Oshkosh Truck integrates simulation into casting design process. (New Installation).

Oshkosh Truck Corp, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, is a leading producer of specialty trucks and truck bodies for the fire and emergency, defense, concrete placement and refuse hauling markets. Its robust vehicles require sound design and manufacturing expertise. Throughout the firm's history, castings have played an important role in helping their trucks achieve quality and reliability.

To gain more insight into the possibilities that castings could provide in terms of improving component designs and reducing costs and inventories, Oshkosh has implemented casting simulation software. This is believed to be one of the first significant in-house casting simulation and engineering undertakings by a non-automotive firm without its own captive metalcasting operation.

Working closely with Magma Foundry Technologies, Arlington Heights, Illinois (the North American subsidiary of MAGMA Giessereitechnologie GmbH of Aachen, Germany), Oshkosh Truck is integrating Magmasoft casting process simulation software and several process-specific software modules (Magmairon, Magmasteel, Magmastress and Magmalink) into several stages of component design and review. The aim of this integration into the casting design process is to simulate alloy and process conditions.

"The opportunity to work with Magma and their simulation software is a great chance to further expand our ability to use metal castings," said Bob Hathaway, chief engineer--materials and process engineering for Oshkosh Truck Corp. "We've worked for several years to convert many of our parts to castings and the use of Magmasoft simulation software to validate our designs will be extremely beneficial. We believe highly in castings and will continue to press the envelope in their utilization."

Oshkosh Truck will now be able to predict problem areas in casting design, mechanical properties after casting, the influence of quenching and heat treatment, and residual stresses before sourcing the design for production. These predictive capabilities will allow Oshkosh Truck to optimize castability and part performance before tooling is made and prototypes produced.

Oshkosh Truck also will use the software to evaluate conversions of components from other manufacturing processes to metal castings. In some cases consolidation of a multiple piece assembly to a single casting will be analyzed using simulation as a primary design tool. According to Hathaway, the software will allow for more "out of the box" engineering as components can be assessed in the computer before designs are released and castings are manufactured. This engineering is the key to creating a path to reductions in the "total cost" of a component from casting to machining, heat treat and other value-added services.

Select No. 017 at www.moderncasting.com/info