The 111th edition of the Metalcasting Congress, sponsored by the American Foundry
Society and the North American Die Casting Association, featured 56 technical
and management presentations. Over 1,800 people attended this annual event,
this year in Houston. Next year in Atlanta, AFS and NADCA will host CastExpo,
North America's largest trade show and exposition for metalcasters and industry
suppliers. Held every three years, CastExpo attracts thousands of decision-making
metalcasters from around the world, all of whom are looking for the latest advancements
in equipment, technology and services to use in their own facilities.
In addition to the exhibition, CastExpo is held in conjunction with the annual Metalcasting Congress, where technical and management papers will be presented. The wide variety of paper topics
planned for next year's Congress ranges from ferrous and nonferrous metals to molding, engineering,
melting, patternmaking, diecasting, lost foam casting, marketing, human resources, and environmental, health and safety — guaranteed to attract a plethora of metalcasters.

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Ashland Casting Solutions
Ashland Casting Solutions (www.ashland.com/businesses/apm/cs/)
presented a multi-panel display of its core and mold adhesives and binders;
water-based refractory coatings; core and mold release agents; and riser
sleeves, as well as software for running and feeding systems. ACS also
offers cleaners, for binder films and release agents that build up on
core boxes, tooling, and patterns; and sand additives to cut veining,
gas and penetration, and erosion defects. |
Bruker AXS
Bruker AXS (www.bruker-axs.de)
offered details of its advanced X-ray systems and solutions for structural
and elemental analysis using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence
(XRF), X-ray microanalysis (EDS), and X-ray crystallography techniques.
Its offerings are designed for material research and process analysis,
providing essential information about molecular structures, material and
structural parameters, and elemental composition. |
D&E Foundry Ladles
D&E Foundry Ladles (www.teemarkcorp.com/foundry)
offers standard and custom-design ladles for foundries pouring up to 30,000
lb. Special design features include "double enveloping" worm gears, to
increase durability and lessen backlash; renewable trunnion-bearing wear
surfaces that eliminate shaft scoring, for smooth rotation and longer
ladle life; and replaceable ladle bottoms, which lower refractory costs
and simplify maintenance. |
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Didion
Didion (www.didion.com)
presented its rotary equipment, which includes sand/casting separators,
media drums, protective coating drums, lump crusher/ sand reclaimers,
dryers, sand screeners, sand blending/cooling drums, separators/sprue
mills, tumblers/dross reclaimers, and separators/thimble cleaners. Didion
also showed its Conveyor Dynamics line (www.conveyordynamicscorp.com)
of vibrator processing machinery, for feeding, conveying, furnace charging,
shakeout, screening, and many more applications. |
Foseco
Foseco's (www.foseco-foundry.com)
portfolio of products for ferrous and nonferrous metalcasting were highlighted,
such as optimized feeding systems that reduce porosity; molten-metal filters
to guard against non-metallic inclusions; metal-treatment, inoculant,
and fluxing products; organic resin and sodium-silicate sand binders;
preformed insulation for ladles; mold/core coatings; and molding and pattern
materials. |
Foundry Educational Foundation (FEF)
The Foundation's administrators updated visitors on the latest developments
for the Foundation, which is celebrating 60 years of support and advocacy
for metalcasting education and career development. Visit FEF online at
www.fefinc.org. |
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| Foundry Solutions & Design
FS&D (www.foundrysd.com)
performs foundry-specific engineering and integration, and offers foundry
consulting, operational assistance, equipment automation, and installation
services. Its staff of engineers have decades of experience in metalcasting
operations, which is augmented with a network of consulting engineering
affiliates around the world. |
General Kinematics
General Kinematics (www.generalkinematics.com)
develops and manufactures vibratory systems that help profitable and efficient
foundries turn capital investments into profits. GK foundry equipment
increases casting throughput, reduces casting damage, and reduces maintenance
cost, and its designs are promoted as the "longest lasting" vibratory
equipment in the world. |
HA International
HA International is the North American foundry industry's largest
supplier of products for core/mold production. Its parent organizations
are well integrated in the global chemical industry: Borden Chemical Inc.,
is the largest producer of formaldehyde and phenolic resins in North America,
and Huttenes Albertus supplies the global foundry industry through a network
of subsidiary and affiliated companies. |
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Heraeus Electro Nite
Heraeus Electro-Nite (www.electro-nite.com)
designs and supplies products and services for sampling, measuring/ monitoring,
and controlling molten iron and steel, aluminum, and copper. Its products
are used for controlling temperature, oxygen activity, carbon, hydrogen
and nitrogen. It also offers sublance systems and sensors for sampling
molten metal conditions |
Inductotherm
Inductotherm (www.Inductotherm.com)
exhibited its induction melting systems and induction power supplies,
as well as charging and preheating systems, automatic pouring systems,
and computer control systems. The Inductotherm Group includes Bricmont
Inc. (thermal process engineering company); Electric Melting Services
(EMSCO), specializing in induction melting furnace repairs for all induction
melting furnace brands; and HI T.E.Q. Inc., a supplier of high-quality
aluminum processing furnaces. |
Info Sight Corporation
InfoSight (www.infosight.com)
develops industrial marking machines, as well as metal tag systems, metal-tag
printers, bar-code readers, and custom machinery for manual and automatic
identification and traceability. |
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Posi Flate
Posi-Flate (www.posiflate.com)
exhibited its various designs for inflated-seated butterfly valves (ANSIand
metric-flange compatible), and numerous control products, including pneumatic
actuators, limit switches, positioners (electro/pneumatic and pneumatic)
position monitors, and control assemblies. |
Viking Corporation
Viking (www.vikingcorporation.com)
designs a wide range of machinery for blast cleaning and surface preparation,
including standard and pass-through blasters, dust collectors, washers,
blast wheels, and equipment for job-shop blasting, washing, and painting. |
Vulcan
Vulcan (www.vulcangroup.com)
is recognized as North America's largest in-house engineering, manufacturing,
and installation group for metalcasting technology and operations. Its
range of products offer solutions for molding operations, including greensand
systems for various processes; matchplate and flaskless molding systems;
and automated mold-handling systems, as well as sand-reclamation systems
and complete lost-foam systems. |