Originally published on MIMFG.org here

The Michigan Manufacturers Association (MMA) is proud to announce Eagle Alloy of Muskegon has been selected as the 2018 recipient of the John G. Thodis Michigan Manufacturer of the Year Award. A prestigious honor since 1981, the award is named after MMA’s longest-serving president and honors the important, positive and tangible contributions individual manufacturers make to their employees, customers and communities. The Eagle Alloy team received the award during the 2018 MFG Excellence Awards on November 8 at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing.

Drilling is one of the most common techniques used in manufacturing to create holes. In contrast to other hole-making methods like boring, reaming and tapping, drilling is most often used to create holes in unbroken surfaces. In precision CNC machining, drilling can range in scope from simple, rough hole drilling to complex, multi-feature hole drilling.

Eagle Alloy was lively and bustling on Thursday, October 4th. That's no surprise: our Muskegon, MI campus is regularly buzzing through three shifts a day, five days a week. But this particular day brought in a larger crowd than usual: in celebration of Manufacturing Day 2018 we opened our campus to local schools and community representatives for a demonstration of modern metalcasting.

The goal of Manufacturing Day is to inspire the next generation of manufacturers, and we wanted to support that goal any way we could. By inviting students to witness our work firsthand, we aimed to provide an introduction to modern metalcasting and manufacturing. After nearly 40 years in business, we understand the importance of letting young people know about the exciting potential of metalcasting careers.

During the Eagle Group's product design process, sample runs of new cast products are subject to some of the most rigorous inspection processes available. The inspection methods we use prove to our customers that their parts will conform to specified tolerances and be free of defects. From magnetic particle inspection to laser scanning, we make sure that every new product passes a gamut of tests before it ships to the customer.

The Eagle Group regularly makes use of robust inspection technology to discover and diagnose any flaws or defects present in metal parts. In some cases, we use these methods to reverse engineer an existing part brought to us with defects. In other cases, we've pinpointed flaws in the initial design that lead to downstream manufacturing challenges.

The rise of CAD/CAM software largely defines the current era of manufacturing. While blueprints and dimensional charts are still widely used as reference guides, modern manufacturers rely on software to design prototypes and simulate casting processes. One of the first steps in the cast part development process is to create a 3D model. From there, engineers can improve the part shape, simulate a variety of casting processes and materials, and troubleshoot difficult manufacturing scenarios.

When done right, CAD/CAM software enables foundries to solve all the problems of casting in the virtual world, before pouring any metal. The results are cost savings for the customer, time savings for everyone, and reduction of overall waste.

Product development processes vary widely from foundry to foundry. The Eagle Group's Product Development blog series aims to highlight practices used by leading foundries that prioritize quality in every part they produce.

One product development practice that sets Eagle Alloy apart from other shell molding foundries is their use of a handheld laser scanner for inspection and dimensional reporting. This technology greatly improves the accuracy of dimensional reports, and makes it easier for customers to verify that new parts meet their requirements.

APQP, or "Advanced Product Quality Planning," is a product-design process developed by automakers in the 1980s. Since then, a large number of businesses have adopted APQP for the product development stage.

A major portion of APQP is devoted to planning the production process, and making the right design decisions at an early enough stage to prevent expensive corrections later. When APQP is carried out correctly, it's a comprehensive and complete process. The foundry will engage the customer on multiple levels to learn everything they can know about the product, its end use and its working environment before finalizing design.

One major factor that sets leading foundries apart from the rest is the product design process. Foundries that follow these five steps are much more likely to produce quality cast parts that function as expected, with low rates of returns and defects. They also frequently delight customers with innovative design suggestions and efficient processes that lead to better parts, lower costs and higher quality.

In the 1980s and 90s, product design procedures were so varied that major American automakers created a set of standard guidelines for their suppliers to follow. These manuals led to the modern practice of "Advanced Product Quality Planning," or APQP.

The Eagle Group is comprised of three companies: a shell molding foundry, an investment casting foundry and a CNC machine house. Together, we're able to manufacture a broad range of metal products from concept to completion.

If you're looking for a new supplier for your raw or machined cast products, the Eagle Group could be the perfect fit. We pride ourselves on customer satisfaction, continuous improvement and outstanding work during all phases of the production process.

Controlling the flow of liquid, gas and sometimes solids, valves have a deceptively simple job. Like an on/off (or dimmer) switch for tangibles, every valve is designed and built to guide the movement of a specific material.

Industrial valves are used in thousands of products and systems, from water infrastructure to offshore oil rigs. Since they have such a wide variety of applications, it naturally follows that valves come in thousands, if not millions, of shapes and sizes. They also run the gamut from simple to highly complex.

Despite high levels of variation, most industrial valves can be broken down into the same basic components: body (or enclosure), bonnet, actuator, valve member and seat.