Articles: Industry News

Cinnaire, a nonprofit community development financial organization, has secured an $11 million New Markets Tax Credit Investment for AFS Corporate Member Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry (WAF), based in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. With it, the foundry will be able to expand with more manufacturing and office square footage. With the expansion comes 80 new jobs. 

AFS Corporate Member Bingham & Taylor celebrated a two-year expansion and upgrades at its Culpeper, Virginia, foundry with a ribbon-cutting event on October 6. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin along with local and regional elected officials were in attendance to show their support for the company’s newly unveiled electric melt system. 

Kentucky Industrial Holdings, Inc. has purchased the Rane Precision Die Casting facility in Russellville, Kentucky, saving 200 jobs. The new owners are rebranding the company as Russellville Engineered Castings Inc.

The former Rockwell plant specializes in aluminum castings for automotive and other industries. Founded in 1956 as a captive die caster for Rockwell Corp., the company was formerly known as Precision Die Casting and was sold in 1989. That began a string of ownership and name changes with Rane Group of India purchasing the company in 2016.   
 

AFS Corporate Member Progressive Foundry, Perry, Iowa, is launching another phase of its renovation improvements late this fall, with a $2.5 million investment to update its shakeout system. The company has purchased a new Didion media drum and several new conveyors from General Kinematics for the project, which is aimed at reducing casting breakage and lowering shotblasting cycle times. 

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) program has given a silver award to AFS Corporate member McWane Ductile Ohio. McWane encourages innovation by hosting a contest comprised of teams from its family of companies for the best pollution prevention ideas. The results of this contest have generated significant savings company wide. In addition, they have implemented energy efficiency upgrades at their facility, including purchasing regenerative burners, installing LED lighting, and using variable efficiency drives.

Daedalus Investments LLC, parent company of AFS Corporate Member Tech Cast Limited, has purchased Oklahoma-based ClassIQ Manufacturing, which provides additive manufacturing (AM) services in several markets including the investment casting industry. As a result, a new entity has been formed, Areion3D, headed by Tech Cast CEO Steven Olson, Jason Dickman, CTO, and the founder and CTO of ClassIQ, Joan Speed, production manager.  

Department of Defense and Talon Nickel are partnering to accelerate and expand the company’s efforts to discover and secure additional domestic supply of nickel for the growing U.S. battery manufacturing base and defense-related supply chains. 

As part of the agreement, the Department of Defense will contribute $20.6 million, and Talon will contribute $21,7 million in matching funding on a cost-share basis for 39 months.

Desktop Metal, Inc. has released a video showcasing how the BMW Group uses ExOne binder jet 3D printers for the serial production of casted powertrain components: www.TeamDM.com/BMW.

ExOne and the BMW Group have been working together for more than 20 years on project development. 

AFS Corporate Member Humtown Products was one of 68 businesses being recognized nationally as a Legacy Business by the U.S. Small Business Administration, according to a story at wfmj.com.

On August 23, the SBA presented a trophy recognizing Humtown Products as a legacy business at its newly expanded manufacturing facility on Cherry Fork Ave. in Leetonia, Ohio.

According to SBA, Humtown, like other Legacy Businesses, has benefitted from SBA resources in its early stages.

Tyler Union, part of the McWane Inc. family of companies, broke ground on the expansion of its melting and molding operation. The new $24 million investment will add 54,000 sq.ft. to its existing footprint in Anniston, Alabama.