10 F1
QUESTIONS
TO ASK YOUR CASTING SUPPLIERS
These basic questions can help casting buyers decide whether to send a request for quote to a potential supplier.
CHRIS WITT, DOTSON IRON CASTINGS, MANKATO, MINNESOTA; VASKO POPOVSKI, APPLIED PROCESS INC., LIVONIA, MICHIGAN; AND TOM KAYSER, OSCO INDUSTRIES, PORTSMOUTH, OHIO.
inding and developing a quality casting source requires an investment of time and resources, so it’s something you want to get right from the beginning. As you start looking for a casting supplier, a few basic questions can help you narrow down your search and direct you to a metalcasting facility that matches your needs at the best overall cost. Before you send out blanket request for quotes to dozens
of random metalcasting businesses, consider the following 10 questions:
Which metal do you pour? T e question isn’t just asking a metalcasting facility if it pours alumi-
num or iron. What type of iron? Not all iron is equal. Do you need gray, ductile or malleable iron? What range of aluminum alloys? If the met- alcasting facility pours more than one metal type, which type do they pour
the most? If you need a special alloy that it only pours once a month, you might not want to select that facility. A metalcasting facility’s mix of alloys is selected and tailored specifi cally to the
equipment and processes in place. Asking a plant that pours primarily ductile iron to switch to gray iron for your part is not a seamless process. You’ll likely receive a no-quote or an expensive quote.
32 | METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING | Jul/Aug 2016
2
What is your casting size range?
Most metalcasting
facilities are set up for a certain size casting. Some
have equipment for small castings, in the range of 1 to 15 lbs. Others may pour up to 50 lbs., or in a range of 50 to 200 lbs. A metalcasting facility that performs fl oor molding can make cast- ings in the thousands of pounds, but probably won’t quote a 5-lb. casting. Most plants have the equipment
for a specifi c range of sizes. For in- stance, on a matchplate molding line, the plant is constrained by the dimen- sions of the matchplate. Diecasters are constrained by their platen size. Facilities are also constrained by the size of their furnace—meaning how
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