Question 1

What is your quality process?

Accepted Answer

Before production of a part begins, samples are made and verified to be correct to the print. Most customers choose to receive samples before the full production run begins, and we encourage this to ensure you are happy with your parts.
Each part we make is inspected at each step by our experienced production team with a final inspection taking place before the parts are approved for shipment.
We understand that there may be concerns with quality. Our customer service team will always work with you to address and correct the problem by replacing your parts as quickly as possible to prevent recurrence of the issue.  Note: We are pursuing ISO Certification in 2021.

Question 2

What other metals do you use?

Accepted Answer

At this time, we only offer gray and ductile iron castings. However, if your part requires a different metal we have partnerships with foundries that pour steel, stainless steel, ni-hard, ni-resists, aluminum, and bronze.

Question 3

What is the difference between gray and ductile iron?

Accepted Answer

There are a few key differences between gray and ductile iron. Gray iron is generally easier to machine, better at dampening vibration, and is less expensive. Gray iron is often used to make manhole covers and machine parts. Ductile iron is stronger and more impact resistant, but more expensive and more difficult to machine. Many ductile iron castings are used to make pump components and gear boxes.

Question 4

How many lines do you run?

Accepted Answer

We currently have three no-bake lines and floor molding. The majority of our production is handled by our Palmer UMM, which runs most any type of pattern up to 48 x  60, and is well-suited for low-to-medium volume work.  We also have floor molding capability, which allows us to accommodate low-volume orders or very large castings.

Question 5

What is your capacity?

Accepted Answer

Our process facilitates quick changeovers and allows us to accept orders as small as 1 piece. We are one of only a few foundries that specialize in short runs and one-off jobs. Our targeted annual volume for our Palmer UMM is 50-5000 pieces per year.  However, our jobbing floor focuses on running either very small or very large castings, and handles our most complex work. The job floor currently supports all of our low-volume work, which is where we focus on volumes of 1-50 pcs. per order.

Question 6

What are your methods of ramming mold boxes?

Accepted Answer

Our cope & drag molds are hand-rammed on jolt/squeeze machines which allows high levels of detail while retaining structural integrity. Our no-bake molds are hand-packed and vibrated, making it possible to cast very complex parts. We can also create molds with loose patterns through the use of these techniques.

Question 7

Do we offer machining or partner with a machine shop?

Accepted Answer

We do not have in-house machining but we do have several partner facilities t()hat allow us to provide machined complete parts.

Question 8

Do you make your own tooling?

Accepted Answer

We have a full pattern shop but focus on repair and maintenance. New patterns are made by one of our affiliated pattern shops.

If your question is not answered here, please contact our sales department.

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