Recently, we had to replace a vertical centrifugal mold due to metal fatigue. We made several improvements in the new mold design, one of which included increasing the length to the maximum available height of our centrifuge. Limited only by the weight capacity of our furnace, we can now cast much larger parts.
Safety is always our number one concern due to the inherent danger of working with molten metal and heavy spinning equipment, so special precautions are taken with every pour. Any changes in the old ‘tried and true design’ require careful planning and experimentation, and this was no exception.
We discovered on our first several pours that lengthening the mold created a new phenomena in the interior plug design and immediate changes were made. Other things to consider were the expense of increasing the mold length. The question of ‘who would need a casting that large’ would continue to ring in our heads. Within only a few weeks, we were rewarded with the answer receiving a request to cast 2 pcs. to finish to 27-5/8” OD X 7” long. Since our new mold will cast 19” long, we were able to achieve both parts from one casting saving our customer material, machining, and delivery lead time.
It’s a reoccurring theme at O&D that with innovation we continue to lower costs and pass those savings on to our customers.
