30-piece weldment that utilized fi ne thread nylock nuts for attachment. T is made assembly time consum- ing and problematic. In addition, the stamped steel components had to be moved and stored multiple times throughout the production process. Dotson Iron Castings (Mankato, Min- nesota) worked with its customer to redesign the row unit as a seven-cast- ing assembly. T is redesign included reducing 17 stamped steel parts of the main shank to three castings. T e savings in assembly takt time ended up between 5 and 10%. Other benefi ts included improved seed placement ac- curacy and a more robust part.
6. Too much variation occurring from assembly to assembly.
“In many cases there are quality is- sues with assembled parts by the time it is all welded together,” said Mark Hildebrand, director of sales, Monarch Industries. “T e heat makes the metal warped and twisted. With casting, the holes and features will always line up.”
7. The market is ready for an improvement.
A dental furniture manufacturer identified a need for a high-end arm for reclining dental chairs and conducted surveys to find out what its customers wanted. The primary desires included an attractive part that was lightweight yet strong, ergonomic and cost effective, could hide tubes and wires, and pr vide a
hide tubes and wires, and provide a
wide range of motion. To achieve these goals, the company departed from the typical bent tube/weld- ment combo and worked with L A Aluminum (Hayden, Idaho) on a cast aluminum version. The redesigned articulating arm as- sembly of aluminum castings has a hollow body for electrical wires and pivot points at each end to adjust the height.
WHEN CASTING CAN BE CONSIDERED
1. The assembly consists of multiple parts in the same ma- terial or with the same prop- erty requirements/application demands.
Casting design provides the free- dom to design geometrically, unify-
Converting a steel fabricated structural frame to aluminum diecasting helped achieve weight savings goals for a vehicle.
This fabrication to casting conversion for tillage equipment resulted in a 30% reduction in cost, greater dimensional stability and improved aesthetics.
Mar/Apr 2017 | METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING | 21
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