date changes in pouring conditions and stop automatically if there is a blowout in the mold. “Automated pouring systems
keep pace with the fastest molding machines,” Prabhu said. Consistency and repeatability provide benefits in quality and waste reduction. They also can be configured to pour mul- tiple mold lines at once.
Ensuring Quality
Quality control, whether operated as standalone processes or integrated into a fully automated system, is an area where software plays a key role. Te spectrometer interface is one
area that has been automated for the melt department. Before any castings are poured, test data can be down- loaded right from the instrument. “Anyone in any sized company making a high quality aluminum casting benefits from quality control software,” said Robert Nealon, presi- dent, Thermtronix, Adelanto, Calif. “Investment casting in particular is focused on high quality castings, and a system for detecting poros- ity of the casting can make it more productive for them.” Workers on the melt deck can put a
halt on a heat and alert other depart- ments via an MIS system. “Tey also can enter a quality alert that will pop up at the next workstation,” Gacek said, “bringing it to the attention of the operator working on that casting.” Gacek offers Bremen Castings
Inc., Bremen, Ind., as an example of a shop eliminating islands of infor- mation and pushing data out to all levels. “They’ve got 50 or 60 iPads in their finishing stations,” he said. “It’s not something you see all the time. And these iPads are reflect- ing what those jobs are. Often, it’s a picture with annotations to watch out for something, or, ‘Grind this nodule off, here.’” In case of a critical quality prob-
lem, a user can electronically halt further shipment or production of that casting. “It’s keeping the problems within
your walls, because the last thing you want to do is have it go out into your customer base,” said Gacek.
September 2013 MODERN CASTING | 29
Whether in a small casting
operation or a multisite global supplier, software-based production manage- ment is becoming the norm. Compa- nies enjoying the fullest benefits move beyond standard operations to analyze real-time data from the shop floor and facilitate communication between departments to ensure quality.
MEDIA RESOURCE
Using the Actable App, scan this page to see a video of Dr. Roshan, Maynard Steel Cast- ing Co., discussing process knowledge. For instructions on how to use the app, see p. 3.
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