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Pictured here are members of the South African foundry industry delegation that visited Germany, together with colleagues from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Clockwise from front left are Dr T Paterson (Aluminium Federation of South Africa), T O'Brien (Atlantis Foundry SA), R Beän (National Foundry Technology Network), Dr K-H Lang (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology), L Juganan (University of Johannesburg), W Ruhle (German Coordinator) and Dr B Okolo (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology).
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After a recent study trip to Germany, representatives from South Africa's National Foundry Technology Network (NFTN), which is hosted by the CSIR, came back with more than just improved knowledge. They also returned as members of the World Foundrymen Organisation (WFO) - a first for South Africa's foundry industry.
"The trip to Germany was an opportunity for us to learn from German best practices and ascertain how foundry courses and experience at artisan and graduate levels in South Africa can be improved," says the CSIR's Richard Beän, Project Leader of the NFTN. "It was a highly successful trip and we gained some useful insights that will enrich the current career path framework for the industry in South Africa. One of the highlights was the fact that South Africa joined the WFO for the first time, with the NFTN being the point of contact."
According to Beän, joining the WFO opens up a network of support and collaboration with 33 major countries in the world. "We will be able to take advantage of the ongoing transfer of information between the member countries," says Beän. "There will be opportunities for the transfer and exchange of data, advice and guidance on specific issues and the ability to influence global decisions about the future of the cast metals industry and research undertaken, to name but a few."
This follows shortly on a month-long visit by Dr Morris T Murray, a world renowned authority on die casting and previously a senior principal research scientist at CSIRO (Australia). He was invited here by the NFTN to assist with the benchmarking of South African die casting companies against those of international industries. It was his second visit to South Africa and a continuation of his interventions into our foundry industry.
During his first visit Murray's assistance involved technical audits at a select group of companies where he identified strengths and weaknesses, as well as focused technology transfer aimed at overcoming weaknesses and enhance strengths. He also assisted with trouble-shooting specific casting problems at the selected companies and gave lectures and workshops on the latest trends and best practice in the field of die casting.
This second visit entailed revisiting most of the companies he saw previously to determine their improvement, giving two one-day courses on gravity casting as well as two courses on high pressure die casting and a lecture at the University of Johannesburg. He also talked to relevant bodies such as the Aluminium Federation, Cape Town Innovation Group and the Cape Initiative for Materials and Manufacturing.
Of course, Murray spent much of his time at the CSIR. Here, he presented a workshop that took place in the form of a technical colloquium. He also visited the CSIR foundry laboratories and advised on the relevance of the research and development work being done by the CSIR's metals and metals processes research area.
"Murray's advice and insights are invaluable to the South African foundry industry. We can already detect improvements in companies and areas where he has intervened and we hope to continue our beneficial relationship with him for many years to come," concludes Beän.
Enquiries: CSIR Communication
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