SPECIAL FOCUS: PLANT ENGINEERING Department/process step
Current output +35% +100%
Charging area Melting department Liquid metal transport Core shop Sand mixing
Molding department
Pouring, cope lifting, in-mold cooling Shakeout and knock-off Sand reclamation
Heat treatment and quenching Finishing department
Capacity of Current Facilities Capacity After Implementation on Second Phase (Expansion) Fig. 1. Shown is a summary of the outcome of the bottleneck analysis.
America’s leading manufacturer of special trackwork. It is uniquely positioned in the industry with spe- cialized engineering and integrated manufacturing capabilities. If it’s required in special trackwork, Nortrak can produce it, from concrete ties, to machined com- ponents, manga- nese and ductile iron castings, and injection molded synthetics. voestal- pine Nortrak oper- ates manufacturing facilities in eight locations across Canada (one) and the U.S. (seven), including the met- alcasting facility in Decatur.
In 2009, voes-
talpine Nortrak acquired the assets of Leading Edge Enterprises Inc. in Decatur. At the time of acquisition, the Decatur facil- ity offered a wide range of cast ductile iron and manganese steel products as
26 | MODERN CASTING October 2013
Nortrak emphasized any infrastructure and process
improvements should be designed
to minimize risks to worker safety.
well as injection molded plastic items. At present, the Decatur facility pro- duces both ductile iron and manganese steel castings entirely dedicated to railroad trackwork. Since its purchase, the plant’s employment has increased 165% to 125, and production has increased 204%. Railway cross-
ings have very specific properties and must meet strict requirements. Te maximum size of the manga- nese steel cast- ings poured at the metalcasting facility will have a maximum weight of 4,800 lbs. (2,175 kg) and a maxi- mum length of 288 in. (7.3 m). For engineering and expert assistance
with the project, voestalpine Nortrak chose to work with the Dutch firm Gemco Engineers, which had worked with Nortrak’s parent group on other
projects, including a railway crossings metalcasting facility in Europe. Te Decatur plant’s current
metalcasting capacity is 400 clean tons of manganese steel and ductile iron per week. Te company wants to double the manganese steel casting production while maintaining the current capacity level for ductile iron production. Te expansion project will address all infrastructure and process improvements required to meet the project objectives. Te sand system was one of the most important areas to address within the project. Decatur’s current man- ganese alloy production employs a nobake sand molding system, primar- ily utilizing flaskless molding with olivine sand and silica sand backing. Since local olivine sand is becoming more difficult for U.S. metalcasters to source, Nortrak already envisioned changing the sand system. Te project’s objectives are clear, but it has its constraints. Te expan- sion, optimization and improvements must be planned, built and commis- sioned in a way to minimize interfer- ence with the ongoing operation of
Non-magnetic scrap handling needs optimization, including relocation of storage for more efficient furnace charging.
Third furnace (considered in layout) will allow further expansion/ sustained growth.
Current pouring by overhead crane has sufficient capacity. Existing mixer will be dedicated to core production.
New mixer will be dedicated to the production of copes and drags. Optimized workflow and mechanized transport and mold handling will double molding capacity and reduce labor per mold.
Mechanization of the mold transport strongly reduces labor per mold.
Mechanized operation eliminates manual operations and increases safety.
New sand system: current olivine-silica to be converted to chromite silica system.
Mechanization of unloading improves the utilization of quenching and heat treatment and increases system capacity.
Extending the finishing area increases capacity, mechanization foreseen for the future.
Required output and capacities of departments in order to achieve a projected 2x production capacity with scope for sustained growth.
Remarks
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 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68