铸造工程是一项艰巨的挑战. 无论是建造一座全新的工厂，还是在现有设施的基础上进行扩建, 障碍会出现，这是意料之中的，也是令人惊讶的, 即使是经验最丰富的专业人士. 挑战可能源于公司和项目之间的距离, 天气, 施工延误或其他问题可能会使一个想法变得混乱.

幸运的是这个行业, many metalcasters are making additions or building brand new structures to help their companies grow and better serve customers. 现代铸造 我想了解一下这些公司在建设项目中的表现, 他们克服了多大的挑战啊, and what kind of advice they’d give other companies planning to undertake important and possibly transformative projects.

可靠的彩票平台网址大全(威斯康星州沃帕卡)
AFS企业会员可靠的彩票平台网址大全(Waupaca, 威斯康辛州), 日立金属公司, 扩大了其位于沃帕卡的两家灰铸铁铸造厂的核心生产, 项目现在已经完成了. 1号工厂有一个机器人单元在运行，2/3工厂有六个机器人单元在运行.

然而，实现这一目标需要一个过程.

第一核电站一期工程占地1.15万平方英尺. ft. 为储存砂芯而增加的存储空间, 第二阶段是25号公路的建设,000 sq. ft. 岩心生产设备. 与此同时, 2/3号厂房, the first phase included the addition of a 岩心生产设备 with three double-wide warm-box coremaking cells. 该工厂还开发了新的机器人工作单元, 一种防砂系统制造技术, 一种分发材料的新方法, 一个新的添加剂系统和一个新的干芯烘箱. 下一阶段在2/3号电站, 一个新的和两个双宽暖箱制芯细胞被转移到该设施. 移动一对机器人细胞，并添加一个机器人细胞.

为此，Waupaca采用了传统的铸造工艺，并从头开始重新设计. Waupaca reviewed its production process and improved it via Kaizen best practices before designing the space. 这使得它能够自动化特性以获得可重复的质量结果, 提高工作人员的舒适度, 并留有扩展空间，以满足未来客户的需求. 2/3号厂房, 沃帕卡完成了两个阶段的设计, 工程, construction and implementation within a condensed 26-month timeline while decommissioning existing equipment in order to commission the new cells. 这一切都是在保持生产能力以满足客户订单的情况下完成的.

该公司表示，该项目显然对Waupaca的运营产生了影响. 员工的工作空间得到了改善，客户对产品也很满意. The material and process flow is better thanks to efficient and accurate equipment locations and the new technology reduces variation throughout the coremaking process. 员工们拥有更好的人体工程学工作站, 改进了照明和工艺控制.

“这表明，当你把最好的铸造团队聚集在一起时，你可以完成什么, 真正倾听别人的关心和建议, 并寻求合理的解决方案.Waupaca的工程经理Dale Hardel说. “总的来说，我们已经证明了安全性和人体工程学的改进, 能源效率, 环保意识, 并且设备创新可以以最先进的方式应用于经典的铸造工艺.”

这个项目需要所有相关方的大力合作. Waupaca engaged its vendors and suppliers early in the process by sharing design models and equipment requirements to provide for the most efficient construction process. Waupaca was able to engage team members across functions and departments to design an optimal workspace through Kaizen and benchmarking best practices. 

沃帕卡也不得不与紧迫的时间作斗争, 它正好经历了威斯康星州典型的严冬. And it also had to figure out when to draw a line between what they wanted and needed to keep the project within budget.

美国木村铸造厂(印第安纳州谢尔比维尔)
8月, AFS公司成员木村铸造美国(绍姆堡), 伊利诺斯州(Illinois)宣布，该公司将在美国设立第一家分店.S. 印第安纳州谢尔比维尔的制造工厂. 木村铸造美国公司是日本木村集团的子公司, 并将向该设施投资800万美元, 预计将于2018年12月开业.

到2020年将创造20个新的工作岗位, and the company has bought a 10-acre parcel of land with plans to break ground in the fall for the plant, 里面有3d打印设备. The facility will be important for Kimura’s production of complex castings and molds for automotive clients in the U.S.这是该公司正在增长的一个领域.

With a project this important, it shouldn’t be surprising that Kimura painstakingly planned the move. Kimura Foundry America president Yoya Fukuda said the company coordinated with relevant companies and vendors about the technical information needed to start production.

新建筑是木村战略的关键部分, 当它完成时, 预计这将有助于该公司更好地为美国客户服务.S.

这也是该公司最新发展的一部分, 它使用了原始的蒸发铸造工艺(ECP)大约半个世纪, 主要供应冲模零件等大型铸件, 机床及工业客户. 2011年，该公司经历了管理层变动, leading to a transition in strategy from ECP but also to a direct molding process that allowed them to produce more complicated castings in Japan, 利用3d打印.

但这一变化也带来了后勤方面的挑战. Kimura tried to build relationships with customers to promote the direct molding process but had trouble keeping up with the growing demand from customers in the United States.

“That is why Kimura decided to build facilities to produce castings with the sophisticated 3-D-print technology in the U.S.福田敬二说.

来吸引木村的生意, 印第安纳经济发展公司提供了225美元,000有条件的税收抵免和25美元,培训补助金再增加1万美元.

“Indiana is a global destination for companies from around the world looking for a place to locate, 发展和增加新的就业机会,吉姆·谢林格说, 印第安纳州商务部长. “木村的决定延续了跨国公司的长期趋势, 包括许多日本人, 选择让印第安纳州成为美国.S. 首页。. 多年来, 我们很幸运与日本发展了亲密的友谊, 我们非常激动地欢迎美国木村铸造厂的朋友来到印第安纳州.”

卡姆泰克(伯明翰，阿拉巴马州)
麦格纳(极光, 安大略, 加拿大)最近为其伯明翰Kamtek工厂的扩建剪彩, 阿拉巴马州, and is in the process of finalizing all of the equipment installations to meet customers’ requirements. 麦格纳花了大约6000万美元扩建了这座15万平方英尺的豪宅. ft. 该工厂满负荷运转将创造100多个就业岗位. The new facility will feature high-pressure diecasting and produce lightweight aluminum front shock towers for a major automaker, 未来会有更多的期待.

“The 扩张 into this new arena of high-pressure diecasting for structural components has opened many doors for Kamtek and Magna,Kamtek总经理助理Rick Zimmermann说. “We now have the ability to provide full assemblies that include these high-strength structural aluminum castings.”

Zimmermann also passed along some valuable advice for companies looking to build similar additions.

“在进行大型项目时，例如使用新技术开设绿地, one of the most important considerations is a common goal or to set the vision at the start of the project,齐默尔曼说. “在项目的整个生命周期中，团队必须保持灵活性, 随着项目的变化, 甚至每天, 团队需要根据愿景并牢记最终目标来做出决策.”

Zimmermann said Magna worked closely with the local contractors and arranged for daily reviews of the plan vs. 实际的进度，以确保满足计划. 第一个建筑柱于2月11日设置. 2016年6月底，Kamtek开始运行产品.

“我们拥有满足需求所需的合适团队和专业知识, 这就是这个项目的不同之处,齐默尔曼说.

虽然这并不是项目成功的决定性因素, 天气帮助麦格纳按时完成了扩建. 正如齐默尔曼指出的那样, 伯明翰的雪不多, 给公司带来了在冬季工作的优势.

“相反, the rain hindered our progress a little and we had to come up with solutions and work-arounds to maintain the schedule,齐默尔曼说.

但大自然母亲并不是最有价值的. 那是麦格纳团队.

“在项目的各个方面:领导力, 工程, 质量, 维护, 团队成员, 与我们的支持小组一起工作, 我们实现了一个共同的目标,齐默尔曼说. 简而言之，团队合作是这家初创公司的成功之本.”

该项目的全面影响要到2019年和2020年才能知道，但它已经产生了影响.

“Our sister facilities have already utilized some of the innovations that we have completed here in Birmingham,齐默尔曼说. “我们已经成功地实施了一个更安全的, 更高效和精简的布局，使麦格纳在全球受益.”

Sain Associates参与了该项目的建筑设计, IBI集团完成了建筑设计, 库柏建筑公司在施工经理方面提供支持.

布雷博(密歇根州荷马)
布雷博庆祝了其26.6万平方英尺的第一次倾入. ft. 荷马, 密歇根, iron casting facility in April 2016 and the foundry began its ramp up phase immediately after the equipment had been run off. The company is currently hiring the third and final shift for the foundry and by the beginning of the second quarter of 2018 should be running at full capacity.

即使设施已经完工, 布雷博仍然面临着新工厂的常见障碍.

“我们正面临着新工厂(不仅仅是铸造厂)的典型挑战。, 招聘和留住最优秀的人才, training the foundry people of today and the future and making sure our new state of the art foundry equipment runs as expected throughout each day,发言人丹·桑德伯格说. ”也, 这家铸造厂的动态很有趣，因为它是由一个多元文化的管理团队经营的, 拥有来自美国的专业知识.S.当然还有美国、波兰、墨西哥、中国和意大利.”

布雷博铸造厂，这是AFS公司成员铸造解决方案的获奖项目 & 设计, 是模仿其在全球的其他设施吗, and having similar processes and equipment contributed to the company’s ability to ramp up at the plant. 管理团队先前启动新铸造生产线的经验也很有帮助, 但这条道路并非一帆风顺.

“当然, 并不是所有的员工都对最先进的技术有经验, 我们为刹车盘的制造开发了专业的铸造工艺, and even our seasoned staff had to become familiar with some improved processes and equipment we developed specifically for this new foundry,桑德伯格说。. “我们正在经历一个典型的学习曲线.”

布雷博也遇到了一些挑战与它的一些设备供应商. 炼铁行业出现了一些整合, 这意味着销售铸造设备的供应商更少了. And that unfortunate fact has been a challenge for Brembo as it builds its in-house foundry capacity for the future.

布雷博受益的一个方面是地理位置.

“We believe that 密歇根 offered us a good workforce with a strong work ethic and technical skills,桑德伯格说。. “It appears that our proven foundry processes and this experienced local workforce are coming together nicely.”

新工厂已经为布雷博带来了红利, as it gets close to half of its casting requirements from the facility that’s next door to its 加工 operations. 它简化了他们的产品流程, 消除运输成本和其他非增值运动.

“我们还能够微调布雷博和我们的客户使用的某些专有化学物质,桑德伯格说。. “通过铸造，我们也能够更好地控制整个制造过程, 加工, 涂装和装配过程都在一个屋檐下.”