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

subsequent machining operations. Exhibit A.2 illustrates the affect from implementing shroud
pouring as experienced by Steel Foundry-2, as compared to using a conventional gating system.
As is obvious from Exhibit A.2,
shroud pouring constitutes a
successful improvement at Steel
Foundry-2. It has been a win-win
situation for both the foundry and
its customers. The foundry has
been able to improve efficiency
and lower costs, while its
customers receive a higher
quality casting. Thus,
Exhibit A.2: Shroud Pouring Affect on Facility Costs
Area of Impact Impact on Operations
Gate Tile 100% Reduction
Molding Sand 13% Reduction
Yield 4% Increase
Molding Time 19% Reduction
Cleaning Time 14% Reduction
Shroud Cost 1% Addition
Impact Pad 1% Addition
participation in the Metal Casting R&D project was quite fruitful for Steel Foundry-2. The
foundry manager attributed other steel foundries’ lack of implementation of shroud pouring
technology to their not risking the time and effort to get the process to work.
Modeling
Similar to Steel Foundry-1, Steel Foundry-2 also uses a modeling tool that has incorporated the
work performed by the University of Iowa and funded by the Metal Casting R&D portfolio. The
incorporation of the feeding rules and unconventional yield improvement and defect reduction
techniques has led to an improvement in the casting yield at Steel Foundry-2. In fact, this
foundry reported an 8% improvement in its entire facility yield rate from the impact of modeling.
This is a significant saving in both materials and energy costs.
Prior to the incorporation of the rules and techniques developed by Iowa State University, Steel
Foundry-2, like many other steel foundries, would overcompensate for risers by implementing
the modulus process. Steel Foundry-2 would use this to provide feed metal to the casting during
solidification to prevent holes or voids from forming. Once the foundry began to use the software
tool based on ISU work, it began to reduce its rigging by optimizing the configuration and size of
the rigging system. Steel Foundry-2 began to recognize the benefits of this approach almost
immediately.
Currently, Steel Foundry-2 uses the work of ISU and models all of its new castings. With the
success realized by the foundry from implementing modeling, it has gone back to model older
products to seek additional improvement in their yield. The facility has become so proficient
with the modeling software that typically the first casting poured is now sellable and the plant no
longer needs to repeat samples to obtain a sound casting.
Optimizing Facility Layout
Foundry work involves various manual operations. The wide mix of products, particularly in the
steel foundry industry, makes automation infeasible for many segments. In addition, many
foundries suffer from poor facility design and large work-in-process (WIP) inventories. This is
because as new technologies are developed, many foundries simply insert the technology into
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