AFS NEWS
AFS president Jeff Cook and AFS CEO Doug Kurkul kicked off the 84th AFS Southeast Regional on Tursday, March 23 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. More than 150 attended the conference that featured table-top displays, a foundry tour and expert speakers from AFS and the metalcast- ing industry. With continued optimism about
the economy and the future of met- alcasting, this was a beneficial event for AFS Chapters and their members, Cook said. “Te Tennessee chapter put on a
great Southeast Regional Conference,” Cook said. “Teir extensive program- ming covered everything from Silica to 3-D printing and is just another fine example of AFS Chapters excel- ling for their members.”
84th AFS Southeast Regional Gathers in Great Smoky Mountains 2017 Southeast Regional Presenta-
tions included: • AFS Vice President Government Affairs, Stephanie Salmon: Regula- tion Here, Tere and Everywhere: What Steps are Congress and the New Administration Taking to Roll Back Tese Rules and its Impact on the U.S. Metalcasting Industry?
• Trent Blake, Keramida Inc.: Silica Standards and Source Reductions.
• Tom Renk, Alliant Castings: 3-D Printed Tools for Iron.
• Wayne Cropp, Attorney, Baker Donelson: Is the Past Prologue? Environmental Regulation in the New Trump Administration.
• Women in Metalcasting Panel: Steering Committee Chairman, Patti Buksa, LaempeReich; Lindsay Hamner, American Cast Iron Pipe
Co.; and Kelly McCool, Lodge Manufacturing: Careers and Work- Life Balance.
• John Letts, LaempeReich: ColdBox Core Technologies–Simulation and Real-Life Applications
• Mike Casey, Mueller Co.: Utiliz- ing Ultrasound as a Foundational Technology When Embarking on a Reliability Transformation.
• Human Resources Panel: Hiring and Retention Practices Foundry Industry. On Friday, March 24, attendees had
the opportunity to tour the Tennessee Museum of Aviation and Mountain Mold and Die. Each year, the AFS Birmingham,
Piedmont and Tennessee chapters rotate organizing the Southeast Regional.
Division Notebook: Active EHS Group Tracks Major Regulations Te AFS Environmental Health
& Safety Division is extremely ac- tive with a mission to provide and promote knowledge and services that strengthen the environmental health and safety performance of the met- alcasting industry. Te EHS Division constantly mon-
itors regulations and enforcement ef- forts at the federal and state level that have a direct effect on the metalcasting industry. Some of the current issues the division is tracking on behalf of the industry include: • OHSA Respirable Crystalline Silica Rule.
• Residual Risk and Technology Review for Iron and Steel Foundry NESHAP for Major Sources.
• Startup, Shutdown and Malfunction (SSM) Provisions of the Clean Air Act.
• National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Particulate Matter (PM2.5).
• Air Emissions, and development of foundry byproduct regulations at the state level. Te division has provided com- ments on new regulations to avoid
unreasonable requirements. For example, it provided hundreds of pages of metalcasting data, comments and testimony on OSHA’s Silica Rule. It also conveys the industry’s position regarding compliance issues to regula- tors and works with the agencies to clarify interpretations and help regula- tors understand industry challenges. Te division is currently working on
developing the annual Environmental Health & Safety Conference, which will be held October 31–November 2 in Birmingham, Alabama. Tis year’s conference will tentatively cover root cause analyses for silica exceedances, baghouse system best management practices, PPE updates, EHS informa- tion management systems and benefi- cial reuse case studies, just to name a few. Te Environmental 101 Seminar will also be held in Birmingham on October 29-30. In addition, this year the division has been conducting seminars on how to comply with the new silica standard. Te division also sponsors webinars on timely topics of interest to metalcasters. The EHS Division supports in- novation in the industry by spon-
soring research into EHS issues of significance to metalcasters. Most recently, it sponsored a new re- search project, “Demonstration of an Air Sampling Method to Assist in Identifying the Root Causes of Silica Exposure in Foundries.” Tis project was recently approved by the AFS Research Board. Te goal of this research is to help metalcasters zero in on the real causes of silica exceed- ances to tailor more effective engi- neering solutions. An update regard- ing the results of this research will be presented at the EHS Conference. Te division is always looking for
new members to both participate and provide leadership. Tose unable to attend in person, can listen in on meet- ings via conference call. Most of the individuals that come to a meeting end up becoming active members in the di- vision and new members are welcome. Te next EHS Division meetings will be held June 13-14 at AFS. More spe- cifics will be given on the AFS website calendar (
www.afsinc.org). Tose inter- ested in joining the division or attend- ing a meeting can contact Laura Kasch at
lkasch@afsinc.org.
April 2017 MODERN CASTING | 47
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