Wescast Wingham's molding operations improve with shift-free design.

Wescast Industries Inc., Brantford, Ontario, Canada, the world's largest manufacturer of exhaust manifolds for passenger cars and light trucks, was experiencing mold shift on their existing molding machines at its Wingham, Ontario, Canada facility. As part of Wescast's continuous improvement initiative, the firm contacted Brock Solutions, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, in 2000 to find a solution to this problem.

Brock Solutions proposed a machine that used squeeze-station technology designed by metalcasters to reduce mold shift. Wescast liked the technology, but required that a number of key production requirements be met to justify the purchase. Key acceptance criteria included:

* machine cycle time (without corset) at 18 sec/mold;

* machine-related downtime at <4%;

* mold hardness at > 90

* machine preventative maintenance of 4 hrs/wk.;

* machine repair and maintenance reduced by $25,000 per yr.;

* machine scrap at 0.5%.

To meet these requirements, Brock delivered a new 20 x 24 molding machine complete with a shift-free squeeze station; variable squeeze pressure; single-piece cope and drag flasks made of cast stainless steel wear-resistant properties for strength, durability and easy replacement; proportional control on key hydraulic circuits; mold pins that center the bottom board in the same location every time; and drag draw pins with replaceable seats.

"The new molding machine that we got from Brock is easier to maintain compared to our old machines," said Wescast Wingham's operations manager. "Much less time is spent on the new machine. We've reduced our PM time in half, and setups are cleaner."

Based on the results from the first machine, the firm replaced its four remaining machines with four new 20 x 24 Brock machines, which were delivered over a six-month period from Nov. '04 to April '05.

Benefits derived from the new machines include:

* faster, smoother cycles because of proportional control implemented on key hydraulic circuits;

* long-lasting flask life due to single-piece manufacture and mold pin design; * higher squeeze pressure, which may allow for the production of a variety of castings other than manifolds;

* acceptance of existing matchplate patterns;

* increased uptime;

* reduced iron consumption because of rounded outside corners on the weight and jacket, resulting in less runout;

* reduced overall maintenance.

Select No. 001 at www.moderncasting.com/info

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