Ross Aluminum Casting Expands Permanent-Mold Capacity

Ross Aluminum Castings L.L.C. reports that it recently increased its production capacity for permanent-mold castings by approximately 50% with the addition of a new melting and pouring line. The Sidney, OH, foundry had been concerned primarily with green sand and no-bake molding, as well as finishing of aluminum castings. The company supplies aluminum castings to manufacturers of fuel pumps, hydraulic valves, and gear boxes for aerospace applications. Ross Aluminum also produces a range of aluminum castings for specialty and high-performance automotive and diesel truck markets, as well as for general manufacturing applications. It continues to offer sand-cast products, too, and most of its castings can be offered fully finished and machined. Prior to the recent expansion, the company details, Ross Aluminum Castings had invested in a 12,000-ft ² facility dedicated to producing castings for a single customer. There, it installed a 4,000-lb/hour Modern Equipment Co. Jet Melter. Now, that furnace has been supplemented by a 75-ft long, integrated launder line that supplies molten aluminum to eight permanent-mold casting production cells. This system uses in-line filtration and rotary degassing to ensure the specified metal quality. Also, a new ABB robotic cell has been installed, combining knockout and sawing, to improve handling of larger aluminum castings (over 100 lb.) A company statement says this expansion “demonstrates that Ross is committed to implementing lean concepts throughout our facility.”