Close to 2,220 members of the metalcasting industry convened in April to visit with peers, attend technical presentations and meet with exhibitors.

An MCDP Staff Report

(Click here to see the story as it appears in the May/June issue of Metal Casting Design & Purchasing.)

The 119th Metalcasting Congress returned to Columbus, Ohio, April 21-23, drawing more than 2,300 attendees and 235 exhibiting companies representing the metalcasting supply chain. The annual show, held every spring, features technical sessions, table-top exhibition, award ceremonies, lectures and networking activities, as well as the Cast in North America exhibitor pavilion and educational sessions for designers and buyers of castings.

The annual AFS President’s session held April 22 included two presenters focusing the industry’s workforce. Safety specialist Bill Koepnick provided a detailed program on how to change company culture to achieve world class safety. Gardner Carrick, National Association of Manufacturers, discussed employment trends and the latest statistics on hiring and how they will affect metalcasting companies in coming years.

On April 23, AFS held its annual business meeting in which the society welcomed its new Officers and Board of Directors class. The new AFS presidential line now consists of AFS President Bruce Dienst, Simpson Technologies, AFS Vice President Jeff Cook, Eagle Alloy, and AFS Second Vice President Patricio Gil, Blackhawk de Mexico. Chris Norch, Denison Industries, now serves as the AFS Immediate Past President.   

AFS presented several industry awards during Metalcasting Congress, including the industry’s top honor, the AFS Gold Medal, presented to Richard Gundlach, senior metallurgical engineer, Element Materials Technology, Wixom, Mich., and David Weiss, vice president engineering/R&D, Eck Industries, Inc., Manitowoc, Wis.

Gundlach received the Joseph S. Seaman Gold Medal for influential research on the structure-property relationships in gray, ductile iron and white cast irons, as well as Al-Si alloys, and the transfer of the resulting technical information to the metalcasting industry.

Weiss received the John A. Penton Gold Medal for pioneering work and willingness to explore new technologies in aluminum, magnesium and metal matrix composite alloys, and leadership within AFS, USCAR, and the premium aluminum casting industry.

The Michael J. Trzecinski CMI Award went to Michael Barstow, owner, Foundry Consulting, for his exceptional contributions to the AFS Institute as an instructor and member of its faculty.

The AFS Awards of Scientific Merit are presented for outstanding technical papers, meritorious technical contributions or services and/or the development of a new process, production method or engineering advancement having future possibilities. This year’s recipients were:

• Jim Furness, president, Furness-Newburge, Inc., Versailles, Ky., for scientific contributions to the metalcasting industry in the area of pollution control and research and implementation of foundry systems.
• Torbjorn Skaland, technology director, Elkem ASA, Foundry Products, Kristiansand, Norway, for research on the solidification characteristics of ductile iron and developing a practical application of this research.
• The AFS Service Citation is presented to individuals who show outstanding general service to AFS, its chapters and the metalcasting industry. This year’s recipients were:
• Mike Jones, plant manager, The Ford Meter Box Company, Inc., Wabash, Ind., for dedication to the pursuit of continuous improvement in the metalcasting industry and for outstanding contributions to the promotion of low-lead copper alloys for potable water applications.
• Kevin McMahon, field account manager, Elkem Metals Inc., Moon Township, Pa., for dedication to the mission of the American Foundry Society and Division 5 through outstanding contributions at the local and national level.
• Jerry Thiel, director, University of Northern Iowa, Metal Casting Center, Cedar Falls, Iowa, for leadership and service to the metalcasting industry as an educator, member and chairman of the AFS Hawkeye Chapter, and Molding Methods and Materials Division.

At the President’s Brunch on April 23, Honda of America and Alotech Ltd. were recognized for winning the 2015 AFS/Metal Casting Design & Purchasing Casting of the Year with their lower front body, upper front body and rear body nodes for the Acura NSX.

The AFS Millionaires Safety Award was given to the following AFS Corporate Members for achieving a million man-hours or more worked without incurring a lost time injury or illness during the calendar year 2014.

• Tyco Fire Protection Products, Anniston, Ala., for 3 million man hours (third award).
• ME Global Inc., Tempe, Ariz., for 2 million man hours.
• Charlotte Pipe & Foundry Company, Charlotte, N.C. for 1 million man hours (third award).
• Grede LLC. St. Cloud, St. Cloud, Minn., for 1 million man hours (fourth award).
• Grede Holding LLC. Iron Mountain Plant, Kingsford, Minn., for 1 million man hours (second award).
• Metal Technologies Inc. Auburn Casting Center, Auburn, Ind., for 1 million man hours.

A new award—the Corporate Contribution Award—was created this year to honor a company that has contributed significant employee time and company resources to the American Foundry Society and the metalcasting industry through involvement in AFS volunteer activities. This year, the award was presented to McWane Inc., Birmingham, Ala., and Badger Mining Corp., Berlin, Wis.

Hoyt Lecture: Outstanding Quality Using Team Management
Sara Joyce, Badger Mining Corp., delivered this year’s Hoyt Lecture, “Outstanding Quality Using Team Management (15-088)” on April 23. Her session detailed a team management philosophy to create outstanding quality in everything a business represents. It covered the pitfalls and successes of using the team to improve and maintain outstanding quality in every part of the customer experience.

Cast Iron Honorary Lecture
Russ Rosmait, Pittsburg State Univ., gave the Cast Iron Honorary Lecture April 21. “Recruiting the Next Generation of Metal Casters—How Do We Prepare for the Future Labor Shortages? (15-119)” included two strategies to avoiding a knowledge and labor shortage.

Molding Methods & Materials Silver Anniversary Paper
James Archibald, ASK Chemicals, presented the Molding Methods & Materials Division Silver Anniversary Paper, “Productivity and Ecology Consideration of High Production Cold Box Processes (15-096)” on April 21. The lecture reviewed the progress made over the last 25 years in coldbox technology.
Applied Research Award

The AFS Applied Research Award was presented to Robert Tuttle, Saginaw Valley State Univ., for the AFS research project, “Ultrasonic Testing Gage R&R Study.” The emphasis of this award is on practical research that directly addresses pressing technical problems faced by metalcasting facilities, the speed with which the research is transferred into shop floor applications and the collaborative role in developing and implementing technology. The award was presented at the Recognition Luncheon on April 21.
Taylor Award

Also presented at the Recognition Luncheon was the Howard F. Taylor Award to Jerry Thiel and Sairam Ravi, Univ. of Northern Iowa, for the paper, “Causes and Solutions to Veining Defects in Iron and Steel Castings (14-030).” This award is presented to the technical paper with the longest lasting impact on the metalcasting industry.

The 120th Metalcasting Congress will be held concurrently with Cast-Expo’16 next year in Minneapolis, April 16-19, 2016.