“After years of investing in new machinery, we’ve learned to do our due diligence in depth,” recalled BCI Solutions chief executive J.B. Brown. Brown was detailing the ferrous foundry’s recent effort to select a new matchplate molding line to replace two older machines.
BCI Solutions - long known as Bremen Castings Inc. – has been family- owned and -operated through four generations, since 1939, and supplies machined gray iron and ductile iron castings from the Bremen, IN, foundry. But, during the Covid-19 pandemic the foundry had struggled to source spare parts for the molding operations, which underscored the importance of machine reliability once the planning started for a new molding installation.
Their attention turned to DISA, and its MATCH 20/24 matchplate molding line. Brown continued: “Talking to other foundries, we heard again and again that the DISA MATCH is a tank: a strong, high-quality and well-supported machine. We chose our first DISA because they are reliable, very fast, and the service and training are excellent.”
The compact DISA MATCH machines are available in six chamber sizes, from 14/19 to 32/32, and with speeds up to 210 molds/hour (mph). Pattern changes can be carried out in just two or three minutes, with the option of automatic core-setting.
The machines are built to be rigid, supporting the foundry’s goals of reliability and availability.
“Working with DISA was seamless,” Brown continued. “The machine went in smoothly and the MATCH’s matchplate adaptors let us re-use all our old 14/19 and 20/24 plates on it.
“The training went great,” he added. “We powered it up and, voilà, the next thing we knew, we were making molds.”
After the installation and once the new machine reached full-rate production in February 2025, BCI operators came to realize the speed at which the DISA MATCH 20/24 performs. Whereas the old 14/19 machines would top-out at about 90 molds/hour, the MATCH can run up to 145 molds/hour with cores.
“It’s a huge speed increase, which cuts our labor cost per casting way down,” according to Brown. “That lowers our breakeven (cost), so we can quote with a lower price.”
More specifically, the CEO noted the higher molding rate makes BCI more competitive against foreign-sourced castings. “And we’re winning more business,” he emphasized.
There are advantages beyond the rate of production. The precisely controlled DISA MATCH has reduced overall scrap rate for the foundry because casting surface finishes are rated “excellent”, with parting lines less visible and very little grinding required. Operating across two, 10-hour shifts on weekdays, the DISA MATCH is now the operators’ favorite among the other available molding machines.
“It makes a nice tight mold that doesn’t need to be blown off, which saves a lot of previously wasted labor time,” Brown explained. “Of all our machines, it produces the best mold and the best-looking casting - 100%. Shift mismatch is almost irrelevant with the MATCH and defects are down too, especially sand-related defects. If you want a quality casting that looks good, produced really fast, then definitely go with a DISA MATCH.”
BCI operators particularly appreciate the easy-to-use control interface. To get ready for the next run, the operator simply enters a component part number and the Monitizer | CIM recipe manager will load the machine settings automatically.
Through nearly a full-year of operation, the machine has needed far less maintenance than the other in-house machines, though DISA offers 24/7 telephone support for any emerging problems.
“We have to make constant adjustments on our other matchplate machines, like adjusting slippers every hour,” Brown reported . “The DISA MATCH doesn’t need any of that. It’s just the way it is engineered and built, they’ve developed a very robust machine. The 24/7 support line is something that no other molding company offers, and we’ve called it a couple of times during nightshifts. My team really appreciates that support.”
Working and training with DISA, BCI Solutions operators continue to fine-tune machine settings and gating for different applications, so that even more jobs can run on it. It is fitting an automatic core-setter and is deploying the Monitizer | DISCOVER IIoT solution foundry-wide, to help reduce waste further and maximize efficiency.
