Industry News

The American Foundry Society has received a $4 million federal appropriation to conduct essential aluminum-casting performance research. The funding is part of the package approved by Congress in March and signed into law by the president.

The Aluminum Casting Performance Initiative will launch with three key research projects: (1) New aluminum alloy developments/approvals for Department of Defense applications, (2) Development of enhanced artificial intelligence tools, and (3) Development of simulation capability tool for quality enhancement.

Ferroglobe PLC, a global producer of silicon metal and ferroalloys, and Coreshell, a U.S.-based battery technology company, have signed a memorandum of understanding for the purpose of producing the first battery-ready metallurgical silicon for the development of low-cost, high-range EV batteries in compliance with the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act. 

Capstreet, a Houston-based lower middle market private equity firm, has acquired Analytic Stress Relieving Inc. (ASR), a provider of on-site heat-treating services. 

Skuld LLC has purchased the site belonging to the former Champion Foundry in Piqua, Ohio. Champion Foundry a gray and iron foundry closed in March 2017.

Bodycote, a UK-based heat treatment and thermal processes company, has acquired Lake City Heat Treating in Warsaw, Indiana, a medical market provider of hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and vacuum heat treatment services, primarily supplying the orthopedic implant market as well as civil aerospace.

Lake City Heat Treating is forecast to have achieved 2023 full year revenues of about $14 million. The business revenue grew 30% in 2023 and looking ahead is expected to continue to deliver good progress.

A year ago in February, HWI and Calderys united under single ownership and became the Calderys Group. The new Group immediately began a program to share technologies, transferring a selection of Calderys solutions in the Americas to HWI.

AFS Corporate Member Aalberts surface technologies, a global provider of specialized thermal processing, surface treatment, and material coating solutions, has made investments in its Canton, Ohio facility to add austempering capabilities that will provide a logistically favorable option to customers located in the Midwest, Eastern, and Northeastern U.S. markets. To balance the capacity available in the market with demand, the company will be closing its plant in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

AFS Corporate Member ASK Chemicals, Hilden, Germany, has achieved a significant reduction in waste and resource by utilizing production side streams as a raw material source to develop new product formulations.

Metals recycler MetalX LLC has selected a 190-acre site in Defiance, Ohio, for its previously announced aluminum recycling campus. Initial development plans include an aluminum rolling slab manufacturing plant, a scrap shredding and advanced sortation facility, and a dedicated logistics hub.

Wabash Castings Inc., Wabash, Indiana, has installed a new, $1.5 million JOEST Complete Shaker System that will improve operations and reduce landfill waste. The new shaker system allows the aluminum casting manufacturer to reclaim and reuse approximately 500 tons of sand per month, removing it from the landfill stream.