The Casting Emissions Reduction Program has been put on hold, indefinitely. Explaining that “no further funds have become available for the air emissions testing under CERP,” Technikon L.L.C. has announced that no further meetings of the Program are planned until further notice. A CERP meeting scheduled for October 1 at the U.S. Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) in Southfield, MI, will not take place.
The Casting Emissions Reduction Program (CERP) was formed in 1994 to coordinate air-emissions testing with a focus on metalcasting processes. It was established under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between the U.S. government (represented by the U.S. Air Force's Sacramento Air Logistics Center) and the domestic automobile manufacturers (represented by USCAR).
Technikon conducted CERP research projects under contract, and it continues to be supported by other Dept. of Defense research projects. The company says it will maintain the CERP web site, as a reference to the research carried out by the program.
"The members of USCAR (Chrysler, Ford, GM) have greatly valued our long collaboration with the Dept. of Defense and the foundry industry aimed at reducing casting emissions," stated USCAR executive director Don Walkowicz. "Working together through CERP, our scientists and engineers developed state-of-the-art measurement technologies, materials, and emissions data that helped to significantly reduce the environmental impact of U.S. foundry operations. We are quite proud of this achievement, which provides an excellent example of the power of collaboration."
“Thank you for your time and effort in support of this important project,” Technikon stated in a statement to interested parties. “We accumulated a large amount of information in support of the foundry industry and its suppliers.”