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Author Archives: Bernard and Company
Heidelberg Foundry Amstetten Simulates Casting Processes with MAGMASOFT®
By Bernard and Company
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Simulation in action: casting quality, realizing innovation, reducing costs
The 1400 °C hot cast iron melt gushes through the gate into the mold. The movement of the flowing metal in the casting rigging and in the gradually filling mold for printing press cylinders and the subsequent solidification process are only chaotic and accidental, at first glance. The engineers of Amstetten Foundry, which forms part of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, are familiar with every detail of the casting system. They ran through the entire process in advance with simulation software. This enables them to predict precisely what the quality and characteristics of the cast iron cylinder will be, when it leaves the mold and is finally integrated in a Heidelberg printing press.
The Amstetten factory is one of the most up-to-date and efficient foundries in all of Europe. It acts as a center of excellence for the manufacture of castings, such as printing press side panels or cylinders, for the entire Heidelberg Group, which has a yearly revenue of three billion euros (~$4.4 billion) and 15,000 employees. The parts are core elements of the sheet-fed offset presses that Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, as the market leader, provides to users in the print media industry worldwide. “For our customers, just like for ourselves, the decision for Heidelberg is always a decision for quality,” is how Jürgen Schimmel, Director of Pattern & Casting Engineering describes the company’s vision, which he implements on a daily basis together with the 450 employees involved in casting production. This is because the quality of the individual presses to a significant degree depends on the quality of the castings produced in Amstetten.
Amstetten’s staff does not just produce castings for the Heidelberg Group: 50 external companies order large and small castings in differing batch sizes from the Amstetten foundry. Free market competition does not just make economic sense; it also serves to ensure that all processes are focused on achieving the highest quality, according to Schimmel.
“We have a clearly defined goal: economical casting production with consistently high quality. We see casting as part of an overarching process, beginning in design and finishing in reliably functioning, competitive end products,” Jürgen Schimmel says when formulating the “mission” of the Amstetten foundry. This level of quality is achieved by continuous IT support over the entire production process – from design of the components and patterns to the stable computer controlled melting and pouring processes.
Casting simulation bridges the gap between design and production
The planning department Pattern and Casting Engineering bridges the gap between computer-aided product design and actual production using MAGMASOFT®, the leading software for simulating casting processes. In doing so, the engineers rely on a technology regarded in the industry as one of the most important innovations of the last 50 years. This is because casting process simulation opens up the possibility of taking a look inside the former “black box” of the mold, to understand and predict precisely what happens during pouring and solidification of the melt. As a result, the foundrymen are in a position to accurately characterize the casting and production process as well as predict the casting’s properties before production has begun. What this means in practice is that the engineers are in a position to develop a casting with defined qualities at their computers. Correct production parameters for the casting process, with which the casting can be produced economically and reliably, can be developed with calculable quality. Before simulation technology became available, the individual development steps had to be taken “by hand” – from the part design to its realization as a casting by means of numerous, expensive test castings – and at the end there was still no guarantee that the process would indeed be reliable enough for the casting to be produced in the defined quality.
Save on costs, implement innovations
The foundry of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG makes use of simulation technology throughout the entire product and process development process, in order to save materials and costs in a highly price-sensitive market on the one hand, and to drive innovation and optimize component integration on the other.
For example, so-called return scrap is saved by “riserless” casting. Since the melt contracts when it cools, like any material, additional metal usually has to be introduced into the mold via the risers in order to avoid defects / porosity – so-called shrinkage cavities – in the casting. Appropriate design of the casting process reduces return scrap and material consumption. Before making the investment decision for MAGMASOFT®, the foundry had calculated that using simulation return scrap could be reduced by eight percent – which would lower annual material costs by a six-digit euro figure. Additional cost savings accrue from optimization over the entire process. Thanks to the calculated cooling times, it is safe to run production at the fastest possible rate.
For instance, it was possible to greatly reduce shrinkage cavities during the manufacture of a chain guide by reducing riser volumes and altering the gating system. This not only resulted in a significant quality improvement, but also led to a reduction of €15.80 (~$22.75) per part in manufacturing costs, primarily from a reduction of approximately 2.5 kg in return scrap. Given an annual production of approximately 300 pieces, this comes to cost savings of around €4,700 (~$6,768).
Thanks to solidification simulation, it was possible to reduce the number of risers from 5 to 2 together with a 69 kg reduction in return scrap during production of a gear wheel, which lowered manufacturing costs per piece by €31 (~$44.65).
Simulation pioneer as technological partner
As its technology partner for simulation, Heidelberg Foundry relies on a pioneer in this methodology in MAGMA Gießereitechnologie GmbH, Aachen. In the late 1980s, MAGMA transformed casting simulation from university research to practical application. Ever since, the resulting software solution, MAGMASOFT®,® has set technical standards when it comes to simulating casting processes. It simulates mold filling, solidification and cooling during the casting process as well as mechanical properties, residual stresses and distortion of the castings created.
MAGMASOFT® consists of a basis package and a series of additional modules which cover all casting process production steps. They support the user starting from the design of the component, the selection of the melt treatment and casting layout, through pattern design and mold production to final heat treatment and finishing. The MAGMASOFT® application spectrum covers all cast materials, such as gray and ductile cast iron as used at the Heidelberg Foundry as well as aluminum and steel. Every casting process can be simulated with the software in order to design and assess the casting and tooling layouts, cycle times and casting quality.
Simulation software selection criteria
“User-friendly operation, short preparation time until start of calculations, realistic representation of results – those were the leading functional criteria when we chose MAGMASOFT®,” explains Hans Frieß, Director of Planning/Material Management. “And of course, another factor was the potential for future developments in the software.” But it was not just the software’s functionality and quality that were relevant to the decision. MAGMA itself as simulation pioneer was a factor. Hans Frieß puts it like this: “MAGMA established casting process simulation technology as a practical tool. The industry owes its trust in simulation primarily to MAGMA. The associated market and technological leadership and references were also persuasive when we were thinking about introducing a solution.”
Amortization in one year
In the meantime, cooperation in Amstetten with MAGMASOFT® and MAGMA has a track record of about eight years. The investment was amortized within just one year instead of two, as calculated prior to acquisition. The use of the simulation solution has resulted in faster component development, higher component quality and more economic production. The technology has also assisted the foundry in terms of innovation: using MAGMASOFT made it possible to begin manufacturing larger, heavier types of components.
Simulation marketing
The software also plays an important role in marketing and sales. When potential customers inquire about a particular casting, they are not only provided with a price, but also a pledge of reliable component quality and delivery times, based on simulation results. “Thanks to our use of MAGMASOFT®, we have actually acquired customers. When we made the investment decision this effect was one we had neither expected nor taken into account,” Hans Frieß is pleased to note. MAGMA now occupies a correspondingly prominent place in marketing as well: there are numerous casting simulation visualizations on the foundry’s website, shown as recognizable screenshots from the MAGMA software.
Simulation communication
And something else has undergone further development on the basis of the simulation software: communication with the casting designers and the foundry floor. The designers quickly get reliable feedback on whether a new component design is “castable”, while production gets reliable information on how to handle the casting process to achieve the best result. Conversely, based on the documented simulation results, both parties with their expertise can prepare creative solutions, which in turn can then be quickly and easily checked using simulation.
Simulation in the future – knowledge management and service orientation
“Using casting process simulation has now become indispensable for foundries,” Hans Frieß sums up. This was the only way for them to become service providers, taking on design and consultative activities and cooperating more closely with the companies using castings. Moreover, the software protects against know-how loss, since the knowledge is no longer just in the head of an expert but instead stored in a way that can be reused in MAGMASOFT®‘s databases. Consequently, the partnership between foundry and software will intensify further in the time to come – and continue on the basis of a new software generation, which will be launched shortly.
Picture material:
Solidification simulation of a MAGMASOFT®-optimized casting for a Heidelberg printing press (here: gear wheel). Riser optimization produced savings of almost € 40,000 (~$57,600) on this single part.
About software for casting process simulation
Casting process simulation software considers the complete casting process including mold filling, solidification and cooling, and also provides the quantitative prediction of mechanical properties, thermally induced casting stresses and the distortion of cast components. Simulation accurately describes a cast component’s quality upfront before production starts, thus the casting layout can be designed with respect to the required component properties. This results in a reduction in pre-production sampling, but also the precise layout of the complete casting system leads to energy, material and tooling savings for the foundry.
The range of application of MAGMA solutions comprises all cast alloys, from cast iron to aluminum sand casting, permanent mold and die casting up to large steel castings. The software supports the user in component design, the determination of melting practice and casting methodology through to mold making, heat treatment and finishing. This saves costs consequently along the entire casting manufacturing line.
During the last 10 years, the use of casting process simulation has become a valuable business asset for many foundries. MAGMA5 now expands the capabilities of casting process simulation and will further accelerate the acceptance of this technology.
About MAGMA
MAGMA offers comprehensive solutions to the metal casting industry, casting buyers and casting designers worldwide. The MAGMA product and service portfolio includes the powerful modular simulation software MAGMASOFT®,with the newest release MAGMA5, as well as engineering services for casting design and optimization.
Today, MAGMASOFT® is used throughout the metal casting industry, especially for the optimization of cast components in automotive and heavy industry applications.
MAGMA Giessereitechnologie GmbH was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Aachen, Germany. A global presence and support are guaranteed by offices and subsidiaries in the USA, Singapore, Brazil, Korea, Turkey, India and China. Additionally, more than 30 qualified partners represent MAGMA around the world.
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For more information on this release, please contact:
Christof Heisser
President
MAGMA Foundry Technologies, Inc.
10 N. Martingale Road, Suite 425
Schaumburg, IL 60173
Phone 847-969-1001 ext. 225
Email cheisser@magmasoft.com
Agency contact:
Tim Daro
Bernard & Company
847-934-4500
Continue readingForest City Gear Acquires Three New Haas Turning Centers to Produce “Donuts” for its Gearmaking Operations
By Bernard and Company
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FOREST CITY GEAR EXPANDS BLANKING DEPARTMENT
Leading gear manufacturer acquires three new Haas turning centers to produce “donuts” for its gearmaking operations
Forest City Gear’s blanking department now boasts a Haas ST-10 and two ST-20 Turning Centers. These machines were acquired recently to improve the throughput at Forest City Gear, a world leader in fine- and medium-pitch gear and spline work. The machines are used primarily for production of “donuts”, the near net blanks used in the company’s gearmaking operations.
Roscoe, IL-Forest City Gear has acquired three Haas turning centers to improve the throughput at its gearmaking facility. The company has made this investment, according to President Wendy Young, “…because we needed to better control our throughput and reduce the time to start up jobs. We were experiencing some severe delays from outside vendors and we saw problems on the horizon from such bottlenecks. Our company is always on the lookout for such conditions, because both our quality and our delivery protocols are vital to our success with current and potential customers in the world market.” These new machines will be used in the company’s Blanking Department, headed by Tommy Kalt, who detailed the new machines.
“We purchased a Haas ST-10 Turning Center with a magazine bar feeder, 300 PSI high-pressure coolant system and automatic tool presetter. It’s a fast, very flexible and very easy-to-use machine tool.” This machine, as well as two Haas ST-20 Turning Centers with 8” chuck and 20-station hybrid turret, fully programmable tailstock and high-pressure coolant pump, are currently operating in the Forest City Gear facility to produce “donuts” from automatically fed bar stock. These donuts are the near net shape blanks used in the gearmaking operation here. As a custom producer of extremely tight tolerance gears for the most demanding applications, according to company CEO Fred Young, “We need to have optimum control of our operation, at every step. Our company today exports gears to every corner of the world and our rigorous quality standards require a number of intermediate steps, prior to shipment. If the blanks are not available and our production is delayed, the entire operation slows and we simply will not allow that to happen,” Young stated emphatically.
Kalt expands on the ST-10. “It has a manual, programmable tailstock for shaft work, another real advantage in 
our type of shop, where we do a lot of splines in addition to gears. Plus, the Haas CNC system is very easy to learn and to use. It has simple language commands and most operations can be done with the push of a button. I like to say it has an American-made feel to it. The work area is open, the tooling is easy to change and the learning curve was really short for our guys. They were up and making good parts almost immediately.” He noted that the performance of the first machine led quickly to the purchase of the two additional Haas ST-20 turning machines. Kalt also cited the ECO CNC system on the Haas machines, with minimal lubrication requirements and auto-power down features were in sync with the Forest City Gear green initiative programs, as a further value to this purchase.
On the business side, Wendy Young was very satisfied with the cooperation of the Haas sales and delivery team. “We were treated fairly and the support has been first-rate, right from the start. We already see the benefits of this purchase to our company.”
For more information on this story, please contact: FOREST CITY GEAR CO., INC. 11715 Main Street Roscoe, IL 61073-0080 Phone: 815-623-2168 Fax: 815-623-6620 Web: www.forestcitygear.com
Email: wyoung@forestcitygear.com Attention: Wendy Young, President
PR agency contact for Forest City Gear: Tim Daro Bernard & Company 847-934-4500 tdaro@bernardandcompany.com
Continue readingGab from GIFA
By Bernard and Company
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I attended the GIFA foundry trade show in Duesseldorf, Germany recently and wanted to share some thoughts. Our three clients who exhibited all had great shows and they all sell very high-end equipment or services to the foundry and other industries. Top quality guys, every one. That’s very encouraging. Folks were there from every corner of the planet and many were buying, another good sign that the world economy is rebounding. All three clients sell the world market and I was impressed by the decidedly United Nations feel of their booths. One client brought their agents, even a Russian translator, to the show, so they could speak EVERYBODY’S language. It was the Tower of Babel…and this one worked!
In some cases, these have been the hardest hit clients in the down market, because they simply would not sacrifice the quality and performance they build into their machines and software to sell head-to-head against the cheaper competition, a move we applaud always. Our agency is in exactly that same boat.
Though all relatively new clients, these three companies recently joined the ranks of the world leader in industrial ovens and furnaces (52 years with us), the world leader in rubber/TPE injection molding machines (41 years) and the absolutely best fine/medium pitch gear manufacturer in the solar system (since they have products on Mars at the moment!) at our agency, in business since 1976, though we’ve changed the lineup and the service package a bit, over the years.
See a pattern here? Quality endures, to be blunt. There’s more to the story, of course, but that’s a pretty good foundation!
This occurred to me, as I was sitting in a 450-year-old church in Duesseldorf. Although the church was partially destroyed in WWII, the folks saved the treasures that remained, dug up the old prints and rebuilt an old-looking new church around them. That fact spoke volumes to me.
Anyhow, the show was terrific and the atmospherics of a 5000-year-old industry (metalcasting) reminded me that, faced with adversity, the very best tactic is to figure out what you do that made you successful in the first place and keep doing it. And, of course, keep advertising it, sending PR on it and telling the world your success stories. (OK, that part was a commercial and I think that thought, every hour of every day, even when not walking the banks of the Rhine!)
Tim Daro
Continue reading350°F Floor Level Cabinet Oven
By Bernard and Company
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No. 900 is a gas-heated 350°F(~176.67°C) floor level cabinet oven from Grieve, currently used for drying polycarbonate plastics. 100,000 BTU/HR is installed in a modulating natural gas burner and workspace dimensions are 36” wide x 36” deep x 60” high.
The oven has 4” insulated walls and a 750 CFM, 3/4-HP recirculating blower provides vertical airflow to the oven. Safety equipment, such as a 325 CFM, 1/3-HP powered force exhauster, is included as required by IRI, FM and the National Fire Protection Association Standard 86 for gas-heated equipment. The oven also features shelf supports on 3” vertical centers that are rated 200 lb. per level for a 1000 lb. maximum oven load.
Controls onboard No. 900 include a recirculating blower airflow safety switch, digital indicating temperature controller and a manual reset excess temperature controller with separate contactors.
For more information, please contact: THE GRIEVE CORPORATION, 500 Hart
Road, Round Lake, Illinois 60073-2835 USA. Phone: (847) 546-8225. Fax: (847) 546-
9210. Web: www.grievecorp.com. Email: sales@grievecorp.com. Attention: Frank Calabrese.
Agency Info: Tim Daro 847-934-4500
Continue readingHunter and Maus Have Successful GIFA Shows
By Bernard and Company
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Leading manufacturers of matchplate molding and grinding systems for metalcasters shine in Duesseldorf
Schaumburg, Illinois (USA)-During the recent GIFA show in Duesseldorf, Germany, both Hunter Automated and its partner Maus reported successful exhibition of their machinery and related equipment.
Sandra Selwan, marketing manager for Maus (Padua, Italy), said the booth traffic was excellent throughout the show and that many current and potential customers visited. At the booth, Maus displayed its SAM multi-axis grinding system for gate and riser removal on metal castings. Owing to the offline programming station and rotating worktable, the SAM system from Maus enables cost-effective and high production rates. Also present at the booth were managing director Roberto Sammartin, sales manager Claudio Cossalter and the new North American sales manager, Carlo Canevese. Maus markets its machinery and related systems through Hunter Automated in North America and other select regions globally.
Meanwhile, at the Hunter (Schaumburg, Illinois-USA) booth, which was immediately adjacent to the Maus booth, activity was brisk throughout the event. Hundreds of metalcasters from dozens of countries around the world visited and, in several cases, consummated deals with Hunter, the global leader in matchplate molding systems and mold handling lines for green sand casting.
Working the booth were company president Bill Hunter, sales vp Kevin Purdy, sales manager Dean Martin and most of the global agent network Hunter, as well as representatives from the other manufacturing locations besides Chicago, namely, Brazil and China. As Purdy noted, “The strategy we’ve employed of manufacturing our machinery around the world, in key market areas for the foundry business, has proven both cost effective and customer-friendly.” Hunter also partners with Space’ and Versatile, all manufacturers of foundry equipment, in addition to Maus.
During the show, Hunter also inked deals for other representatives in the global foundry market. Details of these new arrangements will be forthcoming shortly, according to Hunter management.
Also a show highlight at the Hunter booth, they welcomed Ms. Janice Weiner, U.S. Consul General, along with Klaus Jonas, Communications Specialist for the U.S. Department of Commerce and representatives from the Messe Duesseldorf show management team, Eva Rowe and Ryan Klemm.
For more information, please contact:
HUNTER AUTOMATED MACHINERY CORPORATION
2222 Hammond Drive Schaumburg, IL 60196
Phone: (847) 397-5110
Fax: (847) 397-8254
Email: info@hunterfoundry.com
Attention: Bill Hunter, CEO
Web: www.hunterfoundry.com
Connect with Hunter Foundry online: 
Hennig Opens New Facility for Power Generator Enclosure Systems
By Bernard and Company
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Hennig, Inc., Machesney Park, Ill., announces the opening of an additional facility on its 11-acre campus here, to accommodate the expanding power gen business of Hennig Enclosure Systems. This new facility is now open and houses all design, engineering, sales, marketing and manufacturing capabilities for this division of Hennig, a world leader in machine protection. Utilizing additional land area outside the new facility, Hennig will also be able to test all enclosure and fuel tank systems under full operating conditions for its customers. Load bank testing, resistance testing, airflow performance and sound level checks can all be performed in an actual outdoor environment.
In announcing this new facility, Robin Moore, Vice President of Engineering and Operations for the company, commented, “Our power gen business is ramping up substantially and we required expanded capabilities, additional staff and more capacity.” He also noted the larger work bays and four overhead cranes (two tandem 7.5 ton and two tandem 20 ton with max. 80,000-lb. lift) will complement the tank welding process, electrical assembly, enclosure assembly and a new in-house finishing department for wet paint and powder coating at this Hennig facility. The new location is conveniently located off Interstate I-90 at the recently completed Route 173 interchange for easy on/off logistics, a decided advantage in transporting the huge structures produced here.
At this new location, Hennig Enclosure Systems will produce turnkey enclosures and fuel tanks for OEM power generator customers, as well as architects, design/build firms, contractors and consulting/engineering companies who constitute its current customer base. Customers interact with the company by utilizing the network of Hennig field sales engineers and service centers, as well as the recently developed online configurator software at the company’s website.
Greg Champion, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, further noted, “Our customers will quickly benefit from the improvement in work flow and logistics provided by this new facility. Being immediately adjacent to the Hennig Global Headquarters will have many upsides for our customers and us alike.” Champion further noted Hennig now has 150 employees onsite at this combined facility, for a total of 450 worldwide.
Local Rockford, IL contractor Cord Construction completed this new facility in less than six months from the date the previous facility was acquired by Hennig in November, 2010.
Hennig Enclosure Systems will further offer a limited amount of indoor generator storage for customers at the new facility to provide additional benefit.
In addition to its work in the power generator market, Hennig, Inc. designs and produces custom machine protection and chip/coolant management products for state-of-the-art machine tools. Hennig products are designed to protect against corrosion, debris and common workplace contaminants. Manufacturing facilities are located in the U.S., Germany, France, Brazil, India, Japan, China and South Korea. Repair centers are located in Machesney Park, IL; Chandler, OK; Livonia, MI; Blue Ash, OH; Mexico City, Mexico; and Saltillo, Mexico.
To learn more about Hennig Enclosure Systems, visit www.hennig-enclosure-systems.com or contact:
Tim Waterman
Hennig Inc.
9900 N. Alpine Rd.
Machesney Park, IL 61115
(815) 316-5277
info@hennig.ame.com
www.hennigworldwide.com
Connect with Hennig online: 
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Hennig, Inc. designs and produces custom machine protection and chip/coolant management products for state-of-the-art machine tools. Hennig products are designed to protect against corrosion, debris and common workplace contaminants. Manufacturing facilities located in the USA, Germany, France, Brazil, India, Japan, Czech Republic, England and South Korea. Repair centers are located in Machesney Park, IL; Chandler, OK; Livonia, MI; Blue Ash, OH; Mexico City, Mexico; and Saltillo, Mexico.
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Manufacturing Summit Visits Dudek & Bock
By Bernard and Company
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CHICAGO-On March 22, 2011, a group from the Manufacturing Summit led by Bob Vavra from Plant Engineering magazine, visited Dudek & Bock, a longtime world leader in springs, wireforms and light metal stampings for the automotive, appliance, housewares and other major high-volume, close tolerance markets. The purpose of the visit was to see how a seemingly traditional metalforming company, operating in the city of Chicago, sustains its leadership role in the world market, after 65 years in business. The attendees included representatives from various manufacturing and industrial service companies, all seeking to learn ways to improve their own operations.
The tour began with a presentation by Matt Puz, the Dudek & Bock vp for sales & marketing, supported by Mike Dudek and Raquel Chole, who head up the sales operations for the company, which operates plants in Chicago and Saltillo, Mexico.
The presentation recapped the history of the company, from its humble beginnings in 1946, when Mike Dudek’s grandfather Joe and his partner Stan Bock started the business with two four-slide machines for springforming and a commitment to vertically integrated manufacturing, product quality and efficient operation of the factory that was and is the envy of the industry. Dudek & Bock today maintains over 500 machines for use at both plants, retrofitting and rebuilding them in their Chicago factory, plus the company produces over 90% of its own tooling to minimize reliance on outside sources and the attendant cost/delivery issues. Currently, the company produces over 1500 products to order.
Puz also detailed the precision with which the operations of both plants are monitored, both in terms of employee productivity and machine utilization. Karen Pacana, one of the company’s account managers, addressed the scheduling of raw material purchases and shipping strategies, while Ken Kveton, part of the business development team for the company, spoke on the constant oversight exercised at Dudek & Bock to insure lower PPM and to streamline business integration between the two plants. Dudek & Bock recently purchased another supplier to the automotive industry and melded the operation into its Chicago plant. That company concentrated on the automotive seating industry, where Dudek & Bock was already established. As Mike Dudek observed, “We saw an opportunity to expand our product reach in the seating business, not only with the in-house capabilities we already had but also through this compatible company, who was making torsion springs and related products. The acquisition went smoothly and we are quite pleased with the results to date.”
Collectively, the automotive and appliance business represent 80% of the gross revenue at Dudek & Bock, as Matt Puz noted in his presentation. Selling to these high-volume, critical dimension industries is very challenging, as Puz further observed. “For several years recently, we invested over $1,000,000 annually in new CNC equipment to better serve our customers, through increased automation and capacity utilization at both our plants.” Karen Pacana added, “While some products are produced in the Mexico plant for local automotive business, most of it happens here in Chicago, affording us optimum control of the manufacturing and logistics. This reduces carrying costs and allows us to build a safety overrun into our jobs, which frequently gets used for aftermarket repair operations.”
Complementing the core competencies of spring, wireform and light metal stamping production at Dudek & Bock, the company also maximizes its value to customers by providing a number of secondary operations on products, including all the following: welding, riveting, inline tapping and extrusion plus drilling, swedging, grinding, tapping, deburring, stress relief, shot peening, degreasing, some coating and oven curing, plus specialized packaging to suit customer requirements.
Raquel Chole noted that the employees from the Mexico plant, nearly all young and all well educated, are frequently brought to Chicago for machine cross-training and instruction on the protocols used by the company for production evaluation. “This policy gives the employees a great sense of belonging to our organization and company culture, plus they come away from the experience here with multiple skill sets that can be utilized at the Saltillo facility.”
Eipe Varghese, the vice president for quality at Dudek & Bock, proudly discussed how the company has achieved ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO/TS 16949 certification. “Our full audit procedures and constant attention to continuous improvement protocols at both plants have made a big difference in the overall efficiency of the company. This reduces cost, improves delivery achievements and keeps us a valued supplier to our demanding major markets.”
Puz concluded the presentation with a detailed discussion on the “cost of quality” at Dudek & Bock. “We utilize world-class metrics to keep us a world-class company,” he said with no small amount of pride. “Quality has become part of our culture here and we review everything related to our machines, labor, overtime, earned hour ratio and more.” The result has been an outstanding 25% higher efficiency for man hours worked, over the last eight years, Puz noted.
Dudek & Bock is committed to a “design for manufacturability” strategy and utilizes an Advanced Production Quality Planning (APQP) process to make optimum use of the machinery and secondary operations in-house to produce products to specification and in the most efficient manner possible, Puz concluded.
Following the presentation, the group was led on a full tour of the Chicago plant, where Mike Dudek explained the Value Analysis/Value Engineering (VA/VE) concept that drives a key component of the company’s continuous improvement policy. “We frequently take a product that’s been made a certain way and, by using our production equipment and secondary operation skills, we are able to remove weight and improve the manufacturability of the product, without compromising the performance or quality in any way.” He further noted that, as a supplier to automotive, safety factors in the end product are constantly monitored. “We sample all our products throughout the run, including on every new spool of wire or coil of metal. This is a further back-up to what our quality department does on all incoming shipments.”
Monitoring the total production and all incoming jobs is done at biweekly staff meetings, observed Raquel Chole. Here, company managers review the performance issues of all machinery at both plants, plus perform an assessment on the incoming workflow. Energy use, IT issues, capacity utilization, “stretch opportunities” within an existing customer or market and manufactured product potential are all evaluated in an ongoing manner, through this process.
Eipe Varghese conducted the tour of his quality department, detailing how PPAP and segment checks are performed on all jobs at Dudek & Bock, sometimes in compliance with customer mandate, but more often to the stringent internal protocols established long ago by the company itself. “We perform load testing, full data capture and record keeping on all the work cells in the plant.” He noted the Mexico facility has a mirror image quality lab. “Gaging is often built in-house but we use external calibration services, as well, to be sure we’re on track at all times.”
In touring the machine maintenance department, Mike Dudek mused, “This is our old-fashioned art department, our black magic, if you will.” The department is staffed with many longtime Dudek & Bock employees, who have not only run every piece of machinery in the building, but are able to repair and retrofit it, as well. On a typical piece of heavy wireforming machinery, Dudek noted, “…you might be looking at $300,000 to buy it new, while our guys can make one of our old machines run as good as new for maybe 20% of that amount. Big difference.”
All in the group agreed this forward-thinking company was a fitting end to the Manufacturing Summit.
For video of this event, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=64D854D474995127
Agency contact: Tim Daro Bernard & Company 847-934-4500
Continue reading1200°F High Temperature Walk-in Oven
By Bernard and Company
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No. 905 is an electrically-heated 1200°F(~648.89°C) high temperature walk-in oven from Grieve, currently used for heat treating. 120 KW are installed in Incoloy sheathed tubular heating elements. Workspace dimensions are 48” wide x 180” deep x 72” high.
The oven has 10” thick insulated walls comprised of 2” of 1900°F block and 8” of 10 lb/cf density rockwool, an aluminized steel exterior and a Type 304, 2B finish stainless steel interior. A 12,500 CFM, 10-HP recirculating blower provides universal front to rear airflow to the unit.
The unit is also equipped with a 7” insulated floor with truck wheel guide tracks and a flatbed loading truck with a 5000 lb capacity. The external frame works with lifting eyes to allow this 18,000 lb oven to be moved by crane. It also features inner and outer gaskets; the inner gasket seals directly against the door plug and the outer gasket seals directly against the front face of the oven.
Controls onboard No. 905 include a digital programming temperature controller, free standing remote control panel, manual reset excess temperature controller with separate contactors, SCR power controller, strip chart recorder and recirculating blower airflow safety switch.
For more information, please contact: THE GRIEVE CORPORATION, 500 Hart
Road, Round Lake, Illinois 60073-2835 USA. Phone: (847) 546-8225. Fax: (847) 546-9210. Web: www.grievecorp.com. Email: sales@grievecorp.com. Attention: Frank Calabrese.
Agency Contact: Tim Daro: 847-934-4500
Continue readingMAGMA: PREMIER ALUMINUM ANNOUNCES VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGY CENTER
By Bernard and Company
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Wisconsin foundry prospering from its use of technology, including MAGMASOFT® simulation software for metalcasting
Schaumburg, IL – Premier Aluminum is an ISO 9001-2008 certified permanent mold aluminum casting and machine shop in Racine, Wisconsin with a reputation for partnering with its customers to find flexible and cost-effective solutions for a variety of products. The company serves the quantity casting market, from a few hundred castings per year to annual volumes of fifty thousand and more. Premier positions its capability in the market as a one-stop shop for finished machined, permanent mold aluminum castings.
Premier has invested in all necessary tools and facilities to enable full collaborative engineering with its customers. Its current goal is to achieve the desired casting quality by further reducing costs and decreasing time to market for its customers. This progressive approach to working with customers by utilizing advanced technical tools in an R&D facility will now be referenced as the Technology Center at Premier Aluminum.
The Technology Center will now be available to any Premier customer or potential customer who wishes to work closely with the Premier Engineering Team to quickly and accurately develop new products or re-engineer already existing ones. Its engineering team boasts 50+ years experience in metalcasting, plus the latest advancements in the aluminum foundry industry. To better serve its customers, Premier employs such advanced software as Solidworks, MAGMASOFT® and other engineering tools to enhance customer confidence in tool life, product quality and efficient manufacturing processes, through a more predictive and trackable engineering protocol.
One of the company’s most effective engineering tools is MAGMASOFT®, provided by MAGMA Foundry Technologies, which is a software used to assist engineers, designers and buyers in the metalcasting industry. Premier’s engineering group utilizes MAGMASOFT® to optimize the casting design as well as to refine the casting process from the outset. MAGMASOFT® blends science, technology and experience from diverse areas of the casting process to create a package that utilizes the complex physics of casting to simulate the results prior to creating the mold. This technology-based strategy, combined with years of experience serving the global foundry market, allows Premier to optimize its designs for castability, quality and overall lowest cost.
In today’s environment, Premier is seeking all possible ways to be competitive and work together to find solutions that ultimately benefit the entire supply chain. Supply chain efficiency reduces time to market and engineering costs, emphasizes collaboration and yields sound manufacturing processes that will increase customer competitiveness. The company is committed to this technology-driven approach and seeks the opportunity to share it with current customers and prospects alike.
Premier’s sales manager, Kevin Kelly, is currently inviting customers and prospects to send their product experts to the Technology Center for an opportunity to collaborate with the company’s engineers on any new products or existing designs. During the visit, customer or prospect teams will be able to access the Internet, collaborate face-to-face with Premier’s engineering staff, gain knowledge of the aluminum casting processes and utilize any of the technology tools, especially MAGMASOFT®, to bring their product to market faster, more efficiently and at a lower overall cost.
For more information on this announcement, please contact:
Kevin Kelly – Sales Manager PREMIER ALUMINUM 3633 S. Memorial Dr. Racine, WI 53403 Phone: 262-554-2100, Ext. 130 Email: kevin.kelly@premieraluminum.com Web: www.premieraluminum.com
OR
Steve Sikorski – Vice President of Applications & Technology MAGMA Foundry Technologies, Inc.
10 N. Martingale Road, Suite 425 Schaumburg, IL 60173 Phone 847-969-1001, ext. 223
Email: ssikorski@magmasoft.com Web:www.magmasoft.com
Agency contact: Tim Daro Bernard & Company 847-934-4500 tdaro@bernardandcompany.com
Continue readingSIGMA: SPE GGS June Lunch Seminar Webinar
By Bernard and Company
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SPE GGS June Lunch Seminar Webinar
Fred Phillips, Regional Manager of SIGMA Plastic Services, Inc. will be giving a seminar on “The Next Generation of Injection Molding” at the June 30th SPE GGS lunch.
Seminar Abstract
In-depth injection molding simulation software has typically been used by analysts who have the expertise to setup the complex mesh model required for simulation. With advanced simulation technology from SIGMA, injection molding simulation is easier to use and more accurate than ever. This opens the door to product designers, project managers, and engineers in charge of polymer injection molds and processes, as well as analysis groups. Companies no longer need to rely on a “meshing expert” to employ injection molding simulation.
The presentation will highlight the power of injection molding simulation when considering 3D mold components, cooling channels, the complete runner system, and part geometries coupled with multi-cycle analysis. Simulation is a must-have tool for companies wanting to evaluate ‘what if’ scenarios of the entire injection molding process early in the design and tooling stages.
Seminar/Webinar Information
Where: Exponent, Inc. 149 Commonwelath Drive, Menlo Park, CA
When: Thursday, June 30, 2011, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM (lunch provided to those attending the seminar)
Cost: Lunch: $20 non-members, $15 members, $10 students/unemployed/retired – cash at door or via Paypal
Cost: Webinar: $10 – Paypal only. WebEx invitation will be sent upon receipt of payment
RSVP: Jennifer Hoffman at jhoffman@exponent.com; RSVP by noon, Tuesday, June 28th.