castings buyer - the institute of cast metals engineers buyer 2012.pdf · william cook ndt station...

In this issue . . . International Aluminium Diecasting award winners

CGI for diesel engine cylinder blocks

Castings BuyerMetal casting your engineering needs

Published by Institute of Cast Metals Engineers Spring 2012

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Foundry Yearbook_2012.indd 1 29/03/2012 14:52

Castings Buyer - Spring 2012 1

EditorialEditorLynn PostleTel: +44 (0)121 601 [email protected]

Advertising Sales ManagerLes RiversTel: +44 (0)1568 [email protected]

© The Institute of Cast Metals Engineers 2012

ISSN 0265-8321

Published by:The Institute of Cast Metals EngineersNational Metalforming Centre47 Birmingham RoadWest BromwichWest Midlands B70 6PY UKTel: +44 (0)121 601 6979 web: www.icme.org.uk

Design & ProductionRivers Media ServicesBrockington Studio, BodenhamHereford HR1 3HT UKTel: +44 (0)1568 797111

Castings Buyer is one of a group of titles published by The Institute of Cast Metals Engineers. Sister publication Foundry Trade Journal (published 10 times/year).

ICME is the leading UK professional organisation for those employed in the global cast metals industry.

Castings BuyerMetal casting your engineering needs

Contents

Casting Solutions News2 Anchors away for UK foundry with MoD contract; Foundry Trade Association

in the UK celebrates tenth anniversary; UK supply chain receives a boost.3 New market opportunity for world-class foundry; More to castings than cost.4 Accredited diecasting training for purchasers of components.6 Company profile on flexible jobbing foundry.7 Centre of excellence in non-destructive testing of components.10 TURKCAST 2012 – all buyers on hand to visit important trade fair in Istanbul.13 Cycle castings take top industry award.

Features16-20 Diecasting We look at the latest components taking the diecasting world by storm and

offering the perfect solutions for a number of industry sectors. The feature includes an insight into new applications for magnesium die casting in power train mass reduction through material and geometry optimisation.

22-24 Compacted Graphite Iron We investigate a material solution for modern diesel engine cylinder blocks.

25 Subcon 2012 The latest news on the UK’s leading subcontracting show.

26-27 Aluminium Bronze The benefits of selecting aluminium bronze castings.

29-32 Industry in Focus News from the people you want to hear from – the foundries offering the

solutions you need.

Front cover picture – nickel aluminium bronze valve housing for seawater application (courtesy of Cast Metals Federation), see pages 26-27.

The cast metals industry is a vitally important supply option for many industrial sectors offering you, the buyer, numerous alternatives for highly complex engineered components to satisfy the need for efficient, high performance, and in many cases safety critical, parts.

Castings Buyer is the only global publication dedicated to providing designers and those responsible for purchasing components with the information needed when considering castings as a supply option.

Published by the Institute of Cast Metals Engineers, Castings Buyer reports on many projects involving cast components to give you a comprehensive overview of the global cast metals industry and what it can offer the wider engineering community.

In many cases castings afford solutions in terms of complexity, weight reduction and high performance and they often ‘out shine’ any other mode of manufacturing, so please read on …

www.icme.org.uk

2 Castings Buyer - Spring 2012

News

Anchors aweigh for UK foundryA foundry in the UK has been awarded a contract from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to manufacture and repair anchors for its fleet of ships and submarines. The contract, which could be worth up to £4m over its lifetime, will run for four years and was awarded to Bonds Foundry on the strength of its technical merits, delivery times and qualified staff with the necessary expertise.

The steel anchors range in weight from 4.5kg up to 5.5 tonne and include both non-magnetic and magnetic anchors, which require sophisticated metallurgical processes.

A spokesperson from the MOD said: “The UK Ministry of Defence is pleased to confirm the award of the contract for the supply, repair and support of anchors fitted to Royal Navy surface ships and submarines to Bonds Foundry.

“The contract won in competition, extends the long and very successful association the company has developed with the maritime equipment systems project team and its forerunner, the Warship Support Agency, in supporting the Royal Navy in this vitally important area of specialist support.”

Bonds Foundry director, Mike Best said: “Supplying and restoring anchors for the Royal Navy is a great privilege for Bonds Foundry having also supplied parts for the new Type 45 destroyers and the aircraft carriers, which are now under construction.

“We pride ourselves on our technical capabilities and competitiveness and are pleased to be supplying British-made anchors.”

The contract comes as the foundry’s holding company acquired the former Kenmore ten-acre site on the Beechburn Industrial Estate in Crook, County Durham from Parker Hannifin.

Located in Tow Law, County Durham since 1868, Bonds Foundry is one of very few steel founders in the UK with capacity for steel castings up to 12 tonne. It specialises in high integrity castings for the power generation, oil/gas, marine/offshore and construction sectors, in a wide range of materials for the international market. Turnover is more than £9m. www.bondsfoundry.com

Kevin Dennison of Bonds Foundry puts the final touches to an anchor for one of the Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigates (Source: Bonds/M Avery)

A decade helping castings’ buyersTen years of providing buyers of castings with a ‘one stop shop’ enquiry service has given the Cast Metals Federation (CMF) an unrivalled understanding of what companies are looking for and how UK foundries can supply them.Formed in the late 1990’s the CMF has just completed ten years of supporting both the UK foundry industry and providing buyers of castings a route to find suppliers in the UK.

“The UK foundry industry contains many world class foundries, supplying castings in a full range of metals, sizes, processes and quantities,” said chief executive John Parker. “Our enquiry service enables a potential designer or buyer of castings to find out which companies in the UK can undertake the project for them. We put the potential customer and supplier in contact and then they do the rest.”

““We have many requests for information through the website during the year, and receive casting enquiries every day of the week.”

To benefit from the CMF’s enquiry service visit www.castmetalsfederation.com

More to castings than costOne of the UK’s leading suppliers of castings is warning buyers that choosing a supplier on price alone can be costly.Steve Cooper, managing director of Majorfax, the Walsall provider of machined and finished castings, says that it’s time for the industry to move away cost and look at best value when deciding who to work with. He cites recent contract wins as examples of where the attention to detail, advice and technical knowledge were much more valuable than the price per unit.

“We’ve recently won a new contract with JCB, the global manufacturer of construction, agriculture and material handling equipment,” he said.

“We established a relationship with the foundry and sent our UK representatives over to China to further develop the connection and pick up the existing supply chain. By developing strong links with the foundry we are now able to supply castings to JCB, which means that they don’t have to worry about chasing parts or invoices.

“We’ve also managed to secure a new contract with a construction company to provide 3,000 units of counterweights per year, which we won based on the quality and consistency of our work for them over the past 20 years.

“So often customers come to us with a view of securing the cheapest possible price and that’s fair enough given the economic situation but you also need to ensure you work with people who know what they’re doing.

“As well as sourcing three quotes, I’d like to see buyers looking at the wider credentials of the company they approach for castings. In my opinion they need to be asking about the true price of working with them. That’s why we’ve launched our PRICE pledge. We’ll show all prospective customers that we’re Priced right, Reliable, offer Insight and have unparalleled Castings Experience. All of these factors must be offered if the industry is to move away from just cost per unit.”

Contact Steve Cooper on Tel: +44 (0) 1922 645815. www.majorfax.co.uk

To be sure not to miss a copy of Castings Buyer and all the latest news and technical updates to help you make sensible procurement decisions contact: Yvonne Marriott at the Institute of Cast Metals Engineers. Tel: +44(0)121 601 6979. Email: [email protected]


News

New market opportunity

Sheffield Forgemasters’ welding capabilities are helping to create new markets by expanding its range to fabricate large components for the burgeoning offshore oil and gas sector.The UK foundry, which has an unparalleled track record in the manufacture of large structural castings for offshore oil and gas platforms, has expanded its services to weld these castings into rolled steel sections, creating fabricated components which make final assembly easier for its customers.

Forgemasters recognised that the specialist welding skills required to successfully join the different elements of cast steel and steel plate are seen as a potential hurdle by some contractors, so the Brightside Lane business is now undertaking this complex work.

Paul Mockford, design director at Forgemasters’ dedicated offshore division, Vulcan SFM, said: “Our cast components form structural elements within larger offshore constructions. Although the steel grade we use has been specifically developed to provide good weldability properties, it is different from the steel plate grades which form the bulk of the structure.

“Many contractors do not have experience of welding to castings and do not have the weld qualifications in place for this type of work. By carrying out this work and leaving the contractor with only plate to plate welding we remove what may be seen as a further complication from their workload.

“We can see that this type of work offers real benefits to the customer and also generates a new market for our skilled welding teams.”

Vulcan SFM recently completed the fabrication of cast steel pad-eyes into large tubular sections made of rolled steel-plate for its client, Offshore Group Newcastle (OGN).The tubular sections form part of the leg of a North Sea platform which will be lifted into place using the cast pad-eyes.

The components were then dispatched to a fabrication yard in Tyneside where the platform is being assembled.

Assembly of the pieces took place in Forgemasters’ foundry. Prior to carrying out the work a wooden model was created to determine the best method of manipulating the 27 tonne castings into 5.9m long, 2.2m diameter sections of tubular steel in order to fit and weld them together.

Paul added: “We have a track record of welding castings to structural steel, including pile pad-eyes for the Malaysian markets for example, which secured a floating platform to the sea-bed and welding lengths of pipe to cast wye-pieces for use in sub-sea pipelines.

“What we are now doing with assemblies like the OGN project is to take that fabrication process to another level of complexity.

“There is definitely a market demand for this activity as the offshore market gets increasingly busy and as we work with fabrication yards which don’t have previous experience of welding to castings.”

The platform being built by OGN will finally see service in the Forties oil field, the largest field in the North Sea, for the oil company Apache.

A boost to UK supply chainCommenting on the announcement that Jaguar Land Rover will create 1,000 new jobs at its factory in Halewood, Merseyside (UK), Dr Neil Bentley, CBI deputy director-general, said: “The news that Jaguar Land Rover will be creating a further 1,000 jobs at its Halewood plant is a shot in the arm for UK manufacturing and the automotive industry in particular. “This is further evidence of re-balancing across the economy, with the latest UK trade figures showing record levels of exports going to countries outside the EU, such as the US and China.

“Jaguar Land Rover continues to be a great British success story, which provides a real boost to its supply chain and the wider economy.”

The CBI also welcomed Nissan’s announcement that it will build the new Invitation model car at its plant in Sunderland, creating around 2,000 jobs on the production line and in the supply chain.

John Cridland, CBI director-general, said: “This is brilliant news for jobs in the north-east and a real boost for business investment in the UK.

“The Nissan Sunderland journey is a remarkable story demonstrating British manufacturing capabilities at their best – excellent training, a committed skilled workforce and brilliant determined leadership.”

Queens Award for Peel Jones Copper Products LtdA unique company in North East England has been awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade for its groundbreaking work in opening up new overseas markets.

Peel Jones Copper Products Ltd, based in Cleveland, manufactures high conductivity copper castings for major steel producers and smelting industries throughout the world. It is one of only two foundries in the UK producing these items, but is unique in that 100% of its manufactured output is exported.

The chairman and owner of Peel Jones, Ian Young OBE, said: “We are extremely proud and honoured to receive this prestigious award. The workforce at Peel Jones produces a consistently high quality product and service which has enabled us to compete favourably against our major foreign competitors.”

In 2007 the business, which was formed in 1968, was acquired by family-owned group of foundries, Archibald Young Ltd, Founders and Engineers, based in Glasgow. A new managing director, Peter Garner, was appointed and together with Ian Young set about revitalising what had become a loss-making company.

The foundry produces around 40 tonnes/month of high integrity castings called tuyeres, coolers and cooling plates, weighing up to 750kgs of 99.9% pure copper, which are set into the walls of blast furnaces to extend the life of the refractory linings during the steel making process.

Despite the recession in 2009-2010, when worldwide steel production slumped by 40%, Peel Jones continued to win new customers and increased its turnover each year. It is now recognised as one of the top four producers of blast furnace tuyeres in the world, with its major competitors based in Germany, Japan and South Korea.

The company currently exports to over 20 countries with new markets opened in the past year in Romania, Poland and India. Major customers include giants of the steel-making industry such as Tata Steel, Arcelor Mittal and Thyssen-Krupp.

Contact: Peter Garner, managing director.Tel: +44 (0) 1287 640 658,email: [email protected]

Cast steel pad-eye for Offshore Group Newcastle (OGN)


Members of the purchase technical support team at Bentley Motors Ltd have gained a better understanding of the die casting process thanks to accredited training from the Institute of Cast Metals Engineers (UK).

The course highlighted key issues that affect casting quality and gave detailed information about the main diecasting processes (gravity, low and high pressure), die casting equipment and tooling and key production variables. Delivered by Dr Pam Murrell FICME from ICME and John Coughtrie FICME of John Coughtrie and Associates, the course offered delegates an insight into the range of casting process that are available and it included information on casting sourcing and where to get further help and assistance.

One of the delegates, Carey Robinson, noted that she wanted the course to enable her to have more meaningful conversations with Bentley’s castings suppliers. Other delegates described the course as a “good mix of new information and a refresher, presented enthusiastically”.

A further key aim from ICME’s point of view is that the company should be able to understand the advantages and limitations of the casting process and have a better understanding of the process capabilities. This should mean that at

Designed for the future

an early stage in the development of any component, the design can be optimised for casting and then the dialogue between the foundry supplier and the company can be as constructive as possible.

Commenting on the course, Pam Murrell said: “I am keen that ICME should work to support castings designers and users of castings; we have within our membership a huge amount of knowledge about how to design for casting, and the more we can engage with castings users then the more they should be able to avoid design pitfalls and take full advantage of the casting process, making the development process better for them and better for foundries.”

ICME offers bespoke training courses for all companies in the casting and associated industries and is able to help companies and individuals achieve a higher level of professional development to improve individual competence and casting quality.

For more information contact: Pam Murrell, ICME, Tel: +44 (0) 121 601 6976, email: [email protected]: www.icme.org.uk

News

Teescraft Engineering Ltd.Cost, Quality, Delivery and FlexibilityContinued investment is the core principle behind the development of this UK based Tier 1 and Tier 2 CNC machining company predominantly supplying the automotive industry. Established in 1981, Teescraft Engineering Ltd is committed to constant upgrading of in-house capabilities, new technology and people skills as befits a company whose blue-chip customer base includes Cummins Engines Ltd. (worldwide), CAT Perkins Ltd, JCB, Gardner Denver Group and Greene Tweed Ltd.

Having made over £1m investment in the past two years, the state-of-the-art facility allows the company to meet existing and future customer requirements. Controlled processes are in place through all stages of manufacturing. Further significant investments are already in place for the next 12 months.

Automotive products such as flywheels, exhaust manifolds, alternator brackets, hydraulic pump adaptors and fan pulleys are machined by Teescraft in all grades of cast iron, steel, aluminium and phosphor bronze. Weight range is 0.5 – 60 kgs. Thermoplastic composites are also manufactured into high integrity seals.

Working with suppliers and customers in the UK, Europe, USA, Mexico, China and India, Teescraft offers a variety of services from vertical and horizontal CNC machining, CNC lathes, broaching, balancing, pressure testing and assembly facilities Thus enables a wide range of customer options. Indeed the company currently machines over 300 different parts.

With a broad understanding of customer needs and a commitment to an onward investment programme, Teescraft looks set to remain at the forefront of precision engineering.

Contact: Teescraft Engineering Ltd, Tel: +44 (0) 1388 777339, www.teescraft.comRob Yorke M.D. – [email protected]


UK +44 (0) 845 370 3232

Software Specific to the Cast Metal Industry

Global offices:


Pattinson Brothers Engineering, as-cast or fully finished castings are supplied to suit customer requirements.

The company is particularly good at meeting exacting customer demands because of its flexible casting options and almost a century of experience.

The past eight months has seen the re-organisation of the foundry with new managing director Jon Hutton and Paul Cheetham group managing director of the Europa Group of companies already putting in to place big plans to take the non-ferrous foundry through a phased development program to increase business and take advantage of the in-house skills and capabilities to increase export orders and enter the next phase of the company’s history.

The strength of the company fortunes lies in its long-standing and skilful employees and in its ability to cast a variety of materials in a wide range of sizes. The diverse product range and flexibility of production means jobs can be slotted in and customers know they can rely on the foundry’s inherent knowledge and capabilities to turn jobs around.

“Although times have been hard for a lot of foundries we have managed to spread the risk,” Jon continued. “We supply a lot of industries and aren’t reliant on any one in particular to keep us going which means customers can have confidence that we are here to stay.” Hutton can be bold in his confidence, after all the furnaces have been fired-up and the foundry has been churning out castings of all shapes and varieties since 1919.

Boxed inBronze street furniture is often specified in towns and cities because of its hard wearing properties and attractive appearance. The company supplies various local authorities with street furniture and sculptures and has been particularly well-supported by Sheffield City Council which

Planting the seedsA wide range of equipment and a flexible approach are why buyers from industries as diverse as quarrying and mining, marine, nuclear, gas and oil and architectural sectors place a jobbing foundry in the UK’s industrial heartland of Sheffield high on their list of contacts.

Using copper-based alloys, aluminium and white metal alloys, ISO 9001 accredited foundry Brass Founders Sheffield supplies gravity die, pressure die, investment, lost wax and both Airset and greensand castings for a wide range of sectors. Along with the ISO recognition, they are also approved by Lloyds Register for the manufacture of propellers.

On the Airset and greensand side, the foundry has four induction furnaces – 2x 750kg, 500kg and 350kg and two 60kg pop-ups. Airset castings are produced from 10kg to 1250kg resulting in the manufacture of lots of small, intricate parts. With support from the White Metal Engineering Department and the machining division of sister company

Arm rests in Sheffield city centre cast by Brass Founders Sheffield

A range of castings produced at the foundry

Cast sculpture in Sheffield city centre


it worked with to provide seating, sculptures and cycle parks.The latest high-profile order in this sector is for 39 planters

for Westminster Council to be used in the re-development of London’s busy tourist area and haven for cinema audiences, Leicester Square. The challenge was to produce the 2m x 1.5m panels with a contemporary ribbon design with a thickness of just 6mm for sub-contract company SIAC Construction to be installed this spring. Once fabricated up by local sub-contractors in Sheffield, the planters weigh in at 190kg a piece. “This is a job we are particularly pleased with as it is for a high-profile site and shows that we can meet exacting specifications,” Hutton said.

The company is also known for the production of a wide range of plaques to adorn memorials, buildings and workplaces.

Digging deepThe vast range of products manufactured for the quarry and mining industry include: bearings, bushes, eccentric bushes, socket liners, cone crushes, thrust rings, pitman bearings, thrust plates, white metal lining and relining, and kiln spindle assemblies.

Marine castingsBrass Founders Sheffield has a long tradition of supplying components to the marine industry, these include: pump housings, impellors, stern tubes, brass thimbles for rope slings, bearings, flukes, shackles, glands and seals. All castings are produced in copper based alloys, aluminium alloys, with iron and steel castings also available.

An artistic flairIn liaison with designers, artists, specifiers or non-trade, the company will work with clients to manufacture a casting into a finished sculpture of artistic merit.

The future’s castHutton and his team have started the process of growing sales and moving up a gear, which they are confident can be achieved thanks to a growing order book and some high profile contracts recently undertaken.

Whether in the middle of the North Sea or taking a stroll through one of Europe’s busiest areas – Leicester Square – a Brass Founders Sheffield product is often close to hand. It seems the company is looking forward to another century of success and will be here to see the blooms in those Leicester Square planters flourish well into the future.

Contact: Jon Hutton, managing director, Brass Founders Sheffield (Incorporating J T Barker & Sons), Gower Works, Carlisle Street, Sheffield S4 7LJ UK. Tel: +44 (0) 114 2727557, email: [email protected] web: www.brassfounders.com

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Part of the planters for London's Leicester Square redevelopment programme are just 6mm thick and curved in structure


A new world-class facility for the non-destructive examination of metal components was officially opened in Sheffield during April. William Cook NDT, part of William Cook Holdings, wanted to have all of its capabilities in one location and has now relocated its 8MeV electron radiation machine to the main site alongside its existing range of non-destructive radiographic facilities. This powerful unit is one of very few in Europe and enables the company to offer a comprehensive service to customers.

William Cook NDT already has many international customers from the nuclear, oil and gas and defence industries and also uses the facilities to quality assure castings produced in its own foundries. Used to examine castings, forgings, welded fabrications and bars in all metals, the facility is also used to examine parts that have failed in service as part of failure investigations, all on a commercial basis.

David Baxter, general manager of William Cook Precision, explained, “This equipment is one of very few in Europe capable of penetrating through 500mm of steel and we are proud that, with continued investment in equipment and skills, we have a world-class facility here at William Cook NDT.”

The advantage of the unit, over and above the fact that it is capable of penetrating through up to 500mm of steel, is that the radiation source, which is a tungsten anode, only emits the radiation when excited by a beam of electrons and so can be turned on and off at will.

Technical expertiseEncased in a secure concrete building, alongside William Cook Precision in Sheffield, UK, the 8MeV x-ray unit is one of several used by the company which has built up extensive expertise in both selecting the appropriate method for use for a particular component, planning the examination schedule alongside the customer and then interpreting the results. With staff trained to level 3 in EN 473 (PCN)(1) and SNT TC – 1A(2) the company also offers computed radiography with phosphor imaging alongside the more traditional film based radiography.

Centre of excellence in non-destructive testing of components

Fig.2 Neil Warton, NDT manager, demonstrating the computed radiography equipment

Fig. 1 Pump casing for nuclear industry alongside 8MeV electron radiation unit


BAS CASTINGS LTDTechnical excellence

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Castings are produced within a weight range of .5 kgs to 5000 kgs to the following material specifications:• SGIron• GreyIron• AustemperedDuctileIron• NiResist• NiHard• SiMo• CGI

The following accreditations are held:• BSENISO9001-2008• DNV• ABS• LloydsRegister• BV• TUV

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lowermanufacturingcosts.• MagmaSimulation.• NonDestructivetesting• Machining• Painting/Coating• Assembly

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bas castings.indd 1 18/04/2012 15:34

The advantages of computed radiography include the fact that archiving the images is easier, and the need for expensive films is reduced or even removed for an increasing number of the company’s customers. There are also environmental benefits as there is no film development (no water for washing films, no fixer or developer fluids) and the energy costs are reduced as lower energy sources can be used. Reduced exposure times also mean that there are productivity gains.

As Bob McCarroll of Fugifilm UK Ltd explained “This technology is now being accepted by an increasing number of users such as Rolls Royce and Boeing and is accepted within the ASME code for pressure vessels”

Pictured in fig. 1, alongside the 8MeV unit, is a pump casing for the nuclear sector, cast by William Cook Integrity, consisting of four castings each of dissimilar metal, welded together. The castings were each inspected and examined radiographically and then once welded into the finished component, weighing 5 tonnes, the completed component was then again radiographed to check all of the welded joints and is now ready for shipping.

1. EN 473 (1,3)2008 Qualification and certification of NDT Personnel – general principles

2. Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A: Personnel Qualification and Certification in Nondestructive Testing (2011)

Fig.3 Andrew Cook CBE, FICME Chairman, on the right, alongside David Baxter MSc FICME General manager of William Cook Precision and Pam Murrell FICME of the Institute of Cast Metals Engineers at the official opening

Looking to improve your knowledge on the casting process and casting design?

Contact ICME for information on short courses available:An introduction to casting and the casting industry

Good practice in casting design

Institute of Cast Metals Engineers, ICMETel: +44 121 601 6979,email: [email protected] web: www.icme.org.uk


TURKCAST 2012 – 5th Foundry Products Trade Fair is a unique event for casting buyers

TURKCAST 2012 – 5th Foundry Products Trade Fair, held in conjunction with established exhibitions, ANKIROS 2012 - 11th International Iron-Steel and Foundry Technology, Machinery and Products Trade Fair and ANNOFER 2012 - 10th International Non-Ferrous Metals Technology, Machinery and Products Trade Fair, will be held on 13-16 September 2012 in, Istanbul (Turkey). The bundling of three trade shows together at a single venue brings the metallurgy world together in one place at one time and is a logical step benefitting both exhibitors and visitors. The 6th International Ankiros Foundry Congress, organised by the Foundrymen’s Association of Turkey and the 16th International Metallurgy and Materials, organized by UCTEA Chamber of Metallurgical Engineers will take place parallel to ANKIROS/ANNOFER/TURKCAST 2012.

The exhibitions will once again provide a powerful global market where the buyer, investors, and industrial experts in Eurasia and the global metallurgy industry come together, and will continue the success trend of the previous events. This year, more than 850 companies from almost 40 countries will meet more than 15,000 local and foreign visitors on 18,500m2 of net stand area.

TURKCAST 2012! This is where you can find almost all Turkish Foundries as exhibitors for your casting needs!The Turkish foundry industry is in its development phase, responding to a strong domestic and international demand and displaying an outstanding performance in exports. In recent years the Turkish foundry industry has become one of the prominent suppliers of Europe. Turkish casting production is ranking second in steel, third in ferrous and has 1.8 million tons of modern equipped capacity.

TURKCAST 2012- 5th Foundry Products Trade Fair is clearly on the path to consolidate the success with many new exhibitors taking part. The exhibition will provide a successful showcase of casting products for more than 70 leading Turkish foundries as exhibitors and it looks set to attract castings buyers from all around the world. It is expecting huge participation with mainly the TUDOKSAD - Turkish Foundry Association members and many other important Turkish casting manufacturers on the

inimitable fair. You will be able to network, interact and gain valuable casting industry source for your procurement needs all under one roof.

From strength to strengthFirstly, Turkish foundries (mainly the TUDOKSAD- Turkish Foundry Association members) all over Turkey will be showcasing their best-selling as well as state-of-the-art products. Secondly, foundry equipment and machinery manufacturers can find their potential clients. Thirdly, the visitors and buyers from different industries, including automotive, heavy equipment, construction, cement, heavy machinery, shipment, agricultural machinery, white goods, energy, defense, glass and ceramic industries etc. can have more choices of products to compare and purchase.

Why Visit?The success of ANKIROS/ANNOFER/TURKCAST is not just because of the high-caliber of visitors, the trade fair concept itself – with three exhibitions being held simultaneously under one roof, all of which relate to sectors that dovetail perfectly – is a significant factor. This approach creates synergies, encouraging everyone to look beyond their own industry sector and think outside the box. A total of 99% of visitors described the 2010 event as productive and successful. Another reason for the success of the three-in-one fair is its increasing international character.

By visiting TURKCAST 2012, you will have the opportunity to: • MeetwithTurkishfoundriesandgainvaluablecasting

industry source for your procurement needs all under one roof.

• Tradeexchangebetweenregionalproducersandinternational buyers in the casting industry.

• Becomeawareofthechangesanddevelopmentsoccurring in the foundry sector.

• NetworkwithTurkey’skeycastingsuppliers.

Mark your calendar – 13-16 September 2012


Exhibiting Companies in TURKCAST 2012AFS BIÇAK VE KALIP SAN. DIŞ TİC. LTD. ŞTİ H7-B190AKDAŞ DÖKÜM SAN. VE TİC. A.Ş. H7-C100AKDÖKÜM SANAYİ A.Ş. H7-B120AKIŞOĞLU DÖKÜM SAN. VE TİC. LTD. ŞTİ. H7-C155AKPINAR DÖKÜM MAKİNA SANAYİ A.Ş. H7-D160ALFA DÖKÜM VE MAKİNA İML. SAN. TİC. LTD. ŞTİ. H7-A120ANADOLU DÖKÜM SANAYİ A.Ş. H7-D120ARDEMİR ÇELİK DÖKÜM SANAYİ VE TİC. A.Ş. H7-C130AYDÖKÜM MAKİNA SAN. VE TİC. A.Ş. H7-B100AYZER DÖKÜM SAN. VE TİC. LTD. ŞTİ. H7-E190BORAN ÇELİK DÖKÜM SAN. VE TİC. A.Ş. H7-A130BURDÖKSAN DÖKÜM SAN. LTD. ŞTİ. H7-E170CAN METAL DÖKÜM SAN. TİC. A.Ş. H7-E210CANER DÖKÜM SAN.VE TİC.LTD.ŞTİ. H7-E150ÇEMAŞ DÖKÜM SAN. A.Ş. H7-D100ÇETİN DİŞLİ VE MAKİNA SANAYİ TİCARET A.Ş. H7-D180DALOĞLU DÖKÜM MAKİNA SANAYİ VE TİCARET LTD. ŞTİ. H7-E200DEMİREL ÇELİK DÖKÜM MAK. SAN. LTD. ŞTİ. H7-A150DEMİSAŞ DÖKÜM EMAYE MAMÜLLERi SAN. A.Ş. H7-B130DENİZCİLER DÖKÜMCÜLÜK SAN. TİC. A.Ş. H7-B135EKSTRA METAL DÖKÜM VE İZABE SAN. LTD. ŞTİ. H7-B170ENTİL END. YAT TIC. A.Ş. H7-B140ERGİN MAKİNA MODEL VE DÖKÜM SAN. TİC. LTD. ŞTİ H7-E130ERKON DÖKÜM İNŞ. TURZ. TİC. VE SAN. LTD. ŞTİ. H7-D140

GEDİK DÖKÜM VANA SAN. TİC. A.Ş. H7-A110GÜR METAL HASSAS DÖK. SAN. TİC. LTD. ŞTİ. H7-C110HEYBETLİ METALURJİ MAKİNA SAN. VE TİC. LTD. ŞTİ. H7-E140İĞREK MAKİNA SAN. TİC. A.Ş. H7-D110İMPRO METAL METALURJİ DÖK. MAK. SAN. TİC. LTD. ŞTİ H7-A170KARDEMİR DÖKÜM MAKİNA A.Ş. H7-A140KIZILIRMAK DÖKÜM SAN. VE TİC. A.Ş. H7-E110KOÇAK METALURJİ MAKİNA SAN. VE TİC. LTD. ŞTİ. H7-C135KONYA DÖKÜM KÜMESİ H7-C140KONYA HASSAS DÖKÜM NANO TEK. TİC. LTD. ŞTİ. H7-E230KÖRFEZ SANTRİFÜJ BORU DÖKÜM SAN. VE TİC.LTD.ŞTİ H7-C115MAKİM MAKİNA TEK. SAN. VE TİC. A.Ş. H7-E180MEDAŞ MET. DÖK. MAK. SAN. VE TİC. A.Ş. H7-D150ÖZGÜMÜŞ DÖKÜM SAN. VE TİC. A.Ş. H7-C150ÖZGÜVEN DÖKÜM MAK. SAN. TİC. LTD. ŞTİ. H7-D130SAMSUN MAKİNA SANAYİ A.Ş. H7-A100ŞİRVANLI ALÜMİNYUM DÖKÜM VE METAL İŞLETME SAN. A.Ş H7-D170TOPRAK DEMİRDÖKÜM SAN. VE TİC. A.Ş. H7-B160TRAKYA DÖKÜM SAN. VE TİC. A.Ş. H7-B115TÜMSER DÖKÜM A.Ş. H7-A155ÜNİMETAL HASSAS DÖK.MAK. VE YEDEK PARÇA SAN. A.Ş. H7-C120ÜNLÜ DÖKÜM MAK. MÜH. TAAHÜT SAN. TİC. LTD. ŞTİ. H7-E120YAZKAN MÜHENDİSLİK DÖKÜM MAKİNA SAN.TİC.LTD.ŞTİ. H7-B180

• Comeintocontactwithexistingsuppliersattheinimitable event.

• Catchupwiththelatesttrendsinthesector.HM Ankiros will eagerly wait for you as a visitor in

Istanbul and we are sure that all casting buyers will take advantage of meeting almost all major Turkish foundries with one visit. If you need any assistance to visit this event, HM Ankiros will provide you with all the detailed information about the exhibition and the official travel agent of the event will be happy to assist with travel arrangements. If you need any assistance, please contact Ms Derya Okuyan, Tel: +90 312 4396792. Detailed information as well as the exhibition layout can be viewed through the official web site www.turkcast.com.trNo matter, which part, you play in this industry chain; this is the place to be.


Typically replacing 12 parts using processes including stamping, forming, annealing and bending, and 15 welds, the three castings are produced by WH Rowe Ltd of Southampton for Empire Cycles.

“These are highly stressed components due to the high dynamic loading of the frame,” said Constantine Theoharis of WH Rowe. “We knew that, using the sand casting process, we could produce components that would not only withstand the stresses but would also save our customer considerable time and money particularly in the tooling process where the start-up costs are particularly high.”

It was agreed that the whole bicycle would be manufactured without any welding thus removing the need for special jigs. Only a small tool box would be required to assemble wheels, headset, gear mechanism, suspension components etc. and the rider should be able to infinitely adjust the frame to his or her own preference without specialist tools.

A number of challenges had to be overcome such as the need to maintain casting thickness as small as possible in order to keep weight the same or lower than equivalent welded fabrications. At the same time some sections needed to be cast relatively thick creating an uneven structure which required extensive use of chills for directional solidification.

Another challenge was to maintain control of the metallurgy to achieve the highest possible strength and stiffness without making the castings too brittle, this was achieved by careful alloy composition selection and carefully designed heat treatment.

This presents a rugged industrial look, without specialist finishing, giving confidence to the downhill rider to push harder during a race.

“This is an excellent set of castings that not only take the process into the bicycle frame market, but also saved the customer money and produced a very stylish and rugged bike,” said John Parker, chief executive of the Cast Metals Federation which organises the annual awards.

The WH Rowe castings were selected from a final list of three which also included the aluminium 16V engine block

of the Bugatti Veyron manufactured by Grainger & Worrall and a copper spiral tuyere, a 215kg casting used in blast furnaces, made by Peel Jones Copper products.

Achievement in companies recognisedThe Awards, announced just before Christmas also featured a Company of the Year Award for foundries that have shown particular success, development or leadership in the UK. From a shortlist of four companies also including aluminium foundry Alucast, steel foundry Harrison Castings and iron foundry Vanguard Foundry, specialist brake disc manufacturer Precision Disc Castings (PDC) was selected as the winner.

PDC supplies approximately 3.5 million castings a year into the European brake disc aftermarket sector and is also the market leader in manufacturing brake disc castings for the Motorsport industry, producing over 90% of the worldwide demand for grey iron brake discs for race car and high performance sporting applications.

The company assessed and reviewed every area of the business, searching out improvements for staff and customers, investing in people and processes to produce improvements across the board including:

On collecting the award, Steve Merritt, operations manager said: “PDC are delighted to have won this award, particularly on such a special occasion as the 10th anniversary year of the CMF. This is a tremendous recognition from our industry for all of the hard work and achievements of all our employees.”

John Parker said: “The judges were impressed by the comprehensive nature of the improvements which were made for staff, for customers and for the business itself showing good practice across a wide range of disciplines.”

Cycle castings take top industry awardA three-part cast aluminium bicycle frame for a specialist downhill racing bike has won the Component of the Year 2011 Award in the UK Cast Metals Industry Awards.


Conceived, designed and made in Great Britain, Empire Cycles’ AP-1 is the accumulation of both its creator’s passion for precision engineering, and a deep-seated love of downhill mountain biking. With hard-edged design and top-spec manufacture, the AP-1 has been made with one fundamental purpose - to be the best downhill mountain bike on the planet.The unique, three-piece precision sand cast construction is no gimmick, it’s the future of mountain biking, says Empire Cycles. The hollow aluminium swingarm and one piece main frame is stiff, increasing the unsprung mass ratio and, critically, it relies on no welds. Therefore there are no weak points, and as the very last process is the machining – done to incredibly accurate tolerances – every component fits together perfectly.

Having experienced disappointments with castings in the past, Empire Cycles had dismissed the casting process as unsuitable for highly stressed bicycle components. This particular bicycle is destined to be used mainly for downhill racing and by its nature the sport induces high dynamic loading to the bicycle frame. The norm for this type of bicycle is a relatively large tubular fabrication comprising more than 12 parts and 15 welds involving many processes such as stamping, forming, annealing, bending and welding. Start-up tooling costs are high and lead times long.

W H Rowe took up the challenge and got involved in the design

Casting detailsSet of three aluminium sand castings.Main frame (600mm x 500mm x 130mm) weight 3.5kg Swing arm (500mm x 250mm x 130mm) weight 1.5kgSeat tower (150mm x 140mm x 30mm) 0.4kgSand cast, heat treated to T6 condition using polymer quenching, x-rayed to ASTM E155 -05, hard black anodised and CNC machined.Material BS L169 T6 condition, Sigmaset cold box sand process. The castings have to be of the highest quality with UTS over 280 N/mm2 and over 3% elongation and maintain average wall thickness below 3mm with some areas around 1mm.

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Background

Who we are....

• Established in 1932 as Aluminium & Bronze foundry, Since 1990 exclusively Aluminium • Reputation for being one of the most reliable producers of high quality aluminium castings

in the UK today. • Specialities: Rapid pattern making, casting, CNC machining, leak & pressure testing, powder

coating. • 2 sites in Southampton, total approximately 10,000 sq metres, 80 employees.

What we do...

• Aluminium sand and gravity die castings, extending from castings to fully finished painted and tested parts and assemblies and all the processes in between.

• Highly skilled stable workforce committed to quality, health, safety and environmental improvement. ISO9001: 2008 approvals, complete sand reclamation, 20+ CNC machines.

• Customers include some large multinational companies in the UK, Germany and USA. • 30% of production exported. • 75% of production on schedules or can bans. Balance of production is specialised sand

castings. • Customer focused, able to supply samples and prototypes in short lead times and just in

time deliveries.

The Bicycle Frame Project

The customer, having had disappointments with castings in the past had dismissed the casting process as unsuitable for highly stressed bicycle components. This particular bicycle was to be used mainly for downhill racing and by its nature this sport induces high dynamic loading to the bicycle frame. The norm for this type of bicycle is a relative large tubular fabrication involving more than 12 parts and 15 welds involving many processes such as stamping, forming, annealing, bending and welding. Start up tooling costs are high and lead times long.

W H Rowe took up the challenge and got involved in the design of the components specifically to suit the sand casting process because of lower tooling costs and shorter tooling manufacturing times.

It was agreed that the whole bicycle would be manufactured without any welding thus removing the need for special jigs. Only a small tool box would be required to assemble wheels, headset, gear mechanism, suspension components etc. The rider should be able to infinitely adjust the frame to his or her own preference without specialist tools.

The following extract from the customer’s website gives a concise description of the project.

http://www.empire-‐cycles.com/index.php/technical

Cast Aluminium Construction

Empire Cycles’ unique, three-‐piece precision sand cast construction is no gimmick, it’s the future of mountain biking. The hollow aluminium swingarm and one piece main frame is stiff, increasing the unsprung mass ratio and, critically, it relies on no welds. Therefore there are no weak points, and as the very last process is the machining – done to incredibly accurate tolerances – every component fits together perfectly.

An uphill challenge for a downhill starof the components specifically to suit the sand casting process because of lower tooling costs and shorter tooling manufacturing times.

It was agreed that the whole bicycle would be manufactured without any welding thus removing the need for special jigs. Only a small tool box would be required to assemble wheels, headset, gear mechanism, suspension components etc. The rider should be able to infinitely adjust the frame to his or her own preference without specialist tools.

A number of challenges had to be overcome such as the need to maintain casting thickness as small as possible to keep weight the same or lower than equivalent welded fabrications. At the same time some sections needed to be cast relatively thick creating an uneven structure which required extensive use of chills for directional solidification.

The next challenge was to support a fully enclosed core


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The next challenge was to support a fully enclosed core with very small prints and hold it in place in order to maintain wall thickness of less than 2mm without casting defects.

Another challenge was to maintain control of the metallurgy in order to achieve the highest possible strength and stiffness without making the castings too brittle, something that was achieved by careful alloy composition selection and carefully designed heat treatment.

In order to maintain accuracy, all the machining was done to very close tolerances on CNC machines after hard anodising to avoid distortion or the need for masking.


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The next challenge was to support a fully enclosed core with very small prints and hold it in place in order to maintain wall thickness of less than 2mm without casting defects.

Another challenge was to maintain control of the metallurgy in order to achieve the highest possible strength and stiffness without making the castings too brittle, something that was achieved by careful alloy composition selection and carefully designed heat treatment.

In order to maintain accuracy, all the machining was done to very close tolerances on CNC machines after hard anodising to avoid distortion or the need for masking.


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Casting Details

Set of 3 aluminium sand castings.

1. Main frame (600 mm x 500 mm x 130 mm) weight 3.5 Kg 2. Swing arm (500mm x 250mm x 130mm) weight 1.5 Kg 3. Seat tower ( 150 mm x 140mm x 30 mm) 0.4 Kg

Sand cast, heat treated to T6 condition using polymer quenching, X Rayed to ASTM E155 -‐05, Hard black anodised and CNC machined.

Material BS L169 T6 condition, Sigmaset cold box sand process.

The castings have to be of the highest quality with UTS over 280 N/mm2 and over 3% elongation and maintain average wall thickness below 3mm with some areas around 1mm.

Main frame

Swing arm

Seat tower

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The following extract from the customer’s website gives a concise description of the project.

http://www.empire-‐cycles.com/index.php/technical

Cast Aluminium Construction

Empire Cycles’ unique, three-‐piece precision sand cast construction is no gimmick, it’s the future of mountain biking. The hollow aluminium swingarm and one piece main frame is stiff, increasing the unsprung mass ratio and, critically, it relies on no welds. Therefore there are no weak points, and as the very last process is the machining – done to incredibly accurate tolerances – every component fits together perfectly.

with very small prints and hold it in place to maintain wall thickness of less than 2mm without casting defects.

Another task was to maintain control of the metallurgy to achieve the highest possible strength and stiffness without making the castings too brittle, something that was achieved by careful alloy composition selection and carefully designed heat treatment.

To maintain accuracy, all the machining was done to very close tolerances on CNC machines after hard anodising to avoid distortion or the need for masking. This presents a rugged industrial look, without specialist finishing, giving confidence to the downhill rider to push harder during a race.

Up for the challengeComponent of the Year winner W H Rowe was established in 1932 originally as an aluminium and bronze foundry but turned its attention purely to aluminium in 1990 and has developed a reputation for being one of the most reliable producers of high quality aluminium castings in the UK today.

Operating from two sites in Southampton on the south coast of England, the company employs 80 people and specialises in rapid pattern making, casting, CNC machining, leak and pressure testing and powder coating to provide castings and fully finished, painted and tested parts and assemblies.

Customers include some large multinationals in the UK, Germany and USA keen to tap into the foundry’s ability to supply samples and prototypes in short lead times and just in time deliveries. Around 30% of production is exported.

Contact: Constantine Theoharis, W H Rowe Ltd, Quayside Road, Bitterne Manor, Southampton, Hampshire SO18 1DH. Tel: +44 (023) 8022 5636, email: [email protected]

Main frame

Swing arm

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Casting Details

Set of 3 aluminium sand castings.

1. Main frame (600 mm x 500 mm x 130 mm) weight 3.5 Kg 2. Swing arm (500mm x 250mm x 130mm) weight 1.5 Kg 3. Seat tower ( 150 mm x 140mm x 30 mm) 0.4 Kg

Sand cast, heat treated to T6 condition using polymer quenching, X Rayed to ASTM E155 -‐05, Hard black anodised and CNC machined.

Material BS L169 T6 condition, Sigmaset cold box sand process.

The castings have to be of the highest quality with UTS over 280 N/mm2 and over 3% elongation and maintain average wall thickness below 3mm with some areas around 1mm.

Main frame

Swing arm

Seat tower

Α

Seat tower


Thirteen castings were entered; seven originated from Germany with two each from Italy and Austria, and one each from Switzerland and the Netherlands. In this year’s competition, attention focussed on process customisation and not on trend-setting innovation as in previous years. This change has signalled a break with traditional entries: new ideas for the future in fields of tooling technology and tooling design are apparent. Experience in series production will lead to new design concepts being developed for the future. One

International Aluminium Die Casting Competition 2012 The competition has again been organised jointly by the Association of the Aluminium Recycling Industry (Verband der Aluminiumrecycling-Industrie, VAR) and the Organisation of the European Aluminium Recycling Industry (OEA), supported by the Association of German Pressure Die Casters (Verband Deutscher Druckgießereien) and the Die Casting Technical Committee of the Federal Association of the German Foundry Industry (Bundesverband der Deutschen Gießerei-Industrie, BDG). The aim of this highly regarded competition is to demonstrate the high quality standards aluminium die castings have to offer and publicise ‘die-casting-friendly’ design. The extent to which recycled aluminium is used in the casting is also an important aspect of the competition.

1st Prize:Mid-section of one-peice gearbox casting with integrated cast-in gearbox support armsAlloy: Al Si9Cu3(Fe) Weight: 44.5kg Dimensions: 459 x 726 x 428mmMartinrea Honsel Germany GmbH, Meschede (Germany)Weight saving (CO2 reduction) plays an important role with this one-piece gearbox casing. The new design eliminates the forged supporting arms. Of particular note is the integration of functions. Designing the cast component as a die casting (instead of the chill casting originally used) increases the load-bearing capacity and allows higher operational demands to be satisfied in practice.

1st Prize:Longitudinal chassis beam for Audi A8 space frameAlloy: Al Si9MgMn Weight: 5kg Dimensions: 700 x 700 x 300mmDGS Druckguss Systeme AG, St Gallen (Switzerland)It is particularly difficult to produce this component accurately because of its complex geometry. Special mention should be given to the high degree of integration of functions in the thin-walled section and this leads to high dimensional accuracy of 0.7mm. The longitudinal chassis beam is produced by casting as a single piece and joined to other components by welding.

should point out the very great potential of aluminium die casting in lightweight construction that enables the growing demands for sustainable development to be satisfied. The castings submitted were produced mainly from recycled aluminium.

The assessment and choice of the prize-winning castings was carried out by a jury of experts from research and industry. Three prizes were awarded and a further three entries were highly commended.

There are two first prizes because both castings exhibit innovative component

design using the same technology. One of the components is an extremely thin-walled, intricate and lightweight design whereas the other is extremely thick-walled but thus correspondingly strong. The heavy gauge shows that it is actually possible to produce this structural element reliably by means of die casting, a process that is supposedly not suitable for such parts. The diversity in the possible use of the process to produce innovative die castings can be seen from the differences between the two winning components.

The winning castings were exhibited at EUROGUSS 2012 in Nuremburg (Germany) in January.

Diecasting


3rd Prize:Lower part of crankcase K48 for BMW motorcycle K1600GT/GTLAlloy: Al Si9Cu3 Weight: 10.68kg Dimensions: 350 x 311 x 506mmTrimet Aluminium AG, Harzgerode (Germany)This new design concept will send out a clear message

Highly Commended:Housing 1 and Housing 2 – control unit for electric vehiclesAlloy: Al Si12(Fe) (a)Alupress AG, Brixen (Italy)

Highly Commended:Heat sink for hybrid cooling plate technologyAlloy: Al Si12CuMoneva GmbH & Co KG, Winterbach (Germany)

Highly Commended:Compact module for fluid management in heavy commercial vehicle enginesAlloy: Al Si12 (Fe)Hengst GmbH & Co KG, Nordwalde (Germany)

Diecasting


Diecasting

New applications for magnesium die casting in power train mass reduction through material and geometry optimisation To further improve the efficiency of combustion engines, the automotive industry is working in two directions - engine efficiency is being directly increased through the continued development of combustion techniques, and methods on how to reduce the weight of the entire vehicle are being explored to reduce fuel consumption indirectly. Here Klaus Decking, product segment manager power-and drivetrain, Georg Fischer Automotive AG, Schaffhausen looks at the impact this is having on magnesium die castings.

With the efficiency improvements in mind, a number of potentials are also being investigated and implemented, opening up new fields of application for the light-weight material magnesium. The die cast magnesium gear box housing already being used in large series production has resulted in weight reductions of 25-30% in comparison with aluminium housing.

Therefore, the potential use of magnesium in engines appears promising. The density of magnesium (1.74 g/cm3) is about one-third lower than that of aluminium. Magnesium is therefore the lightest metal that can be used in large-scale series production. Although this is nothing new, the worldwide production of magnesium die casting components was reduced however to a minimum after the production of magnesium engine blocks and transmission housings for the Volkswagen Beetle were no longer used when the model was discontinued in 1971. The main reasons for this were the high and fluctuating prices for magnesium alloys, as well as their scarcity and only moderate corrosion resistance. It was only in the 1980s that the beneficial material properties - such as the low mass and very good workability - once again led to the increased use of magnesium. Other properties such as low strength and in particular creep strength were significantly improved, especially in recent years through the further development of new alloys. Therefore, magnesium has an interesting potential once again for new applications in power train applications.

These include known applications such as bedplate, intake manifolds and cylinder head covers, whereby the production of the last two components using magnesium, but also using aluminium, have often been substituted with synthetic materials in the past. However, in the case of the cylinder head covers an attractive area of use has now opened up again for magnesium die casting.

Furthermore, magnesium is being used in series production even for the largest and heaviest components in the engine, the crankcase as a compound casting with aluminium die casting for a straight six-cylinder at BMW. However, this application will remain an exception to the rule for the time being partly due to the complex production process of compound casting.

New additions are front covers and oil module made using the magnesium die casting method. In the case of the newly developed and implemented V-engines for the Porsche Panamera, mass reductions of 37% (oil module) to 47% (front cover) were achieved through the use of magnesium die casting components in comparison to similar components made of aluminium die casting. Not only has the low density played a role but also the utilisation of other beneficial properties, e.g. the casting properties of magnesium for components with integrated functions.

Development of magnesium applicationsMagnesium has an eventful history in automotive manufacture. By the end of the 1930s, Ferdinand Porsche had decided to use the material with the lowest density of all metallic materials which can be used on an industrial scale for the legendary Volkswagen Beetle. About 20kg magnesium was used in the Beetle in the form of different components(1). Magnesium was even popular in aircraft construction and other machines,

so that in 1944 there was a record high of 210,000 tonnes of manufactured magnesium as a result of the war(2). Only two years later, this quantity fell to just 10,000 tonnes per year. Over the next few decades aluminium overtook magnesium as the preferred lightweight construction material. Only Volkswagen remained loyal to the material for the engine and transmission housings of the Beetle model. During peak periods, VW processed more than 42,000 tonnes of magnesium for the Beetle. Some of the attempts of other automotive manufacturers – predominantly for sports cars – failed because of the corrosion problem for which a solution had not yet been found; premature bonding techniques and a general lack of process knowhow(3). By the beginning of the 1980s, global magnesium production had almost come to a standstill. At the same time, however, new high-grade and extremely corrosion-resistant magnesium alloys were developed whose mass savings potential for automotive manufacture was first recognised by the American and later by the European automotive manufacturers. As a result the automotive industry alone increased its magnesium requirements by more than 20% annually from 23,000 tonnes in 1990 to more than 90,000 tonnes by the turn of the millennium.

More common applications of AZ and AM alloys in the interior include for example steering wheels, consoles, hand brake supports, airbag housings and pedal brackets.


Diecasting

Structural components, e.g. instrument panel supports, seating frames, inner doors, bulk heads, front ends and roof structures consist mainly of AM alloys. Even in the power train many automotive manufacturers are again focussing on bedplates, oil pans, intake manifolds, transmission and clutch housings, camshaft covers and engine supports made from magnesium predominantly AJ, AE, AS and AZ alloys. Well known examples are the magnesium transmission housings used for Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz cars. Important applications of the material outside of the automotive industry include for example, housings for mobile phones, cameras, laptops, computers, train seats as well as drilling and sewing machines.

Material propertiesThe wide range of possible applications for magnesium alloys is based on their very attractive properties. Apart from the low density these include mechanical properties and good, economical castability even when using complex components for die casting.

Magnesium offers benefits such as a shielding effect against electromagnetic radiation, good damping features and good workability. In addition, life cycle studies confirm that the climate balance of the material is excellent in comparison with other metals. Since magnesium can be found very frequently with a mass portion of 2.77% in the upper surface of the soil and 0.13% in the world’s oceans its availability seems to be secured for the long-term. The tendency to corrode, low strength and creep resistance as well as high reactivity are unfavourable features of magnesium in comparison with other metal materials commonly used in automotive manufacturing. Corrosion can be considerably reduced by using innovative surface treatments, coating processes and joining concepts.

When used in power trains it is of particular importance that the creep resistance of magnesium reduces significantly at a temperature of more than 120°C. This can lead to material damage on areas of a component which are

particularly exposed to wear and tear. These disadvantages have been resolved through the development of magnesium alloys whose additives should specifically eliminate the somewhat critical properties, e.g. high temperature resistance, strength, notch sensitivity and corrosion resistance. Other directions in development are magnesium foams as well as ceramic fibre and particle-reinforced composites.

The higher reactivity of magnesium in comparison with iron or aluminium has been counteracted with detailed safety concepts and protective measures when smelting, casting or machining. Therefore, the once feared spontaneous ignition has now been curbed more or less to the greatest possible extent.

Camshaft coverGeorg Fischer Automotive supplies four sophisticated magnesium die casting components for V6 and V8 engines - both camshaft covers, the front cover and the oil module below the engine block. All four components replace the respective aluminium components and are cast in magnesium alloy AE44. This has proven to be the best alternative among several magnesium alloys which were subjected to extensive corrosion, tensile strength, elongation and creep resistance tests(4).

In addition to 4% aluminium, AE44 also comprises 4% of a mixed metal which consists of four rare earth elements. Cerium covers the largest part in this mixed metal at about 45%; other constituents are lanthanum (20-35%), neodymium (7-20%) and praseodymium (2- 10%). These rare earth metals are relatively expensive and their main deposits are in China. The raw material policy of the Chinese government, which is not oriented towards world trade, could cause further cost increases or supply shortages here in the future.

In the case of the camshaft covers Porsche’s objective was not only to switch from aluminium to magnesium components but also aimed to decrease wall thickness for maximum mass reduction. This has been successfully achieved by decreasing the component mass from 2.87kg (cylinders 1 to 4) and 2.44kg (cylinders 5 to 8) to only 1.60 and 1.35kg, respectively. Georg Fischer has additionally reduced the overall wall thicknesses by approximately 0.2 to 0.3mm and consequently the component mass by 44 and 45% respectively. The reduction of wall thickness was largely optimised because both components did not have to fulfil any particularly high strength requirements. The only areas where


Diecasting

there has been no reduction in wall thickness are the fixing points of the torque support of the engine.

Another of Porsche’s requirements was the integration of an oil separating system in the camshaft cover. The screw connection of the components was considered critical because the screws could loosen through possible vibration and fall on the camshaft thus potentially causing substantial engine failure. Porsche and Georg Fischer have therefore developed a reliable and safe solution with clips and adhesive joints. The oil separating component consists of the magnesium alloy AM 50. Its elastic clips snap into place at the undercuts of the cylinder head cover. The component is then adhesively bonded with silicon.

Since Porsche defines the camshaft covers as exposed surfaces they are also coated. This coating also acts as corrosion protection for the magnesium alloy. Local weak points of the coating where corrosion is more likely to appear according to experience can be protected by rounding off the component edges with more generous radii. Contact corrosion is prevented by the exclusive use of aluminium screws. Plastic clips are used where no screw connections are required. Corrosion prevention is significantly more difficult on sharp edges of components because there can be a slight build-up of condensate on the offset between the sharp edge and another component which could cause corrosion.

The casting process of the selected magnesium alloy AE44 presents two challenges. First of all it must be cast at a high temperature slightly below its flashpoint. To safely control the fire and explosion potential of magnesium alloy, the use of protective gases and their exact composition are very difficult. These issues were solved in several casting experiments and the meticulous optimisation of relevant parameters, for example the casting rate, filling rate and casting temperature.

The second challenge was – in comparison with aluminium – the strong tendency to form porosity and inclusions. As the solidification is not formed evenly, cracks on the component surface cannot be ruled out which can cause oil leakage and subsequent corrosion.

However, GF Automotive has minimised the formation of porosity by a very complex refinement of the component to a tolerable minimum size.

Front cover and oil moduleThe front cover of the V6/V8 engines of the Panamera is based to a great extent on the aluminium component of the basic V6/V8 engine in the Porsche Cayenne. The only geometry optimisation is the attachment of the tension pulley for the adjusting unit of the cam chains. The tension pulley induces a relatively strong bending moment in the component which necessitates increased wall thickness and an improved ribbing of the magnesium component. The magnesium alloy as well as the geometries possible because of its use ensures a mass reduction from 3.89 to 2.07kg (minus 47%).

Georg Fischer had to guarantee a pressure tightness of 23 bar for oil-bearing components.

Refinement of the component required a large amount of effort to – as

in the case of camshaft covers – prevent porosity as much as possible. In addition, the ribbing of the magnesium component must be thicker in some areas and arranged more tightly than in the case of the aluminium component to maintain the required stiffness. In spite of this the component mass decreases from 5.6 to 3.51kg (minus 37%).

The difficulty with the oil filter housing is that the fine thread, the large diameter of the flange and the O-ring sealing do not tolerate any porosity in the cast piece. Therefore, no possible porosity should be exposed during mechanical surface treatment assuming of course a minimal machining depth which again can only be guaranteed by complete uniform, concentric processing. By measuring the flange geometry with a contact sensor, GF Automotive was able to rule out any mechanical treatment that is one-sided and/or too deep.

The casting tool has a very complex design. It contains four sliders, some of which have integrated sliders in other different directions – as in the case of the flange points for the oilwater-heat exchanger. In this case there are subsurface sliders in the mould halves.

All screws on the oil module are aluminium in order to connect the magnesium components to the engine block with corrosion protection. Further measures include changing several steel gaskets to aluminium and clip connections of mounted parts with plastic instead of steel elements. In addition, Porsche and Georg Fischer ensure that all four magnesium components are not in consistent contact with any components with copper content. If such components are required they will be separated from the magnesium by additional intermediate layers of aluminium. GF Automotive also performed corrosion tests of individual components which lasted 240 hours in each case. Porsche then performed corrosion tests on the complete engine.

ConclusionOwing to extensive plans of action, Porsche and Georg Fischer were able to convert the camshaft covers, the front cover and the oil module successfully from aluminium to the even lighter magnesium. Through consistent component optimisation and extensive reduction of the wall thickness the overall mass of these components was reduced from 14.8 to 8.53kg.

Therefore, these measures have solely contributed to reducing more than half of the total mass of the V8 engine by 12.5kg.

Porsche V6 and V8 engines therefore also show significant potential for saving weight on engines through the consistent use of magnesium die casting which goes beyond even reduction through only the specific density.

References1. Beffort, O, Hausmann C. ‘Das Leichtmetall Magnesium

und seine Legierungen’. Magnesium-Seminar Thun 1999.

2. Kerz P. ‘Renaissance eines alten Gedankens – Leichtbau mit Magnesium’. Automotive News, Schaffhausen, 2005.

3. Schendera C. ‘Herausforderungen & Chancen für den Leichtbau mit Magnesium’. Aalener Gießereikolloquium 2010.

4. Dieterle F. ‘Magnesium components of new Panamera V8-engine’. 17. Magnesium Abnehmer-und Automotiveseminar Stuttgart 2009.

Contact: Georg Fischer Automotive AG, Amsler-Laffon-Strasse 9, CH-8201 Schaffhausen, Schweiz. Tel: +41 (0) 52 631 111,email: [email protected] web: www.georgfischer.com


Foundry Yearbook & Castings Buyers’ Directory 2012A simple and versatile tool that anyone involved in the cast metals industry needs

The 2012 Edition of the Foundry Yearbook & Castings Buyers’ Directory is now available.

• Important reference tool for the cast metals industry • One of the world’s most authoritative sources of information for the industry • Used by Foundrymen, Engineers, Buyers, Specifiers and Designers • Use it to find telephone numbers, a contact name or a company that can supply exactly what you want • An invaluable tool to have on your bookshelf saving you hours of valuable time.

published by

on behalf of the Institute of Cast Metals Engineers

TRADE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

foundry

yearbook & castings

buyers’ directory

2012

theThe Foundry Yearbook &

Castings B

uyers’ Directory 2012

William

Cook C

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Class C

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front cov 2012-option1.indd 1

20/01/2012 10:12

32 FOUNDRIES IN THE UK AND IRELAND

the foundry yearbook & castings buyers directory 2011

Key Repetition

Jobbing

Ornamental

Municipal

Aerospace

V

w

v

Vanguard Foundry Ltd

Bott Lane, Lye, Stourbridge,

West Midlands, DY9 7AW.

t: +44 (0)1384 422557

f: +44 (0)1384 423338

e: jwilletts@vanguardfoundry.

co.ukweb: www.vanguardfoundry.

co.ukContact: C Mintern (mang),

J Willetts (sales), C Mintern

(foundry) Metals Cast: Grey Iron

to 200kg; SG Iron to 200kg; Heat

Res. Iron to 100kg; Austempered

Ductile Iron to 100kg; Silicon-

Moly Iron (SiMo) to 120kg; High

nickel irons to 100kg. Processes:

Greensand; Chem. Bond.

Sand; Machined components;

Rapid Prototyping. Approvals:

Automotive & Engineering; ISO

9000/2000. In-house facilities:

Patternshop; Heat Treatment;

Paint/Coating; Laboratory; Sub

con machining.

No. of employees: 122

wWCM Europe Limited

Unit 11, West Mayne Ind Park,

Bramston Way, Basildon, Essex,

SS15 6TP.t: +44 (0) 1268 564611

f: +44 (0) 1268 545876

e: [email protected]

web: www.wcmrapid.com

Contact: Carl Mcgee

Metals Cast: . Processes:

Greensand; Chem. Bond. Sand;

Diecasting (grav); Diecasting (LP);

Investment; Rapid Prototyping.

In-house facilities: Patternshop.

W H Rowe Ltd

Quayside Road, Bitterne Manor,

Southampton, Hampshire,

SO18 1DH.

t: +44 (023) 8022 5636

f: +44 (023) 8022 5146


web: www.whrowe.com

Contact: C Theoharis

Metals Cast: Al and

Alloys to 100kg. Processes: Chem.

Bond. Sand; Shell Moulding;

Diecasting (grav); Shell cores; Rapid

prototypes; Rapid Prototyping.

Approvals: ISO 9002, EN 29002;

ISO 9001:2000. In-house facilities:

Toolroom; Heat Treatment; NDT

Radiography; NDT (Ultrasonic);

Machineshop; Paint/Coating;

Pressure Testing; CNC Machining;

Powder Coating. Brands: Bardic.


Wagstaff Foundries Ltd

7 David Road, Poyle Ind Est,

Colnbrook, Berkshire, SL3 0DB.

t: +44 (0)1753 683356

f: +44 (0)1753 683358


web: www.wagstafffoundries.

comContact: A J Wagstaff (mang),

Metals Cast: Grey Iron to

500kg; SG Iron to 500kg; Wear

Res Iron to 500kg; Carbon Steel to

500kg; Low Alloy Steel to 500kg; Heat

Res. Steel to 500kg; Stainless Steel

to 500kg; Al and Alloys to 100kg.

Processes: Chem. Bond. Sand;

Diecasting (grav). In-house facilities:

Patternshop; Machineshop; Paint/

Coating. No. of employees: 12

Wall Colmonoy Ltd

Alloy Site, Pontardawe, Swansea,

West Glamorgan, SA8 4HL.

t: +44 (0)1792 862287

f: +44 (0)1792 830124

e: [email protected];

tonysaunders@wallcolmonoy.

co.ukContact: N J Allnatt (mang), John

Lapping (sales), L J Griffiths (foundry)

Metals Cast: Stainless Steel;

Nickel & Cobalt Rich to 30kg.

Processes: Shell Moulding;

Investment. Approvals: BS 5750

Part 2, MOD 05-24; DEFCON 2H,

ISO 9002, CAA. In-house facilities:

Patternshop; Toolroom; Heat

Treatment; Machineshop; Paint/

Coating. Group Affiliates: Wall

Colmonoy Corp (USA & Canada);

Wall Colmonoy Technologies SA; Wall

Colmonoy SA.


Wallesley Castings Ltd

Unit 10, The Ind. Estate, Main

Road, Pye Bridge, Derbyshire,

DE55 4NX.

t: + 44 (0) 1773 604501

f: + 44 (0) 1773 604502


Contact: Terry Waller (mang),

Metals Cast: Grey Iron to 300kg; SG

Iron to 300kg. Processes: Chem.

Bond. Sand. In-house facilities: Acts

as an agent for purchasing castings.

No. of employees: 2

A N Wallis & Co Ltd

Greasley Street, Bulwell,

Nottinghamshire, NG6 8NJ.

t: +44 (0)115 927 1721

f: +44 (0)115 8756630


Contact: J S Gill (mang), S Healey

(sales), J S Gill (foundry)

Metals Cast: Copper and

Alloys; Al and Alloys. Processes:

Greensand; Chem. Bond. Sand; CO2

Silicate; Shell Moulding.

Wallwork Cast Alloys

Lord Street, Bury, Lancashire,

BL9 0RE.t: +44(0)161 797 9111

f: +44(0)161 797 1914


web: www.wallworkcastalloys.

co.ukContact: Peter Carpenter (mang),

Stephen Singleton (foundry)

Metals Cast: SG Iron to 250kg;

Heat Res. Steel to 500kg; Stainless

Steel to 500kg; Ni and Co alloys

to 500kg. Processes: Chem.

Bond. Sand. In-house facilities:

Patternshop; Heat Treatment;

Welding; Shot Blasting.

No. of employees: 7

Walter Frank & Sons Ltd

PO Box 16, Hightown Road,

Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire,

BD19 5TT.t: +44 (0)1274 873 366

f: +44 (0)1274 862 541

e: salesenquiries@walterfrank.

co.uk

web: www.walterfrank.co.uk

Contact: A Bennett (sales),

R Gillott (foundry)

Metals Cast: Copper and Alloys

to 150kg; Al and Alloys to 100kg; Zinc

Base Alloys to 100kg. Processes:

Chem. Bond. Sand; Shell Moulding;

Diecasting (grav). Approvals: BS

EN ISO 9002. In-house facilities:

Patternshop; Toolroom; Heat

Treatment; Machineshop; Polishing;

Welding. Group Affiliates: Westley Group.


Wearparts UK Ltd

Incorporating Follsain Foundry,

Oak Ind Est, Gilmorton Road,

Lutterworth, Leicestershire,

LE17 4HA.

t: +44 (0)1455 553551

f: +44 (0)1455 550907


web: www.wearparts.com

Contact: Nick Morrell (mang),

Don Griffin (sales)


1400kg; SG Iron to 1400kg; Wear

Res Iron to 1400kg; Carbon Steel to

1400kg; Low Alloy Steel to 1400kg;

Heat Res. Steel to 1400kg; Stainless

Steel to 1400kg; Nickel-Chrome

to 1400kg; Umco 50 to 1400kg.

Processes: Chem. Bond. Sand; CO2

Silicate. Approvals: ISO 9002. In-

house facilities: Patternshop; NDT

(Ultrasonic); Machineshop; Paint/

Coating. Group Affiliates: Division of

Wearparts Ltd. Brands: CY alloy, EV

heat resisting, Wynite.


Weir Minerals Europe Ltd

Halifax Road, Todmorden,

Lancashire, OL14 5RT.

t: + 44 (0)1706 814251

f: + 44 (0)1706 815350


Contact: Jim Kewin (mang),

Metals Cast: SG Iron to

250kg. No. of employees: 250

West Midlands Foundry Co Ltd

Blakemore Road, West

Bromwich, West Midlands,

B70 8JF.t: +44 (0)121 553 1515

f: +44 (0)121 500 5839

Metals Cast: Al and Alloys to

10kg. Processes: Diecasting (LP).

In-house facilities: Patternshop;

Machineshop.

Westland Casting Co Ltd

Vaux Road, Finedon Road

Ind Est, Wellingborough,

Northamptonshire, NN8 4TG.

t: +44 (0)1933 276718

f: +44 (0)1933 442185

e: [email protected];

[email protected]

web: www.westlandcastings.

co.ukContact: P Borland (mang),

R Keylock (sales), J Dunlop (foundry)

Metals Cast: Al and

Alloys to 100kg. Processes: Chem.

Bond. Sand; Shell Moulding;

Diecasting (grav); Airset; Protypes;

Precision; Quality; Core making.

Approvals: BS EN ISO 9001:2000;

BSI. In-house facilities: Patternshop;

Toolroom; Heat Treatment;

Machineshop; Polishing; Heat

Treatment; Welding.

Brands: Shot blasting.


Westley Group

PO Box 1, Doulton Road,

Cradley Heath, West Midlands,

B64 5QS.t: +44 (0)1384 410111

f: +44 (0)1384 410116


web: www.westley.co.uk

Contact: James Salisbury (mang),

Ian McWhirter (sales), Adrian Shaw

(foundry) Metals Cast: Grey Iron to

10000kg; Malleable Iron to 10000kg;

SG Iron to 10000kg; Wear Res Iron to

10000kg; Stainless Steel to 10000kg;

Copper and Alloys to 10000kg; Al

and Alloys to 2000kg; Austempered

Ductile Iron to 10000kg. Processes:

Greensand; Chem. Bond. Sand; CO2

Silicate; Shell Moulding; Diecasting

(grav); Centrifugal; Finish Machining.

Approvals: LRQA, ISO 9002, MOD;

AQAP 4, Lloyds Register. In-house

facilities: Patternshop; Toolroom;

Heat Treatment; NDT Radiography;

NDT (Ultrasonic); Machineshop;

Paint/Coating; Spectrometer;

Pressure Testing; Finish Machining.

Group Affiliates: Westleys Ltd;

Spunalloys Ltd, Walter Frank; FW

Birkett & Sons Ltd.


Westley of Cardiff

PO Box 84, Port Talbot, West

Glamorgan, SA13 2ZU.

t: +44 (0)1639 875061

f: +44 (0)1639 875064


Contact: R A Woods (mang), P Board

(sales), W Miles (foundry)

Metals Cast: Grey Iron

to 5000kg; Malleable Iron to 5000kg;

SG Iron to 5000kg; Wear Res Iron to

5000kg; Carbon Steel to 5000kg; Low

Alloy Steel to 5000kg; Heat Res. Steel

to 5000kg; Stainless Steel to 5000kg;

Copper and Alloys to 5000kg; Al and

Alloys to 1500kg; Zinc Base Alloys

to 1500kg; Heat Res. Iron to 5000kg.

Processes: Greensand; Chem. Bond.

Sand. Approvals: ISO 9001:2000.

In-house facilities: Patternshop;

Toolroom; Heat Treatment; NDT

Radiography; NDT (Ultrasonic);

Machineshop; Paint/Coating. Group

Affiliates: Westley Group Ltd.

White Eagle Foundry Ltd

199 Cuckfield Road,

Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex,

BN6 9RT.t: +44 (0)1273 832062

f: +44 (0)1273 833628


web: www.wef.co.uk

Contact: Andrew Sharp (mang),

Metals Cast: Copper and

Alloys to 80kg; Al and Alloys to 80kg.

Processes: Greensand; Chem. Bond.

Sand. In-house facilities: Polishing.

No. of employees: 7

W B White Foundry Ltd

Arthur Street, Armytage Road,

Brighouse, West Yorkshire,

HD6 1PY.t: +44 (0)1484 715168

f: +44 (0)1484 721398


web: www.asfco.co.uk

Contact: L D James (mang),

R A Pearson, M Earnshaw (sales),

M Earnshaw (foundry)


1000kg; SG Iron to 1000kg; Copper

and Alloys to 150kg; Al and Alloys

to 150kg. Processes: Greensand;

Chem. Bond. Sand. In-house

UK FoundriesAll UK foundries are listed in detail including: metals cast; processes used; in-house facilities; specialities; affiliates and number of employeesIn an easy to use almanac foundries are listed:• alphabetically • via metals cast • geographically • via processes used

In short, a thorough reference tool for buyers and designers of castings in the UK

A trade directory and a buyer’s guide - the Foundry Yearbook & Castings Buyers’ Guide satisfies the industry’s information needs

The Foundry Yearbook & Castings Buyers’ Directory 2012 is available from ICME at a cost of £99.00 + postage and packaging (UK £2.00, EU £4.00, RoW £10.00).Order online at www.icme.org.uk/publications.asp Alternatively contact: Yvonne on Tel: +44 (0) 121 601 6979. Fax: +44 (0) 121 601 6981. Email: [email protected] . Institute of Cast Metals Engineers, NMC, 47 Birmingham Road, West Bromwich, West Midlands, B70 6PY, UK.


Compacted Graphite Iron

Compacted Graphite Iron – a material solution for modern diesel engine cylinder blocks

The Ford 6.7 litre V8 cylinder block produced at Tupy foundry, Brazil

The application of CGI can provide new opportunities for reduced weight and package size, power-up, and improved noise, vibration and harshness, (NVH) as discussed here by Steve Dawson of Sintercast AB. Despite the density difference between CGI and aluminium, the ability to make a more compact cylinder block when using CGI can result in a fully assembled CGI engine that weighs less than an aluminium engine of the same displacement. This design opportunity is illustrated with specific examples of V6 and V8 diesel engines that are currently in production. This report also provides a well-to-wheels energy comparison for CGI and aluminium, showing a favourable profile for cast iron cylinder blocks.

IntroductionAlthough compacted (vermicular) graphite iron was first observed in 1948, the narrow range for stable foundry production precluded the high volume application of CGI to complex components such as cylinder blocks until advanced process control technologies became available. This, in turn, had to await the advent of modern measurement electronics and computer processors. Following the development of foundry techniques and manufacturing solutions during the 1990s, the first series production of CGI cylinder blocks began during 1999. Today, more than 40,000 CGI cylinder blocks are produced each month for OEMs including Audi, DAF, Ford, Hyundai, MAN, Navistar, Mercedes, PSA, Renault, Volkswagen and Volvo.

Emissions legislation and the demand for higher specific performance from smaller engine packages continue to drive the development of diesel engine technology. While higher P

max provides improved combustion,

performance and refinement, the resulting increases in thermal and mechanical loads require new design solutions. Design engineers must choose between increasing the section size and weight of conventional grey iron and aluminium components or adopting a stronger material, specifically CGI.

Given that new engine programs are typically intended to support three to four vehicle generations, the chosen engine materials must satisfy current design criteria and also provide the potential for future performance upgrades, without changing the overall block architecture.

With at least 75% increase in ultimate tensile strength, 40% increase in elastic modulus and approximately double the fatigue strength of either grey iron or aluminium, CGI is well suited to meet the current and future requirements of engine design and performance.

Engine design opportunities In comparison to conventional grey cast iron, CGI provides opportunities for:• Reducedwallthicknessesatcurrentoperatingloads• IncreasedspecificperformancethroughincreasedP

max

and loading• Reducedsafetyfactorsduetolessvariationinas-cast

properties• Reducedcylinderboreexpansionanddistortion• ImprovedNVH• Shorterthreadengagementdepthandthereforeshorter

boltsDuring the initial development period in the mid-

1990s, much of the CGI development activity was focused on weight reduction. The data in Table 2 provides a summary of weight reduction results obtained in design studies conducted by various foundries and OEMs. The percent weight reduction values in parentheses refer to CGI cylinder blocks that are currently in series production and were published by the OEM. Although these cylinder blocks were never produced in grey iron (weight therefore presented as ‘xx.x’), the OEM in each case has publicly stated that extra mass would have been required to satisfy durability requirements if the blocks had been produced in conventional grey iron. While comparisons of the weight reduction potential depend on the size and weight of the original block, the data presented in Table 1 indicates that a weight reduction of 10-15% is a reasonable target for CGI conversion programs.

Although CGI provides significant weight reduction opportunities, the primary driver for new CGI engine development is increased power density, enabled by the doubling of fatigue strength relative to grey iron and aluminium. One specific OEM study has shown that a 1.3 litre diesel engine with a CGI cylinder block can provide the same performance as a current 1.8 litre grey iron engine. To achieve this performance increase, the P

max

was increased by 30% while the cylinder block weight was decreased by 22%. Despite the increase in P

max, test

rig fatigue analyses showed that the weight-reduced CGI cylinder block provided a larger safety margin than the original grey iron block, thus indicating that further increases in performance were possible. In comparison to the original engine, the fully assembled CGI engine was 13% shorter, had 5% less height, was 5% narrower, and 9.4% lighter. The ability to decrease the thickness of the main bearings and thus make the cylinder block shorter, means that all of the components that traverse the length of the engine also become shorter and lighter, contributing to the weight reduction of the fully assembled engine.

Another consideration of CGI engine design is the ability to withstand cylinder bore distortion. In the combined presence of elevated temperatures and increased combustion pressures, cylinder bores expand elastically. However, the increased strength and stiffness of CGI is better able to withstand these forces and maintain the original bore size and shape. The reduced cylinder bore



Engine Engine Grey Weight CGI Weight Percent Weight Size (Litres) Type (kg) (kg) Reduction

1.6 I-4 Petrol 35.4 25.0 29.4 1.8 I-4 Diesel 38.0 29.5 22.4 2.0 I-4 Petrol 31.8 26.6 16.4 2.5 V6 (Racing) 56.5 45.0 20.4 2.7 V6 Diesel xx.x OEM Confidential (15) 3.0 V6 Diesel xx.x OEM Confidential (25) 3.3 V8 Diesel xx.x OEM Confidential (10) 3.8 V8 Diesel xx.x OEM Confidential (20) 4.0 V8 Diesel xx.x OEM Confidential (15) 4.2 V8 Diesel xx.x OEM Confidential (20) 4.6 V8 Petrol 72.7 59.6 18.0 9.2 I-6 Diesel 158 140 11.4 12.0 V6 Diesel 240 215 10.4 12.4 I-6 Diesel xx.x OEM Confidential (15) 14.6 V8 Diesel 408 352 14.2

Table 1 Weight reduction results for CGI vs grey iron cylinder blocks

CGI micrographs

distortion allows for reduced ring tension and reduced friction losses. The improved matching also results in reduced piston slap at cold start, thus improving NVH; reducing oil consumption thus extending oil change intervals; and, reducing blow-by so preventing torque loss and improving emissions. Table 2 shows comparative bore distortion results for four grey iron and CGI engines with the same design.

The increased stiffness of CGI also contributes to NVH performance. Although the specific damping capacity of CGI is lower than that of grey iron, the higher elastic modulus stiffens the block, making many webs and ribs redundant. The 40-45% increase in the elastic modulus of CGI increases the separation between the combustion firing frequency and the resonant frequencies of the block. The net result of the increased separation is that the engine operation becomes quieter.

CGI vs alloyed grey ironAs the increases in engine loading began to exceed the strength capabilities of conventional grey iron (GJL 25), foundries and OEMs responded by adding alloying elements and hardening agents such as chromium, nickel, copper, tin and molybdenum to increase the tensile strength. To further increase the strength to fully satisfy the 300 MPa minimum tensile strength objective (GJL 30), some specifications also reduced the carbon content from approximately 3.2% to 3% to make the graphite flakes smaller, thus reducing the tendency for crack initiation and propagation. While the alloying and reduced carbon content provide a 10-20% increase in mechanical properties, these actions simultaneously consume many of the core advantages of conventional grey cast iron - castability, heat transfer, machinability and, significantly, cost.

Castability: During solidification, the formation of the graphite flakes in conventional grey iron provides an expansion effect that counteracts the natural shrinkage tendency of the iron. However, the lower carbon content of alloyed grey iron reduces the extent of this beneficial effect. Additionally, many of the alloying elements (Cr, Cu, Sn, Mo) segregate to the last areas of the casting to solidify increasing the sensitivity for shrinkage porosity and carbide formation. The net effect is that the castability of alloyed grey iron, including feeding requirements, is effectively the same as that of CGI.

Heat Transfer: The addition of alloying elements to grey iron reduces thermal conductivity. Typical alloying levels for GJL 30 (0.3% Cr and 0.3% Mo) reduce the thermal conductivity by 10-15%. Further, since grey iron relies on the elongated graphite flakes to act as natural conduits for heat transfer, the lower carbon content of alloyed grey iron also detracts from the heat transfer capability. The net effect is that the thermal conductivity of alloyed grey iron is only about 5% higher than that of a standard pearlitic CGI.



Machinability: The alloying elements added to increase the strength of grey iron also increase the hardness and wear resistance. While the strength of alloyed grey iron is only 10-20% higher than that of conventional grey iron, the hardness can be 30-40% higher. Depending on the alloy content, the hardness of alloyed grey iron can frequently be higher than that of CGI. While there is indeed a significant difference in machinability between conventional grey iron and CGI, the tool life for alloyed grey iron and CGI are effectively the same for many machining operations.

Cost: The shrinkage sensitivity (feeding requirements) and machinability (tool life) of alloyed grey iron both impact the total on-cost of alloyed grey iron compared to normal grey iron (GJL 25). Beyond these operational concerns, consideration must also be given to the cost of alloying elements including chromium, nickel and molybdenum.

NVH: The primary property for the determination of NVH performance is stiffness. While the increase from GJL 25 to GJL 30 provides a 20% increase in tensile strength, the increase in elastic modulus is only about 10%. In comparison, CGI provides a 40% increase in modulus compared to GJL 25, which typically leads to noise reductions of approximately 1.0 dB.

Alloyed grey iron brings many of the same challenges as CGI with respect to castability, heat transfer, machinability and cost, but it only provides a fraction of the material property benefits. If designers are willing to incur the operational penalties associated with alloyed grey iron, they should instead specify CGI to realise the full increase in material properties and operational benefits related to engine performance, NVH and durability.

CGI vs AluminiumIn comparison to aluminium, the mechanical properties of CGI provide opportunities for:• Smallerpackagesize• Higherspecificperformance• Reducedcylinderboredistortionandimprovedoilconsumption• Nocylinderlinersorsurfaceetchant/coating• ImprovedNVH• Lowerproductioncost• LowerlifecycleenergyconsumptionandCO

2 emissions

• ImprovedrecyclabilityDue to the considerable density difference between CGI (7.1 g/cc) and

aluminium (2.7 g/cc), CGI cylinder blocks will be heavier than aluminium blocks of a similar displacement. However, the higher strength and stiffness of CGI allows significant reductions in the thickness of the main bearings resulting in a shorter cylinder block. Accordingly, all of the components that span the length of the cylinder block – such as the cylinder heads, crankshaft, camshaft and bedplate – also become shorter and lighter. This is particularly true in V-type cylinder blocks where there are two cylinder banks. The net result is that fully assembled CGI engines can be significantly lighter than aluminium engines of the same displacement. This result is evidenced by the V6 and V8 CGI engines produced by Audi. The Audi 3.0 litre V6 CGI engine is 130mm shorter and 15kg lighter than the Mercedes 3.0 litre V6 engine based on an aluminium cylinder block. Likewise, the Audi 4.2 litre V8 TDI, based on a CGI cylinder block, is 120mm shorter and 4kg lighter than the Mercedes 4.0 litre V8 CDI aluminium engine. This shows the importance of comparing the weight of the fully assembled engine rather than the weight of the cylinder block, particularly for life cycle energy and fuel saving calculations.

It can also be shown that the energy consumption of iron vs aluminium production results in a significant energy penalty for aluminium. Perhaps surprisingly, the melting of iron requires 600 kWh/tonne while the melting of aluminium requires 1,100 kWh/tonne, despite that the melting temperature of cast around is around 1150°C while that of aluminium is only around 650°C. This is due to the magnetic properties of ferrous materials which provide better coupling with the electromagnetic induction melting techniques used in foundries. However, the biggest difference in the energy consumption between iron and aluminium occurs in the production of the virgin material, where the energy consumption for primary aluminium production (which is manufactured via an electrolysis process rather than a melting process) is almost ten times higher than that of iron or steel.

With current recycling rates, each tonne of cast iron (grey, CGI or ductile) accounts for an equivalent energy content of approximately 10,500 MJ/tonne. The corresponding value for aluminium is approximately 90,000 MJ/tonne. Assuming that a 4-cylinder CGI block weighs 33kg and that the corresponding aluminium cylinder block weighs 28kg, the net energy penalty to society (based on the block weight differential rather than the assembled weight differential that will be less than 5kg) for the aluminium block is approximately 2,150 MJ/block.

Given an energy content of 34 MJ/litre for gasoline, the as-cast energy penalty of 2,150 MJ corresponds to approximately 63 litres of gasoline. Further, assuming standard estimates of 0.5 litres of petrol saved for each 100km and each 100kg of weight saving, the 5kg weight reduction provided by the aluminium block over the CGI block would require a driving distance of approximately 250,000 km to payback the energy differential; more than 10 years of normal driving (15,000 miles/year). If the weight differential for the fully assembled engine was only 3kg, this increases the breakeven distance to 450,000km; more than 18 years of driving.

The energy penalty associated with aluminium can also be expressed in terms of the equivalent well-to-wheels CO

2

reduction. Based on the 3kg weight reduction for the fully assembled engine, every one million aluminium engines corresponds to an energy penalty equivalent to 350,000 barrels of crude oil and approximately 90,000 tonnes of CO

2 emissions. It is thus evident that government policy

makers and OEMs must consider the full energy balance for society, particularly in countries that rely heavily on imported oil.

ConclusionThe properties of compacted graphite iron relative to grey iron and aluminium provide many opportunities for improved engine design and performance, both in passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles. Since the onset of CGI cylinder block production in 1999, CGI has been established as a viable high volume engine material. Indeed, CGI has effectively become the standard material for V-type diesel engine cylinder blocks, with 13 of the last 15 V-diesel passenger vehicle engines being specified with a CGI cylinder block. Likewise, CGI is becoming more widespread in the commercial vehicle sector, with every European heavy-duty engine manufacturer having at least one CGI engine in its line-up. Perhaps the most compelling statistic regarding CGI is that, every OEM that has a CGI engine in production today, either has more than one engine in production, or is in the process of developing additional CGI engines.

Contact: Steve Dawson, Sintercast AB.Tel: +44 (0) 1932 862 100,fax: +44 (0) 1932 862 146,email: [email protected] web: www.sintercast.com

Engine Size Engine % Improvement (Litres) Type CGI vs Grey 1.8 I-4 Petrol 18 1.8 I-4 Diesel 20 2.2 I-4 Petrol 28 4.6 V8 Petrol 22

Table 2 Cylinder bore distortion for CGI vs grey iron


Research by the organisers of the Subcon exhibition, the UK’s showcase event for subcontract and contract manufacturing, shows that the sector is set for further growth. Not only is the volume of work set to grow in the coming year, but OEMs and higher tier suppliers are continuing to take a more strategic approach to the long-term outsourcing of their production.Almost 90% of the companies surveyed said they planned to increase or maintain their level of subcontracting over the next three years and 36% had brought work that had previously been sourced in low-cost countries back to the UK.

Reflecting these trends, the Subcon exhibition, (NEC, Birmingham, 12-14 June) is expected to be around 20% bigger than last year’s event. Around 300 exhibitors will take part, with the proportion of UK exhibitors increasing to around 70% from 55% in 2010 and 65% in 2011.

The organisers say the Subcon research clearly showed the degree to which OEMs rely on external suppliers of manufacturing services. Nearly a quarter of companies surveyed (23.7%) entrusted subcontractors and contract manufacturers with over 60% of their manufacturing requirements. Nearly half (48.5%) say this proportion has increased in the past three years.

The reasons for using subcontractors are evolving too, with the emphasis on more strategic outsourcing.

Half the respondents cited the traditional reason of needing more capacity as one of the reasons they use subcontractors – but a similar number say they also use them because they want to focus on core competences in their own manufacturing operations.

A total of 41% used subcontractors to gain access to processes they didn’t want in-house and a third were using subcontractors rather than investing in non-core capital equipment. For 45%, it was also a simple case of keeping costs down, as they reported that it was less expensive to use subcontractors than make their parts in-house.

Most wanted more than just parts from their subcontractors; 45% wanted assembly work done, while nearly 40% wanted a full manufacturing service from a one-stop-shop. Customers also wanted their suppliers to manage treatments for them, source third party components and accept ship-to-line and Kanban responsibility.

Over a third wanted suppliers to take responsibility for inspection and a fifth also wanted them to carry out product testing services.

Subcon event manager Jon Clark said: “It is quite clear

from the exhibitors we are attracting to Subcon that the industry has moved up a gear. We are seeing bigger companies at the show, we are seeing more companies offering full one-stop-shop services, we are seeing more companies with high-level accreditations and we are seeing a trend of larger and more impressive stands.

“The scope of the show continues to expand to meet the needs of our visitors. We expect that around 25% of the companies at Subcon this year will be exhibiting at the show for the first time. We are seeing more composites companies, more 3D modelling and design services companies, more electronics companies and more heavy engineering companies. These complement our traditional base of companies offering machined, moulded and fabricated components, metal treatments, castings and forgings.

“Subcon really is the UK’s only place that buyers of contract and manufacturing services can find this breadth, number and quality of potential suppliers.”

The Institute of Cast Metals Engineers will once again attend to represent member needs and highlight the wealth of casting ability in the UK. Visit the ICME stand to pick up a copy of Foundry Trade Journal’s sister publication Castings Buyer, the publication of choice for global buyers, designers and specifiers of cast components.

To learn more abour Subcon and register for a free ticket visit: www.subconshow.co.uk

Around 300 exhibitors will take part in Subcon 2012, with the proportion of UK exhibitors increasing to around 70%

Subcontracting market set for growth

Subcon Show


There are a large number of castable copper-based alloys covering high conductivity coppers, bronzes, brasses, gunmetals and aluminium bronzes, each of which have been developed to exploit copper’s fundamental and unique physical properties and benefits.

Those benefits include:• highcorrosionresistance• lowfrictionsurfaces• highthermalandelectricalconductivity• non-sparking• metallurgicalstabilityoverwide

temperature rangesThese properties have ensured

that copper based alloys have become

fundamentally important in a range of specialist niche applications in various world markets.

From the high conductivity copper castings primarily used for very specialist applications such as blast furnace cooling components and tuyeres, electrode holders for arc melters and welding machinery, through to the copper-zinc alloyed brasses used for valves and decorative items, the corrosion resistance and bearing qualities of tin alloyed bronzes through to the very dense lead bronze or gunmetal, each has a key characteristic that makes it ideal for certain applications.

Aluminium bronze (Cu-Al) is no

When aluminium bronze is the solutionEach metal has its strengths and weaknesses when it comes to component design and performance, in this article the Cast Metals Federation gives an insight into which criteria would encourage a component designer to select aluminium bronze castings.

exception. With aluminium as the main alloying element, castings combine high strength with high corrosion resistance. From boat propellers to architectural items, sculptures to a whole host of seawater applications including pumps and valves, aluminium bronze is widely used to deliver long life, maintenance free solutions in seawater and other corrosive environments.

Primarily developed since the 2nd World War, Cu-Al is copper with typically 8-10% aluminium, plus other iron and nickel additions to optimise corrosion resistance. These alloys are mechanically strong, with physical strength properties similar to mild steel, while the mix of alloying elements has been developed to ensure that coherent protective oxide coatings develop, giving excellent corrosion properties in aerated seawater applications. These short freezing range alloys produce a dense cast structure in thick or thin wall sections. They are also price competitive against some of the more advanced and complex stainless steel alloys.

The oxidised coating naturally occurs

Aluminium bronze pump impeller for ship’s engine cooling system

Portcullis House, one of an increasing number of architectural applications for aluminium bronze

Aluminium Bronze Duplex Stainless Steel Super Duplex Stainless Steel

Tensile 580-640 N/mm² 620 min N/mm² 700 min N/mm²

Yeild 240-285 N/mm² 415 min N/mm² 450 min N/mm²

Elongation 13-15% 20% 25%

Hardness 140 HB typ 185 HB typ 180-200 HB typ

Density 7.6 g/cm³ 7.8 g/cm³ 7.8 g/cm³

Table 1 – Strength Properties


Aluminium bronze

in air and forms a protective film which slows down and inhibits further corrosion. If the surface is damaged then it reforms the film naturally and quickly. Typical corrosion rates in sea water are less than 0.05mm/year. Cu-Al also has generally high resistance to pitting attack in high chloride situations such as chemical plants. Corrosion resistance of castings can be further improved by heat treatment of 675 ± 25ºC for 4-6 hours plus air cooling and is particularly advantageous after welding.

Seawater applicationsThe primary use for Cu-Al is in the wide range of applications involving sea and brackish water, which accounts for 90% of the water on the planet. Seawater is highly corrosive to metal, especially warmer seawater but, due to the oxide coating formed by Cu-Al, it is inherently resistant to all kinds of corrosion, including pitting, crevice, stress and erosion.

Offshore, it is used for pumps, impellers, firewater systems and many other casting applications. Aluminium bronzes also have a key benefit for offshore oil and gas installations of being non-sparking, making it ideal for use in hazardous environments where a ‘metal on metal’ spark could set off an explosion. Indeed, whole tool kits are made of Cu-Al for use offshore and on oil and gas tankers.

The majority of the world’s ships propellers are made from the metal, withstanding fast water speed, and the pump and pipe systems of desalination plants and seawater cooled power stations are also largely made from these alloys.

Metallurgically tough, Cu-Al alloys are unlikely to crack in shock loading situations. It also carries another key seawater benefit in that the copper content reduces fouling due to its naturally biocidal properties. This ensures that any build up of marine organisms is prevented with considerable savings in additional on-going maintenance costs. The effectiveness of this biocidal function is shown by the fact that many ships hulls are coated with the metal to keep them naturally clean to improve their efficiency.

AestheticsIncreasingly Cu-Al alloys are being used in architectural applications where their corrosion resistance and strength make them suitable for structural and aesthetic applications such as the structural window castings and the roof of Portcullis House in Westminster London. Initially an expensive option, over the lifetime of a building, taking into account lack of maintenance requirement, the biocidal resistance and the fact that it will last ‘forever’, all make its use much more cost effective in the long term.

Sculptures are also widely cast in the metal for their ‘last for ever’ characteristics, accurate castability and aesthetic finish.

ConclusionsThe high initial cost of copper means that any copper alloy casting starts at a premium cost. However, taking their long lifetime advantages, particularly in corrosive environments, the whole lifetime cost

savings of using Cu-Al and copper alloy castings can far outweigh that initial cost disadvantage, particularly in critical areas and after taking into account the cost of maintenance in arduous and difficult environments. For this reason copper alloys, and Cu-Al in particular, have become the metals of choice for many corrosive and demanding environments.

AcknowlegementsThe Cast Metals Federation would like to thank Westley Group Ltd for their help compiling this article and for the supply of the photographs. www.westleygroup.co.uk

Representing the UK foundry industry, the Cast Metals Federation has members offering casting solutions in every metal, quantity, size and process, and offers buyers of castings a direct link to the ‘Best of British Casting’ through its website www.castmetalsfederation.com

Wear & General Pitting Crevice Erosion Cavitation Stress Polluted Corrosion Fouling Strength Galvanic Galling Corrosion Corrosion Corrosion Corrosion Corrosion Seawater Fatigue Resistance

NickelAluminium Bronze 10 9 10 8 8 8 10 4 9 8 6 7

DuplexStainless Steel 4 10 5 4 10 8 9 5 9 1 8 8

SuperausteniticStainless Steel 5 10 9 8 10 8 8 9 6 1 5 7

SuperduplexStainless Steel 3 10 9 8 10 8 9 9 9 1 9 10

Monel 5 10 5 2 10 8 4 4 8

Table 2 – Corrosion and Properties Ranking

Column pipe sections used in offshore platform seawater fire pump installations

Nickel aluminium bronze valve housing for seawater application


Westley Group is one of Europe’s largest ferrous and non-ferrous foundry and engineering groups, consisting of five brands: Spunalloys, Walter Frank, Francis W Birkett, Westleys and J T Price. The Group employs nearly 400 people and has a turnover of £35 million. Our five businesses serve a diverse range of products and markets to meet our customers’ casting, machining and procurement needs. Each company within the Group offers a distinct package to provide a total engineering solution which is tailored to our customers’ individual requirements.

Our customer base has been strategically developed to provide a sustainable platform for the Group for many years to come.Spunalloys: UK’s leading producer of ferrous and non-ferrous centrifugal castings. Industry leaders for horizontal and vertical centrifugal castings from a vast array of plain and flanged dies up to 2m in diameter and 2m in length. Finish machining and assembly is a key strengthJ T Price: Specialist manufacturers of bespoke and high integrity sand castings. Specialists in highly cored, non-ferrous components from commercial standard through to Class 1 application. Components from a few kgs to 4 tonnes in weight

Westley GroupWestleys: Specialists in medium to large non-ferrous sand castings, producing high integrity components for military and commercial applicationsFrancis W Birkett: Specialist manufacturers of copper based shell and sand casting up to 40kgs. Extensive machining operations for the complete supply to a tailored customer supply chain model. One of FWB’s key technologies is the manufacture of Franberlube™ self-lubricating bearingsWalter Frank & Sons Ltd: Leading UK manufacturer of firefighting fittings and valves. The UK’s leading manufacturer of fluid control products for the fire fittings markets and related industries. On-line catalogue available for viewing and specifications

We believe that our customers require quality, on-time delivery, responsiveness, communication, flexibility and value. Quality is at the heart of our business and all of our companies follow the most stringent quality procedures. Our products are exported all over the world and to facilitate this growth into emerging markets Westley Group has recently opened an Asia Pacific office in Singapore.

For further information contact: Jayne Garrett, Executive Assistant, tel: +44 (0)1782 571990, e-mail: [email protected] www.westleygroup.co.uk

Industry in focus

Advertisement Feature

Westley Group is one of the largest UK and European foundry groups, with a turnover of £35 million. The Group employs in the region of 400 employees across three key manufacturing sites in the UK. Our 5 businesses; Spunalloys, Walter Frank, Francis W Birkett, Westleys and JT Price, supply customers across multiple market sectors with high integrity, bespoke components.

Each of the businesses have a vision to be our customers’ foundry of choice. We know that excellent service is the only way to achieve this.


Industry in focus

Manufacturing high quality machined castings

• PatternMaking• Aluminium&Bronzecastings• GreyandSGIroncastings• CNCMachining• CMMInspection• Painting&SubAssemblies• Machinebuilding• ISO9001:2008

Made in Great Britain


M J AllenA machine shop that makes its own castings

“Initially established as a master pattern shop in 1958, the production of high quality machined castings is at the core of the M J Allen Group and has seen the company attract many customers within Europe, the USA and its home UK market.

Operating both non-ferrous and iron foundries alongside its machine shop in Ashford, Kent, the Group’s drive is to offer industry a quality, integrated casting, machining and assembly service.

The iron foundry produces high quality grey iron and SG iron castings to 2250kg with particular expertise in complex core assembly work.

The non-ferrous foundry produces high precision sand castings in aluminium and bronze to 1000kg for the most demanding of applications.

In addition, the aluminium gravity die foundry enables volume casting in parts up to 50kg to the highest integrity.

The foundries have extensive in-house facilities for chemical and mechanical analysis, x-ray, dye penetrant and ultrasonic inspection, pressure testing and in-house heat treatment.

The Group’s expertise is in supplying castings fully machined from its comprehensive CNC and conventional machine shop, supplying customers in defence, medical, marine, OE and automotive (Ford) industries.

Facilities include temperature controlled environments for both CMM inspection and jig boring for the tightest of tolerances and includes a newly added Faro arm.

Coupled with paint and assembly facilities, all at the Ashford site, sourcing of machined and finished castings of almost any size and volume is achieved with a single order.”

MJ ALLEN GROUP OF COMPANIESHilton Road, Cobbs Wood Industrial Estate, Ashford, Kent TN23 1EW UK

Tel:+44 (0)1233 622214. Fax: +44 (0)1233 643534Email: [email protected] Website: www.mjallen.co.uk

Since 1959 Archibald Young Ltd has been noted for quality castings in copper-based and aluminium alloys. As a result of investment and acquisition, our product range has extended to include iron alloys and high conductivity copper, produced at our Premier Castings and Peel Jones Copper Products foundries.

Over the years we have maintained our reputation for reliability by retaining the traditional foundry skills used to produce a wide variety of castings, ranging from 0.1kg to 3 tonnes in weight, for customers in marine, civil and general engineering, pump and valve manufacturing, steel making, shipbuilding, mining, tooling, lighting and architectural applications.

Variety and flexibility are our specialities. Whether one off or batch production, our service is second to none. Pattern-making and machining services are also available in-house to provide the complete foundry package, all of which is accredited to ISO 9001:2008.

Our foundries combine a rare blend of craft skills enhanced by modern technology to supply quality castings and suit all our customer requirements. The foundry group can cast up to 1000kgs in copper-based and aluminium alloys, 1800kgs in HC copper and 3000kgs in iron alloys. Our moulding and metallurgical skills have created a multi-disciplined foundry acting as a one-stop-shop to service our diverse customer base throughout the U.K. and worldwide.

Proof and finish-machined castings can be supplied from our conventional machine shop, which is fully equipped for milling, turning and drilling. Our C.N.C. capacity covers light to medium repetition work and produces components for our own range of ships’ valves and fittings for wet and dry riser systems.

Now in its 3rd generation of family ownership, the Archibald Young Group is committed to continual investment in training and facilities to ensure that we are building for the future and maintaining our reputation for customer service.

For further information: tel: +44 (0) 141 776 7701 fax: +44 (0) 141 775 1743. e-mail: [email protected]

Archibald Young Group


Industry in focus

APPROVED TO ISO 9001:2000

www.coupefoundry.co.uk

Complete Heat Treatment ServiceExtensive Patternmaking and Machining facilitiesIndividual Weights up to 25 tonnes in Grey Iron,

20 Tonnes in S.G. Iron and up to 6 tonnes weight in alloyed irons

COUPEF O U N D R Y

APPROVED TO ISO 9001:2008

quality sand castings and fully equipped machine shop

material specifications equipped machine shop grey iron bsen 1561 en gJl-150, 200, 250, vertical boring up to 3.2m Ø 300, 350 cnc elga mill 10m bed sg irons bsen 1563 en gJs - all grades cnc gantry mill 6m X 2.5m X 1.78m ni-resist – bs3468 cnc horiZontal borer With 4 aXis ni-hard – bs4844 2.2m X 1.6m X 1.6m 5” spindle cast steels turning bc 8m X 950 dia over bed stainless steels lifting capacity 20 tonnes high temperature steels

solution providers for all engineering proJectsapproval iso 9001:2008

uK and european enquiries Welcome

New business lights the wayThe acquisition of the airport ground lighting products division of a fellow UK foundry is the latest chapter in the history of Coupe Foundry - the UK’s largest jobbing foundry. The acquisition has meant space created by extensive investment in the past two years has been filled with additional work which continues to keep the workforce busy and has helped the foundry bring a range of smaller castings’ production on board to support the larger work it has built a 100-year+ reputation on.

Managing director Paul Wieckowicz told Castings Buyer: “The redesign of the main foundry shop and the large investments made over a year ago freed up space in one of our casting bays. We then bought all the Airport Landing Light patterns from Lupton Smallshaw Castings which has filled the bay up and brought in a new range of work for us. These patterns, and a small machining centre, have created a cell that produces castings and then fully machines and paints them offering the customers a ‘one stop’ shop for these airport products.”

Customer expectations are central to Paul and the team at the foundry which has inspired investment and development throughout the decades.

High integrity casting techniques combined with solid modelling and solidification software enables Coupe to supply to a large customer base in valves, pipe and distribution industries.

The energy sector is also an important area for Coupe which has supplied grey and SG castings for the wind, wave and marine markets, whilst high quality and high integrity castings are supplied to the nuclear power industry. Power Generation castings are exported to Germany, Italy and Hungary and are the largest sector of work for the foundry.

An increase in the size of castings demanded by customers led to the need for the investment in the main foundry last year with Coupe now being able to cast individual castings up to 28 tonne (grey iron), 20 tonne (SG), 5 tonne (steel and high integrity) in weight.

As the largest producer of full mould (polystyrene pattern) in the UK, Coupe Foundry produces a wide range of automotive press dies. The full mould technique provides the advantage of complicated castings produced from relatively low cost polystyrene pattern, meaning cost savings can be passed on to the customer.Coupe Foundry, Higher Walton, Preston, Lancashire PR5 4DQ United Kingdom.Tel: +44 (0) 1772 338151, fax: +44 (0) 1772 627609, email: [email protected] web: www.coupefoundry.co.uk


Industry in focus

MRT CastingsMRT Castings Ltd are specialists in the manufacture of machined and finished aluminium diecastings for the medical, marine, defence, electronics and general engineering sectors. MRT offers the complete solution, from a collaborative approach to initial component design, all the way through to

the supply of high quality machined and finished components and assemblies.

In their foundry, MRT operate five high pressure diecasting cells with locking forces from 220 to 530 tons, and a flexible range of gravity diecasting cells. Meanwhile in their machining division, which now boasts 13 CNC machining centres, MRT have an extensive range of Brother high speed vertical machining centres and Hyundai-Kia Turning centres. ‘Having the fastest and most advanced manufacturing technology available to the industry means that we can provide solutions for our customers which are both competitive and flexible’, commented Phil Rawnson, MRT’s Managing Director.

For customers who don’t want to get their hands dirty at all, MRT also offer a complete assembly and logistics service, taking castings and machined components produced at MRT, and building them into finished products ready for distribution directly to end customers. This service is currently being applied to a diverse range of projects, from designer light fittings to shower waste pumps.

MRT is also investing in its team and business systems to ensure that they are growing with the business, implementing best practice, and optimising the benefits of the new technology being introduced. The Company is accredited to ISO 9011:2008. For further information: tel: (+44) 1264 324021; fax: (+44) 1264 333773; e-mail: [email protected]; web: www.mrt-castings.co.uk


Your Complete Solution for Quality Non-Ferrous Components

MRT Castings Ltd Walworth Estate Andover SP10 5JT01264 324021 www.mrt-castings.co.uk

S M A L L A N D M E D i u M b A T C h S P E C i A L i S T S

Pressure Diecasting

sanD casting

graVitY Diecasting

cnc MacHining

FinisHing anD asseMBLY

SKA2307-MRT 1-4 A4 Rev.indd 1 18/7/08 09:48:25The Stockton Casting CoThe Stockton Casting Co Ltd is a niche manufacturer of exhaust manifolds including water cooled versions and associated components for large diesel engines. The long established privately owned foundry also produces a wide range of high quality castings for the compressor industry, such as cylinders, crankshafts and separator bodies.

Essential casting requirements common to all the foundry’s customer sectors are the capability to contain gases and liquids at high temperature and pressure, wall thickness control and casting integrity.

The company prides itself on the highly skilled and experienced workforce, an important asset that they believe gives them the edge in the manufacture of high quality components for customers.

Stockton Casting Co also manufactures various general engineering components in the following materials: grey iron, SG iron, Simo and Ni resist to ISO standards including carbon, low alloy and stainless cast steels. The cast weight range is 2-1500kg. The company is accredited to BSEN ISO 9001:2008 through LRQA and also produces prototype and development parts for all industries to suit all existing and future customers.

A strong investment programme is in place which the company confirms will improve existing manufacturing facilities and further improve final quality levels in line with a commitment to provide quality, value and service.Contact: Steve Keelan, sales director, Tel: +44 (0)1642 607486,email: [email protected] web: www.stockton-casting.co.uk


Industry in focus

An exciting new chapter is currently being written in the history of Cannop Foundry Ltd, having been recently acquired by the Thoni-Alutec Group, one of Europe’s premier casting producers.

Building on the dynamic growth of the business since relocation to the current site in 2007, Cannop plans to further enhance capabilities at its Cinderford base, to provide customers with world class facilities for the production of low-medium volume, high integrity castings in both ferrous and non-ferrous alloys. The ongoing investments will give Cannop the ability to design/produce tooling, casting simulate, manufacture, heat-treat and verify all products produced in-house. Through strategic partnership with selected machining companies, we will offer further added value stages to the manufacturing process, thereby enhancing the services supplied to our new and existing customer base. This will enable Cannop to closely manage the whole process from design concept to fully finished castings all within the UK site, whilst also having the resource, support and volume production capabilities of the parent foundry group to satisfy demands from higher volume customers seeking to have their requirements supplied through a UK base.

Serving diverse markets across the UK and continental Europe, Cannop currently supply high integrity ferrous castings in SG, grey, austempered ductile, compacted graphite, austenitic, wear resistant, Si-Mo and Ni-Resist high temperature irons, whilst the non-ferrous foundry manufactures sand castings in the full range of aluminium alloys typically available. The site currently holds approvals for the manufacture of castings to ISO9001:2008 along with several major worldwide customer based approvals.

Our diverse product range includes castings for: automotive prototyping and development, power generation and green energy technologies, complete casting supply across the solids and liquid pumping industry, wear resistant components, low and medium volume production of engines blocks and cylinder heads, large oil sumps for stationery engine sets, oil and gas filtration bodies and safety critical gas shut-off valves across a range of sizes.

Since the acquisition of the entire freehold site in Cinderford, significant investments are now underway, focusing on reducing lead times, improving product quality and repeatability and also targeting the process impact on the environment whilst reducing the consumption of precious natural resources.

This total approach to process and product quality coupled with in-house verification reflects the Thoni-Alutec commitment to providing its customer base with consistent and demonstrable process control, resulting in enviable casting quality throughout the range of parts produced.

With the existing management team retained at Cannop, the company hopes to build on the foundations of strong relationships with its customer base enjoyed over the previous years and also looks forward to taking the team onward with new projects and processes within the metal casting sector.

Through partnership, innovation and process development, Cannop Foundry, now supported by the Thoni-Alutec group of companies, sees a very bright future ahead in the UK casting market and looks forward to writing several new chapters in the company’s long and proud history.

Cannop Foundry LtdCrabtree Road Cinderford Glos. GL142YQT: +44 (0) 1594 823966 F: +44 (0) 1594 824200E: [email protected] www.cannop.co.ukFor More Information please contact:Mr David Hall - Technical Sales Director M: +44 (0) 7774 697798 E: [email protected] Jay Kitchen - Technical Director M: +44 (0) 7931 343799 E: [email protected]


Industry in focus

Castings Buyer 2012.indd 32 04/04/2012 15:32

An exciting new chapter is currently being written in the history of Cannop Foundry Ltd, having been recently acquired by the Thoni-Alutec Group, one of Europes’ premier casting producers.

Building on the dynamic growth of the business since relocation to the current site in 2007, Cannop plans to further enhance capabilities at its Cin-derford base, to provide Customers with world class facilities for the pro-duction of low-medium volume, high integrity castings in both Ferrous and Non-Ferrous alloys. The ongoing investments will give Cannop the ability to design/produce tooling, casting simulate, manufacture, heat-treat and verify all products produced in-house. Through strategic partnership with selected machining companies, we will offer further added value stages to the manu-facturing process, thereby enhancing the services supplied to our new and existing Customer base. This will enable Cannop to closely manage the whole process from design concept to fully finished castings all within the UK site, whilst also having the resource, support and volume production capabilities of the parent foundry group to satisfy demands from higher volume Custo-mers seeking to have their requirements supplied through a UK base.

Serving diverse markets across the UK and continental Europe, Cannop currently supply high integrity Ferrous castings in SG, Grey, Austempered Ductile, Compacted Graphite, Austenitic, Wear resistant, Si-Mo and Ni-Resist High temperature irons, whilst the Non-Ferrous foundry manufactures sand castings in the full range of Aluminium alloys typically available. The site cur-rently holds approvals for the manufacture of castings to ISO9001:2008 along with several major worldwide Customer based approvals.

Our diverse product range includes castings for, automotive prototyping and development, power generation and green energy technologies, comple-te casting supply across the solids and liquid pumping industry, wear resistant components, low and medium volume production of engines blocks and cylinder heads, large oil sumps for stationery engine sets, oil and gas filtration bodies and safety critical gas shutoff valves across a range of sizes.

Since the acquisition of the entire freehold site in Cinderford, significant in-vestments are now underway, focusing on reducing leadtimes, improving pro-duct quality and repeatability and also targeting the process impact on the environment whilst reducing the consumption of precious natural resources.

This total approach to process and product quality coupled with in-house verification reflects the Thoni-Alutec commitment to providing its Customer base with consistent and demonstrable process control, resulting in enviable casting quality throughout the range of parts produced.

With the existing management team retained at Cannop, the Company hopes to build on the foundations of strong relationships with its Customer base enjoyed over the previous years and also looks forward to taking the team onward with new projects and processes within the metal casting sector.

Through partnership, innovation and process development, Cannop Foundry, now supported by the Thoni-Alutec group of Companies, sees a very bright future ahead in the UK casting market and looks forward to writing several new chapters in the Companies long and proud history.

®

Cannop Foundry LtdCrabtree Road Cinderford Glos. GL142YQ T: +44 (0) 1594 823966 F: +44 (0) 1594 824200 E: [email protected] www.cannop.co.ukFor More Information please contact:

Mr David Hall - Technical Sales Director M: +44 (0) 7774 697798 E: [email protected] Jay Kitchen - Technical Director M: +44 (0) 7931 343799 E: [email protected]

Industry in focus

Carlton Die CastingsCarlton Die Castings vision is to provide an unrivalled service in Die Casting and CNC machining. While some companies insist on the false economy of sourcing their castings in China and low cost European companies, Carlton Die Castings provides the quality and service to ensure that castings arrive on time every time with 0% rejects. What price can be put on that?

Carltons is a family owned business based in Paisley with excellent communication links for the UK and Europe being situated immediately adjacent to Glasgow Airport, major motorways and shipping terminals. Castings are produced to our stringent ISO 9001:2008 standards by both gravity and high pressure processes in aluminium and zinc. An extensive CNC machining capacity enables the supply of castings fully machined and ready for assembly. They feel the need to continually modernise with the recent purchases of a 725 ton Buhler die casting machine and an 11 pallet, ultra high speed Matsuura machining centre. These are added to the already extensive range of gravity and high pressure services and CNC machining.

The company offers a design service where they like to assist with product design at the initial stage. One of Carltons specialities is making prototypes machined from solid or from sand or silicon moulds from the designed alloy so that a component can be assembled and tested to represent the final application. Carltons principle markets cover all aspects of manufacturing from floodlights and electrical switch gear to forklift trucks, oil exploration and rail track safety, and specialise in castings for hazardous conditions manufactured to ‘Zone 1’ requirements.

For further information: tel: +44 (0) 141 887 8355; fax: +44 (0) 141 848 1157; e-mail: [email protected] www.carltondie.com


CarltonDie Castings Ltd.

High pressure and gravity diecasting in aluminium and zinc combined with an extensive CNC machining capability.

Providing an unrivalled service

in Die Casting and CNC Machining

88 GREENHILL ROAD, PAISLEY PA3 1RDTEL: 0141-887 8355FAX: 0141-848 1157

WEB: www.carltondie.comE-mail: [email protected]

ISO 9001

®

For all your Precision casting needs

Manufactured in our modern facility based in Poland, over 90% for export to Europe, Asia and America.

Aluminium and Magnesium Castings in:High Precision SandLow Pressure DieGravity DieCapability:

Casting sizes from 1 Kg to 10,000 Kg

Quality:ISO 9001/ AS 9100/ NADCAP/ IRIS etc

On site:Casting Design facilityHeat treatmentFully equipped metallurgical laboratoryX-RayFPI (Dye penetrate)CNC MachiningSurface treatmentAssembly

Markets Served:Robotics Energy Railway AerospaceAutomotive Defence Marine ArchitecturalGeneral Engineering

For more information please contact:

Mr. Jay KitchenThorpe Park Business ParkLeeds LS15 8ZATel. +44 (0113) 251 5682Tel. Mobile: +44 (0) 7931 343799E-Mail: [email protected]

or visit our website:

www.thoni-alutec.com

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