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Iron foundry expert returns to Castings Technology International as consultant
Graham Jagger .
A foundry expert , whose technical capabilities include producing complex components with a cast weight of up to 40 tonnes , has joined Castings Technology International . Graham Jagger becomes Cti ’ s iron castings consultant . Mr Jagger is no stranger to Cti , having managed one of its business units over 10 years ago . He started his career in the foundry industry as an apprentice pattern maker in 1965 , becoming a shop floor
Key changes at UK aluminium ingot manufacturer
As part of a restructuring initiative of the Norton Aluminium management team in Cannock , Trevor Bird has been appointed General Manager . Previously the firm ’ s Production Manager , Mr Bird has worked for the company for three years and has been associated with the industry for nine years , bringing a wealth of smelting and recycling knowledge . Norton Aluminium operates in the automotive , aerospace , F1 and motorsport sectors and has
High pressure quench delivers diverse process capabilities in Slovenia
Slovenian commercial heat treater , MIHEU is expanding its production capacity with the addition of a Vector high pressure gas quench vacuum furnace . Delivered in February 2016 , the installation enables MIHEU to expand its markets by offering a wide variety of processes with the installation of a single system . The standard universal Vector vacuum furnace is used for a wide range of industrial heat treatment technician and technical and development engineer , before moving into management 35 years ago . He has spent more than 20 years as a foundries manager and helped a mediumsized iron foundry to expand into new markets and increase its manufacturing capabilities as technical manager , before becoming the joint owner and technical director of an iron foundry in West Yorkshire , which he has continued to advise after selling his stake in the business . “ My experience has been gained on the ground , on a day to day business , producing castings , managing foundries and managing people . “ My role at Cti will be to support iron foundries in whatever way I can ” Mr Jagger comments . “ These are challenging times for UK iron foundries but there are opportunities for them to thrive if they are prepared to target low volume , niche markets , versatile technologies and supply
been based in Norton Canes , Cannock since 1952 . In another key management change , Wayne Harrison has been promoted to Foundry Manager . The current management / foundry team boasts 60 years of experience within the foundry sector . Trevor Bird and the team have been key to driving proponents for the company achieving its best ever environmental rating last year , as it continued to invest some £ 300,000 in reducing the
applications including gas quench hardening and tempering , degassing , annealing , solution heat treatment and brazing . Equipped with Data Portal , the control system can connect to a configurable website that gives the user access to archive data using a web browser . This application can use an internal data recorder or it can work with other software . Recorded data is displayed in the form of web pages . Depending on the the full spectrum of iron-based materials including compacted graphite iron and austempered ductile iron , which engineers are increasingly utilising , the latter of which can replace steel in some applications .” Graham Jagger believes adopting technologies like Cti ’ s Patternless and Replicast processes , more often used for stainless and special steel alloys and reactive metals , could give UK iron foundries the versatility and ability to react rapidly which they need to succeed in modern markets . “ Both technologies reduce time to manufacture and total manufacturing costs and allow foundries to produce one off castings and rapid prototypes as well as short runs . I think the iron side of the casting industry and their customers aren ’ t aware of the potential of this technology for their products and are missing out on the ability to be more agile , respond rapidly and gain a foothold in new markets as a result .” www . castings-technology . com
organisation ’ s environmental impact . “ When I joined the firm in 2012 , our environmental audit had considered the foundry as a high risk to the environment but we have worked hard internally with staff and with some serious investment to successfully maintain a ‘ medium ’ rating in our subsequent audits - maintained now for three years , we take this very seriously and continue to invest in this area ” he confirmed . www . nortal . co . uk
customer ’ s choice , access can be through a local area network or via the internet from anywhere . Measuring 600mm x 600mm x 900mm , the furnace operates at a nominal temperature of 1300 ° C and delivers quenching pressures up to 10,0 bar abs . The system was delivered complete with a water cooling system , load fixture , DataPortal software package , installation , start up and training . www . secowarwick . com
Casting process optimisation user group meeting
The annual Magmasoft UK user group meeting was held at the National Metal Forming Centre , West Bromwich last February . This meeting offers the opportunity for users to see the latest developments and customer implementations in Magmasoft , advanced tips and tricks , the latest hardware recommendations and an open forum to discuss and exchange ideas . Some 30 delegates supported the meeting , which saw Dr Ingo Hahn of MAGMA GmbH present the latest developments and features planned for future software versions . David Hall , who recently joined Maxima Engineering to further support the UK licence base , presented tips and tricks to help existing users improve upon their own use of the specialist software . Dr Alastair D Long of Queen ’ s University Belfast was invited to present his work on the benefits of using optimisation tools within Magmasoft . Dr Long ’ s presentation showed the wider benefits of using optimisation , which has a positive impact on material savings and improvements to working practices , leading to direct and indirect cost savings . www . magmasoft . com
UK engine manufacturing trends
Production of UK-built engines was steady in 2015 with 2,368,477 units manufactured , down 1.1 % on 2014 . International demand underpinned the market , with 64 % - almost two thirds - of engines exported . “ Whilst engine production remains steady in the UK , with figures down just 1 % compared to average annual production since 2009 , continued growth of the export market underlines the importance of demand from overseas ” commented Mike Hawes , SMMT Chief Executive . “ Over 1.5 million engines were exported in 2015 , with the split between petrol and diesel almost equal .” Industry figures for February 2016 confirm that 230,868 engines were manufactured in the UK , up 11.1 % on the same month last year . Year-todate production is up 6.3 % on 2015 . www . smmt . co . uk
Cast Metal & Diecasting Times April / May 2016