Before we discuss patterns in the casting process, a little history. The foundry industry dates back to early biblical times, (it is believed some 4,000 years BC) where they would pour castings out of gold, and then later copper, bronze, and tin. One would assume that the casting images needed a pattern and in the early [...]
Quaker City Castings Invests in Sand Reclaimer Quaker City Castings has undertaken the very complex project of installing equipment for reclaiming and re-using our own sand. A project that has been years in the planning and building, we expect it will be live by the end of 2020.According to owner Joe Korff, “The new reclaiming system [...]
You are asked to procure parts for a project for your company. It requires castings. Simple, right? The problem is you’re not exactly sure what a casting even is. That’s OK. We’ve helped a lot of customers understand what castings are and what kind fit their needs. A few hints: Make sure the metal type you [...]
When we talk about steel castings, we are usually referring to the metal casting or cast steel materials such as carbon steel and alloy steel, with carbon content of 2% or lower. Cast iron, on the other hand, usually refers to gray iron, ductile iron and malleable iron, which often molded in the same or similar [...]
Our beloved Secretary of Commerce, Mr. Wilbur Ross, is now publicly discussing what we all hope is the coming protection for primary steel products in the United States and tariffs on those countries that support dumping and have heavily subsidized steel industries. See: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-19/trump-plans-to-take-bold-action-on-steel-imports-ross-says Let's hope that castings follows along. Our industry's own Ray Monroe testified [...]
Well folks, after many months of consternation in the steel foundry and steel castings industry, it looks like the Keystone Pipeline is back. This is great news for all of us metal casting foundries, especially ferrous foundries. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2017-01-24/trump-signs-executive-order-on-keystone-pipeline This is great news for our industry. Iron castings, steel castings, and plenty of other foundry products are [...]
I've spent about as much time reading up on the medium term prospects for the oil market as anyone this past week to try and gauge what the market for steel castings and ductile iron castings is likely to be as we head into 2016 . A few stories that kind of sum up the picture [...]
I've belabored the plight of the downtrodden oil market enough to communicate the point that the foundry world, especially as it pertains steel castings and ductile iron castings (and to some extent gray iron), is suffering under the weight of low oil prices. However, the entire commodity picture is a bleak one. In light of the [...]
As if the Steel Foundry industry was not already reeling enough as it is... I think this article says it all: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-20/after-year-of-pain-opec-close-to-halting-u-s-oil-in-its-tracks To expound on what the article says, OPEC will continue to crush the U.S. Oil Boom with production levels that won't allow the price of oil to return to $60-$70 per barrel until mid [...]
We are seeing some real trouble out there in the steel castings world folks. Despite news that all sectors of the US economy are holding their own, the industrial world, steel foundries in particular, are doing their best to tread water while oil and most other commodities find an equilibrium, but it's painful. There are several [...]