DOMESTIC METALCASTERS
SIZEUP
Explore the domestic metalcasting industry capabilities from materials to value added services.
F AN MCDP STAFF REPORT
or the second year, Metal Casting Design & Purchasing looked at how the cookie crumbles for the U.S. metalcasting industry. T e data was compiled from a survey of 1,617 domestic metal- casting facilities, 79% of the estimated total of 2,040 plants. Following is a breakdown of the survey results. T e
percent of responses refl ects the number of surveyed facili- ties that responded to each question. Averages were found by eliminating the highest and lowest numbers in each category and dividing the sum by the number of responses.
Material
Leader: Aluminum Last Place: Titanium Percent of Responses: 89% Aluminum is the dominant mate-
rial, with 882 facilities (55% of the industry) pouring some type of alu- minum alloy. No other material comes close to aluminum’s share. (Many facilities report pouring more than one material.) Iron is the second most used material, with 31% of metalcasting facilities pouring the metal. About 143 facilities reported pouring aluminum, iron and steel, and 167 facilities pour both aluminum and iron. Titanium has remained in last place, with only 19 facilities casting it. Compared to 2010, most of the alloy use showed only slight fl uctuation.
Process
Leader: Horizontally-Parted Green Sand Last Place: V-Process Percent of Responses: 90% Horizontally parted green sand
While most facilities report using multiple processes, the horizontally parted green sand process is the most popular.
molding takes the cake for the most popular process, having 659 (or 45% of facilities) claim it. Its vertically- parted counterpart is only used by 15% of facilities. The nobake process comes in a close second at 42%. (Many facilities report using multiple processes.) One hundred twenty-three facilities use both the green sand and permanent mold processes, and 451 facilities use both the green sand and nobake processes.
Jan/Feb 2012 | METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING | 33
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 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64