INDUSTRY FACES


Molding Machine Visionary Al Hunter Dies at 89 Al Hunter, chairman of the board


and director of product development for Hunter Automated Machinery Corp., Schaumburg, Ill., died Oct. 29 at the age of 89. Hunter, who resided in Naples,


Fla., at the time of his death, launched Hunter Automated Machinery after he and his son, Bill Hunter, built the company’s first automatic matchplate molding machine in their garage in 1964. He later began designing mold handling systems. “As the inventor of the match- plate molding machine and...mold handling line innovations, [Hunter] changed the face of sand casting,” a company spokesperson said. “Te family and all of us who knew him mourn this loss.” Hunter was born in Wilkie, Sas-


the metalcasting industry as a floor molder at John T. Hepburn Ltd. Hunter went on to work for


several other metalcasting organiza- tions, including Toronto Foundry, Dominion Engineering Works, and Beardsley & Piper, before launching Hunter Automated Machinery. Dur- ing his tenure as head of the com- pany, Hunter is credited with forming partnerships and reciprocal agree- ments with companies worldwide. Today, the company he founded has operations in multiple countries. A member of the American


Hunter is credited by many in the industry for changing the role of automated molding in job shops.


katchewan, Canada, and served in the Royal Canadian Air Force in World War II. He earned his degree in mechanical engineering from the Univ. of Toronto in 1951 after being released from military service in 1945. While at university, Hunter began his career in


PERSONALS Alcoa, Pittsburgh, made Michael


Pepper president of its power and propulsion group, which includes its airfoil and structural castings division. Pepper has extensive experience work- ing in Alcoa’s metalcasting facilities.


Anthony Lovell, vice president of global sales and marketing for Grede Holdings LLC, South- field, Mich., was honored with the Marketing and Sales Executives of Detroit Platinum Award.


Greg Tipton was named the new


director of sales and marketing by Bre- men Castings Inc., Bremen, Ind.


Steven De Cenzo, staff engineer


and lead casting specialist in the Ma- terials and Process Engineering Group of Honeywell Aerospace, Warrendale, Pa., was given the SAE International Technical Standards Board Outstand-


ing Contribution Award, according to the Sacramento Bee. De Cenzo began his career in the metalcasting industry with Alcoa Howmet.


Chromalloy, Orangeburg, N.Y.,


made Carlo Luzzatto its new president. Jeremy Eastman joined the custom-


er technical sales and service team of Carpenter Brothers Inc., Milwaukee.


Powerit Solutions, Seattle, hired


Ralph Semyck as an account executive responsible for the Midwest.


G.H. Tool & Mold, Washington,


Mo., added Ralf Kind to its engineer- ing team to serve as process simula- tion engineer.


Foseco, Cleveland, made David


Hughes its new president of the foundry division. Te company also


OBITUARIES Fred Hetzler Sr., Hixson, Tenn.,


died Oct. 17. He was 92. Hetzler was former president and chief executive officer of Eureka Foundry Co., Chattanooga, Tenn. He served as president of the American Foundry Society, chairman of the Chattanooga Manufacturing Asso- ciation and a board member of the Ductile Iron Society.


December 2011 MODERN CASTING | 13


appointed Billy Patterson vice presi- dent of the foundry-Americas division and Carlos Cardozo vice president of marketing and technology.


Pradeep Rohatgi, a leader in the


field of casting materials research, was elected to the Society of Manufactur- ing Engineers Class of Fellows.


Foundry Society (AFS) since 1960, Hunter’s contributions to the indus- try led him to receive the AFS Man- agement Service Citation in 1990 and the William J. Grede Award in 2001. Hunter developed various concepts used every day in metal-


casting operations, including multi-level mold handling systems and automatic core setters. He authored more than 80 patents that have helped advance the metalcasting industry.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60