. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CASTING INNOVATIONS


corn, beans, grass and other crops. The agriculture manufacturer knew cost- saving opportunities could be found with metal castings and contacted green sand metalcaster Pier Foundry, St. Paul, Minn., to identify potential areas for conversions. Together, the two companies select-


D


ed a lower bracket fabrication, which consisted of 15 laser-cut steel pieces and required welding at 30 separate locations. Duratech had been cutting 60,000 individual steel parts to pro- duce 4,000 weldments at a single time in order to keep its costs competitive, which resulted in a two- to three-month lead time. Duratech knew converting the lower


bracket to a casting could result in sig- nifi cant labor savings, but the part had to meet certain criteria. The company wanted the component delivered ready- to-assemble, without requiring machin- ing. Several areas of the bracket needed to be cast fl at to facilitate bolting to the assembly. Further, Duratech hoped to gain an improvement in appearance and strength with the cast component. Pier Foundry used CAD models of


the fabricated part provided by Du- ratech and redrew them as 80-55-06 ductile iron castings. After the fi nal


Ag Manufacturer Cuts Cost, Lead Time With Casting Conversion


uratech Industries, James- town, N.D., wanted to save time and money on the production of a 18- row planter used to plant


designs were approved, Pier Foundry produced tooling and poured samples, which proved to work well with the assembly and needed no machining. The fi nal cast lower frame bracket


provided a significant cost savings over the steel weldment and reduced lead times from two to three months to two to four weeks, affording Du- ratech the ability to place orders of 100 pieces to coincide just-in-time with its implement assembly schedule. Further, the conversion opened up 20,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing and storage space at the OEM’s facility


and reduced inventory carrying costs. The 17.03-lb. (7.7 kg) ductile iron


casting weighs 0.75 lbs. more than the steel weldment. The additional weight helps drive the implement into the soil for better planting. “The biggest benefi ts are labor sav-


ings, freeing up people to work on other things, and the fact that the part is stronger and gives the assembly a new, robust look,” said Pat Bennett, a Duratech design engineer who worked on the lower bracket.


METAL


Visit www.pierfoundry.com for more information.


The lower frame bracket provided a signifi - cant cost savings over a steel weldment and reduced lead times.


50 METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011


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