Released on March 29, 2010

Lethbridge Iron Works, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, has completed a 25,000-sq.-ft. building addition and equipment installation for $9 million and expects to begin production in the new facility in August.

“The anticipation is for it to be running after our summer shutdown, subject to getting all the bugs worked out,” said John Davies, Lethbridge president.

The equipment installed in the new facility includes an automated 44 x 32 x 13-in. green sand molding line, a robotic grinder, an automated pouring system with a gantry crane, a pouring hood ventilation system for fume collection, a sprue drill system, and a new shakeout, manipulator and shot blast.

A Lethbridge executive indicated the new molding line is rated at 60 molds per hour, and the company expects to use it to produce casting weights between 70 lbs. and 500 lbs. Davies said the expansion would increase Lethbridge’s larger casting capacity by 300%, taking it from less than 2 tons of castings per hour to more than 5 tons.

Lethbridge began the expansion prior to the economic downturn that occurred toward the end of 2008, but Davies said the company was committed to the project and believes it will benefit from it in the long run.

“We produce what we consider larger castings…on two molding machines but sold out that line and needed additional capacity [several years ago],” Davies said. “We have taken a little longer to complete the expansion, but we hope it will be running smoothly when the economy does return.”

For now, the company expects to feed the new equipment with its existing sand and melt systems and run it primarily while the main facility is off production. As capacity on the new system is filled, Davies said the company will consider the installation of new furnaces and sand conditioning equipment.

Lethbridge serves a number of end-use markets, including the agricultural, secondary automotive, rail, and oil and gas industries.