Conference combines broad mix of interests.

Conference Combines Broad Mix of Interests

In keeping with the East Coast Regional Conference theme, "Casting New Impressions for the Future," keynote speaker, Alvin W. Singleton, president of AFS and chief operating officer of Lynchburg Foundry/Intermet Corp, said that the United States could lose in the global battle for industrial markets. We must prepare now for a future that will be far different from what existed earlier in the post WW II world, he said.

"There is no question that domestic competition...will be stiffer...because those who survived the '80s are tougher. Foreign producers will be stronger, too, and their businesses won't always be conducted on that proverbial level playing field", the executive warned.

Organizers of the biennial conference arranged a program that indeed addressed new technologies aimed at improving operations. Speakers covered subjects ranging from sand mining (James F. Young, The Morie Co) to an update on solid waste disposal problems (Fred Kohloff, AFS).

Conference technical chairman, Jim Young, in addition to his discussion of sand mining, took attendees back to the basics with a comprehensive tour, under the direction of Peter Trout, Morie VP/marketing and sales, of his firm's highly-advanced sand processing plant. The material, so important to the casting industry, is often not appreciated by employees as the critical raw material it is. Young said that foundry employees need to be familiar with the types of silica sands they are handling and how to handle them efficiently.

Nobake core and molding processes worldwide are declining, but, according to Peter S. Frazier, Borden Chemical Co, nobake systems are better than they have ever been thanks to newer binder and curing chemistries. He cited improved casting quality, less carbon flotation, and the reduction or elimination of gas defects (veining and scabbing) and burn-in, as reasons for renewed interest in the nobake molding process. Decreasing the formation of noxious fumes and pour-off smoke and odor, as well as faster gas/purge times and indefinite core storage are other factors, he stated.

As if to give substance to the meeting's call to technical leadership, Charles Fitterer, president of DeOX Systems, Inc, demonstrated his affordable and accurate hand-held oxygen probe designed specifically for iron/steel melting in coreless induction furnaces.

The probe has a number of advantages, according to Fitterer. Chief among them are its safety, battery power, portability, accuracy and measuring flexibility. The expendable probe measures oxygen from a low of 1 ppm up to 1600 ppm in ferrous melts.

Other speakers included John Mortimer, Inductotherm Corp, who spoke about technological advances in induction melting, holding and pouring, and Warren Spear, Nickel Development Institute, who discussed austempered ductile iron, alloying, metallurgy and heat treating.

Elwin Rooy, Aluminum Co of America, led one of several talks aimed at improving quality. Rooy's subject was aluminum; Frank Geruso, Sandy Hill Corp, covered iron; and William Zimmer, Liquid Air Co, talked about brass and bronze.

The next conference is slated for Oct 4-6, 1991 in Lancaster, PA.

PHOTO : Jim Young (l), conference technical chairman for the East Coast Regional Conference,

PHOTO : presents an AFS plaque to Peter Trout, VP/marketing and sales of the Morie Co, marking the

PHOTO : group's appreciation for the extensive tour of the company's sand plant.

PHOTO : John Mortimer, president of Inductotherm Corp, spoke to attendees of the East Coast

PHOTO : Regional about advances in induction melting, holding and pouring.

PHOTO : Elwin Rooy, technical director of the Aluminum Co of America, discussed mechanization in

PHOTO : porosity formation.