Working with constraints often leads to innovative solutions—and such is the case with AFS Corporate Member Torrance Casting (La Crosse, Wisconsin), winner of the 2025 AFS North American Plant Engineering Award.

Adding a new automated molding line within the existing footprint was a challenge for the 149-year-old family-run foundry business, which specializes in medium- to low-volume gray, ductile, and nickel (Ni)-hard iron castings.

There wasn’t just one reason for adding a new automated line. Torrance Casting sought to reduce labor, produce higher-quality castings, improve worker safety, lower cost of goods sold, and take advantage of more flexible scheduling.

“Everything just came together,” said John Torrance, president and the sixth generation of Torrances to manage the family business. “We’re always investing for the future. We’re always putting money back into the business.”

According to Torrance, flexibility is a key requirement when molding and handling the company’s lower-volume work. Unlike many foundries that have automated and then sought out higher-volume work, the company intends to stay focused on lower-volume, complex castings for a diverse client base—including pumping equipment, industrial valves, fire safety, conveying equipment, roadway construction, mining, oil and gas, and air conditioning.

The company selected a tight flask molding line from AFS Corporate Member Heinrich Wagner Sinto (HWS), which can assign each mold its own cooling time. With a tight flask molding line, the frame stays with the mold throughout the process—from pouring to cooling and shakeout. After shakeout, the empty flasks return to the molding machine for reuse.

Looking Up for a Storage Solution

Due to space constraints and keeping with Torrance’s philosophy of using cubic footage as opposed to square footage, the company designed a vertical solution, rather than traditional horizontal mold cooling lines, where cooling is driven by the molding machine production rate (conveyance system) or a pallet line system.

“The new vertical cooling house allows molds with radically different cooling times to be produced back-to-back without impacting each other’s scheduled dump time,” Torrance explained. “Independent cooling also helps provide consistent casting mechanical properties.

“We engineered this equipment to fit within our existing foundry in a way that would make the most sense for our operations,” Torrance continued. “That’s when the idea to build vertically emerged. This approach enables independent cooling without compromising casting throughput and avoids taking up the floor space required by standard horizontal mold storage.

The idea of a vertical storage solution kicked off a year-long design process, involving collaboration between HWS’s engineers in Germany, Sinto’s 3D modelers in Michigan, and a 3D scanning company in Indiana.

Design and Construction Details

Among the key considerations for the new line was its proximity to the source of molten iron and avoiding disruption to existing lines. To create space for the new equipment, the company built two additional buildings to relocate equipment and free up room for the molding line.

Installing the machine at the same elevation as the current foundry floor required digging an 18-ft.-deep pit, and building a concrete foundation—at a cost of $1 million.

“The pit under the core setting line is nine ft. deep, the pit under the molding machine is 15 ft. deep, and at the end, we have an 18 ft. pit to house a bucket elevator that removes all the sand from the process,” said Torrance. While it was more expensive to dig down than to elevate the machine, the company believed the efficiency of ground-level operation would outweigh the added cost over time.

To ensure the new design would work within the existing footprint, the company relied heavily on 3D scanning technology.
“3D scanning of our foundry helped identify potential collisions and interferences between the proposed equipment and existing foundry conditions,” said Torrance. “This extensive layout and design phase facilitated smoother installation and minimized problems in the field.”

With the help of cameras and a unique colored lighting system, operators can identify the status of molds throughout the casting process. “The lights improve communication and ensure that we don’t accidentally pour a mold or pour the wrong iron into a mold,” said Torrance.

While construction took 18 months, the positioning of the new molding line allowed the company to continue operating its existing lines, even with a large opening in the floor. “We didn’t lose any production from our existing equipment,” explained Torrance. The company continues to use its cope and drag pallet line system. However, as new orders come in, the team discusses with customers whether to convert existing patterns to the new machine.

Vertical Storage Brings Added Flexibility

 The most innovative aspect of the project is the vertical grid-based automated storage and retrieval system (AS-RS) that stores molds one-deep in an 80-spot cooling house—four rows high and 20 bays wide.

Each mold has a computer-assigned cooling time set at the molding machine. According to Torrance, the system gives the company the flexibility to schedule jobs back-to-back, even with vastly different cooling requirements.

“Once a mold is robotically parked, it has ultimate freedom for cooling duration,” he said. Upon completion of the cooling cycle, the robot retrieves the mold for automatic dumping.

Quality Improvements

Torrance reports significant quality improvements as a result of the new line. One impressive metric is scrap rates. “Scrap from the HWS line is half of what it was on the cope and drag lines,” he said. 

Torrance attributes these improvements to the design of the tight flask molding machine, which eliminates two leading causes of scrap: run-out and shift. 

“You will never have casting shift from mold conveyance, and you will drastically minimize run-out because the molds are clamped together,” he said. 

Productivity and Safety Benefits

According to Torrance, the automated HWS line can produce four times the number of molds per hour as the company’s cope and drag line—with substantially less labor.

“What took four operators (two different cope and drag molding machines) to make 25 molds per hour can now be done with one to two operators at 50 molds per hour per shift,” said Torrance. The labor savings from one shift alone totals nearly half a million dollars per year.

The new molding line has also enabled the company to produce larger castings than its older equipment could accommodate.
As important as labor savings and productivity are, safety benefits are equally significant. The new line is fully enclosed, and the automated handling system further reduces the risk of injury from pushing and pulling heavy pallets.

Committed to Capital Investment

Capital equipment investments have long been part of this sixth-generation foundry’s DNA.

“The focus is on efficiency and effectiveness in everything we do,” said Torrance. “If an improved method of operation becomes available, it will be adopted.”

The $19 million spent on the project represents the largest single capital investment in the company’s history. 

“It was clear this investment was essential for our future,” said Torrance. “Key factors like safety, casting quality and dimensional stability, labor relocation, ease of scheduling, and reliability drove our decision.”

With 149 years of history behind it, the family-owned company is sticking with what has made it successful. When it comes to investments, that means prioritizing long-term benefits over short-term return on investment (ROI).

In 2020, for example, the company installed a 417-kW solar array system (1,042 panels), which is saving about $40,000 per year on electricity. By 2028, the investment will pay for itself.

“We prioritize reinvesting in capital equipment to sustain and grow operations beyond the current ownership,” Torrance said. “We take pride in being an environmentally friendly neighbor to our community, a clean and safe workplace for our employees, and a dependable supplier for our clients.”

Because the company operates by Christian principles, management views themselves as stewards of the foundry, rather than owners. Their mission is to serve others and adhere to the Golden Rule, treating others as they would wish to be treated. 

“When family ownership is present and engaged, customers notice,” said Torrance. “Our involvement leads to efficient processes, clear communication, skilled staff, smooth operations, and a profitable, sustainable supply of castings.” The hope is for one or both of Torrance’s twin sons to someday join the business.

An Important Innovation for the Industry

One objective of the AFS North American Plant Engineering Award is to spotlight innovative equipment and emerging casting technologies. One of the project’s suppliers encouraged Torrance to submit the contest entry. Through the recognition, Torrance hopes to show other foundries an alternative mold cooling option.

Exposure in Modern Casting and on social media has already led to several inquiries from prospective clients and customers. 
“It’s important for foundries to see how others are adapting to space limitations within their operations,” Torrance said. “The future of our industry is going to require the acceleration of these types of projects.