Simple Solutions That Work! Issue 15

CASE STUDIES 27 Continued on next page BOLD INSTALLATION OF NO-BAKE AUTOMATION JACK PALMER President Palmer Manufacturing & Supply, Inc. ARTICLE TAKEAWAYS: • Deciding to install first-of-a kind molding equipment, Flip Molding Machine (FMM) • Large installation planning • Runoffs are expensive but save in the long run I nnovative Castings Dualtech Foundry is one of North America’s premier prototype casting facilities. ICT Dualtech has the ability to receive a casting model, run it through their solidification program, cut cope and drag patterns / core boxes, make castings and fully machine all on the same campus. ICT does this while meeting the delivery requirements of the top names in the large equipment arena, including Caterpillar, Cummins, and Deere – which can be in as little as two weeks. This company has never been shy to venture out of the box to try something new. Whereas others take the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ model, ICT takes a different approach that has served this leading company well. ICT approaches all of its projects with the goals to increase production, reduce waste, decrease lead times and improve quality. It’s an approach of continuous improvement and being open to more advanced technologies to accomplish their mission. While they were always quite busy and profitable, the owner Jack Laugle saw an oncoming surge of casting production requirements due to the improving economy. While their normal no-bake production equipment was effective and productive, Laugle and his foundry manager Brian Claycamp wanted to increase output without increasing the building square footage and have zero downtime due to equipment installation, and commissioning. Palmer had been a long-time equipment supplier to ICT Dualtech and has been with them through their many growth steps. Laugle began this business as a small patternmaker and now has a campus complete with pattern making, machining, foundry, plastic pattern printing, and new this year is 3D metal printing, as an additional prototype and production option for his customers. Palmer presented a pretty revolutionary idea that would increase production on variable sized castings with a new, and first-of-a-kind Flip Molding Machine (FMM). The Palmer engineering team met with the ICT Dualtech staff to determine all of the important production requirements, delivery time, and space limitations which eliminated the possibility of adding a carousel or a traditional conveyor/rollover based system. The automated solution that fit this bill was an innovation: instead of traditional slow, and expensive large rollover to remove the mold from the box, the platen that held the mold box would invert and then the mold would be drawn out onto a precision lift where the conveyor on top of the lift would move the mold half outboard of the machine for traditional coating, coring, closing, and clamping procedures. Laugle saw that the FMM offered more than a high mold production rate, all without an expensive rollover. The FMM also offered a flexible production opportunity which was critical. As production varies, this machine accommodates that easily.