conforming to codes, facility main- tenance approvals and demanding international standards.” Holmberg was among a group
of technical experts, engineers and foundry consultants who were heavily involved in the planning, construction and start-up, working to ensure every step of the design process went smoothly and accord- ing to plan.
Choosing to construct the
high-tech facility on a brand new site allowed Victaulic to tailor the casting facility toward optimal operations and provide for future expansion. “We have 90-plus years of his-
tory at Victaulic and the company certainly understands the foundry industry inside out,” said Holmberg. “But we made sure we brought in the right experts to assist us in the setup of all areas, and that made a big difference.” Victaulic chose to add its own
electric substation to supply power, as it has done before with other facilities, even those situated in industrial parks.
Thinking Big
The new plant’s molding pro- cess was adopted for advantages such as surface finish. This line features fast loop, roll-over, flow coat, semi-automated molding with a 79 x 84 x 71-in. maximum fast-loop mold capacity. The core room also uses a nobake process and a flow coat system. Nobake molding is the perfect molding process for large and heavy castings, according to Vassal. It pro- vides high dimensional stability and can reach up to 0.01 in. (0.254mm) of precision before machining in non-core/parting line areas. On the melt deck, two induc-
tion midfrequency furnaces of three metric tons each have treatment and pouring ladles of 1.5 metric tons. Te most common parts manu-
factured on a daily basis are large pipe fittings and accessories, pump and compressor housings and large valve parts. Te new facility in Mexico is
one of the company’s most energy efficient and clean plants. Sand is thermally reclaimed, and 90% of product is made from recycled metal. It also employs advanced painting techniques to lessen the effects of volatile organic com- pounds. Dust cleaners improve working conditions and reduce environmental impact. “We are addressing our global sustainability commitments, and cus- tomers are increasingly aware of our efforts,” said Vassal. “We have taken a number of very positive steps. For example, we now have an environ- mental manager solely concentrating on better dust extraction at our facili- ties worldwide.”
Quality Is Essential With a dedicated department
responsible for ensuring high standards are consistently enforced worldwide, quality control is central to Victaulic. The company
employs a director of global quality and process technology who orga- nizes regular audits and arranges seminars. Best practices are dissemi- nated throughout its operations and knowledge is exchanged, making sure the right people are in place to oversee production standards at any given time. “Quality is key for our customers, and it is key for us,” said Vassal. “We aim for consistently outstanding levels of customer service.” Te new plant uses vertical turret
lathes, which “attack” a rotating part with fixed cutting tools to meet tough upper-end specifications and maintain high quality levels. Horizontal boring mills with rotating cutting tools tackle stationary parts. “Te foundry moved very smoothly
into production, and the design team moved on to the next challenge,” said Vassal. “For Victaulic, this is another exciting and major step forward in the company’s history.”
July 2014 MODERN CASTING | 25 Large iron bell castings are manufactured at the Victaulic Chihuahua foundry.
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