Intermet's New River Foundry Sets New Standard for Differential Case Production with Robotic Press Cell

DETROIT, April 14 -- Intermet has carried out a major advance in its production of light-truck differential carriers with a robotic press cell that automates the removal of casting residue, reduces heavy manual labor, and uses laser vision to verify results.

The press cell has been installed at its New River Foundry in Radford, Va., increasing the safety, quality, and productivity of differential carrier manufacturing at the facility.

"Safety, quality and productivity -- in the manufacturing world -- those are the big three," said William Nestel, general manager, New River Foundry, Intermet Corp.

Installation of the robotic press cell solidifies Intermet's position as a leader in differential carrier production.

In the new operation, a trim press now clears the "flash" -- the material left over at a casting's seam from the mold process -- from the carrier's interior and exterior. After that, a robotic arm -- specially built for the New River Foundry -- removes the differential case from the press and places it on a laser stand that gauges the accuracy of the casting.

With the new process, the differential carriers are able to meet extremely high quality standards and tighter dimensional tolerances. Additionally, the laser vision inspection is more precise than ever before.

"The stand has six lasers that verify that the part is correct -- the right length, the right height, the right thickness," Nestel said.

For instance, the lasers verify the width and the height of the differential carrier's cover face -- the large end extending toward the rear of the truck -- as well as the distance from one axle tip end to the other.

"On the pinion end -- which is what connects to the drive shaft at the small part of the casting -- we have another set of lasers that verify that the carrier is going to sit down in the customer's fixtures correctly," he said.

After the measurements, the robotic arm moves the carrier into the appropriate container for transport. Nestel added that the ergonomics of the work is significantly improved. The trim press takes over the laborious manual filing that operators once performed, and the robotic arm handles the heavy lifting of the 50- to 68-pound carriers.

"By eliminating the manual lifting and handling of the castings, we have a more efficient operation and expect to see a drop in work-related injuries," he said.

About Intermet: Founded in 1846, Intermet Corporation is a leading manufacturer of cast-metal components for the automotive, commercial-vehicle and industrial markets. With approximately 2,000 employees, the company is organized into three distinct manufacturing groups: Die Cast, Ferrous and PCPC(TM). More information is available on the Internet at www.intermet.com .