You can accomplish the same things as VRC/PRC with other processes, but we think that when it comes to providing a competitive solution that financially makes sense, it is one of the best processes out there.” Most of the products BAT casts are
structural automotive components such as knuckles, control arms, nodes, and crossmembers. Busche sees an opportu- nity for its aluminum casting business to grow as vehicle markets continue to seek ways to lower fuel consumption by reducing weight. BAT was considering whether to
bid for a new program launch when it was acquired by Busche. Te influx of investment promised from the new parent company to add capacity to handle the new work was key to win- ning the program. “Tis new work wouldn’t have come without the financial backing of Bus- che and Shipston making the invest- ment and the skill level of the people in this facility,” Conaty said. “Te potential business was in the works, but we wouldn’t have been able to accept it (or probably win it) without the investment.”
A robot manipulates a casting in an inspection cell. BAT and Busche had to work
quickly to add the new line but it was necessary to take advantage of the opportunity. “Te machining business of Busche
had recently launched two high volume jobs flawlessly in 12 weeks, and that gave us some industry recognition,” Busche said.
Te new line at BAT was largely
designed, constructed and installed by personnel in the company. It includes one reverberatory furnace and three casting machines. A new robotic finishing cell was added near the line, along with X-ray inspection. Tere is room for another reverb furnace when needed, and two additional casting machines are currently being built. “We want to make sure we have
capacity to fulfill any order,” Busche said.
In July, Busche Performance Group
officially opened its new technical center, Busche Technologies (Tech Center) in Southfield, Michigan. Tis unit manages program design, speci- fication, timing and implementation of all automotive jobs and works with manufacturing engineering at the plants to ensure successful launches. Design work, including CAD, CAE, simulation and prototyping is done here for aluminum and iron. “We handle parts from start to fin-
ish,” Ryner said. “Design, casting, tool- build, machining and assembly, work holding and critical validations are all done within Busche.” After casting, product testing and
validation is also performed at the Tech Center. “Te parts we cast are safety-
Robotic trimming and finishing cells were added along with the new casting line at Busche Aluminum Technologies.
22 | MODERN CASTING December 2016
critical, so the validation and fatigue test requirements are very stringent,” Ryner said. “While there are options
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