Industry News

The Swedish premium car brand Volvo Cars has purchased two Carat 840 die-casting cells for its factory in Torslanda, Sweden. The Carat 840, along with Carat 920, Bühler’s largest die-casting solutions, were launched in 2021. 

In October 2021, Bühler launched the Carat 840 and the Carat 920 with locking forces of up to 92,000 kilonewtons (kN). With these machines, Volvo can produce structural castings for automotive body in white assemblies, known as megacastings. 

AFS Corporate Member Grede Holdings LLC was honored in April with AGCO’s 2021 Sustainability Award for its continuous efforts to practice and improve environmental and social sustainability.

“Grede’s strategic energy management system enhances their financial position with money-saving energy management processes, reduces the company’s overall carbon footprint and energy usage, and instills a culture of energy efficient practices in all Grede foundries and facilities,” an AGCO press release stated.

Sure Cast Foundry Inc., an AFS Corporate Member in Blaine, Minnesota, has relocated into its newly constructed 19,000-s.f.-facility across the street from its former plant. The additional 5,000 s.f. provides storage and office space not previously available to staff and includes a conference room for hosting customers. Designed with the future in mind, the new facility is ready for further expansion of 10,000 s.f. off a rear wall––the foundry’s goal is to vertically integrate with its own machine shop in the near term.

A January resolution of the AFS Board of Directors has renamed the AFS library the Peters-Robison AFS Metalcasting Library in gratitude to the legacy of the late R.D. (Butch) Peters and the late Stephen T. Robison.

The original Cast Metals Institute (CMI) Library was named for Peters, who was president of Brillion Iron Works from 1933-1973. He was recognized for his longstanding dedication to metalcasting education and for contributions made by the R.D. and Linda Peters Foundation to CMI in the 1980s.

Gränges will invest $52 million to expand its recycling and casting operations in Huntingdon, Tennessee, enabling its market launch of near-zero carbon aluminum solutions in 2024 aimed at meeting growing demand for sustainable products in North America. The new center will be powered via renewable electricity as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Green Invest program.

Waupaca Foundry donated the cost of OSHA 10 training for 20 participants in April at The Refuge, a 503c charitable organization in Cleveland, Tennessee, that offers access to resources, information, and opportunities for people in the community struggling with difficult economic or social circumstances. The training teaches basic information about on-the-job safety for work in an industrial setting, reported The Chattanoogan.com.

Linamar Corporation has acquired GF Casting Solutions’ 50% interest in the two companies’ 2015 joint venture, GF Linamar LLC (GFL) located in Mills River, North Carolina––as a result, Linamar will assume 100% ownership and operational control of the business. GF Casting Solutions (GF) is a division of Georg Fischer AG.

Combining expertise in high-pressure diecasting and machining to provide lightweight solutions for automotive and commercial vehicle customers, GFL manufactures structural and powertrain components in aluminum and magnesium.

AFS Corporate Member Kimura Foundry America, Inc. (Shelbyville, Indiana) will install a new ExOne S-Max 3D sand printer this quarter to increase capacity and meet diverse market demands for high quality castings with quick turnaround times. It becomes the fourth sand mold and core printer for the foundry’s U.S. location; the company also operates six at its headquarters in Japan.

AFS Corporate Member Grede Holdings LLC (Southfield, MI) announced a sharpened focus on e-mobility to leverage electric vehicle opportunities for the light vehicle, commercial vehicle, and industrial markets. Developing and quoting millions of dollars in cast iron solutions for the electrification market, the company said its increasing commitment aligns with a growing e-mobility market they expect will rapidly accelerate from 2025 to 2030.

The Advanced Casting Research Center (ACRS) unveiled its new state-of-the-art metal processing lab at University of California–Irvine on March 3. Researchers, professors, and leading metallurgists from around the country gathered for the grand opening event.