L-R Simon Alexander FICME, Matt Cawood, Sam Garner MICME, Will Jeffs, Toni Carannante FICME , Simon Olive FICME, Richard Heath Prof MICME, David Hrabina
This year saw almost 100 Delegates assemble at the fabulous facilities of The Advanced Manufacturing & Research Centre on the outskirts of Sheffield.
As we grow into our new shoes of the enlarged Northern Branch, greater support was gained with delegates travelling from Lancashire, West Yorkshire & The North East as well as regular attendees from across the UK. The event was simultaneously webcast with some delegates joining remotely.
Branch President Simon Alexander FICME welcomed all of the delegates & thanked the guest speakers, organisers and event sponsor Omega Sinto Foundry Machinery.
The theme this year focused on developments in advanced manufacturing technology.
Following some confusion in previous years from our Overseas Speakers who didn’t quite understand the significance of Sheffield’s famous condiment Henderson’s Relish – Simon explained the importance of “Hendo’s” in the city’s psyche, illustrated graphically in the artwork of Sheffield artist Pete McKee showing a bottle of Hendo’s being poured from a crucible of liquid steel. Artwork that has pride of place on Simon’s office wall.
Further parallels were drawn with the ‘Hendo’s’ motto of ‘Strong & Northern’, given the excellent support of the event from those attending. The importance of ICME in supporting and developing those working in the industry was reiterated and those not already in membership were encouraged to become members.
Drawing on his long experience in the industry, Toni Carannante’s presentation on Total Productive Maintenance condensed a longer CPD presentation describing proven methods of preventative maintenance techniques designed to maximise equipment availability & longevity, improve productivity, and reduce operating costs.
Toni closed by inviting anyone who was interested in implementing these techniques to contact him directly at TC-TEC Ltd
Simon Olive FICME of Maxima Engineering delivered a very interesting presentation describing how casting simulation technology can predict & thereby help to prevent the formation of core gas defects in castings.
Simon described how chemical binder systems typically used for sand core production begin to degrade & breakdown above 200 degrees C which results in gas pressure buildup in the core, and core deflection, often resulting in casting defects. The long-established technology of casting simulation can also be used to predict the temperature gradient in sand cores and furthermore support optimal corebox design for those employing core shooting.
Omega Sinto’s technology of robotic sand milling eliminating the need for expensive pattern production was described by Birthday Boy Sam Garner MICME.
Although this technology has been used for many years, Sam described how the advances in robotics have greatly enhanced the process for low series casting production enabling foundries to offer their customers significant reductions in lead times along with low labour costs, and high flexibility of the design process.
Aldo Randazzo of ExOne added a further dimension to the theme of rapid patternless production
Aldo is head of Customer Application at ExOne & his colleague Necip Cirakman had both travelled from Germany for the Seminar.
He described how the sand printing technique typically lays down a thin layer of pre bonded sand which is closely followed by the print head delivering precise catalyst to specific areas of the sand surface according to CAD programming – sand not hardened by catalyst is removed & can be recycled. Intricate shapes can be produced which would be impossible from conventional patterns or core boxes. Furan is the most frequently used binder, but other binder systems & hardening techniques are possible
Aldo is working closely with last year’s speaker Mike Leaney Prof MICME of CAT International in the U.K.- his busy schedule is testament to the rapid growth of this technology in the foundry industry.
Another of our Speakers from overseas, David Hrabina, International Project Manager Foseco, described the development of the Rotoclene ladle system for steel, which provides a reliable technology that can both reduce required superheat and homogenise temperature in the pouring ladle, of particular interest for bottom pour stopper applications. Additionally, the injection of pure calcium wire into the ladle, coupled with the inherent cleanliness promoted by the process, was shown to markedly improve ductility and impact toughness in carbon steel.
Matt Cawood, Head of Group AMRC Castings, presentation on ‘Net Zero – Why we should be shouting’ provided an update on our industries’ continued drive to lower carbon emissions and the legislative requirements which are increasingly involved. A case study highlighting the benefits of near net shape aluminium alloy casting vs. traditional machining manufacture for an aerospace application gave an insightful illustration of how foundries can have an opportunity to capitalise and take advantage of the push to Net Zero.
Will Jeffs, Technical Development Director CTI, described some of the advances in difficult component manufacture that the business was involved with. In particular, Will described the challenges of producing a very large and complex thin-walled titanium component which had pushed the team to think beyond the boundaries of what had been considered possible. The day was rounded off with a factory tour of CTI.
The branch thanks all those involved in making this years’ event a success and look forward to seeing you all again next year.
