Progressive Foundry marked its centenary 10 years ago, and just two years after that it made a historic decision. The family-owned, gray- and ductile-iron casting producer in Perry, IA, selected the first of three DISA Match 20 x 24 horizontal flaskless molding machines. The initial appeal of DISA Match technology was its output of green-sand molds produced with high surface quality and clean parting lines, but once the Progressive Foundry adopted “speed upgrade” kits for two of the machines their moldmaking performance has been enhanced further. That is, faster.

“Very consistently we see 170 molds per hour (mph) on a cored job,” according to plant engineer Josh Magill. “Today, we’re running an uncored job at 213 mph, which is just unheard of for a matchplate machine.”

But even at high speed, Progressive Foundry reports the quality of the molds produced by the DISA Match machines remains reliably high, with low mismatch.

Progressive Foundry supplies ductile and gray iron castings to a wide range of customers, including intricate, heavily-cored components for industries – waterworks, for example. Regardless of job complexity, the operators maintain that the DISA Match machines consistently deliver very hard molds with tight parting lines, and predictable performance.

Auto core-setting, on pace and with precision

DISA Match machines are compact and available in six chamber sizes from 14/19 to 32/32. Their operating speeds are rated at up to 210 mph or faster. Manual pattern changes are completed in just two or three minutes, but adding the optional automatic core setter (CSE) has significantly improved both quality and operator experience at Progressive.

The CSE eliminates any manual core-setting bottlenecks. Equally important, the update has reduced the physical strain on operators and improved workplace safety. Built-in mechanical alignment guarantees accurate core positioning, helping to reduce casting defects and mismatch.

“My favorite aspect of the DISA Match is the core setter … hands down,” said president Darek VanKirk. “It’s made our life better here at Progressive Foundry.”

Consistently high productivity

For Progressive Foundry the three Match machines’ blazing speeds combined with fast and accurate core-setting are delivering high productivity that the team can rely daily.

“Production consistency makes scheduling easy,” Josh says. “If it’s got 30 cores or 10 cores, it’s going to run at 170 molds an hour all day long. There is minimal downtime and changeovers are quick.”

“We’d recommend the DISA Match to any foundry,” Magill concluded. “DISA has really been the partner we’ve needed to continue growing as a modern foundry. They listen to their customers and continuously make their equipment better. Their innovative ideas and what they bring to the market are second to none.”