Tyler Union celebrated the official opening of its new, 53,000-square-foot state-of-the-art, large-diameter foundry in Anniston, Alabama, on April 11 with several dignitaries, including U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers. 

The $25-million expansion is projected to create 15 to 25 additional jobs, significantly reduce lead times, and increase capacity for large diameter products, such as fittings and valves.

Among the highlights of the new foundry is the implementation of the VX400 3D sand printer, the largest system in the world for producing sand molds with a contiguous footprint of 4x2x1 meters. Developed by voxeljet, the printer will be used to print molds and cores, helping to reduce lead times for specialty request products or product specs for which the facility does not have a pattern or core box readily available. 

The foundry also features an induction melt furnace, yielding a more energy-efficient and well-controlled melting process, which is further complemented by dual baghouses as an essential component of the project’s infrastructure.