Meeting focuses on productivity through technology.

Viewing the 90s as a decade of change, the AFS British Columbia, Oregon and Washington Chapters joined together at the 43rd Annual Northwest Regional Conference to address improved productivity in the foundry industry by using new technology.

Through a variety of case studies and review of technical advances, more than 100 attendees had an opportunity to evaluate how minimal changes to their operations could produce maximum results in cost savings and increased productivity.

Held March 25-26 in Seattle, Washington, the agenda featured 16 presentations. Topics ranged from maintenance, equipment modifications, management techniques, computer applications, economics to education. In addition, 29 companies displayed industry products and services.

Session Highlights

Russell Drabold, Inductotherm, reviewed the advantages of dual control power supply in induction melting.

"The biggest costs in producing a casting are scrap and labor charges," he said. "The amount of production you can get from an individual in a given time slot is the only variable. A charge system can help improve this."

According to Drabold, advantages to split power control are:

* sintering one furnace while the second is melting (or sintering both simultaneously);

* both furnaces can be cold started simultaneously;

* no additional demand cost for a 27% increase in production;

* less operator labor cost per pound of metal melted;

* pouring schedule predictable, continuous flow of metal to mold time;

* dual invertor design (in case of component failure single furnace is still operating).

Bruce McMellon, Vulcan Engineering, addressed cleaning room improvements for small and medium-sized jobbing foundries. He reminded conference participants: "If you always do what you always did, you always get what you always got." Stressing repeatability and quality in the finishing room, he reviewed adaptations to grinders to improve efficiency.

Explaining new developments in molten metal filtration was Hugh Kind, Foseco. The benefits of filtration, he said, are simplified gating system design, reduced inclusions related to scrap, reduced casting repair cost and improved pressure tightness. Kind also examined direct pouring systems--filling a mold cavity without the use of a conventional gating system. Its benefits include improvements in yield, sand/metal ratio, pattern design and cleaning time.

Discussing how his foundry applied bar codes, Steve Morel explained how Morel Foundry uses bar codes as a shop floor data collection system to help manage labor. "Bar coding provides better and accurate control, reduces costs, controls inventory, improves quality and enhances customer service," he said.

With five bar code stations throughout the shop and virtually no training investment, Morel said the foundry is now able to charge time to project numbers. "It used to take three minutes to make an entry on a timecard," he said. "The information was incorrect, hard to enter and difficult to manage." Now, he said, employee time and production costs are more accurately accounted for on each project.

John Svoboda, Process Metallurgy International, explained how Maynard Steel improved casting quality, yield and performance through the use of a ladle refining furnace. According to Svoboda, a plasma ladle furnace reduces tap temperature requirements and electrode consumption in arc furnaces, increases productivity (reduced tap/tap time), provides precise control of chemical composition, increases desulfurization potential, offers precise control of ladle temperatures, permits manufacture of higher quality products, improves shop logistics and lowers overall costs.

Ron DeFrancisco, Columbia Steel, shared how his foundry set up its successful maintenance program. Following a team maintenance concept, mechanics are cross-trained to handle almost any problem, he said. With a strong emphasis on training and education, mechanics are paid normal hourly rates for any training sessions they attend. "It's an investment worth a 1000 fold when they come back," DeFrancisco said.

He also stressed the need for preventive maintenance and management's support of the program.

The conference's final speaker was Martin Koch, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He explained that some foundries are looking at vitrification of foundry waste into a marketable glass. As a reuse option for foundry waste sand, this is a way to "make money off a real liability," Koch said. The glass that is produced is sold for blastcleaning media, aggregate filler, filter media, roofing granules, cast glass shapes and insulation.