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As casting geometries become thinner in design and more complex, the influences from resin selection will place a more crucial role in providing a solid casting. An aluminum foundry was experiencing issues with a dendritic type shrinkage defect that was related to a recent change in a resin package, resulting in higher scrap rates from the shrink defect.

The only variable that changed and created the dendritic type shrink defect in this case was the resin. HA International designed an experiment to determine how PUCB resin percentages, and solvent packages used in urethane cold boxes affected the influence of shrink on this particular aluminum A316 casting during solidification.

Evaluation occurred on a newly developmental phenolic urethane cold box and a modified version of this new system, utilizing the latest solvent packages found in HAI's SigmaCure series of phenolic urethane cold box (PUCB). The experimental setup of the study included computer aided modeling, analytical testing, and actual casting tests to generate cooling curves. These results, in conjunction with the temperature dependent properties were used to create simulation model datasets for the cold box sand mix in order to simulate the actual sand mold physical properties and understand how it was creating the shrinkage defects. Between 1,500-2,000 design iterations were conducted in modeling software to obtain a dataset that matched the results from actual lab casting results. The specific heat capacity and density results required for the simulation datasets were measured directly using instrumentation on test molds.

WESTMONT, IL (September 2019) – HA International announced today that Kelley Kerns has joined their leadership team as Director of New Business Development. Kerns comes to HAI with extensive technical and operations experience in the foundry industry.

"Kelley brings a strategic mindset and proven track record of developing new technical initiatives as he holds numerous patents in the foundry industry," said Michael Feehan, President. "We look forward to his contributions to building our business and brand."

Previously, Kerns was Director of Sales for the Foundry, Metals and Lime Group at Covia. Prior to that, Kerns was Senior Director of Operations at Fairmount Minerals where he held many technical service and management roles in his 20+ years with the company. Kerns began his career at Ashland Chemical working in the Foundry Products Division.

Kerns graduated from The Ohio State University with a master's degree in Business Administration and has additional degrees from the University of Northern Iowa. Recently, he was the 2018 President of the Foundry Education Foundation.

Product Specialist Feeding Systems
HA International LLC - Westmont, Illinois, 60559

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PRODUCT MANAGER
HA International LLC - Westmont, Illinois

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HA International has been supplying binder and activators specifically designed for 3D sand printing for over five (5) years, which means we have been developing superior furan resins, including those for all 3D printers for sand core and molds, for more than 20 years. Our low viscosity resin has been specially manufactured for use in all sand core and mold 3D printers, for use with all types of metals.

When it comes to experience with 3D printing of sand and mold cores, our reputation has stood the test of time.

MEASURABLE RESULTS
HA delivers superior print head compatibility and longevity with the dimensional accuracy 3DP casting customers demand. And, our unique combination of binder and select activators provide the fastest part extraction and ease of cleaning. And... our resins are priced more affordably than others on the market.

BENEFITS

• Increased productivity – resin helps print heads to last longer
• Reduced labor – printed molds and cores are cleaned faster
• Reduced costs – resin is very economical

Hüttenes-Albertus Chemische Werke GmbH (HA) and Garmi del Norte S.A. de C.V. (Garmi) announced their new joint venture, which will be serving the Mexican foundry industry. With this transaction HA Group will bundle all its commercial activities in Mexico in the new corporation named HA Quimica de Mexico S.A. de C.V. (HAMEX).

HA International LLC (HAI, a HA Group company) is the market leading manufacturer and supplier of foundry resin systems, resin coated sand for shell molding and refractory coatings for North America. Garmi, a market leading manufacturer, distributor and supplier of foundry products and logistical services in Mexico, has been a longstanding representative of HAI in the northern region of Mexico.

"This new joint venture represents an important step for the HA Group, and further strengthens our foundry leadership position in Mexico", said Franz Friedrich Butz, President of HA. His Co-President Christoph Koch adds "The joint venture with Garmi demonstrates our long-term commitment as a solutions provider that is well positioned to deliver sustainable customer value within the foundry industry, while broadening our product portfolio and providing innovative technologies and services to our customers globally."

It is well known that metals change volume during solidification. This volume change must be compensated during solidification otherwise shrinkage defects can occur in a casting, making it unusable for its stated purpose.

This has been solved through the use of adding a metal reservoir commonly known as a "feeder" the purpose of which is to supply liquid metal to the casting as it cools and solidifies.

As this technology has developed and been improved, newer types of feeder materials have become available, including combinations of exothermic-insulating and highly exothermic compositions. The choice of material depends upon the application.

We know your time is valuable and trust that you were able to find everything you needed. Our new introductions of CHEMEX feeders, Enviroset^® 3D Jet Resin & Catalyst, UCB Sigma Cure 138/238, EcoFlo Resin Coated Sand and EcoLite VOC Exempt Coating were met with great enthusiasm.

If we can assist with your Resin, Resin Coated Sands, Refractory Coatings, Feeding Systems, or Metal Treatment, please contact us.

Our overriding goal is to provide the technical expertise and products to help all foundries achieve higher productivity and profitability.

We also encourage you to "Follow HA International" on LinkedIn for the latest in company news, research highlights and new products.
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Regards
Andy Koch, Vice President Sales & Marketing
HA INTERNATIONAL

I always have believed that to successfully implement a new resin system in an existing or new customer, it is necessary to take into consideration four important factors: Materials, Methods, Manpower, and EH&S. The first three represent a three-sided equilateral triangle, which in turn is being supported by safe practices and products. If any of the sides of the triangle are unbalanced, the chances of carrying out a successful implementation could be compromised. Any substantial deficiency of any of the 3 M's (Materials, Methods, Manpower), will require that the other two be challenged at a higher degree.

EcoLite refractory coatings feature the latest light-off / fast drying technology. By using VOC-Exempt solvent packages, the flexibility and advantages of solvent based coatings can now be realized while minimizing the permitting of VOCs. Whether lowering the VOC impact of alcohol coatings or increasing productivity of water based coating applications, EcoLite coatings provide a unique value to today's foundry.

The metalcasting industry has a great reputation when it comes to recycling. However, environmental stewardship involves more than recycling. Using materials with more advanced environmental benefits is where metalcasters can take a leading role to mitigate some of the environmental challenges they face while creating a healthier and safer work environment.

AM for cores and molds is gaining popularity because of the flexibility and complexity it offers in production, but productivity is critical to the long-term prospects

Additive manufacturing of sand cores and molds has attracted the attention of many foundries in recent years due to the process' unique ability to form core shapes that cannot be manufactured using conventional coremaking techniques. It does this by a process called "binder jetting": a reactive resin, most commonly, a furfuryl alcohol-based (FA) binder formulated for the application is deposited on a substrate. Typically, the substrate is a silica sand that has been pretreated with an acid catalyst, but it can be a number of other aggregates used in metalcasting, such as zircon and synthetic ceramics.

Finally, casting feeder technology that produces a shrinkage free casting while decreasing production costs on even the most complex designs.

Patented Tele-feeder Systems are especially ideal for complex castings including intricate designs and rapid molding processes. This technology uniquely allows feeder placement in previously inaccessible locations.

Significant Benefits:

• Increases productivity with higher yield and faster cleaning time


• Increases quality with reduced casting scrap and rework


• Reduces environmental footprint with reduced energy


• Expands the locations for feeder placement


• Reduces surface defects with fluorine-free material

• New drossing, clearing and degassing fluxes for copper based alloys. Eco grades reduce porosity by removing dissolved gasses in your copper based alloys. Simple plunge applications are very effective in reducing your scrap rate.


• Our new Zinc flux can be used on emersion tube melting and holding furnaces without corrosion concerns.


• HA International has the only non-reactive commercial grade LEAD flux. Reduce the metallic content of your dross. Weight reduction saves not just alloy, it's an ergonomic savings. A reduction of up to 40% in weight will reduce operator injuries.


• Our Rotaflux and Injection systems have been upgraded and now have the ability to harvest data. Now you can find out what happened on third shift two weeks ago. Our systems record all functions or each cleaning and degassing cycle:
  
  
  1. Retained Data Options
  2. Operator Identification
  3. Ladle or Furnace Identification
  4. Time and Date
  5. Gas Flow Rates
  6. Flux Addition
  7. Rotor Speed
  8. Rotor Amp Draw Indicates Performance
  9. Cycle Times, Injection & Purge