Each 100-ton disk was assembled from nine castings that were machined in house at Bay Cast. (Cyclotron photos courtesy Michigan State University)


handle such a project, the Holman brothers also had a family connection to the university and its endeavors in particle physics. ÝŘ ǼÌs ˠ˨˦0ǣʰ ǢOŸǼǼ ËŸĶŎ Ř ǢNj.ʰ ɠÌŸ ɠŸȖĶ_ go on to establish Bay Cast before selling the business to his sons, was general manager of Bay City Foundry, which provided equipment for MSU’s original cyclotron. Four decades later, MSU and the next generation of Hol- mans had another contract in hand. “We had a history with them,” said Jason Holman, vice president and quality assurance manager, Bay Cast. “We had the ability to cast it and machine it, and we were nearby. It was interesting how everything came together.” The NSCL project features 18 castings assembled to form two massive disks. Four crescent-shaped components, each weighing nearly 55,000 lbs., constitute the bulk of the project. While not outside Bay Cast’s capa-


MELTING POINT


bilities, the project still presented a special challenge. “This was unique because there were so many large components that had to be cast, Ŏ OÌÞŘs_ Ř_ ŎsOÌ ŘÞO ĶĶy fiǼ ǼŸ¶sǼÌsNj ĶÞĨs a jigsaw puzzle,” said Max Holman, president and general manager. “While many of our other projects have a large scope of work, none has ever required so many large cast parts to be assembled into a single unit.” Each 100-ton disk was composed of nine separate castings: two crescents, a center piece and six interior connectors. For each 55,000-lb. crescent, Bay Cast used a 22-ton direct arc furnace and three induction furnac- es to pour more than 75,000 lbs. of 1018 steel into sand molds made from CNC-cut poly- styrene patterns. Once cast, the individual components were machined as an assembly ŸŘ ˠ˨˚¯ŸŸǼ NŗN ɚsNjǼÞO Ķ Ķ ǼÌs.


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