1. Technology Assistance to Companies
in the South African Foundry Industry
CSIR OPCO Meeting
Willie du Preez
30 OctoberMetals & Metals Processes
Manager: 2009
20 May 2010

2. Overview
• Introduction
• Knowledge Generation over past decade with DST support
• Established Competence Platforms
• CSIR and its Collaborators
• Our Offerings
• Lean and Clean Manufacturing
• Casting Process Knowledge
• Our Approach
• Collaborative
Slide 2 © CSIR 2009 www.csir.co.za

3. Introduction

4. Introduction
DST initiatives and support for knowledge generation
and dissemination into industry over the past decade:
• National Product Development Centre (NPDC) (2001 - 2005)
• From National Casting Technology Centre to National Foundry
Technology Network (NFTN)
• National Tooling Initiative (NTI): Institutes for Advanced Tooling,
supported by DST
• Technology Stations, now the Tshumisano Programme (2000)
• UJ’s Metal Casting Technology Station
• CUT’s Product Development Technology Station
• Advanced Manufacturing Technology Strategy (AMTS) (2003)
• Advanced Metals Initiative (AMI)
• PRIME Lean Manufacturing lead by the AIDC
Slide 4 © CSIR 2009 www.csir.co.za

5. Established Competence Platforms

6. Competence Platforms
• Lean and Clean Manufacturing
• Production Monitoring
• Advanced machine design and robotics
• Visual inspection systems for quality control
• Automation of production machinery
• Shop floor programmes by AIDC industrial engineers
• Cleaner production intervention programmes of the NCPC
• Casting Process Technologies and Know-how
• Semi-Solid Metal Casting (SSM) & High Pressure Die Casting
• Investment Casting of Titanium alloys
• Metallurgical Laboratory
• Mechanical Testing Laboratory (ISO 17025 accredited)
• High Temperature Materials Laboratory (ISO 17025 accredited)
• Network of national and international collaborators
Slide 6 © CSIR 2009 www.csir.co.za

7. Industrial HPDC Cell at CSIR
SSM billet machine
Dosing Furnace
630 Ton LK shot control die casting machine
Slide 7
© CSIR 2009 www.csir.co.za

8. Equipment Upgrades for Ti Investment Casting
Dipping facility
• Small dip tanks for
experimental slurries
• Robotic dipping facility
including instrumentation for
data collection
• Testing facility to characterise
refractories and slurry
• Sealed dip tanks for extended
life of face coat slurry
Slide 8

9. Equipment Upgrades for Ti Investment Casting
Melting and casting facilities
Vacuum melting and casting
Requirements for Titanium:
• Melt temperature: 1850ºC
• Mould pre-heating: 1500ºC
• Leak rate < 1 x 10-4 mbar.l/s
• Base pressure: 10-5 mbar
• Argon partial pressure: 200mbar
Slide 9

10. CSIR’s Collaborators
International R&D
Institutions:
NIMS(Japan)
Univ of Birmingham(UK)
Univ of Freiburg (Germany) ULim
UP Aerosud
Necsa
CSIR
Mintek
NLC
UJ Wits
VUT
CUT
UKZN
UCT SU NMMU
CPUT
Slide 10

11. CSIR’s Collaborators (continued)
• Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC)
• Extensive experience in the Automotive Industry
• Have done some work with the NFTN in foundries
• National Cleaner Production Centre (NCPC-SA)
• Implementing agent of cleaner production in SA
• Pilot programmes in Automotive and Metals & Allied Processes
sectors
• Leading consultants, such as
• Dr Morris Murray (Member of MMP’s Research Advisory Panel)
• Mr Carl Reinhardt
• Mr Dave van Niekerk
Slide 11 © CSIR 2009 www.csir.co.za

12. Our Offerings

13. Lean & Clean Manufacturing Offerings
• Production Efficiency
• Production monitoring
• Machine design and robotics
• Visual inspection systems for quality control
• Automation for improved efficiency
• Process Knowledge
• Permanent Mould Casting (HPDC and Gravity)
• Investment Casting
• Efficient Toolmaking
• Optimisation of tooling design
• Tooling for automated fettling systems
• Die proving on CSIR machines
Slide 13 © CSIR 2009 www.csir.co.za

14. Lean & Clean Manufacturing Offerings (2)
• Material and Product Characterisation
• Metallurgical characterisation
• Mechanical testing
• Refractories testing
• Sustainable production practices
• Scrap reduction
• Optimised energy consumption
• Waste management
• Quality Management Systems
• Implementation and maintenance of ISO 9000
• Implementation and maintenance of ISO 17025
• Environmental health and safety systems
• Implementation and maintenance of EHS systems (ISO 14000 &
18000)
Slide 14 © CSIR 2009 www.csir.co.za

15. Our Approach

16. Our Approach
• Focused on individual company’s needs
• Collaborating with company staff
• Jointly work towards continuous improvement
• Work closely with the NFTN
• Recognised in the Foundry Industry
• Led the Benchmarking that was previously done
• Play a facilitation role
• Initial planning per individual company
• Meeting of Foundry, CSIR, Mintek and NFTN
• Jointly develop improvement plan
• Sign off the agreed assistance plan
Slide 16 © CSIR 2009 www.csir.co.za

17. Our Approach (continued)
• Provision of technology assistance to agreed plans
• Schedule intervention with the company
• Intervention will be lead by our core team
• Support will be provided by the broader expertise base as required
• Progress evaluation and monitoring
• Agreed collaborative evaluation
• Evaluation immediately after intervention
• Monitoring one to two years later
Slide 17 © CSIR 2009 www.csir.co.za

18. Our Core Team
• Duncan Hope: Project Manager
• Pierre Rossouw: Casting Specialist
• Martin Williams: Tooling Specialist
• Sagren Govender: Research Group Leader – Advanced
Casting Technologies
• Willie du Preez: Manager: Metals & Metals Processes
Slide 18 © CSIR 2009 www.csir.co.za

19. We are looking forward to assisting the foundry industry!