Industry News

The Additive Manufacturing Division held a quarterly business meeting on February 20 in Saint Francisville, Louisiana, hosted by AFS Corporate Member Howell Foundry, LLC, which provided a facility tour. Division Secretary-Elect Dr. Jason Walker, OSU CDME, presented Zed Howell with two commemorative castings recognizing the company’s support and hospitality. The aluminum and aluminum bronze alloy castings are products of 3D printed sand molds supplied by Corporate Member Matthews International and were cast at The Ohio State University. 

Russ Rosmait, FEF Key Professor at Pittsburg State University for 27 years, retired at the end of 2024. 

In 1983, Rosmait took a position with AFS as assistant director of education for the Cast Metals Institute. In this role, he helped employees hone their skills and introduce them to new processes, which resonated with his teaching aspirations and solidified his resolve to make a difference in the foundry industry. He worked at AFS until 1986 and then transitioned to a foundry process engineer position at Marathon Electric, a gray iron foundry in Wausau, Wisconsin. 

AFS Corporate Member Torrance Castings hosted the AFS Engineering Division on February 18 to tour a new molding line and mold/casting cooling for which the company received the Engineering and Smart Manufacturing Division’s Plant Engineering Award. The award recognizes companies for plant engineering achievements and innovative solutions for modern issues faced in the foundry industry. Torrance Castings used automated casting cooling racks to eliminate the process bottleneck associated with variable cooling times.  

Honda has provided a first look at its innovative approach to manufacture electric vehicles (EV) by late 2025 at the Honda EV Hub in Ohio, detailing the company’s flexible approach that positions Honda to build internal combustion engine (ICE), hybrid-electric, and battery electric vehicles (EVs) on the same production lines. 

AFS Corporate Member Wabi Iron & Steel, New Liskeard, Ontario, will receive $3.3 million from FedNor’s Regional Economic Growth Through Innovation Fund.

AFS Corporate Member Humtown is continuing its educational youth outreach program in 2025. “Through the Lens of My Friends” is a student peer-to-peer project in which Humtown trains students at nearby middle and high schools, who then give in-depth facility tours to their classmates.

Humtown parlays the tours into a video series showing the knowledge transfer to kids by kids, exposing 
students to the world of 3D printing as well as the numerous career opportunities in modern manufacturing. 

AFS Corporate Member Daubert Cromwell recently expanded its Quick Ship online store to support the needs of metalworking, heavy equipment, aviation , and other industries requiring fast delivery of critical packaging for metals.  

The company says its corrosion prevention products form a protective barrier that maintains metals’ integrity throughout production, storage, and shipment. The online Quick Ship store has expanded to carry over 40 of Daubert Cromwell’s VCI paper wraps, poly bags, emitters, and rust preventive surface-applied liquids.  

AFS Corporate Member Waupaca Foundry has named Michael Hawthorne as its new chief executive officer. He succeeds Mike Nikolai, who served the company for three decades. 

“We’re excited to welcome Mike Hawthorne to the Waupaca Foundry family,” said Chairman Daniel Collin. “He brings over 30 years of industry experience and understands the roles that engineering, design, system integration, and operational excellence play in achieving breakthrough results.”

CastExpo, North American’s largest metalcasting exposition, tradeshow, and Congress, is just around the corner on April 12-15 in Atlanta, Georgia. 

AFS Corporate Members have received a complimentary 2025 Metalcasting Forecast and Trends Report. This economic report, compiled from numerous government and industry sources, is packed with information to help you navigate the dynamic metalcasting landscape. It includes strategic insights with current data that will help drive business intelligence and financial optimization throughout the year. 

The recent edition provides predictions on sales growth, including a projection of 4.2% increase in casting sales in 2025, reaching $50.1 billion.