MEETINGS - BUSINESS - PEOPLE
MEETINGS
The Ductile Iron Society 2006 Annual Meeting will be held on June 21-23, 2006 at the Wynfrey Hotel at the Riverchase Galleria, in Birmingham, Alabama. The meeting will feature visits to Citation Foam Castings and Glidewell Specialties Foundry.
The Ductile Iron Society 2006 Fall Meeting will be held in Monterey, Mexico in October. The meeting will feature tours of Blackhawk de Mexico, CIFUNSA and Grede Proeza along with a full technical program. The exact dates and the host hotel will be announced later.
BUSINESS
Ashland’s Cleveland East Facility Adds Automation and Finds Additional Capacity
DUBLIN, Ohio – Many books and seminars stress the overlooked opportunities in finding additional efficiencies from existing operations. Ashland Casting Solutions, a business group of Ashland Specialty Chemical, a division of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH), put theory into practice by implementing a combination of programs to find additional capacity at its coatings facility in Cleveland.
“We changed the operations to place initial ingredients in positions so they would be where we needed them when we needed them,” said Russ Montgomery, plant manager for Ashland’s Cleveland East facility. “We also automated our ingredient measuring system. These changes not only increased production efficiency, but they supported our goal of a workplace with zero incidents through improved housekeeping. We also reduced manual handling of heavy materials, while further limiting the potential for employee exposures to ingredients.”
The automation and increased production efficiency resulted in additional production capacity that allowed the Cleveland facility to add green-sand release agent production, which was previously produced elsewhere. This was accomplished by consolidating current production to fewer units, thus freeing up a unit for the green-sand release agent production.
The production transfer to the Cleveland facility has also improved upon green-sand release agent quality by utilizing in-house laboratory capabilities. It has allowed additional product portfolio improvements with an emphasis on finding additional environmentally-considerate enhancements for release agent technology. “It’s all about our customers. We took a step back, looked at our operations and implemented changes. Our process improvements have given us greater control, and as a result, we have been able to provide more value to our customers,” added Montgomery.
Ashland Casting Solutions, a business group of Ashland Specialty Chemical, is a leader in supplying products, processes and technologies to the global metal casting marketplace. The group has operations (including licensees and joint ventures) in 21 countries.
Ashland Specialty Chemical, a division of Ashland Inc., is a leading, worldwide supplier of specialty chemicals serving industries including adhesives, automotive, composites, metal casting, merchant marine, paint, paper, plastics, watercraft and water treatment. Visit www.ashspec.com to learn more about these operations.
Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH) is a Fortune 500 chemical and transportation construction company providing products, services and customer solutions throughout the world. To learn more about Ashland, visit www.ashland.com.
PEOPLE
AFS Strengthens Technical Resources
Schaumburg, Ill. To strengthen the technical resources available to the North American metalcasting industry, the American Foundry Society Inc. (AFS), Schaumburg, Ill., announced Scott Lammers as its Technical Director of Ferrous Casting.
Lammers graduated from the University of Missouri at Rolla with a B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering. Later, he went on to acquire his Masters of Business Administration from Loyola University in Chicago. Lammers spent the last 20 years working in and with the metalcasting industry as the Chief Metallurgist for Wells Manufacturing, Castwell Division, Skokie, Ill., as a sales engineer for Aurora Metals, Montgomery, Ill., and as an account manager for Bremen Castings, Bremen, Ind.
At AFS, Lammers is the liaison for the Cast Iron (Div. 5), Steel (Div. 9), and Melting (Div. 8) Technical Committees. He will also assist AFS member foundries with metallurgical and process issues. In addition, he will be coordinating with the AFS Washington D.C. office to secure research grants from various government agencies.
“The addition of Scott Lammers to our technical staff continues to strengthen AFS’ position as the technical resource for the North American metalcasting industry,” said Jerry Call, AFS executive vice president.
Headquartered in Schaumburg, Ill., AFS is a not-for-profit technical and management society that has existed since 1896 to provide and promote knowledge and services that strengthen the metalcasting industry for the ultimate benefit of its customers and society.
Ashland Casting Solutions Introduces Cellular Ceramic Filters for Metalcasting
DUBLIN, Ohio – A new line of extruded ceramic filters for liquid metal filtration from Ashland Casting Solutions, a business group of Ashland Specialty Chemical, a division of Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH), provides additional options for metal casting facilities in the U.S.
EXACTFLO™ cellular ceramic filters from Ashland offer a variety of sizes and cell configurations designed to meet or exceed demanding performance standards. EXACTFLO™ filters provide consistent inclusion removal and flow control and can withstand pouring temperatures up to 2,650 degrees Fahrenheit. The filters, made from alumina/silica ceramic, are targeted for use with gray and ductile iron but are also effective with aluminum and other non-ferrous alloys.
“We are very pleased to add the EXACTFLO™ ceramic filters to our product offering in the U.S.,” said Mike Swartzlander, vice president, Ashland Specialty Chemical, and general manager, Ashland Casting Solutions. “Our continuing efforts to expand our product lines here and globally demonstrate our continued emphasis to provide solutions to our customers.”
EXACTFLO™ ceramic filters are available in a range of sizes from 37 to 81 mm square and with square or delta (triangular) cells ranging in size from 100 cells per square inch (CSI) to 300 CSI. These filters can be placed either vertically or horizontally within the gating system of the mold.
For more information about EXACTFLO ceramic filters, contact an Ashland Casting Solutions representative.
Ashland Casting Solutions, a business group of Ashland Specialty Chemical, is a leader in supplying products, processes and technologies to the global metal casting marketplace. The group has operations (including licensees and joint ventures) in 21 countries.
Ashland Specialty Chemical, a division of Ashland Inc., is a leading, worldwide supplier of specialty chemicals serving industries including adhesives, automotive, composites, metal casting, merchant marine, paint, paper, plastics, watercraft and water treatment. Visit www.ashspec.com to learn more about these operations.
Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH) is a FORTUNE 500 chemical and transportation construction company providing products, services and customer solutions throughout the world. To learn more about Ashland, visit www.ashland.com.
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