Most recently, Franklin Bronze has
been making significant investments in people, equipment, product and processes to increase productivity and efficiency, improve responsiveness and collaboration with customers and drive innovation.
New Superalloy Inconel Castings Franklin Bronze has added equipment and advanced methods to pour a new range of superalloys, such as IN-713C, IN-100, IN-738, IN-718 and others. Castings manufactured in Inconel alloys are used for various high- temperature wear applications.
Some
examples include actuation pivot shaft castings used in turbo chargers for the automotive industry, valve seats, and lever arms used in the valve & pump industry. The castings are utilized in many industrial land-based components (AMS certification not required).
Cobalt-based Superalloy Castings In addition to new Inconel alloys, FBPC also produces durable and wear resistant cobalt-based castings which are used in a variety of high-temperature applications offering the following advantages: the ability to absorb stress in high-temperature environments; superior hot corrosion resistance; and superior thermal fatigue resistance. Cobalt castings are used in the canning industry to form the lids on cans and in steel processing. Valves and fittings made of cobalt alloys are used in the valve & pump industry where components come in contact with corrosive environments.
Rapid Prototyping for New Product Development Franklin Bronze introduced rapid prototyping through 3-D printed waxes to their investment casting process in order to more efficiently and effectively design and develop new products. FBPC deploys 3-D printing prototyping in partnership with customers’
engineering teams.
New advancements in 3-D printing technology has allowed for rapid, small order prototyping with no need for wax model tooling. FBPC can more
®
quickly prove out the part and process to determine success. No tooling is required as the digital printing process is based on the CAD data for the component; the 3D printer builds the model layer by layer, with exceptional repeatability and capability no matter how complex.
Optimized Facility Layout for Better Flow and Communication Through re-evaluation of processes and workflow, the facility went through a layout re-design. The facility was optimized for more efficient layout to achieve better flow from department to department as well as intra- departmentally. The re-designed layout has created higher velocity through the plant and promotes communication and collaboration. Additional
facility improvements
include the purchase of new CNC milling and turning equipment. This purchase was made to provide additional capacity in the machine shop for both large and small castings that require machining.
Investment in People FBPC employs a workforce of nearly 100 people. John Nichols was recently hired as General Manager and brings 30 years of experience in castings with a concentration in investment castings. As General Manager, John leads the Franklin Bronze team to develop and grow the business with a strong focus on safety, continuous improvement, quality, innovation and customer service. Franklin Bronze, through the leadership and direction of John Nichols, is actively working on a broad range of workforce development initiatives including a vigorous cross-training program.
In addition, Franklin Bronze
obtained funding from WEDNet, which serves Pennsylvania’s manufacturers. The funding has been used to train operators and staff in Lean, SIOP scheduling and other modern manufacturing techniques. Through investments in people, equipment, processes and product, Franklin Bronze Precision Components continues to deliver to the market world- class products and technical solutions.
Cobalt alloy casting October 2016 ❘ 47 3-D CAD drawing
3-D wax model of a bracket component shown in 3-D printed wax
Lever arm made from IN-718 for use in valve & pump industry
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