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Specialty Castings Completes Major Expansion
Specialty Castings, Inc. of Springport, MI, a gray/ductile iron foundry employing 23 people has been steadily revamping and improving its plant operations over the last few years. Like other foundries across the United States it has had to adapt to the ever changing requirements placed upon it by the foundry industry. These improvements in both new plant and equipment lines have been paramount to the company's growth. The firm was formed by a private owner in 1973 and purchased by The Johnson Corporation in 1977. Since that period the firm has seen a number of major renovations with new buildings and new plant equipment... all designed to improve the quality of the firms casting products and to make the company more productive and cost competitive.
A Two Prong Mission
According to Ray Tarwid, General Manager, "Specialty Castings has a two prong mission, one is to supply castings to our parent company, The Johnson Corporation in Three Rivers, MI and the second is to act as a job shop providing iron castings to a diverse group of approximately 80 customers throughout the Midwest. The various industries served include electrical, machine tool, special machinery, valves and fittings and general industry."
First Modernization
Tarwid said, "The first modernization started in 1979. A new sand system, shake-out, pallet line, and molding machines were purchased at that time. A new furnace was also added in 1979. In 1988 we added a Spectrometer and a four thousand pound Brown furnace. Then in 1993 we added a four thousand pound Inductotherm furnace."
Rebuilt Foundry Operations
"During 1995 and 1996," Tarwid continued, "we practically rebuilt our entire foundry operation. First we built a steel structure right over the top of the existing foundry. When the new structure was up, we tore the old building out from below. This prevented us from losing valuable production time. We also tore out the old foundry line. This included taking out the old pallet lines, sand system and shake-out. After removal of the old foundry we were up and running with the new foundry equipment within 4 weeks. We kept the furnaces and the molding machines. We relocated the cope and drag as well as two squeezer machines. A new Roberts Sinto FBO II Flaskless Molding Machine and a new linear molding line were installed at this time. The FBO II is an automatic machine. We retained the squeezer only to run odd sizes that were too small to run on the cope and drag. We also installed a new rotary shake-out, a new rotary sand screen and cooler, a mixer, and other equipment to improve quality, reduce noise and improve cooling. We also added a new heat treat oven. The new plant now includes 32,000 sq. ft. of plant and office space."
New FBO II Molding Machine, The Heart of The New System
Tarwid commented, "Of all the equipment we have installed over the past few years the single most important piece of equipment was Roberts Sinto's FBO II Flaskless Molding Machine. It has made a major difference in our casting production. We heard about the new FBO II Machine through an article in a trade magazine. We found out that A.C. Foundry in Battle Creek, MI had an FBO II so we went over there and met with Mike and Larry Chenoweth. After seeing how well the machine operated, I knew it would work well for us. In less than one week we had the FBO II installed and pouring molds that met our quality requirements. The one new FBO II has now replaced 3 of our old jolt squeeze machines and took up some of the production on a fourth machine. We are already at the production level that we had set as an objective. The FBO II has been running 16 hours a day on two shifts and we haven't had any down time. Plus, we have increased mold hardness ratings from the low 80's with the old jolt squeeze machines to the high 90's with the FBO II."
Training Operators No Longer A Problem
"One of our concerns in the past has been training operators on our molding machines," Tarwid said. "Even finding people that wanted to learn was a problem and then training could take from six months to a year. With the new FBO II we have been able to train molding operators in 3 days to a week and have already trained five operators. This is a major benefit to our casting operation. I feel the machine is also designed to be more forgiving. It automatically handles a number of functions that the operator would have to watch out for on the old jolt squeeze machines. It's screen is easy to understand, the drag slides out for easy core setting and inspection. Plus, it doesn't leak oil or air, it's quieter and much cleaner which also makes it easier for the operator."
Flexibility Was Our Major Concern
Bill Drinkwater, Foundry Supt. said, "When we were looking at new molding machines, flexibility was a major concern. As a job shop operation, we may change patterns anywhere from six to a dozen times a day. For that reason we needed a molding system that allowed us to change patterns fast. Using the FBO we can change patterns in 30 seconds to a minute and a half consistently, day after day with no problems. Depending on the parts we are running we have a 40 second cycle time and we are producing from 80 to 90 molds per hour which was our original objective. Another one of our priorities was to use our existing patterns from the jolt squeeze machines. We have transferred many of our patterns already and I see no problem in any of the ones we have yet to transfer. Another factor that adds to our flexibility is that we can now make larger molds. A man doesn't have to lift the molds anymore because the mold is handled by the automatic molding machine. When a man has to lift a heavy mold, there is only so much he can do in a day. Now we can run hour after hour on larger molds without fear of back pains or similar problems."
Fail Safe System Eliminates Operating Problems
The fail safe system on the FBO II has already saved Specialty Castings some potential operating problems. According to Drinkwater, "There are 22 places to grease on the FBO II and we had only done 21 and the machine issued a warning until we had greased all 22. Until we checked, we forgot there were 22 places to grease. Everything has to be in proper cycle and in proper maintenance in order for the machine to perform. As simple as this instance was, it points out how the fail safe system protects the machine and ensures proper maintenance."
Now Producing 20,000 lbs. More Castings Per Month
Tarwid said, "Our new production facilities have enabled us to increase our overall production by up to 40%. The new system allows us to add two more additional days of production at the end of the month. This translates into approximately 20,000 lbs. of more castings each month. Needless to say we are very pleased with these results." |
