Casting of the Year Winners Announced
The winners of the 2008 Casting of the Year have been announced. These winners came from a variety of industries, including material handling, agriculture, energy production, military, heavy truck and automotive. AFS awarded one overall honor, plus four Best-in-Class and four Honorable Mentions.
This year's winners include:
- Casting of the Year, Carley Foundry Inc., Blaine, Minn., for its Harley-Davidson Oil Tank;
- Best In Class, Piad Precision Casting Corp., Greensburg, Pa., for its Material Handling Steering/Linkage Assembly;
- Best In Class, Dotson Iron Castings, Mankato, Minn., for its Agri-Speed Hitch;
- Best In Class, Castalloy Corp., Waukesha, Wis., for its Static Mixer Tube;
- Best In Class, Denison Industries, Denison, Texas, for its Military Main Transmission Housing;
- Honorable Mention, Citation Columbiana, Columbiana, Ala., for its Volvo Multifunction Bracket/Towing Eye;
- Honorable Mention, Trilore Technologies Inc., Alamo, Calif., for its Horsepower Freaks Intake Manifold;
- Honorable Mention, General Motors Corp. and Diversified Machine Inc., Warren, Mich., for their Cadillac CTS Engine Cradle;
- Honorable Mention, Eck Industries, Manitowoc, Wis., for its Rear Motorcycle Frame.
This year's Casting Competition was sponsored by MAGMA Foundry Technologies, Schaumburg, Ill. MAGMA will provide Carley Foundry Inc. with a one-year license of MAGMASOFT software, including training and implementation assistance, and the Best In Class firms with a six-month license.
For more information on the competition, contact Dave Krugman, AFS, at dkrugman@afsinc.org or 800/537-4237.
2008 Transactions Released, Available in Print and Electronic Forms
AFS announces the release of the 2008 Transactions of the American Foundry Society, Vol. 116. This annual publication is the compilation of the metalcasting technical papers presented at CastExpo'08 and the 112th Metalcasting Congress, held in Atlanta, May 17-20.
The publication includes the most up-to-date industry technology and trends, with a focus on aluminum, iron, copper, engineering, environmental health and safety, lost foam, magnesium, marketing, melting methods and materials, molding methods and materials and steel. The more than 1,000-page publication is bound in leather with gold foil stamping of the title, date and volume number on the spine.
This year's volume includes a copy of the CD version of the transactions, complete with color images and a video clip of a bead filling to accompany the paper Understanding and Improving Bead Filling Parameters that Affect Lost Foam Pattern Quality. An electronic download of the table of contents also is available.
For more information, or to purchase this publication, contact AFS customer service at estoreservices@afsinc.org or 800/537-4237.
AFS Updates Speakers Directory, Seeks Participation
AFS is updating its Speaker's Directory, which is used by each of the AFS chapters to help them prepare their meeting programs throughout the year. If you wish to be included in the new directory, visit www.afsinc.org/afsspeakersdirectory to fill out a short form.
For more information, contact Becky Erickson, AFS technical assistant, at rebecca@afsinc.org or 800/537-4237.
Foundry Sand in Soils Workshop Includes pH Balancing
The AFS sponsored Foundry Sand in Soils Workshop will be held at The Ohio State Univ., Kottman Hall, July 23-24. This workshop will provide an introduction to foundry sands in soil manufacturing.
Researchers at this workshop will describe the soil-like properties of metalcasting facility sands and their environmental profiles. Soil blenders will present their experiences in using these sands, including sample specifications and issues such as pH balancing. Best management practices for metalcasting facilities also will be covered.
A flyer is available for download on the AFS website by clicking here. For more information, or to register for this workshop, visit www.foundryrecycling.org.
CMI Offers Six Sigma Green Belt Internet Course
CMI will be offering a Six Sigma Green Belt Certification internet course Aug. 18-Sept. 28. This course focuses on effective data collection and covers the define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) phases of six sigma methodology, with special reference to metalcasting processes. Participants will learn how to provide data collection support to black belts, and how to fulfill the project leader's role on small green belt metalcasting projects. Using various exercises, the participants will have an opportunity to learn when, why and how the basic six sigma tools are used to identify and minimize the variation in metalcasting processes.
For more information, or to attend this course, contact AFS customer service at 800/537-4237 or click here to register.
