Productivity gains have a distinct value to automotive foundries: more throughput means more opportunities for revenue, particularly in high-volume product lines. Intat Precision Inc. demonstrated this recently, but with the additional advantage of improved product quality. And the equipment it chose to accomplish all this brought the further benefit of higher machine uptime.
Intat Precision, in Rushville, IN, is familiar with Norican group technologies, producing ductile iron automotive castings on three Disamatic molding lines. The reliability and volume production capabilities of those lines were well understood. Further on the process sequence, two of those lines led to shot blasting machines for finished castings. Batch loading, unloading, and sorting cast parts for shot blasting consumed labor, storage space, and energy. High material cost for abrasive media added to the operating expense, and the maintenance-heavy barrel blasting machines took up valuable floor space.
“We knew continuous technology would increase our throughflow, so we went to visit MTI in Auburn and saw the CT machine in action,” recalled Neil Gross, Intat Precision’s v.p. of Manufacturing. “Wheelabrator’s quality was a driver and, as it’s part of Norican we knew we’d get the same reliable machines and solid support we already have with DISA, Simpson, and Monitizer.”
Intat’s choice for a new blasting process was the Wheelabrator CT3 machine, part of the Continuous Tumblast series of continuous through-feed shot blasting systems for automatic, high-volume parts cleaning.
In contrast to batch tumblers that are loaded and unloaded for each cleaning cycle, the CT3 continuously tumbles parts through the machine on an apron conveyor. It integrates well into the existing operation, and the conveyor tumbles the parts to ensure every surface is exposed to blast wheels for thorough cleaning. It adjusts throughput speed and abrasive flow automatically to manage with varying workloads and mixed runs, maximizing throughput.
Other advantages include no need for intermediate storage of the cast parts, short transport distances, and little or no need for manual part handling.
The installation was completed midway through 2024, and now the single Wheelabrator machine is effectively handling Intat Precision production rate of at least 240 cored/300 uncored castings per hour in service to two Disamatic lines. There’s no more shuttling or strenuous manual part separation to segregate products for different machines, and the CT3’s higher surface-quality results have meant that there is no more “reblasting” of parts.
The CT3 is also a dust-free operation, so there is no airborne silica from the new machine, and the new machine’s compact footprint suits the foundry’s layout.
“The big win for us was definitely the reduction in labor cost and the labor required to blast and stage castings,” Gross reported. “We’ve been able to stop handling heavy, sand-covered castings. Any handling is post-blast now and our operators no longer have to wear respirators.”
Intat now has a smaller, less fatigued shot-blasting crew, meaning lower labor costs, better safety standards, and simplified training for a single machine. The CT3’s low maintenance and higher uptime have reduced labor costs, especially overtime, and the energy requirements have been lowered too.
Freeing up internal floor space for storage made the external warehouse storage unnecessary, also reducing costs.
“The Wheelabrator equipment has worked flawlessly, easily keeping up with our production and significantly reducing downtime and handling,” Gross concluded. “The CT3 has cut our re-blasting, abrasive and energy consumption way down, along with labor costs and maintenance. Plus our operators are happy to have an easier job in a much cleaner, safer working environment.”