Products


Automation Ushers a New Generation to the Ancient Investment Casting Process


After 5,000 years, automation has


ushered the next generation into the in- vestment casting (lost wax) process” And a current leader in the automa-


tion movement is MPI, Inc. With home- grown innovation and ABB robots, MPI, Inc. has discovered the secret to incred- ible increases in productivity and quality for today’s most competitive foundries. For everything from the most ad- implants


vanced surgical and single


crystal jet engine turbine blades, to NBA championship rings, the investment cast- ing industry has a major impact. Although investment casting has been around for thousands of years, its fundamentals haven’t changed all that much—and neither has the certainty that a quality metal casting is heavily dependent on creating the best possible wax pattern and runner assembly. Over its 41-year history, the family- owned MPI, Inc., based in Poughkeepsie, NY, has made it a priority to create inno- vative wax room equipment that accom- plishes just that. “At MPI we’re constantly look-


ing for ways to make our products and our processes better so that our custom- ers have a higher quality product,” says Jeffrey Rich, vice president and general manager of MPI, Inc. “We’re looking to help them solve their problems for the last time.”


Eye on the Future– With Robots


Traditionally the industry has been


extremely labor intensive due to the de- tailed nature of wax runner assembly. Although the shell room has been auto- mated with robots for quite some time, the idea that the intricate work of placing


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each pattern on an assembly can be done using robotics is a relatively new concept. With manual human assembly, there are errors and inconsistencies which result in inconsistent assemblies and increased scrap.


“The future of MPI is really the fu- ture of the wax room,” says Rich. “One of the biggest challenges is getting cast- ers to see the value that automation can provide. There is some pushback due to the perceived complexity of robotic systems and the fact that many of these shops handle very low volume jobs. They believe that the investment in robotic tooling is just too high to ever see a re- turn on investment. However, what our customers have found is that the value of standardization through automation far outweighs the cost of the investment.”


The Goal– Total Automation”


MPI has long been a leader in wax


room equipment and innovation. In or- der to realize the ultimate goal of a fully automated wax room that would result in higher productivity, lower waste and unparalleled levels of quality, MPI knew it would have to turn to robotics. Ini- tially, MPI collaborated with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to create a sys- tem based on 3-axis Cartesian robots. However, the restrictions of those robots eventually limited the creativity of MPI’s engineers and they decided to search elsewhere for new solutions. MPI’s goal was to create a next gen- eration pattern assembly prototype us-


ing robotics. An exhaustive search for a robotics partner led MPI to ABB due to its well-known robot reliability, global reach, and technical know-how. In ad- dition, MPI found that ABB was ready and willing to help solve even the tough- est problems. As a result, MPI quickly became a fully authorized integrator of ABB.


Bruce Phipps, president, owner


and founder of MPI, Inc., commented: “We’ve worked closely with ABB to de- velop unique programming that allows us to accomplish wax welds that were previ- ously unattainable—something that has led directly to incredible successes with major customers in the aerospace indus- try.”


Research & Development Paves the Way


For casters who are not yet able to


automate their facilities or are running out of capacity to handle their current production demands, MPI offers in-house contract pattern production and assembly services. This not only this created an ad- ditional revenue stream, but also a unique opportunity to further research and devel- opment efforts. It also allows customers to experience fi rst-hand the undeniable benefi ts of automation.


“This industry is 5,000 years old and is very entrenched,” says Rich. “You can still fi nd foundries that are truly us- ing antiquated equipment and techniques. We’ve set up systems in our own facil- ity where we can show them the value of automating. There is nothing better than real-world experience to prove that auto- mation is extremely cost effective.”


August 2013


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