Industry News

A Northwestern University project––including work by Dr. David Dunand, professor of materials science and engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering––is one of 30 selected for funding by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to reduce industrial emissions and manufacture clean energy technologies. 

Working with Boeing and AFS Corporate member Eck Industries, “Replacing Cerium with Energy-Efficient Mischmetal in Cast Aluminum Alloys for Aerospace Applications,” is receiving $500,000 of the $57.9 million funded by the DOE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office.

A Northwestern University project––including work by Dr. David Dunand, professor of materials science and engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering––is one of 30 selected for funding by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to reduce industrial emissions and manufacture clean energy technologies. 

Working with Boeing and AFS Corporate member Eck Industries, “Replacing Cerium with Energy-Efficient Mischmetal in Cast Aluminum Alloys for Aerospace Applications,” is receiving $500,000 of the $57.9 million funded by the DOE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office.

Blue Sage Capital, an Austin, Texas-based private equity firm, has completed its investment in Baker Manufacturing Co., LLC, Evansville, Wisconsin, which makes residential, industrial, municipal, and environmental water well equipment and accessories, as well as specialized rotary gear pumps and ductile and gray iron castings. 

AFS Corporate Member Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Co. (Charlotte, North Carolina) purchased AFS Corporate Member Neenah Enterprises, Inc., (Neenah, Wisconsin) effective July 13. Neenah’s plants in Medley, Florida, Neenah, Wisconsin, and Lincoln, Nebraska, manufacture construction and industrial castings. Neenah has been operating in the construction castings industry for 150 years. 

Ferroglobe PLC, a producer of silicon metal, silicon-based alloys, and manganese-based specialty alloys, announced a memorandum of understanding (MO”) with REC Silicon in which Ferroglobe commits to leverage its asset platform in the U.S. to supply high purity silicon metal to REC Silicon aimed at jointly establishing a low-carbon and fully traceable U.S.-based solar supply chain.

Through its Foseco brand, Vesuvius is investing in manufacturing and engineering initiatives throughout North America that: reduce customer lead time, deliver continued product innovation, and offer sustainable consumables and solutions for customers to reduce their environmental footprint.

Kimura Foundry America, Inc. (KFA) (Shelbyville, Indiana) announced it has installed a new, 440-lb. aluminum melting furnace and has started aluminum casting. The company has been producing iron and steel castings using 3D sand printers with artificial sand since it was established in November 2018.

Ontario-based Linamar Corp. has formed a new medical manufacturing group, MedTech, which will focus on leveraging its expert capabilities in precision manufacturing to pursue opportunities in the medical device and precision medical component markets.

AFS Corporate Member Craft Pattern & Mold, a manufacturer of prototype machined castings in Montrose, Minnesota, has installed the second-largest 5-axis machining center made by Haas. The UMC1250 has a 50-in. work envelope, expanding the company’s ability to prototype large, tight-tolerance castings with a single workholding setup, which translates into cost and time savings for customers.

Ancient Celtic history was brought into the present at AFS’s 2022 CastExpo in Columbus, Ohio, during the Steel Founders Society of America (SFSA) annual Cast in Steel competition––this year’s challenge: to use modern casting tools and technologies to creatively design and produce a functioning version of a Celtic Leaf Sword. Following a day of rigorous testing by judges on April 22––performed in front of a large audience––University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Pioneers team emerged as the Grand Prize Winner and was honored at a ceremony on April 24.