As older design engineers retire, a new wave of young engineers is taking their place. What many younger engineers lack is an understanding of casting design – how to design parts so they can be cast with a consistently high level of quality. Jeff Taylor, engineering manager at our sister company, The C.A. Lawton Co., expands on the common casting design mistakes and how to avoid them. Lawton: What design issues do OEM engineers tend to be focused...Continue Reading
Metal castings are vital to many key industries such as agriculture, automotive, and mining. Without castings, these industries and their role in our everyday lives wouldn’t be the same. Agriculture “Agriculture is the world’s oldest industry; without it, society as we know it would not exist (avalon-castings.com, n.d.). Farmers grow the food that feeds the world. That’s why technology and equipment are critical to this industry. “Three challenges are common to agricultural machinery: harsh conditions, large loads, and...Continue Reading
A lack of casting knowledge is at the root of nearly every cost driver for large castings. To complicate matters, even if you have general knowledge or experience in casting, every foundry uses different processes. What works to reduce cost in one operation can drive the cost up in another. Even if you have general casting knowledge, get the foundry involved as early as possible in the design process. Casting engineers and designers have greater control over the...Continue Reading
Selecting a foundry can be challenging. Whether you’re involved in a new project startup that requires cast parts or if you’re relocating patterns to a different supplier, here is a simple process that will help you to identify the right foundry for your needs. Step 1: Know your product The more knowledge and information you have about the castings, the more productive you will be at narrowing down your list of prospective foundries. Working with a platform like...Continue Reading
For centuries, foundries have been making new metal objects by melting old ones. As a result, metalcasting facilities recycle more than 14 million tons, or 31.5 million pounds of steel each year. This is enough energy to light the homes of Chicago for one year. Foundries convert unwanted scrap metal and recycle it into new valuable products. The scraps can include broken and dated appliances, sewer grates, cans, automobiles, and water meters, to name a few. These may...Continue Reading
