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Metal Casting is one of 9 industries targeted by the DOE-EE Office of Industrial Technologies as an Industry of the Future.

Learn more about research and development needs for this industry by accessing the ITP web site.

Fact Sheets

• Intelligent Control of the Cupola Furnace — 153kB PDF
• RSP Tooling — 75kB PDF

The ITP’s Metal Casting Industry of the Future is focused on helping develop new manufacturing technologies that improve energy efficiency, environmental compatibility, and industry competitiveness. The metal casting industry ships about 13 million tons of castings annually, valued in excess of $20 billion. Major end-use markets for metal castings include the automotive, pipe, industrial machinery, transportation equipment, and aerospace markets. Energy accounts for nearly 25% of the value of shipments for diecast products. The industry, which employs a total of 210,000, is dominated by small businesses. Industrial productivity is constantly being studied and improved.

The American metal casting industry is committed to making itself the preferred supplier of net or near-net shape metal components beyond the year 2000. It is this vision’s purpose to facilitate the formation of collaborative partnerships with public and private sector organizations, so that the industry’s future challenges can be met.

There are a number of key challenges, many technological, that the industry must meet if it is to achieve this vision:

• Increase market development activities to improve market share in current markets by 10%, recapture 25-50% of lost markets, and increase the rate of new market development.
• Develop materials technologies to improve the variety, integrity, and performance of cast metal products.
• Develop advanced manufacturing technologies to increase productivity 15%, reduce average lead times 50%, and reduce energy consumption 3-5%.
• Develop environmental technologies to achieve 100% pre- and post-consumer recycling, 75% beneficial re-use of foundry by-products, and the complete elimination of waste streams.
• Renew emphasis on human resources, education, and training to attract sufficient talent to the industry, and to keep present employees current with latest technologies and techniques.
• Use industry’s health and profitability to increase financial resources available to fund research, educational, and marketing programs by 10%.
• Encourage partnerships and collaborations to combine the experience, resources, and knowledge available in public and private sector organizations.

The Roadmap discusses the current situation of the industry; critical trends and driving forces affecting it; performance targets given in the vision, Beyond 2000; technical and other barriers preventing the industry from achieving these performance targets; and activities recommended by industry for overcoming these barriers.