-strategies.html.
A few additional words of cau-
tion. If the type of required use
respirator is changed, a new medi-
cal evaluation will be necessary for
each employee using them. In most
cases the responses on the respirator
questionnaire will be the same, but in
some cases the medical reviewer may
need to do a follow up interview or
examination to make sure the worker
is medically qualified to wear the
new respirator. New fit-testing is also
necessary when/if a new type of tight-
fitting respirator is used. Additional
training will be necessary if the style
of respirator changes so employees
know how to use, store, maintain and
clean reusable respirators.
Finally, it should be noted that
there are counterfeit N95 respira-
tors for sale. If you are not dealing
with your normal supplier, it would
be good to go to the NIOSH web
site shown in the second paragraph
above to confirm your manufacturer,
and the respirator make and model
are approved by NIOSH.

AFS pushes for provisions in stimulus package to benefit metalcasters
The American Foundry Society
(AFS) has worked closely with the
National Association of Manufactur-
ers (NAM) and the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce to ensure key provisions are
included that could benefit metalcasters.
AFS called on Congress and the
Administration to take critical steps to
support American manufacturers, and
in particular, the metalcasting industry,
during the coronavirus pandemic. These
include the following recommendations:
Key Provisions for 3rd Stimulus
Package Supported by AFS
1. Legislation canceling the pay-
ment of all payroll taxes typically paid
by employers for the rest of the year.
2. Legislation expanding and
streamlining loan programs for small
businesses with fewer than 500 employ-
ees experiencing revenue loss as a result
of the coronavirus.
3. Legislation enabling the creation
of credit facilities to provide loans and
loan guarantees to employers with
more than 500 employees experiencing
significant revenue loss as a result of the
coronavirus.
These three steps, combined with
the actions below, will ensure that U.S.
foundries, their suppliers and customers
of all sizes have increased liquidity and
access to necessary financing to help
them weather the temporary loss in
revenue caused by the coronavirus.
In the coming weeks, AFS plans to
submit additional recommendations
to address the challenges confronting
American metalcasters as we all seek to
successfully navigate this evolving and
difficult time.
Overview of Recommendations
1. Payroll Taxes: Enact legis-
lation cancelling the payment of
all payroll taxes typically paid by
employers for the remainder of the
year starting in March 2020. Each
month, employers remit more than
$100 billion to the federal govern-
ment in the form of Social Security,
Medicare, and unemployment taxes.
Collectively, these taxes add slightly
more than 15% to the cost of em-
ploying the average employee.
Temporarily cancelling the col-
lection of these taxes will reduce
employers’ costs of continuing to pay
employees regardless of whether they
are working or on sick leave, and
will increase liquidity for employ-
ers to help them respond to losses in
revenue. Further, for employers with
fewer than 500 employees, cancella-
tion of the taxes combined with the
refundability for paid sick and family
leave included as part of the Families
First Coronavirus Response Act will
provide meaningful additional finan-
cial support.
2. Loans for Small Business:
Enact legislation expanding and
streamlining loan programs for small
businesses with fewer than 500
employees experiencing revenue loss
as a result of the coronavirus. The
Small Business Administration (SBA)
disaster loan program for those im-
pacted by the coronavirus should be
immediately made available nation-
wide, eliminating the state-by-state
and county-by-county certification
process. Additionally, we recom-
mend giving SBA the authority to
streamline its disaster loan approval
process for amounts below $350,000
in order to provide emergency capital
more quickly to small businesses in
need. This should include removing
the requirement that small businesses
demonstrate that they cannot access
credit elsewhere before receiving the
SBA-disaster loan.
3. Creation of Credit Facilities
to Provide Loans & Loan Guar-
antees for Large Businesses: Enact
legislation enabling the creation of
credit facilities to provide loans and
loan guarantees to employers with
more than 500 employees experi-
encing significant revenue loss as a
result of the coronavirus. Specifi-
cally, legislation should expand the
use of the Federal Reserve Discount
Window through the liberalization
of the restrictions of Section 13-3 of
the Federal Reserve Act.
Then the U.S. Treasury, Federal
Reserve, Office of the Comptrol-
ler of the Currency (OCC) and the
Federal Deposit Insurance Corpora-
AFS NEWS
tion (FDIC) should work in com-
bination with banks to establish a
system of credit facilities, to provide
loans and loan guarantees that can
be accessed by businesses with more
than 500 employees to address
disruptions created by the coronavi-
rus emergency. Banking regulators
should temporarily suspend and
review requirements such as the
liquidity coverage ratio and provide
flexibility in their supervisory expec-
tations for banks extending credit
to businesses. These actions should
allow for an orderly ration of a pro-
gram of loans and loan guarantees.
Additional Recommendations
The Administration should
encourage regulators to provide
financial institutions with flexibility
regarding the credit conditions of
small and medium-sized businesses
facing short-term challenges, includ-
ing offering extended grace periods
and short-term loans.
The Administration and Congress
should take steps to ensure small
businesses have working capital
during the pandemic. Measures for
small-business bridge financing
should include:
• Waiving the requirement that
small businesses prove they can-
not access credit elsewhere before
receiving SBA-backed financing
up to $35,000 for a limited time
frame and within responsible
credit-score criteria.
• Automatic referral by SBA to their
lender-match program for other fi-
nancing options if a small business
does not qualify for an SBA loan.
The U.S. Citizenship and Im-
migration Services (USCIS) should
allow employers to use scanned, pho-
tocopied, and electronic signatures
as acceptable alternatives to original
signatures on all USCIS forms.
The Administration should
maintain the current waiver to the
hours-of-service regulations for
commercial motor vehicle drivers de-
livering goods critical for coronavirus
response efforts for the duration of
the emergency.
April 2020 MODERN CASTING | 41
AFS NEWS

AFS urges administration to classify COVID-19 resources

metalcasting as essential industry
AFS continues to advocate for
metalcasting during the CO-
VID-19 crisis facing the U.S. and
the metalcasting supply chain. On
Friday, March 20, AFS sent a let-
ter to Vice President Mike Pence
in his role leading the COVID-19
task force, asking the Administra-
tion to identify foundries, their
supply chains, and workers as es-
sential when drafting and enforc-
ing shelter-in-place rules during
the pandemic.
“Countless sectors rely upon
the existence of castings, includ-
ing those vital to critical infra-
structure such as national defense,
medical, transportation, electric
power and energy generation
systems, as well as our drinking
water and wastewater systems,”
wrote Doug Kurkul, AFS CEO.
“Foundries are the mainstay of
national defense. … Critical
castings are found in military
aircraft, tanks, ships, submarines,
communication systems,” and
other vital defense weaponry, the
letter said.
“As the Trump administration
continues to take critical actions
aimed at limiting the spread of
COVID-19, we ask that found-
ries (ferrous and non-ferrous),
their suppliers, and their work-
ers in the U.S. be recognized as
“essential” to the nation’s CO-
VID-19 pandemic response. We
also request that you encourage
state, city and local governments
to make the same designation,”
the letter said.
for metalcasters
AFS is compiling a webpage of
resources for metalcasters to use dur-
ing the COVID-19 outbreak. These
resources will help businesses ef-
fectively comply with applicable laws
and protect public health during the
rapidly evolving situation.
The society also presented we-
binars on practical guidelines for
metalcasters and COVID-19 that
can be watched on-demand at
www.afsinc.org.
It is vitally important that AFS
members take appropriate steps to
reduce the impact of the COVID-19
(coronavirus) outbreak on their
facilities, workers, customers and the
public. Visit www.afsinc.org/afs-
covid-19-coronovirus-resources for a
list of resources.
Additional documents will be
added as needed.

What will a foundry look

like in 10 years?
The designation ‘‘4.0’’ is often used in reference to the next
phase of the Industrial Revolution (the “Fourth Industrial
Revolution”) and generally expresses the impact of smart
manufacturing and the implementation of technology in
manufacturing.

This conference will focus on how digital manufacturing is

affecting all areas of the casting process today, and how this will
change the foundry of the future.

Register today at:

www.afsinc.org/Foundry4.0

42 | MODERN CASTING April 2020


CALENDAR
MAY 19-20
AFS 2020 Government Affairs Fly-In
Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Meet with your representatives on
Capitol Hill to discuss the issues that
matter to your metalcasting business.
MAY 19
Nonmetallic Inclusions in Inoculated
Spheroidal Graphite Iron
WEBINAR
Inoculation of spheroidal graphite cast
iron is used for improving casting per-
formance and eliminating solidification
microporosity by controlling graphite
nodule nucleation. This seminar will
discuss the basics of thermodynamic
predictions of nonmetallic inclusion
formation during ductile iron liquid met-
al processes, describe a new method
of automated SEM/EDX inclusion
analysis and how to get information
about graphite nuclei family.
MAY 20-21
Introduction to Metalcasting
AFS Headquarters
SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS
This course introduces the process of
metalcasting. It provides a broad picture
of what happens in a casting production
facility, while illustrating the technology,
variables and complexity involved in
producing a casting.
MAY 27-28
Iron Melting 201
Hampton Inn Fond du Lac
FOND DU LAC, WISCONSIN
This course provides a detailed
coverage of iron melting and related
processes. Topics include charge ma-
terials selection; understanding of cost,
value, and risk; information covering
electric and cupola melting proce-
dures; refractory lining and more.
JUNE 3
Aluminum 101
AFS Headquarters
SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS
This course covers the characteristics
and properties of aluminum, alloying ele-
ments and their general applications and
considerations for working with aluminum
cast parts.
JUNE 3-4
Improving the Effectiveness of Visual
Inspection
UNI Additive Manufacturing Center
SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS
This course provides you with the infor-
mation needed to understand the factors
of influence on the human task of visual
inspection, permitting true quality engi-
neering of this critical operation.
JUNE 4
Green Sand Molding 101
AFS Headquarters
SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS
This course is an introduction to the green
sand molding process used within a met-
alcasting facility.
JUNE 9-10
Foundry 4.0-Digital Manufacturing in the
Metalcasting Industry
Eaglewood Resort & Spa
ITASCA, ILLINOIS
Key seminar topics are data collection and
management, data-driven decision-making,
artificial intelligence, augmented reality,
virtual reality, wearable technology, robot-
ics, automation, and cyber security, as well
as the related issues of workforce develop-
ment, recruiting, and training. The confer-
ence will include several foundry case
studies demonstrating how implementation
of data collection, automation, and digital
technologies has changed and improved
operations today.
JUNE 16
Parameters That Matter When Evaluating
Inoculants
WEBINAR
Effective inoculation has an effect in
a wide variety of factors in liquid and
solid state. Inoculants are the source of
inoculation. As we strive for continuous
improvement, lean practices and cost
savings we often look at making changes
in our process; inoculants are some of
these changes, and these changes can
potentially result in disruptions to the
process. This talk will address how we
AFS NEWS
can practically evaluate inoculants and
the effect in process.
JUNE 24-25
Casting Cost Estimating
Hilton Garden Inn Carmel
CARMEL, INDIANA
Cost estimating is a critical factor in ensur-
ing a manufacturing company continues
to acquire customers and to be profitable
JULY 1
Aluminum Crucible Furnace Practices
AFS Headquarters
SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS
Cost estimating is a critical factor in ensur-
ing a manufacturing company continues
to acquire customers and to be profitable.
JULY 22-23
Introduction to Metalcasting
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Wadsworth
WADSWORTH, OHIO
This course introduces the process of
metalcasting. It provides a broad picture
of what happens in a casting production
facility, while illustrating the technology,
variables and complexity involved in
producing a casting.
JULY 28
HR Roundtable
Miller Park Baseball Stadium
MILWAUKEE
This all-day event includes roundtable
discussions, lunch, an evening networking
event and a ticket to the Brewers games.
AUGUST 12
Green Sand Molding 101
Hampton Inn Fond du Lac
FOND DU LAC, WISCONSIN
This course is an introduction to the green
sand molding process used within a
metalcasting facility.
AUGUST 26-27
Casting Defect Analysis
AFS Headquarters
SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS
This course is an introduction to the green
sand molding process used within a
metalcasting facility.
April 2020 MODERN CASTING | 43
 ADVOCATE

FOUNDRY MARKETING
OPPORTUNITIES IN
CASTING SOURCE
www.castingsource.com/advertising
Casting Source, published by AFS,
reaches casting procurement decision-
makers and design engineers requiring
castings of every alloy, size and ap-
plication.
The magazine has a new design readers
tell us they love. The updated features
have stimulated enhanced reader inter-
est, so now is a great time for foundries
to think about advertising.
Contact David Kathe at dkathe@
afsinc.org for more information on
how to promote your foundry with
Casting Source magazine. And don’t
miss the chance to appear in the Met-
alcaster Prospectus mailed with the
March/April issue of Casting Source.
 ADVOCATE. EDUCATE. INNOVATE.
EDUCATE
INTRODUCTION TO
METALCASTING
July 22-23 • Holiday Inn Express &
Suites Wadsworth, Wadsworth, Ohio
www.afsinc.org
This course introduces the process
of metalcasting. It provides a broad
picture of what happens in a casting
production facility, while illustrat-
ing the technology, variables and
complexity involved in producing
a casting. It covers casting design,
alloy selection, process selection,
design of the gating system, pouring
and shakeout methods, cleaning and
finishing methods, quality assurance,
and key safety and environmental
regulations.
INNOVATE
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL-
GAME HR CONFERENCE
July 29 • Miller Park Baseball Stadium
• Milwaukee • www.afsinc.org
Join us for another AFS popular
roundtable conversations as we dis-
cuss drug policies in the workplace,
managing when employees go on
leave, training and development,
and employee engagement. This all-
day event includes lunch, an evening
networking event and a ticket to the
Brewers games.
CASTING INNOVATIONS
Small Foundry Installs Vacuum Mixing Technology
Vacuum mixing guarantees con-
stant cooling to 40C with optimum
preparation of the bentonite-bonded
molding material--even under varying
initial and environmental conditions.
In the past, the technology was only
available for an output in the range of
60 m3/h and above, but now it is of-
fered starting at an output of 7.5 m³/h.
ZMM Stomana, formerly one
of the largest machine tool manu-
facturers in Bulgaria, specializes in
the manufacture of woodworking
machines. The company also has a
foundry. The production facilities
are undergoing thorough modern-
ization. In a first step, ZMM Sto-
mana invested in a Laempe LL30
automatic core shooter and a HWS
HSP-1 molding machine. The next
logical step is modernizing the
preparation system for molding ma-
terial. The contract was awarded to
Maschinenfabrik Gustav EIRICH
GmbH & Co KG, who was able to
This is the RV11VAC mixer with EVACTHERM technology.
46 | MODERN CASTING April 2020
offer an innovative and at the same
time economical solution.
Up to now, the molding material
has been prepared in a muller mixer
and supplied to eight vibro-press
molding machines. The recirculated
used sand is intermediately stored in
bins without cooling and moistening.
This results in major quality problems,
especially over the summer months.
The fluctuation in molding material
quality causes higher reject rates. The
modernization of the molding mate-
rial preparation system is intended to
ensure the eight vibro-press mold-
ing machines and the new HWS
molding line will be reliably supplied
with molding material of reproduc-
ible quality, tailored to the specific
requirements. ZMM Stomana wanted
a preparation system for molding
material that would use state-of-the-
art technology to achieve the highest
level of cost effectiveness and meet the
following requirements:
• Integration into the existing
equipment
• Re-use of system units already
existing
• Cooling of the sand to 40 °C
• Availability of the system above
98 percent
• Reproducible molding material
qualities
• Lower emissions, higher environ-
mental compatibility
• Autonomous, fully automated
manufacture, including quality
monitoring / control
In order to fully meet these require-
ments, EIRICH developed a new
concept.
The desired integration of the new
preparation system for molding mate-
rial onsite was a challenge. Installing
a cooler with a downstream mixer was
not feasible as the space available was
limited. EIRICH decided to adopt
a new approach. This decision was
largely influenced by the need to cool

the sand to 40C. In the development
and project phase, a new system con-
cept was therefore developed together
with ZMM Stomana:
• The existing return sand line, includ-
ing magnetic separation, screening
and storage as well as additive storage
and feeding equipment, was reused or
adapted by the customer.
• A solids scale was integrated into
one of the module frames. Return
sand, new sand, bentonite, carbon
dust, and filter dust are fed to the
solids scale via screw feeders.
• The vacuum peripherals of the
EVACTHERM mixer, necessary
for cooling the sand, are positioned
on the same module frame.
On account of the modular design
and the relatively small amount of
molding material required, EIRICH
developed a new vacuum periphery.
The main components were combined
in just two units, the condenser and
the pump module. The advantages
are obvious: The costs for the vacuum
peripherals are substantially lower.
The heart of the system, the EI-
RICH EVACTHERM RV11VAC
Mixer with a desired output of 7.5 m³
prepared molding material per hour, is
installed on the second module frame.
Combined with the vacuum peripher-
als, the mixer enables constant cooling
How Two Foundries Used Green Sand Additives to Improve
Casting Quality
Harry Siebel III and Steve Neltner, Refcotec; Tim Brown, Benton Foundry; and Matt Donofrio, Weil McLain
For as long as castings have been
produced in green sand molds, there
has been the need to minimize
variation. As productivity increased
over the years, sometimes it came
at the expense of the green sand
mold. Hot sand, worn equipment
and other contaminants entering the
sand system have a negative effect
on mold consistency.
One solution to improve casting
quality through improved molding
sand are additives such as OPTIM-
ULL from Refcotec Inc. These
additives have shown positive results
CASTING INNOVATIONS
to 40C while optimally processing the
bentonite-bonded molding mate-
rial. The electrical cabinets contain-
ing the power/control equipment of
the system are mounted in the direct
vicinity of the mixer. Beneath the
mixer, a receiving hopper mounted on
load cells is installed for the prepared
molding material. It is equipped with
a discharge belt conveyor. Behind it, an
EIRICH QualiMaster AT1 ProfiPlus
was installed above the belt conveyor.
The quality system, an advancement
of the QualiMaster AT1, offers new
possibilities in addition to the mea-
surement and control of compactability
and shear strength. More reliability
regarding the correction factor for
evaporation is achieved by a second
temperature measurement in the inline
tester. In addition, the springback effect
is measured in a tenth of a percent. The
measured value informs on the spring-
back effect during the molding process.
The AT1 ProfiPlus also measures gas
permeability as a reference value.
The QualiMaster SandExpert soft-
ware solution not only continuously
records, analyzes and displays batch
data, but also performs preventive
molding material management based
on the company-specific mold data-
base. Molding material preparation
can be programmed for specific molds
of battling short mixing/mulling,
large dilutions of core sand and new
sand and worn equipment.
Benton Foundry produces castings like this water-jacketed marine manifold (left) and hydraulic valve
body (right).
and carried out fully automatically.
Another belt conveyor feeds the
processed and quality-tested molding
material to the existing prepared-sand
line. It distributes the material to the
eight vibro-presses and the HWS
molding line.
The key advantages of the new
system are:
• Minimal space required for the
three process steps: homogenizing,
cooling, processing.
• Assurance of constant, reproducible
molding material qualities in spite
of fluctuating initial and environ-
mental conditions.
• Optimal quantitative and qualita-
tive disintegration of the bentonite
in a technical vacuum.
• Systematic quality assurance
through EIRICH’s control con-
cept of seamless data integration,
which ensures the networking of
production and control param-
eters at all levels.
• Retention of reusable substances in
the molding material system (fines)
thanks to the closed water circuit.
• Reduction of the amount of dust-
laden air to be extracted as no
separate cooling unit is required.
• Assembly and installation, commis-
sioning with material in less than
14 days.
OPTIMULL is a proprietary
blend of organic and inorganic ma-
terials specifically designed to help
April 2020 MODERN CAST I NG | 47
CASTING INNOVATIONS
reduce overall green sand variation,
improve mold quality and reduce
casting scrap. This material effec-
tively reduces the surface tension of
the temper/flush water added at the
muller. It also improves the interac-
tion between the bentonite platelets
and with the water by reducing the
inter-particle forces that hold the
clay platelets aggressively together.
Additionally, it softens the water
and increases the clay solubility.
This results in:
• Reduced high degree of edge-
to-face orientation occurring in
bentonite, resulting in more clay
surface available for hydration.
• Less “latent” or “dormant” clay.
• The water now has better oppor-
tunity to wet out the clays. Es-
sentially, the water acts “wetter.”
• Since the water is more effective,
less is required.
• Since it wets out the bentonite
better, less bentonite is necessary.
• Mixing/mulling is easier.
• Core sand and new sand can wet
out better now. There is more
opportunity for the bentonite to
attach to these sand grains.
• Bentonites mull in easier.
• Short mulling is less of an issue
since the mulling has been
enhanced.
• Mold edges do not dry out as
much, resulting in less friability.
Benton Foundry
Benton Foundry is a state-of-
the-art, fully-automated facility
that pours approximately 175 tons
of gray and ductile iron per day of
which 60% plus is cored, with ex-
pansion plans to pour 225 tons per
day. Cored assemblies with up to six
cores have been a skill set addition
Weil McLain casts boiler sections like these shown.
48 | MODERN CASTING April 2020
over the last ten years. This has
increased sales but added a return
core sand dilution issue. The whole
sand system is turned over in less
than seven weeks with core sand
additions.
Benton Foundry is no stranger
to green sand additives. For 35
years the addition of a liquid green
sand additive at the muller had
been a regular practice. This prac-
tice has reduced bentonite con-
sumption by 13% or more. When
their vendor announced that they
would no longer be manufactur-
ing the product Benton Foundry
was using, a search for a suitable
replacement had begun. Benton
Foundry trialed other green sand
additives in the Fall of 2018, and
after extensive data collection and
casting analyses, Benton Foundry
decided on the OPTIMULL
product.
Rather than just attempt to
replace their previous material, an ex-
tensive trialing period was initiated.
While trialing the green sand
additives, Benton Foundry found
that not only did the OPTIM-
ULL continue to allow them to
run clays at 13–16% lower levels
by using a green sand additive, but
it allowed them to further reduce
the clay levels by an additional
6–8% beyond this. The foundry
also reported that cracked molds
were reduced by 11%, Benton
Foundry also estimated that the
material provided them with an
additional 13 to 14% in cost sav-
ings. What was most impressive is
the clay usage decreased during a
period of time where the core sand
influx and the pounds of core resin
actually increased as well, to over
110 tons per week. Stated another
way, 2,500–3,000 pounds of resin
added per week, while maintaining
consistent properties. Instead of
having to add more clay for the ad-
ditional core sand influx, the clay
addition continued to decrease.
Weil-McLain
Weil-McLain, a division of
The Marley-Wylain Company, is a
leading North American designer
and manufacturer of hydronic
comfort heating systems for resi-
dential, commercial and institu-
tional buildings since 1881.
Weil-McLain wanted to trial
the OPTIMULL green sand addi-
tive due to the concerns and issues
that they were having centered
around misruns and other defects
they felt may be related to poor
mulling or poor activation of their
bentonites in their preblend. Of
particular concern were the numer-
ous misrun defects in the thin-
walled castings that they associated
with gas that would prohibit the
metal flow in the narrow cavities
of the molds. In the past, moisture
reduction was tried, but this would
sacrifice the friability of the pre-
pared sand, resulting in increased
inclusion type defects. With the
green sand additive, Weil-McLain
was able to significantly improve
the misrun defects. The moisture
in the molds was reduced by 9%,
without negatively affecting the
friability of these same molds. Clay
usage was reduced by 12-14.5%.
Scrap attributed to gas defects
was reduced by 66%. Not only
was Weil-McLain able to fix its
misrun issues with the decreased
water, which had generated the gas
prohibiting good metal flow, the
permeability on the molds in-
creased by over 2.5% allowing for
better gas ventilation and in turn
improved metal flow.
Both of these foundries continue
to use the OPTIMULL today, and
they are willing to share their ex-
perinces with any foundry that may
have an interest in this green sand
additive.

Dust Suppression System
The Brokk Atomized Water Mist System combats harm-
ful silica dust and other airborne particles created by the
demolition process. Brokk’s new dust suppression system
produces atomized fog that effectively binds dust particles
in the air while also providing ground-level dust suppres-
sion. Additionally, the mist dissipates, rather than forming
puddles, for a safer, cleaner jobsite. Available for all Brokk
remote-controlled demolition robots, the Atomized Water
Mist System offers an ideal solution to mitigate hazardous
dust in demolition applications such as concrete cutting.
Visit www.brokkinc.com for more information.
FEF students continue to gain knowledge
and experience outside the classroom.
Casting Industry
Competitions Conferences
FEF graduates – helping to shape the metalcasting community.
www.fefinc.org | 847-490-9200
AFS NEWS
METALCASTING SUPPLIES
ERP Maintenance Module
B&L Information Systems has issued Odyssey 6.2
Maintenance Release 4 for general availability. Along
with the 150+ productivity and performance improve-
ments, 6.2MR4 contains a handful of high-profile
enhancements that will offer new functionality, im-
proved performance, and enhanced security. Odyssey 6.2
MR4 will include some notable function improvements,
including a molding line enhancement that integrates
with the Shop Floor Manager, additional tweaks and
improvements to the Odyssey’s new vacation tracking
enhancement previously released in 6.2, and the Data
Explorer Wizard has been tweaked for performance im-
provements and a new Save As option has been added.
All Odyssey release information, including for Odyssey
6.2 MR4, is now available through Rapid Support. Rapid
Support is available directly within Odyssey Web UI
or via the B&L customer portal (Customer Login) for
customers on Windows UI. Any assistance needed in the
update process is free for any customers on maintenance
with B&L. Odyssey customers on the B&L Cloud will
be contacted by B&L’s Technology Department with the
update schedule.
Visit www.blinfo.com for more information.
Special
Projects
April 2020 MODERN CASTING | 49
COLLEGE CONNECTION
Cal Poly Pomona Shares Casting With Community
PAM LECHNER, DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI & ACADEMIC RELATIONS, FEF (SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS)
Y
ou may think that college
students spend all of their
time attending class, working
on class-related projects, and working
a part-time job. But FEF students find
time to participate in many additional
activities—honing their casting skills
as well as helping other students and
community residents understand the
importance and vastness of metalcasting.
Over the past several months,
the students at FEF certified school,
Cal Poly Pomona (California), have
attended industry events, partici-
50 | MODERN CASTING April 2020
pated in casting competitions, hosted
metalcasting activities on campus, and
taken metalcasting on the road.
One of the community events that
the students were able to attend was
a STEAM Fair where they demon-
strated the Foundry in a Box. This
is an event that not only exposes the
cmmunity as a whole to metalcasting,
it also is an opportunity to plant a seed
in a young student’s mind for a future
in the industry. The sooner a young
person sees casting in action, the better
the chances of influencing them to
pursue a future in metalcasting.
The Pomona students also hosted
a lost foam and green sand casting
workshop for high school and com-
munity college teachers—another
avenue for helping to shape young
minds for the future.
Each FEF school works hard at
growing their AFS Student Chapter
using a variety of means. At Cal Poly
Pomona, that could be promoting the
chapter during the department-wide
“club fair” where showcasing some of
the chapter’s castings is an easy way to
strike up a conversation with curious
students. It could also be holding a
resume workshop, inviting alumni to
speak at their chapter meetings, or
providing food for the welcome barbe-
cue for the Industrial & Manufactur-
ing Engineering Department.
Cal Poly Pomona’s FEF students are
actively preparing for their future while
spreading the word of the benefits of
metal castings to the world.
College Connection is a recurring feature that runs
in Modern Casting highlighting the metalcasting
programs and students at FEF schools.
HELP WANTED
Management Trainee
We are a 20+ employee metal casting
facility located in the Midwest, producing
gray and ductile iron castings, using the
chemically bonded system for molding.
Our benefit package includes health insur-
ance, paid vacation, 401K, and a company
bonus plan.
We are looking for a special person to
become part of our management team.
Strong leadership and interpersonal
skills are required. He/she must be self-
motivated with the ability to also motivate
others. Will need to be able to develop
good relationships and work with shop
employees, along with management, sup-
pliers, and customers. Must be comfort-
able both in shop clothes and business
attire. This person, over a period of time,
will hopefully be able to become involved
with all aspects of the business, includ-
ing human relations, production, quality,
maintenance, engineering and marketing.
Candidate should have a minimum of
five years of experience in the industry.
A strong technical background in math,
chemistry, and physics is required. Engi-
neering abilities are a definite plus.
PLEASE EMAIL RESUME TO:
iron.foundry@yahoo.com
MODERN
CASTING
A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN FOUNDRY SOCIETY
CLASSIFIED
ADVERTISING
Visit us at:
www.afsinc.org/MCclassifieds
For full pricing details
Contact:
Fabio Cavalieri at 847/827-3622
E-mail: fabio@afsinc.org
HIT
PATTERN MAKERÑSmall aluminum sand cast- PATTERN MAKER/JOURNEY/WOOD,
ing foundry located in the heart of the scenic Must have own hand tools. Old School.
Ouachita Mountains. Seeking an experienced
MACHINIST/JOURNEY, LATHE/MILL,
self-motivator that is knowledgeable about
all types of patterns, coreboxes, and modern Must have own hand tools. Old School.
materials. Salary based on experience and Retirees Welcome, Sunny South West
knowledge of profession. Relocation assistance
may be possible. Abundant hunting and fishing EMI-U.S.A.
as well as low crime and minimal traffic are
trademarks of the area. Phone: 915-856-9607
Please email resume with salary history to
jobs@brodix.com or mail to:
Greg Brotherton
Brodix Cylinder Heads FOR SALE-USED EQUIPMENT
P.O. Box 1347, Mena, AR 71953
Phone: 479-394-1075
Fax: 479-394-1866
www.brodix.com
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE
GreenSand Controls Inc. is the leading
• (2) Morgan 700 # alum cap gas fired supplier of process control equipment
dip out furnaces for controlling the production and quality
• Hunter HMP-20C Deep Flask of green sand used in the metal casting
industry. GSC not only sells a complete
• Hunter HMH-220 turntable
line of foundry equipment from green sand
• Harrison 101GM shellcore preparation to molding and metal handling
• Pangborn 6'dia blast table w/ collector systems, but also refurbishes old Hartley
Controls sand testing equipment and has
• Goff 3cube barrel blast spare parts to boot.
EMail: rrcii1954@yahoo.com
P.O. Box 247 W740 HWY 110
Wanted: Shalco 2030SMM Fremont, WI 54940
Ph: 920-446-2468 Fax: 920-446-2469
Seriously interested in acquiring
alum &/or bronze sand foundry email: greensandcontrols@hotmail.com
EMail: rrcii1954@yahoo.com
EMPLOYMENT
YOUR TARGET
with AFS CAREER OPPORTUNITY PACKAGES.
April 2020 MODERN CASTING | 51
FOR SALE-USED EQUIPMENT
BAGHOUSE DUST COLLECTORS:
KIRK & BLUM (2) 1170-10, 130,000 cfm Bag-
house, 8,484 ft² filter media, blower, controls
AIRCURE #484RF20, 100,000 cfm, 12,594 ft²
filter media, pulse clean, blower, controls
IVI #PA 15-56-10, 85,000 cfm, 13,188 ft² filter me-
dia, pulse clean, blower, solenoids & rotary airlock
ETA 690 #4615 x120, 70,000 cfm, 10,838 ft²
filter media, pulse clean, blower, walk-in plenum
DCE DALAMATIC, 75,000 cfm, 2 module, 10,333
ft² media, envelope-style filters
DONALDSON TORIT 484RF 12, 70,000 cfm Round
Baghouse, 7,555 ft² filter media, blower, controls
BACT, 60,000 cfm Baghouse, 12,126 ft² Filter
Media, Pulse Clean
MIKRO-PIL 900-bag 180-12-20 TRH 5-Module,
56,000 cfm Baghouse, 12,725 ft² filter media,
cages included
AIR INC, #2715-405-12, 50,000 cfm, 7,630 ft² filter
media, pulse clean, blower, rotary airlock, controls
DONALDSON TORIT, #405MBW10, 45,000 cfm,
6,495 ft² filter media, pulse clean, blower, controls
MIKROPUL, 45,000 cfm, 6,506 ft² media, 150 HP
blower, controls, walk-in plenum
PANGBORN, 20,000 cfm, 2,751 ft² media, holds
(210) bag filters
IMF, 15,000 cfm, 1,696 ft² filter media, pulse
clean, blower, top-door, (2) systems available
CARTRIDGE DUST COLLECTORS:
WHEELABRATOR #822 WCC 36 cartridge,
120,000 cfm, 55,440 ft² filter media, caged ac-
cess ladder, rotary airlock discharge
UAS DUST HOG SBD 160-4, 110,000 cfm,
49,600 ft² filter media, A/R inlets, pulse, blower,
(4) systems available
FARR 144XL, 100,000 cfm, 40,608 ft² media,
screw conveyor discharge, blower
TORIT #4DF128, 60,000 cfm, 28,928 ft² media,
Reconditioned, Blower, Controls
TORIT #DFT4-80, 45,000 cfm, 20,320 ft² media,
reconditioned, blower
WHEELABRATOR, 45,000 cfm, 22,050 ft² media
TORIT #DFT4-48, 30,000 cfm, 12,192 ft² media,
extended dirty air plenum, air management
module, blower, controls
CAMFIL FARR #GS-36 “Gold Series” cartridge,
40,000 cfm, 11,700 ft² filter media, automatic
pulse clean system, 100HP top mount blower
DONALDSON TORIT #DFE4-32, 25,000 CFM,
8,128 sq. ft. filter media, MaxPulse filter cleaning
system with venturi assisted pulse clean system,
IEP inlet isolation valve & rotary airlock
CAMFIL FARR GS-16, 14,000 CFM, 5,200 sq. ft. filter
media, automatic pulse clean system, (2) hopper
outlets with sealing drum cover kits and slide gates
DONALDSON TORIT DFT3-24 cartridge, 12,000 cfm,
6,096 ft media, explosion vents, pulse clean, blower
HIGH VAC SYSTEMS:
ULTRAVAC #201SP, 485 cfm, reverse pulse self
cleaning filtration system
DEMARCO MV20E, 20 HP, Hopper.
MANY OTHER DUST COLLECTORS IN STOCK!
Check out our website!
www.amindustrialmachinery.com
AM INDUSTRIAL
216-433-7171
curt@amindust.com
52 | MODERN CASTING April 2020
Visit FLSales.com for the largest online equipment inventory
• Our website is updated hourly for the best selection
• Complete listing of upcoming liquidations and auctions
• Certified appraiser on staff
• We offer cleaning and painting
• We offer reconditioning and rebuilding
We’re the one-stop resource for buying and selling foundry equipment
We have completed a facelift at our warehouse. Schedule a visit today,
over 900 items in stock.
WWW.FLSALES.COM 440-498-8484 JGREENE@FLSALES.COM
FOR SALE—SANDCASTING MOLDING
MACHINE JELM-20.
Any good surplus foundry equipment
This is a Retro Fit machine just completed, for sale-we offer free advertising
rebuilt and refurbished throughout.
at www.aapfoundryequipment.com
• Deep flask 20” x 24” A.A.P. Equipment inc. 450-266-0607
• Sand Feed Hopper.
• Oil Cooler.
• Core Setter Mode.
FOR SALE—B & P Lab Mulbaro, Cincinnati 12”
• New solid Linear Motion Squeeze Station. Lab Muller, Simpson 18” & 24”. Lab Mullers,
• New Design Rodless Cylinder Bottom Board Simpson #05 Porto-Muller, Simpson #1F Mix-
Feeder Slide Unit. Muller. Rebuilt Falk. Reducers for Simpson #1F,
#1.5F, #2F, #1.5G, #2G & #2.5G. Muller wheels
• New State of the art Allen Bradley Controls. for Simpson. #1F, #1.5F, #2F, #1.5G, #2G, #2.5G
• New Hydraulic System with Booster Cylinder & #3G. Many new, reconditioned & used items
not required. available for all sizes of Simpson Mix-Muller and
Multi-Mull. Additional information upon request
• New Design Lifting Style Crank Arm for – Korco Mfg. Inc. 724-758-5020
Bottom Board Stack.
• New Light Curtain system. FOR SALE—No Bake Machinery – Mixers, Heat-
ers Sand Reclaimers, Rollovers, Mold Handlers,
Contact Jamie Tutt @ jamiet@je-bearing.com for
Roller / Belt / Vibrating Conveyors, Transporters,
more information
Handlers, Shakeouts, Blast Machines, Dust Col-
lectors, Also Green Sand Machinery, Mullers,
Molding Machines, Core Room / More Call
World Equipment & Machine Sales Co., John @ 540-297-8884 or fdrysand@yahoo.com
4550 Darrow Road, Stow, OH 44224
Tel: (440) 519-1745
email: mike@foundry-eqpt.com EQUIPMENT WANTED
USED AND REBUILT FOUNDRY Osborn 716 rjw molding machine wanted,
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE must be in working condition. Contact:
Gerald@ambroco.com or call: 216-341-7800.
Our Website Is updated Daily
WWW.FOUNDRY-EQPT.COM
Come visit us at our FOR SALE
NEW LOCATION in Stow, OH
Aluminum Foundry w/ Real Property for Sale-
Dallas, Texas metroplex. Established 1945.
Primary business model is selling aluminum
castings & fabrication services and the distribu-
tion of aluminum hardware for the ornamental,
architectural & decorative industry.
Stocker Travis
214-725-2775
stocker@libertyexchange.com
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Peter E. Macler PHOENIX INDUCTION CORPORATION

Associates, PLLC
Foundry Design and Engineering Since 1987
pm@maclerassociates.com
www.maclerassociates.com
830-481-3193
1347 Grand Pass, Canyon Lake, TX 78133

“An Induction Supply Company”

• Large inventory of OEM parts, as well as
other manufacturers, AJAX*, AIH*, Bone
Your knowledge Frontier*, IEH*, and Robotron*
is valuable. • SCRs, Diodes, Transistors, IGBTs, Capacitors,
Transformers, and much, much more
Let the AFS Institute • Provide you with fast turnaround and
help you share it. decreased down time

You, an active member of the met- 248-486-8760

alcasting industry, have the experi- sales@phoenixinduction.com
ence we need to drive the direc- www.phoenixinduction.com
*Registered trademarks of their respective companies
tion of our growing skills training
program. There are opportunities for
course facilitation and curriculum
development in both volunteer and
paid capacities.
Course facilitation requires a mini-
mum of semi-annual travel and the
ability to be comfortable speaking
with large groups. The Institute pro-
vides you with online training to hone
your skills of managing the delivery of
professionally developed curriculum
and yearly evaluations for personal
facilitation development.
When you are involved in curricu-
lum development, you have a unique
opportunity to provide input about
the skills the industry needs to grow.
No travel is required. Work with
professional adult-learning experts
who create course materials from the
knowledge and content you provide.
For more information, contact
Clarence Trowbridge at
ctrowbridge@afsinc.org
or complete a quick form at:
https://americanfoundrysociety.
wufoo.com/forms/afs-institute-
instructor-sme-application/

A D V O C AT E
. E
DU
CA
TE
. IN
N O VAT E .

Career Opportunities
AND THE INSTITUTE

Packages Available Now!

April 2020 MODERN CASTING | 53

HELP WANTED EMPLOYMENT

HA International, LLC is accepting applications for a Product Specialist – Feeding

Systems. Details and requirements for this role can be found on the Careers sec-
tion of the HA International website https://www.ha-international.com. Resumes
can be emailed to careers@ha-international.com.

Product Specialist – Feeding Systems

General Purpose of the job:
Working under the supervision of the Business Development/Product Manager,
the position will be responsible for supporting key tactical aspects of the Metal
Feeding Systems product management, sales and service function while learn-
ing the various technical and commercial aspects about the complete Feeding
Systems product portfolio.

Essential Functions:
- Run simulations on Magma software system at the direction of Business
Development/Product Manager
- Lead testing of feeding products at customers.
- Interface between Sales, Manufacturing and Supply Chain for various commercial 40+ Years Experience
and technical aspects of the feeding systems product specialist role Management / Executive
- Troubleshoot existing products to resolve customer issues. Search and Recruiting
- Understand and use problem solving techniques to address issues with feeding for Metalcasters
products, customer processes, and overall issues that arise in the field
during trials. All Functions / Metals
- Report to the Business Development/Product Manager on results of field Professional / Confidential
evaluations to assist in product adjustments and product refinements.
Nationwide / Worldwide
- Prepare reports and other office communications covering customer projects
and product refinements. Customer Focused

Knowledge and Skills: Gregory Borchert

- Experienced in use of MagmaSoft simulation software, or similar casting simu- President
lation software required greg@glborchert.com 720-336-5818
- Knowledge of casting gating and risering fundamentals required
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite Colin Borchert
colin@glborchert.com 512-795-4310
- Additional computer literacy with SAP,
- Good writing skills, laboratory technique, and interpersonal skills required. www.glborchert.com
- Knowledge of statistical methods, knowledge of various analytical procedures
and tools, and good problem solving skills preferred.
- Excellent communicator, creative thinker, and ability to multi-task
- Attention to detail is key in this strategic role
- Ability to work independently and to take the initiative in an dynamic
work environment
- Strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize a high volume of projects

Travel:
- Willing to travel up to 75%

Education and Experience:

- BA/BS in engineering related field (e.g. Mechanical, Industrial Engineering),
Material or Foundry Science is required
- Relevant foundry or industrial experience is a significant plus

54 | MODERN CASTING April 2020

 ADVERTISING INDEX

AD INDEX
Company Page Email/Website Phone FAX Contact

American Pattern 16 www.americanpattern.com 19-266-6651 319-268-2234 Customer Service

B & L Information Systems 6 info@blinfo.com 269-465-6207 269-465-6686 Customer Service

Blast Cleaning Technologies 4 www.bct-us.com 262-785-7577 Customer Service

Brokk, Inc 13 www.brokk.com 800-621-7856 360-805-2521 Customer Service

Conveyor Dynamics Corp. 8,9 www.conveyordynamicscorp.com 636-279-1111 636-279-1121 Mike Didion

Didion International, Inc. inside front cover, 1 info@didion.com 636-278-8700 636-278-3155 Art Grillo

Eirich Machines 12 www.eirichusa.com 855-577-3510 Customer Service

FEF 49 www.fefoffice.org 847-490-9200 847-890-6270 Brian Lewis

General Kinematics Corp. outside back cover mail@generalkinematics.com 815-455-3222 815-455-2285 Customer Service

Graphite Metallizing Corp. 23 sales@graphalloy.com 914-968-8400 Eric Ford

Hoosier Pattern, Inc. 15 www.hoosierpattern.com 260-724-9430 260-724-9433 Customer Service

Humtown Products 11 www.humtown.com 330-482-5555 330-482-9307 Customer Service.

Magaldi Technologies, LLC 2 charles.strasburger@magaldi.com 800-620-6921 Charles Strasburger

Multi-vac Inc. 7 www.multivacinc.com 800-640-4213 Customer Service.

Pangborn 15 www.pangborn.com 800-638-3000 404-665-5701 Customer Service

Refcotec, Inc. 14 sales@refcotec.com 330-683-2200 Customer Service

Sinto America inside back cover www.sintoamerica.com 517-371-2460 517-371-4930 Customer Service

BUSINESS STAFF/ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVE

MODERN MIDWEST, WEST & INTERNATIONAL NORTHEAST, OHIO & SOUTHWEST

CASTING
Fabio Cavalieri Joe Murphy
Schaumburg, IL 60173-4555 P.O. Box 1422, Fairfield, CT 06825
847-824-0181 800-537-4237 203-254-9595
Fax: 847-824-7848 Fax: 203-259-4447
A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN FOUNDRY SOCIETY fabio@afsinc.org AdSales25@aol.com

April 2020 MODERN CASTING | 55

SHAKEOUT Foundry Part of Critical Supply
Chain Helping Hospitals
Fight COVID-19

As the U.S. faced the coronavirus, manufacturers have stepped in to fill

important roles to produce the goods needed to fight the virus,
including AFS Corporate Member Kirsh Foundry (Beaver Dam,
Wisconsin). The foundry manufactures counterweights for a variety of
industries and now they are making them for medical ventilators for GE
Healthcare in Madison, Wisconsin. The counterweight sits at the
bottom of the machine to lower its center of gravity. According to
WTMJ News, Kirsh Foundry also provides castings for essential
applications like municipal water pumping systems and refrigerated
trucks, but the critical ventilator castings have been given top
priority during the coronavirus crisis.

56 | MODERN CASTING April 2020