Implementation of Metal Casting Best Practices - EERE - U.S. ...

2. Metal Casting Industry Overview
The metal casting industry produces both simple and complex parts that meet a wide variety of
manufacturing needs. Nearly all manufactured goods contain one or more cast components, with
major end uses being motor vehicles, defense equipment, power generation equipment, industrial
machinery, construction materials, pipes and fittings, oil field machinery, farm equipment,
railroad equipment, and other products vital to our economic growth and national security.
Although the industry utilizes many different processes and metals for casting, the basic metal
casting process involves pouring or injecting molten metal into a mold or die containing a cavity
of the desired shape. The most common process used for casting is green sand molding,
accounting for approximately 60% of castings produced. Other methods include die casting,
permanent mold casting, investment casting, lost foam casting, squeeze casting, and shell
molding. Gray and ductile irons continue to comprise the greatest weight of casting shipments,
followed by aluminum, steel, and copper. In addition, viable new markets are opening for
magnesium, titanium, and other nonferrous alloys. For example, forecasters predict that
magnesium shipments in the automotive sector will nearly double by 2008. 15
Markets for both ferrous and non-ferrous castings are increasingly competitive, with casting
customers placing greater emphasis on securing high-quality, light-weight, high-strength
products at lower prices. Thus, the casting industry must continuously evolve and improve to
remain competitive in today’s market place.
Energy Use Exhibit 2: Metal Casting Industry Distribution
of Energy Sources
The metal casting industry consumed 257 trillion
Btu in 2002, 16 with 165 trillion Btu accounted for
by metal casters categorized under NAICS 3315 *
and 92 trillion Btu by captive foundries. † This
represents more than a 21% decrease in the
industry’s energy consumption as compared to
328 trillion Btu consumed in 1998. 17 This decline
reflects a 26.6% reduction in the total shipment
tonnage from 1998 to 2002, which occurred when
a number of foundries went out of business.
The metal casting industry utilizes a variety of
fuels and electricity to meet its energy needs
(Exhibit 2). In 2002, 46% of the industry’s energy
was provided by natural gas and 33% by
electricity. Coke provided 17% of the industry’s
Electrcity
33%
Coke &
Breeze
17%
Other
4%
Natural
Gas
46%
Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information
Administration, 2002 Manufacturers Energy Consumption,
Table N1.2 “First Use of Energy for All Purposes,” NAICS
3315; 331511; 331521; 331524
* NAICS 3315 Foundries: This industry group comprises establishments primarily engaged in pouring molten
metal into molds or dies to form castings. Establishments making castings and further manufacturing, such as
machining or assembling, a specific manufactured product are classified in the industry of the finished product.
† See Glossary (page 91)
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