Casting Conversion Simplifi es Ventilation Hub
Pier Foundry converted a complex 34-piece weldment to a single ductile iron casting that saved its mining customer time and money. NICHOLAS LEIDER, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
I
n early 2013, a manufacturer of industrial mining fans in the Western U.S. explored the possi-
bility of converting a hub in a ventila- tion fan from a weldment to a casting. Originally a 34-piece steel fabrication, the component faced a demanding environment in a mining opera- tion where it rotates as fast as 3,600 RPM. T e customer’s engineers identifi ed the component as a poten- tial conversion because each fabrication required 11 hours of in-house labor for machining and welding. T e customer, however, was somewhat unfamiliar with the variety and demands of casting processes. It uses a few cast components, primarily the aluminum blades that attach to the hub. But those designs have remained relatively unchanged for decades, limiting the cus- tomer’s current engineer- ing team’s experience with castings. T e fan manufacturer partnered
with Pier Foundry & Pattern Shop, St. Paul, Minn., to supply what would become a one-piece ductile iron
The ductile iron casting (in white) was as- sembled with 10 cast aluminum blades before installation in the ventilation system.
February 2015 MODERN CASTING | 39
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