Articles: Industry News

AFS Corporate Member Eagle Alloy hosted a visit from its Michigan State Representative, Luke Meerman, and his son Kennett. Rep. Meerman has fought against damaging regulations that present obstacles for the company and the metalcasting industry in general.

 “As a fifth generation dairy farmer, Rep. Meerman is intimately aware of the challenges that face small businesses, and we thank him for his efforts on our behalf,” said Jeff Cook, chief sales and marketing officer Eagle Alloy. 

AFS Corporate Member Hunter Foundry Machinery announced it is celebrating its 60th anniversary. In 1963, Al Hunter had an idea for a new type of automated green sand molding machine and founded the company the following year. 

Hunter’s machines have evolved the foundry industry during the last 60 years with many refinements and technological improvements. Focused solely on the foundry industry, Hunter has more than 1,900 molding machines and mold handling systems installed around the world today.  

AFS Corporate member AMERICAN Cast Iron Pipe Company’s “Right Way” Next Generation Melt Project is one of 33 projects selected for award negotiation by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED). In total, the selected projects are eligible to receive up to $6 billion to accelerate decarbonization projects and provide American manufacturers with a competitive advantage in the emerging clean energy economy.

r Grede received the 2024 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award, which honors a select group of businesses and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to energy efficiency and the transition to a clean energy economy.  Winners are selected from a network of thousands of ENERGY STAR partners.

AFS Corporate Member Superior Graphite has reached an agreement with Unimetal to divest its recarburizer business.
Unimetal will take over the Desulco trademark, the X-Carb brand, and commercial operations, using the Superior Graphite Heat Treatment process. 

“These products will perfectly fit into our portfolio for metallurgical applications”, says Alan Yung, CEO of Unimetal.

AFS Corporate Member Metal Technologies Inc. (MTI) of Auburn, Indiana, has acquired Key 3 Casting LLC, which owns and operates two aluminum die and squeeze casting facilities as well as a ductile iron foundry. 

The facilities involved in the sale include Jackson Die Casting LLC in Jackson, Tennessee; Minneapolis Die Casting LLC in Minneapolis; and Northern Foundry in Hibbing, Minnesota. The combined operations have approximately $74 million in annual sales and 300 employees. 

Metals recycler MetalX LLC has selected a 190-acre site in Defiance, Ohio, for its previously announced aluminum recycling campus. Initial development plans include an aluminum rolling slab manufacturing plant, a scrap shredding and advanced sortation facility, and a dedicated logistics hub. 

AFS Corporate Member Le Sueur Inc. (LSI), a supplier of complex aluminum castings, machined castings, and plastic injection molded components, has completed the acquisition of Craft Pattern and Mold (Craft). 

Craft, based in Montrose, Minnesota, is a rapid prototyping and complex metal and plastics component manufacturer. Craft has over 30 years of industry experience and has established itself, along with its skilled employees, as a leader in delivering high-quality parts to customers. 

Wabash Castings Inc., Wabash, Indiana, has installed a new, $1.5 million JOEST Complete Shaker System that will improve operations and reduce landfill waste. The new shaker system allows the aluminum casting manufacturer to reclaim and reuse approximately 500 tons of sand per month, removing it from the landfill stream. 

AFS Corporate Member Bingham & Taylor celebrated a two-year expansion and upgrades at its Culpeper, Virginia, foundry with a ribbon cutting event on October 6. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin along with local and regional elected officials were in attendance to show their support for the company’s newly unveiled electric melt system.