Articles: Industry News

Desktop Metal, Inc. has released a video showcasing how the BMW Group uses ExOne binder jet 3D printers for the serial production of casted powertrain components: www.TeamDM.com/BMW.

ExOne and the BMW Group have been working together for more than 20 years on project development. 

AFS Corporate Member Progressive Foundry, Perry, Iowa, is launching another phase of its renovation improvements late this fall, with a $2.5 million investment to update its shakeout system. The company has purchased a new Didion media drum and several new conveyors from General Kinematics for the project, which is aimed at reducing casting breakage and lowering shotblasting cycle times. 

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) program has given a silver award to AFS Corporate member McWane Ductile Ohio. McWane encourages innovation by hosting a contest comprised of teams from its family of companies for the best pollution prevention ideas. The results of this contest have generated significant savings company wide. In addition, they have implemented energy efficiency upgrades at their facility, including purchasing regenerative burners, installing LED lighting, and using variable efficiency drives.

Doncasters, a global manufacturer of high-precision components, has signed a multi-year contract with Siemens Energy. With an anticipated value exceeding $1 billion, the agreement covers the supply of complex precision investment castings for Siemens Energy’s gas turbine platforms.

Under the contract, Doncasters will leverage its vertically integrated alloy manufacturing and casting capabilities in the UK and Germany to deliver exceptional products to Siemens Energy.

Shinhwa Auto USA Corp. announced last month it will invest $114 million to expand its manufacturing operation in Auburn to support the production of electric vehicle parts.

The growth project will create 50 jobs and add a new 170,000 sq.-ft. production building on Shinhwa’s campus in Auburn Technology Park West. The expansion will be the South Korean company’s third since selecting the Alabama city as the site of its first U.S. plant in 2019.

AFS Corporate Member Humtown Products was one of 68 businesses being recognized nationally as a Legacy Business by the U.S. Small Business Administration, according to a story at wfmj.com.

On August 23, the SBA presented a trophy recognizing Humtown Products as a legacy business at its newly expanded manufacturing facility on Cherry Fork Ave. in Leetonia, Ohio.

According to SBA, Humtown, like other Legacy Businesses, has benefitted from SBA resources in its early stages.

Tyler Union, part of the McWane Inc. family of companies, broke ground on the expansion of its melting and molding operation. The new $24 million investment will add 54,000 sq.ft. to its existing footprint in Anniston, Alabama.

McWane Ductile - Ohio, a McWane Inc. company, announced a $500,000 donation toward constructing a new multi-use path in Coshocton, Ohio, in partnership with Coshocton County. The “McWane River Walk” project will provide opportunities for outdoor recreation, healthier lifestyles, and safer connectivity between neighborhoods, local businesses, and schools, providing a more vibrant community.

Linamar is constructing a 91.5-sq.ft. Giga casting facility in Welland, Ontario, Canada, that’s expected to be completed January 2024 and operational in 2025, according to a report by Dave Johnson in the Welland Tribune.  

Serving the automotive, agricultural, and industrial sectors, the company will purchase high-press diecasting equipment for the new facility—each weighing in excess of 6,000 tons, a category with just 25–30 machines in use worldwide. 

AFS Corporate Member The Lawton Standard Co. has added AMSCO Wear Products, Inc., located in Wilmington, Delaware, to its family. AMSCO has been providing cost-effective, wear-resistant steel since 1915. AMSCO’s products include wear parts for steel recycling, mining, and waste-to-energy industries.