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energy efficiency across all industrial sectors. Whether the motive is com- mercial, environmental or regula- tory, metalcasters know sacred cows cannot get in the way of progress. Casting buyers and end users want the highest quality performance at minimal cost, so suppliers continu- ally seek ways to deliver improved


M


etalcasters are well aware of the premium placed on


mechanical and physical properties. One challenge faced by REL


Inc., Calumet, Michigan, a material process development company with casting capabilities, was repackag- ing fuel storage. Compressed natural gas (CNG) is commonly used to supplement traditional gasoline- powered engines. But improving the storage of CNG—most commonly in long cylindrical tubes—may make the cheaper, cleaner-burning fuel a


commercial competitor to standard gasoline. REL Inc., through a grant from a


U.S. Department of Energy program, cast a technically viable conform- able tank in an aluminum 206 alloy. Te so-called conformable tank, cast in aluminum via a low pressure permanent mold process, better uses allowable packaging space to store as much as 35% more CNG. Te shape of the tank also improves flexibility


Cylindrical CNG tanks (top) are spatially inefficient, while the proposed conformable tank from REL (bottom) can be stowed underneath the vehicle. February 2016 MODERN CASTING | 21


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