PRODUCT INNOVATIONS Case Study
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FDNX Molding System Gives Matsuzaki Casting Plug-and-Play Simplicity Matsuzaki Casting Industry, Aichi, Ja-
pan, is a five-employee gray iron facility producing brake discs and drums for the auto aftermarket in Japan and the Middle East. Since 1990, the firm has been practicing induction melting and
automatic green sand molding. In its 20 years of experience with automatic molding, the firm has gone through two different automatic molding machines from Sintokogio, Nagoya, Japan (represented in the
U.S. by Roberts Sinto Corp., Lansing, Mich.). But as global competition has continued to heat up, Matsuzaki Casting has been looking for ways to further reduce costs and increase the quality of its castings. “I asked the engineers at Sintokogio
to develop a smaller, less expensive molding machine for my operation,” said Hidemi Matsuzaki, the second generation owner of the metalcasting company. “After a year, they came back to me with the FDNX molding machine. The result has been a 30% reduction in casting defects.” Matsuzaki Casting received the
first global installation of the FDNX, a horizontally-parted matchplate molding machine designed for small job-shop metalcasters. The molding system pro- duces up to 100 molds/hour with a mold size of 13.8 x 17.7 x 5.9 in. (350 x 450 x 150 mm). It uses Sintokogio’s aeration sand filling technology and is installed without a pit by connecting power, compressed air and the sand supply. In addition to the reduction in de-
Matsuzaki Casting averages 60-80 molds/hour on its new FDNX automatic molding machine from Sintokogia.
fects, Matsuzaki said the molding ma- chine has allowed his firm to improve mold strength by 10-30% throughout the mold. Also, because the mold- ing machine has fewer components compared to previous matchplate machines, the life of the wear parts in the FDNX machine is extended, reducing costs further. “For a small plant like us, we need to
reduce the amount of time our molding machine is down,” said Matsuzaki. “The FDNX allows us to focus on making castings with a significantly reduced upfront investment compared to our two previous molding machines.” Matsuzaki Casting averages 60-80 molds/hour, 60% of which are cored, with the FDNX. In addition to after- market brake discs and drums, 40% of the metalcaster’s production is jobbing work for general manufacturing. As a metalcaster positioned within a
The FDNX molding machine was developed for small job-shop metalcasters and can be installed without a pit.
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residential neighborhood, a side benefit of the installation of the FDNX was a reduction in noise pollution, as the machine operates at 72dB.
MC Visit
www.robertssinto.com for more information. MODERN CASTING / December 2010
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