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Success Story - More Versatile Than Steel |
| Success Story Complex welded steel parts can be cast in aluminum in one piece at lower cost…
Problem: The welded assembly shown above was being used in a wheel chair and was costly with poor cosmetics. The part consisted of a steel tube, two steel investment castings, and other various welded parts. Challenge: Convert the welded assembly into a one-piece aluminum casting with sufficient strength, better cosmetics and pricing less than their current part. Solution: We choose high tensile strength aluminum, 535, which provided the strength the client needed. We also elongated the 535, which allowed the casting to flex without breaking when the chair impacted curbs and other routine obstacles. We produced a master pattern directly from their welding drawings and submitted samples for a life-test. The 535 performed so well the client was not able to destroy the castings during the final destructive test. Outcome: Purchasing benefited from the reduced pricing and from only having to place one PO. Marketing was pleased because of the greatly improved cosmetic appearance, and engineering achieved better performance over their previous design.
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