ing soon) and others—and it maintains proficiency in green sand, nobake, centrifugal and investment casting. “If the Army needs it, we
pour it,” said Curtis Lipovic, the arsenal’s hot metals branch chief. “That’s why we’re here.” RIA operates what amount
to two distinct casting opera- tions. The sand plant makes up the bulk of the work and is located in the largest por- tion of the space dedicated to casting (62,000 sq. ft., includ- ing the finishing room). The facility runs both a green sand and nobake casting line. The lines are fed by two direct arc furnaces (one 3-ton and one 5-ton), four induction furnaces (two 1,000-lb. and two 500-lb.) and a small lift coil furnace. According to Lipovic, the sand operation would be capable of producing 25 tons of mate- rial per day, if it were to run three full shifts. Currently, the plant is running one shift, and 100% of its production is of howitzer parts. “We have produced armor parts in
the past,” Lipovic said. “We had that project for about a year, and the orders were completed.” RIA maintains a small centrifugal cast-
ing machine in the same space as the sand plant. In practice, the machine is used only a few times per year (at most 5% of total production), but it’s one more thing that allows RIA to be the jack of all trades its military customers need it to be. In a different area of the sprawling manufacturing campus—and seem- ingly a world away—is the invest- ment casting plant. There, RIA makes small arms parts and components for weapons systems produced by other manufacturers, such as castings for the Blackhawk helicopter gun mount. The investment facility’s workload “con- tinues to grow,” according to Lipovic, and runs two full shifts with a 50-lb. induction furnace feeding its manual shell molding line. It is from the investment casting area
of RIA that the arsenal has generated the expertise to develop its newest proj- ect—the installation of titanium casting capabilities. Lipovic said the facility will pour its first titanium in the next several months, after the installation of a new
March/april 2010
RIA is in the process of installing vacuum-assisted titanium cast- ing capabilities.
“We are looking for some-
one with titanium experience to start us off on the right foot,” Lipovic said. “We keep grow- ing, and we’re losingpeople.”
Partnerships, Not Competitions
RIA will take orders for one
part to one million parts. That’s a double-edged sword, admit- ted Fullerlove. The manufac- turer can fulfill such short run orders primarily because it is not as focused on the bottom line as are private companies. “We’re not in it to make a
profit,” Fullerlove said. “We are in it to be a supplier of choice for the military, and it doesn’t matter what the cost is.” Lipovic sees the same thing
from his perspective in the metalcasting branch. “It is a challenge. The majority of the work we
titanium furnace and robotic shell pro- duction line nearly doubles the size of the investment casting facility to 9,800 sq. ft. At that time, RIA will begin pouring its non-titanium investment parts in the sand facility, reserving the older, smaller furnace in the investment area for only the shortest production jobs. The one hurdle that remains is
bringing in the number of qualified people that are needed to launch a successful titanium operation.
get is very difficult for others to cast or in small quantities that make it unattractive to other [metalcasting fa- cilities],” he said. In addition to its take-any-job phi-
losophy, RIA endures higher labor rates than many other weapons sys- tems producers, so it can be underbid on some of the bulk programs the military sources. “We have to pay for certain things on the island, like the grounds crew
In addition to its metalcasting facilities, RIA maintains extensive machining capabilities. Metal casting Design anD purchasing 35
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