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How the Foundry Industry Has Changed

For a wide range of reasons, the last four decades have seen enormous shifts in metal mix produced by U.S. foundries (see charts below). Chief among these are government regulation, international competition and emerging technologies, both in process and materials.

For example, the U.S. government mandated in 1977 that the corporate average fuel economy (CAFÉ) for all cars produced domestically must average 27.5 mile per gallon. This has resulted in smaller, lighter and fuel-efficient vehicles. For the foundry industry this has meant a switch from heavier ferrous castings to lighter weight aluminum and magnesium cast components. In 1980, on average every domestically produced car used 600 lb of cast iron. By 1999, the average cast iron per vehicle dropped to 325 lb. By 2006, it expected that cast iron per car will slip to 230 lb.

With about one-third of all castings shipped from American foundries going into the automotive and light-truck market, global competition has also had a dramatic impact on U.S. casting shipments. Imports of other cast parts has also grown during the past two decades. Most significantly we have seen growing imports in gray iron municipal castings and diesel engine components, malleable iron fittings, steel construction parts and aluminum diecast automotive parts.

In terms of technology, two decades ago, nearly all rolled steel was produced using cast iron ingot molds. At that time, ingot mold production represented the third largest market for gray iron. During this period, steel production has gradually been shifted to continuous casting. Today, nearly 90% of total steel made in the U.S. is produced with this method, and a significant portion of the ingot molds still used are imported from Brazil.

In terms of material switches, plastic has been the industry’s main nemesis. To some extent, PVC pipe is replacing gray iron soil pipe and traditional brass plumbing and sanitary fixtures and fittings.

** Information Courtesy of the American Foundry Society. www.afsinc.org