Consortium works to develop no-lead copper alloys in wake of new law.

Public health issues are always popular topics in political arenas, and few materials have been as greatly restricted as lead. From paint to electronics, and now to castings, requirements and limitations continue to be enacted, reducing the level of acceptable lead content in consumer products.

A new law in California calls for all water fixtures and fittings that are intended to carry drinking water to contain less than 0.25% lead starting in 2010. The law would only be applicable to newly installed and replacement fixtures. The law doesn't take into account the technological ramifications of using essentially lead-free copper alloys in these applications.

When AB 1953 passed the California State Legislature, the American Foundry Society (AFS) quickly took action. In early September, AFS sent a letter asking California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to postpone signing the bill until further research could be completed. In the letter, AFS addressed several issues, including:

* insufficient evidence showing no-lead materials are sustainable;

* the limited availability of currently accepted substitute materials such as bismuth;

* the idea that no-lead materials in potable water applications are not the only solution.

While awaiting word from California, the AFS Copper Div. (3) held a roundtable meeting Sept. 20, 2006, to discuss the possible technological implications of AB 1953 being passed into law. The roundtable created seven subcommittees, each assigned to cover one aspect of the issue: bismuth alloys, silicon-brass, alternate materials, machining, education and communication, health issues and availability and costs. Though the roundtable meeting was initially a preemptive measure, it became a necessity when Schwarzenegger signed AB 1953 into law on Sept. 30.

The no-lead copper alloy consortium is composed of 11 metalcasters, six alloy producers, two manufacturers, one research lab, three trade associations and the AFS Washington Office. Each group has already established its own road maps for research and development of its assigned tasks.

The Material Availability and Costs subcommittee, led by Jim Mallory, Non-Ferrous Founders' Society, has already begun examining the availability and cost of alternative materials, most notably bismuth. In the early 1990s, an AFS-sponsored research project determined that bismuth would make a logical candidate to replace lead based on its physical properties. However, there is serious concern that the world's bismuth supply won't be enough to sustain the increased use required by this new legislation. Currently, there are approximately 6,000 metric tons of bismuth produced and consumed each year worldwide. The subcommittee has determined that, if the law sets a precedent that other state or federal government agencies follow, the demand for bismuth could increase by 2,000 metric tons in the U.S. alone.

Beyond the cost and availability issues, bismuth also has manufacturability concerns, as laid out by the Bismuth Alloy subcommittee, headed by Todd Yarde, Ford Meter Box Co. Inc., Wabash, Ind., and Bill Surman of I. Schumann & Co., Bedford, Ohio. Castability, leaks, cracking and soldering issues all have been identified as potential roadblocks when using copper-bismuth alloys.

The Alternate Materials subcommittee, led by Robert Beard, Sloan Valve Co., Augusta, Ark., has been given the task of researching alternative materials to leaded copper and the popular alternative of copper-bismuth. However, due to the time constraints of the new legislation, there isn't time to develop, test and certify an entirely new alloy. Instead, the subcommittee is looking at alloys 903 (tin-bronze) and 903M (a modified tin-bronze) as potential substitutes. Fresno Valve, Selma, Calif., has agreed to begin the first casting trials on Jan. 17, 2007. Another potential substitute is a copper-silicon alloy, which is being investigated by the Silicon-Brass subcommittee, led by Mike Buyarski, Federal Metal Co., Bedford, Ohio.

Once an acceptable substitute for the current copper alloys has been identified from the technical and manufacturing perspective, questions regarding machining and health/safety issues may remain. Many of the commonly accepted alternatives have machinability problems. However, the consortium is looking at potential research facilities to run tests on multiple alloys once the castability question is answered. AFS also is investigating whether there are health or safety concerns posed by any of the alternative alloys.

Membership Memo

New AFS Corporate Members (July 2006-November 2006): Cullman Casting Corp., Cullman, Ala.; Skate One Corp., Goleta, Calif.; Travis Pattern & Foundry, Spokane, Wash.; Victaulic Co. of America, Easton, Penn., Fall River Foundry, Fall River, Wis.; Bespro Pattern Inc., Sterling Heights, Mich., Morrison Bros. Co., Dubuque, Iowa; Reliacheck, Avon Lake, Ohio.

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