Industry News

Impending, for now, tariffs on recyclable materials threaten significant disruption for recyclers and consumers of nonferrous metals, wrote Recycling Today Editorial Director on March 20. 

President Donald Trump implemented tariffs March 2 on Canada and Mexico under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), saying the moves were designed to combat the threat to U.S. national security, including public health, posed by drug trafficking.

Magellan Aerospace Corp. has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Aequs Private Limited to explore the development of a business plan for setting up a 50/50 jointly-owned aerospace sand casting facility situated at the Belagavi Aerospace Cluster, in Karnataka, India.

The proposed facility aims to meet the sand casting demands in the growing aerospace industry. This increased sand-casting capacity would support both commercial and defense sectors.

GE Aerospace is investing $2 million to increase manufacturing capacity of commercial and military aircraft engines at Montana Precision Products, an aerospace manufacturing company based in Butte. Montana Precision serves as a joint venture between GE Aerospace and SeaCast.

The recent investment will go toward modernization of the facility’s layout to improve workflow and productivity to support the production of engine components used in narrowbody and widebody aircraft engines, along with military marine engines.

Lockheed Martin Australia is working with Australian supplier, AFS Corporate Member AW Bell, to progress production verification activities for the manufacture of canards for Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLATS) munitions as part of a demonstration program in partnership with the Commonwealth’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise.

AFS Corporate Member Badger Alloys in Milwaukee recently collaborated with Special Spaces Wisconsin, a nonprofit organization that creates dream bedroom makeovers for children with cancer who are in active treatment.
With the foundry’s help, five-year-old Rose, who has a rare medical disorder that primary affects children’s immune systems, received her dream bedroom makeover. 

Founded in Knoxville, Tennessee, Special Spaces has been operating for 20 years and has grown to a national organization and has created over 1700 dream bedrooms.  

The Ohio State University Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence (CDME) received $1 million from the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) to develop a metalcasting workforce and upskilling program. 

The funds will allow for a Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeship and Learning (METAL) Hub, which will provide hands-on training for students and professionals in CDME’s metal foundry. The program includes outreach events for K-12 students and supports online curriculum for metal manufacturing.

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.