You know the phrase “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”? Well, we want no dull Jacks or Jills in the metalcasting education system. That’s why FEF certified and affiliated colleges and universities participate in multiple extracurricular events. One such group of events is casting competitions.

The thing about casting competitions is that they not only provide fun competition, they are also educational and experiential. In these competitions, students have the opportunity to translate their book-learning into real-world skills, expand their creativity, and experience the important concepts of leadership and teamwork.

Earlier this year, many of the FEF schools participated in casting competitions sponsored by the AFS Wisconsin Regional, the AFS Southeast Regional, and Steel Founders’ Society of America (SFSA). 

At the Wisconsin Regional, the Western Michigan University team took first place for their casting. When asked why they chose that project, they said, “Our goal was to develop a process for making cast components smart by integrating circuitry. It has potential to serve in a variety of applications such as automotive, rail transit, consumer electronics, medical industries, and aviation. A Smart Integrated Cast would maintain a part’s structural integrity, while driving down costs of materials, manufacture/assembly, and failure.”

One of the WMU team members, Xavier Berger (a manufacturing engineering technology student planning to graduate next spring), shared that because his father worked in the metalcasting industry, it was on his radar entering college. “As I learned more about the process in my classes I became intrigued,” he said. Later, he attended an AFS student chapter meeting and saw molten metal for the first time. “From that point on, I just knew I needed to pursue a career in the industry.” He added that participating in this competition allowed him to learn how to convert a new experimental idea to an actual working proof of concept.

Teams from Georgia Southern took first and second place at the AFS Southeast Regional casting competition. Robert Myers (sophomore) was the lead of one of those teams. He said that he learned a lot during the competition, “from the utilization and capabilities of Disamatic molding machines to the steps and paperwork necessary to get castings from conception all the way to the production line.”

When asked how he got interested in metalcasting, Myers said, “I got started by accident. I got lost on my way to another club meeting and ended up staying for the AFS Student Chapter meeting. I began attending meetings regularly and volunteered for every workshop, lecture, and competition I could. The chapter members and the industry people I have met are so helpful in sharing knowledge and experience because they all know what it’s like to be where I am!”

The Pittsburg State Graduate Gorillas team won the grand prize for the SFSA Cast in Steel Competition. This year’s project was a Halligan Bar. Nathan Minuth was one of the members of the Gorillas team. He received his undergraduate degree from Pitt State in manufacturing and is currently working on his masters of science and technology in technology management. He says he participated in this project “because it seemed like a great opportunity to learn more and hone my knowledge of metalcasting as well as to work with local first responders and foundries. 

“I learned a lot about the casting process as a whole, including the considerations that go into the process as well as the design of making a functional tool or part,” he continued. “It was a great way for me to be able to take on the role of every person at a foundry, from prototyping and design to final finishing and shipping.”

Nathan was drawn to metalcasting after taking some classes at Pittsburg State and seeing the passion his professor had for the industry and the process. “This experience brought me in and exposed me to all that metalcasting has to offer,” he added, “and all the cool projects and possibilities that are there for me.”