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| What we do |
Graphite Permanent Mould Technology (GPMT)
The GPMT began in the late 1970’s and our professional team has been working with this technology since 1984. With this expertise, Forest City Castings can provide you with a raw casting from a 3D electronic file in as little as two weeks.
The Graphite Process
provides die-cast tolerances and surface finishes. The speed in which graphite can be machined allows for rapid engineering changes, often in hours or days, not weeks or months like some alternative methods.
This makes Forest City Castings an invaluable choice to get your project to market quickly! We can provide you with production capabilities to approximately 25000 units per year.
***All production moulds purchased from Forest City Castings are warranted for the life of the project.
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Quality Assurance Our proactive approach to Quality includes multi-disciplinary job planning, timely reaction to customer concerns, continuous improvement, and employee training.
Forest City Castings employs a Certified Quality Technician (ASQ Designation) to ensure end results meet customer specifications. We are presently organizing and implementing procedures that will allow us to register to ISO 9000\2000.
Our latest acquisition in the Quality department is a Co-ordinate Measuring Machine (CMM). With our new Mitutoyo CNC-CMM (model Crysta-Apex C 574) we can generate highly accurate reports on both sample and production parts. These reports are sent to customers with the product, or faxed or emailed ahead of the parts themselves.
The Mitutoyo CNC-CMM can be programmed for each part, and is driven by servos that eliminate the human error seen in manual CMM’s. With a maximum work piece size of 19.88” (505mm) in the X-axis, 15.94” (405mm) in Y-axis, and 27.75” (705mm) is the Z-axis the maximum measurable length is 37.67” or 956.8mm long. The Mitutoyo Crysta-Apex series of CMM uses integrated Y-axis for the greater rigidity, air bearings, highly accurate encoders, and glass scales that allow such a fine accuracy and dependability. In fact, the MPE (Maximum Performance Error) of this model is a total of .00011” or 2.87 microns. This exceeds the tightest tolerances of our customers by 20 fold, or simply stated this CMM is 20 times more accurate than any of our customers needs.
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CNC Programs for each part can be written manually from the customers print by typing in the location co-ordinates and selecting the feature elements to measure. Then the element if manually toleranced by typing in the nominal and the tolerances. The CNC software can repeat this series of commands by driving the probe to each location and measuring the feature. Each time we set-up a machining center we can run this program that will generate a report that can be printed and filled or emailed, or faxed directly to our customers.
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Additional software (CAT-300) allows us to program from a 3D CAD file (.IGS). Simply selecting the hole or other feature you want to measure the program will automatically drive the probe to each feature and measure it in real time. After measuring the feature, CAT-300 also grabs the position and size right out of the 3D file for tolerance comparison, which are shown on the report.
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| Our in-house Calibration procedure is traceable to a National Standards, and is ISO9000\2000 compliant. All of our linear measuring tools including Vernier Calipers, Height Gauges, Micrometers, Thread gauges, Pin gauges, Dial gauges, Bore Micrometers, Depth Gauges, and Surface Tester are calibrated in-house, while the CMM and Master Gauge Blocks are calibrated by an accredited calibration house. |
Graphite is extremely stable: it will not warp, twist or check when molten metal is introduced. Parts can be cast with higher accuracy than sand or iron processes. It can be stored indefinitely without concern of changing shape, rusting, oxidizing or deteriorating in any way. This process will deliver high tolerances, cost effectiveness and repeatability.
The graphite system eliminates the expense of metal tooling. Tooling is computer generated and fed directly to our high speed CNC Mills, where the graphite tool is cut.
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We have the capacity to accept all major electronic file formats from solid or wire frame models.
Castings are produced using American Die-cast tolerances, and a surface finish better than 125 RMS. These features exceed the potential of sand casting and rival a part produced in a Die-casting mould for a fraction of the mould price.
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CUSTOMER FOCUS:
With our focus on our customer needs and to reduce lead times, we provide complete machining capabilities. Our American made HAAS Machining Centers are equipped with 4 axis drivers. This allows us to machine whole castings without removing them from the datum, ensuring accuracy and consistency.
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Additional Value Added services:
Chemical Coating
Plating
Painting (both wet and powder)
Silk Screening
Pad Printing
Limited Assembly Work
Vibratory De-Burring
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