Mapleton also has invested in its ability to perform rapid


prototyping of complex parts, offering sand mold and core machining in-house. “Our capability to machine sand molds allows us to


produce molds just like the production process,” said Brian Callear, Master Black Belt and manager of Mapleton’s pat- tern shop. “We don’t need the hard tools right away, allowing us to produce 10-15 blocks economically while tooling is being built.” While the molds aren’t perfect out of the box due to a stair- stepping effect, Mapleton is able to produce accurate prototypes after minimal post-processing. Mostly, the process is used for large block tooling, which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Te facility has found success with other parts, as well, including a support bracket fabrication it converted to a ductile iron casting. With no hard tooling, Mapleton was able to develop the casting from the model in six weeks. New machining capacity also has been added at the


Mapleton plant. In 2007, Caterpillar discovered it needed to increase capacity at its Lafayette machining plant. Te com- pany decided to address the issue at Mapleton because the metalcasting facility could consume all the chips produced and potentially identify subsurface defects. At the time, Mapleton did some pre-machining, and a multimillion dollar investment has allowed the facility to machine the majority of its large block production—75 blocks per day at 13.5 to 35 minutes of machine time per piece. “With machining in-house, external scrap on blocks went from 2% to 0.5%,” Bevilacqua said.


Engineering and Beyond While Mapleton has transitioned to mostly large blocks


and heads (its capacity for the products has doubled), it still produces some smaller (200 to 300-lb.), lower volume recurring heads in the 500-3,000 part-per-year range. Mostly, the parts are made for older and rebuilt engines— components that have been shopped for outsourcing but have come back due to supplier issues. Mapleton also still has a line dedicated to casting engine liners. With nearly 1 million square feet under one roof and a 400 acre site, the facility has significant fixed costs that have to be managed when volumes drop. “Our team has been keenly focused on cost containment,


and it’s really made a difference, reducing our cost per ton by more than $200,” Bevilacqua said. “Safety has been another key to Mapleton’s success, reducing recordable injuries by more than 75% over the past decade. We also need the broad product base to assure minimum tonnage.” With the help of Mapleton’s new molding lines, keeping that minimum should be easier than ever, even with capital tight for future investments. “We are a big company, and investment dollars were not


scrutinized as closely in the past,” Bevilacqua said. “It’s not the case anymore. We are trying to foster the attitude that even though it’s Caterpillar’s money, you don’t need to spend it like it’s your own.” ■ To receive this digital magazine in the future, go to www.globalcastingmagazine.com.


“我们加工砂型的能力让我们就像生产过程一样生 产砂型，”黑带大师，Mapleton的模板车间经理Brian Callear说 ，“我们并不马上需要硬件工具，这允许 我们在开发模具的同时就能很经济地生产10-15件缸 体。”


尽管加工的砂型由于有阶梯现象并不完美，但是


Mapleton可以采用最小的后处理后就能产生准确的原 型。在大多数情况下，这个过程用于通常花费数十万美元 的大型缸体模具。该设备已成功用于其它部件，包括将支 撑架生产成球墨铸铁铸件。不需要硬件模具，Mapleton 能在六个星期内根据模型将铸件铸造出来。 Mapleton工厂增加了新的加工能力。卡特彼勒在 2007年发现它需要增加在拉法叶加工工厂的能力。 公司决定在Mapleton解决问题，因为铸造设备会消 耗所有的切屑，并有可能找出表层下的缺陷。那时 候，Mapleton做了一些粗加工，并且数百万美元的投 资允许这些设备加工大多数的大型缸体——每天75件缸 体，每个在13.5至35分钟机器时间内。 “通过机械加工，缸体外废从2％降至0.5％ ，”Bevilacqua说。


工程与其它 虽然Mapleton转型大多是大型缸体和缸盖的生产（ 其该项产品的能力增加了一倍），它仍然生产一些规模 较小的（200至300磅重）低容量的缸盖，每年生产能 力在500-3,000件范围。大部分时候这些部件是为旧型 号和重建的发动机制造——这些部件本来已经外包，但 由于供应商的问题而回单。Mapleton也仍然有专门铸 造的发动机缸套生产线。在一个屋檐下拥有近1万平方 英尺和一个400英亩的场地，当产量减少时，这些设备 需要的固定管理费用不可忽略。


“我们的团队一直在敏锐地关注成本控制， 并且这真的有效，我们每吨成本减少超过200美 元，”Bevilacqua说，“安全一直是Mapleton的另一 成功的关键，在过去的十年伤害记录减少超过75％。我 们还需要宽广的产品基地，以保证最低的产量。 ” 在Mapleton的新造型线的帮助下，保持最低产量应 比以往任何时候都更容易，即使考虑到未来的投资资本 紧缩。


“我们是一家大公司，并且美元投资不及过去的审议 那样严格，”Bevilacqua说， “这不再是问题了。我们 正试图培养这样的态度，即使它是卡特彼勒公司的钱，


当你花的时候你不需要把它当作这是你自己的。” ■ 请点击www.globalcastingmagazine.com获取电子版 杂志.


Winter 2012 FOUNDRY-PLANET.COM | MODERN CASTING | CHINA FOUNDRY ASSOCIATION | 47


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