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Foundry Products

American Foundry Group Inc. | Muskogee, Oklahoma

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Introduction:

American Foundry Group, Inc. has been in operation for 27 years. They specialize in high-pressure valve body castings for the petroleum and chemical industries. Their facility can produce up to 12 tons of castings per day.


General Foundry Information

Product Line:

High pressure valve body castings

Casting Metal Type:

  • Carbon Steel
  • High Alloy Stainless Steel

Melting Facilities:

  • Induction - (2) 3,500 Lbs/Hr, (2) 2,500Lbs/Hr and (1) 600 Lbs/Hr

Sand Facilities:

  • Core Processes:
    • Shell
    • Phenolic Urethane No-Bake
  • Molding Processes:
    • Phenolic Urethane No-Bake

Cleaning Facilities:

  • Blast
  • Grinding Stations
  • Cleaning Booths
  • Riser Burn Stations

Heat Treating:

  • Normalize
  • Quench and Temper
  • Stress Relieve

Pattern Shop:

  • Produce Wood, Metal, and Urethane Patterns

Project Objective:

The objective was to gain control of their sand mixing operation and to increase consistency and repeatability as well as reduce maintenance problems.

Original Problems:

  1. Continuous maintenance problems with existing chemical addition system
  2. Inaccurate and inconsistent chemical addition
  3. Excess chemical addition to compensate for pumping fluctuations
  4. Resin and labor costs associated with daily calibrations of pumping system
  5. Scrap molds because of improper addition level or ratio

Solution:

American Foundry Group installed MT Systems SMART PUMP Resin Control System. The basis for the design was to give them the repeatability and reliability over chemical addition with the objective of reducing resin levels by at least 10%.

Results and Benefits:

  1. Reduced average chemical levels by 25%
  2. Reduced maintenance downtime and maintenance expenditures
  3. Lower sand LOI
  4. Reduced iron oxide usage by 25%
  5. Increases productivity by making the job right the first time
  6. Reduced binder cost per casting
  7. Reduced mold scrap

Monetary Savings/Pay Back:

Although no projected or actual pay back was calculated, the installation of MT Systems SMART PUMP has lowered present and future manufacturing cost and has improved their competitive position in the market place.