“
Additive manufacturing is not just another tool in the toolbox. It is another drawer in your toolbox.” —STEVE MURRAY, HOOSIER PATTERN
labor is inexpensive, so they focus on saving in terms of materials, which can lead to cutting corners. Also, being in the same time zone where you are speaking the same language can reduce complications in communication. Lamoncha, Humtown Products:
Te biggest consideration is time. I don’t think anyone can deal with the time lag [with overseas suppliers]. If there’s a revision or a change, it takes way too long to go back and forth.
How have advancements in addi- tive manufacturing affected your business?
Murray, Hoosier Pattern: It is not just another tool in the toolbox.
It is another drawer in your toolbox. We want to show customers where and when to apply the technology and guide the customer through that maze of technological hype versus reality. Yes, we can print a pattern or corebox for low volume production, but you have to do a cost-benefit real- ity check. It has to make sense dollar and cents-wise. Lamoncha, Humtown Products:
We want our customers to under- stand that advanced manufacturing isn’t only additive, but it’s a funda- mental tool. It’s the ruler, the tape measure—something you’ll be using very frequently. But some people get enamored with one technology and won’t look elsewhere. By keeping an
open mind, you will be able to get better castings at a much lower cost.
What’s one surprising way to utilize pattern shops to streamline the supply chain?
McIntyre, Anderson Global:
Have the toolmaker visit your casting supplier, the coreroom, the mold- ing line. Have them talk to in-house maintenance people to find out what problems they’ve had in the past, what problems they’ve had in the foundry, so the tooling shop can use that knowledge to produce a better tool. Murray, Hoosier Pattern: Es- tablish standard prices so you know what you are getting into before you do something. Tings like re-rigging, remounting and core box maintenance should all be fairly predictable. Try to eliminate surprises in that regard. Lamoncha, Humtown Products:
Your Source for Aluminum Sand Castings
Now Producing
Low Pressure Permanent Mold Castings
In House:
Heat Treating X-Ray
CNC Machining Finishing
Lab Services Testing
Certifi cations ISO 9001:2008
In terms of the supply chain, you really have to look at a pattern shop like a partner and not just a supplier. In the end, the goal is to make the end customer happy. If a tool shows up and it’s not working as expected, it’s easy to start pointing fingers and that’s counterproductive.
What’s a common misconception you encounter regarding tooling ownership and/or storage?
Murray, Hoosier Pattern: Tools
will last forever and storage is free. Te truth is much different. Old wood patterns and coreboxes dry out and degrade. Iron will rust and corrode. Re- garding storage, there is a cost to bring tooling out of storage after many years and getting it ready for production. McIntyre, Anderson Global:
www.littlestownfoundry.com
Littlestown PA 17340 • 800-471-0844
customerservice@littlestownfoundry.com
Doing It Right since 1916
30 | METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING | Jul/Aug 2015
Some people are afraid to ask to participate in the initial design. All too often a customer will want a tool, but we won’t know whether the casting will be low volume or high, or we won’t know the most important characteristics of the final component. ... If a buyer can have a technical ex- pert within his own firm, the interface between the casting buyer and tooling provided becomes more powerful and will lead to better results. ■
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