In many ways Dakota Hanson (above) is a typical Young Millennial: he's an avid Tik Tok fan, spends his spare time playing Call of Duty, and has a job working with cutting-edge technology. However, unlike many members of his generation, Dakota's workplace is more than a laptop and a WIFI connection. As an Engineering Technician at Eagle Alloy (a shell molding facility in Muskegon, MI) Hanson specializes in programming robotic cells that play an integral role in the manufacturing process.

In fact, Eagle Alloy has a growing number of employees whose job descriptions include programming and operating robotic cells. Through a continuing education program led by robotics manufacturer ABB, Eagle Alloy has been able to provide its in-house team with manufacturing robotics expertise, further improving the company’s response time and resilience.

Metalcasting is a highly versatile manufacturing process. In fact, many manufacturing professionals are not aware of just how versatile it is, and they continue to produce parts through other less efficient methods. While there is certainly a necessity for fabrication and machining in the metal manufacturing world, these processes can sometimes be replaced by casting. 

In order to maintain efficient and successful operations in the manufacturing industry, quality control is extremely important. At Eagle Precision, we have developed a thorough quality policy that governs how we do business, from customer onboarding to product delivery. A big part of our dedication to quality is our adherence to ISO standards. Eagle Precision has been ISO certified since 2006, and we recently went through a re-certification process–and passed with flying colors.

Eagle Alloy takes pride in our reputation as a world-class metalcasting facility, and we make sure every batch of castings is ready for the customer before it leaves our facility. In most cases, the final step before packing and shipping is blasting. The blasting process removes burrs, flash and other excess metal from cast parts and improves their overall surface.

Eagle Alloy's new internal certification program recognizes the skill and dedication of our top-performing employees. The Master Foundryman certification will be awarded every quarter based on objective measures of experience and productivity. The first Eagle Alloy Master Foundrymen, awarded following Q1 2021 performance reviews, have demonstrated consistently outstanding performance in all aspects of their jobs.

Eagle Alloy, Inc. is proud to present our latest tool for metalcasting education. Our updated shell molding animation provides a start-to-finish overview of the shell mold casting process.

Corrosion is a common challenge affecting the surface of most metal parts. While corrosion often only affects the aesthetics of a metal part, severe corrosion can affect performance and can even lead to equipment failure. Corrosion is such a widespread challenge that the global cost of corrosion is estimated to be $2.5 trillion annually, according to a study by the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE).

Here we explore many of the ways corrosion can manifest in a material, and the techniques manufacturers use to prevent corrosion from affecting part performance.

The Eagle Group Blog previously wrote about our handheld laser scanner, capable of processing 1-2 million individual location points to accurately measure any surface. We recently built on that capability and purchased a Keyence VL-550 3D scanner CMM. The intuitive user interface, proprietary software and raw scanning power of the new equipment means we can process samples faster than ever before. By reducing measurement time and improving ease of use, we also open up a number of opportunities for advanced quality control.

Eagle Alloy's revamped facilities include a brand new cafeteria that facilitates social distancing, locker rooms with showers, and a new and improved health clinic. Completed in summer of 2020, these improvements make Eagle Alloy an even better place to work, and an even more reliable partner in the metal casting industry.

Every metalcasting process has unique tooling requirements. In sand casting, actual molds and cores are expendable, but tooling elements are more permanent. Shell mold casting tooling includes pattern plates, coreboxes, cavities, ejection systems and gating. All of these separate parts come together to allow precise formation of shell molded parts, whether the foundry is doing a run of 100 or 100,000 parts. A variety of metalforming techniques can be used to create tooling for shell mold casting, and the ideal process should strike a balance between quality, longevity and price.