Southeast regional highlights education.One of the biggest concerns of today's metalcasting facility owners and managers is the shortage of fresh minds entering the industry. Today's engineering students are being pulled in several directions, and providing an avenue for students to focus on metalcasting was the topic of several discussions at the 75th American Foundry Society (AFS A distributed file system for large, widely dispersed Unix and Windows networks from Transarc Corporation, now part of IBM. It is noted for its ease of administration and expandability and stems from Carnegie-Mellon's Andrew File System. AFS - Andrew File System ) Southeast Regional Conference held Feb. 28-March 2 at the Crown Reef Resort Conference Center in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Representatives from Auburn Univ., Auburn, Ala., Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va., Clemson Univ., Clemson, S.C., Tennessee Tech Univ., Cookeville, Tenn., and Mississippi State Univ., Starville, Miss., spoke on their engineering and metalcasting programs. While the level of concentration given to metalcasting varied at each university, all of the speakers highlighted unique ways in which students were learning about the industry. For instance, every engineering student at Tennessee Tech is required to take a metalcasting class. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. presenter Fred Vondra, associate professor at Tenessee Tech, the college also is working on a countergravity casting of magnesium project. It has partnered with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a multiprogram science and technology national laboratory managed for the United States Department of Energy by UT-Battelle, LLC. ORNL is located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, near Knoxville. , Oak Ridge Oak Ridge, city (1990 pop. 27,310), Anderson and Roane counties, E Tenn., on Black Oak Ridge and the Clinch River; founded by the U.S. government 1942, inc. as an independent city 1959. , Tenn., and Walford Technologies, Oak Ridge, on the 21st Century Truck Project to lighten vehicles and improve fuel economy. Don Erich, Clemson Univ., touched on the Clemson Environmental Technologies Lab (CETL CETL Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (UK) CETL Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (also seen as CETAL) CETL Center for Effective Teaching and Learning ), which incorporates solid modeling design, reverse engineering, rapid prototyping Building a part one layer at a time using a method of additive fabrication such as 3D printing. Such parts are used for concept modeling to determine if the product design meets the customer's expectations. , metalcasting and machining for commercial jobs. Erich said that although CETL does not have a formal role in the university, 80 students have participated in the operation of the lab over the past five years. Bill Reynolds highlighted two lab projects in the works at Virginia Tech. The Virginia Tech Foundry Institute for Research and Education (VTFIRE) currently is in the fundraising stage of development, although land for the metalcasting facility and some equipment has been acquired. The VTFIRE project is led by the AFS Piedmont Piedmont, region, Italy Piedmont (pēd`mŏnt), Ital. Piemonte, region (1991 pop. 4,302,565), 9,807 sq mi (25,400 sq km), NW Italy, bordering on France in the west and on Switzerland in the north. Chapter, which aims to raise the total projected cost of the facility ($450,000) by 2008. Meanwhile, the new building for the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS ICTAS Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (Virginia Tech) ICTAS Integrated Computerised Tax Administration System ) is nearing completion. ICTAS is a laboratory program within the College of Engineering that incorporates research and development into technology transfer. Following the university presentations, conference attendees were given updates on FEF FEF forced expiratory flow. FEF abbr. forced expiratory flow FEF forced expiratory flow rate. , The Foundation of Metal Casting Metal casting A metal-forming process whereby molten metal is poured into a cavity or mold and, when cooled, solidifies and takes on the characteristic shape of the mold. Education, AFS and the Cast Metals Institute. The conference ended with a tour of Conbraco Industries' Conway, S.C., investment casting investment casting Precision casting for forming metal shapes with minutely precise details. Casting bronze or precious metals typically involves several steps, including forming a mold around the sculptured form; detaching the mold (in two or more sections); coating its facility. Conbraco Industries manufactures brass valves and fittings.
CMI Course Schedule
April 3-5 Practical Metallurgy of Aluminum
Casting Alloys (60-07) Cleveland
April 10-12 Introduction to Metalcasting
(61-07) Schaumburg, Ill.
April 10-May 7 Analysis of Casting Defects
(62-07) Internet
May 1-2 Gating & Feeding of Investment
Castings (63-07) Schaumburg, Ill.
May 8-June 4 Ductile Iron Metallurgy (64-07) Internet
May 21-June 17 Green Sand Control (65-07) Internet
May 22-25 Gating & Riser Design--Ferrous
(66-07) Muskegon, Mich.
May 29-June 1 Practical Green Sand Control--
Ferrous (67-07) State College, Pa.
June 5-6 Statistical Process Control
(68-07) Indianapolis
Tune 5-July 9 Gating & Riser Design (69-07) Internet
June 12-14 Induction Melted Steel
Processing (70-07) Platteville, Wis.
June 18-July 29 Six-Sigma Green Belt
Certification (71-07) Internet
June 19-21 Cupola Melting for Engineers
(72-07) Schaumburg, Ill.
June 26-28 Analysis & Reduction of Casting
Defects (37-07) Dayton, Ohio
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