Figure 1 NADCA Delegation Outside Fiasa Die Casting in Spain

In September 2010, twenty NADCA members visited die casting operation in Spain. The trip concluded with the
delegation attending the International Foundry Forum in Barcelona. During the trip six die casters (4 aluminum
and 2 zinc), three research centers, and two suppliers were visited. This report provides some overall insights and
specific information about die casting in Spain and the facilities visited. This report is a combination of
observations from Andy Behler (Blue Ridge), Hal Gerber (Albany Chicago), and Daniel Twarog (NADCA).
In general, Spain is not at the technology level that we saw in Germany and Austria. However it is equal to the U.S.
The plants were cleaner and more organized than the US. Spain will be a very formidable competitor with more
investment than the US. Finally, the skill level of the average worker was better than US.

Observations About the Economy and Manufacturing in Spain

Spain does not have a car company. Supplies to all other automotive companies around the world.
Spain is not seeing recovery yet; downturn of 35-40% in 2008-9
Niche players in casting production; 1 plant focused on safety gear (seat belt spools), 1 plant on covers,
heads and transmission cases;
They predict that 1.5-2 years from now before recovery is in full swing.
Depreciation on fixed equipment = 5-7 years in Spain.
Capital availability a critical project advantage.
OEMs are realizing that the risk is high and the Foundry manufacturers are not ready to fund risks.
Large scale state sponsored R&D facilities and Design facilities specialized in the foundry segment of the
market in Basque region N. Spain (Bilbao)
Goal to move manufacturing to local area supporting local businesses.
US needs to revitalize this practice to land the advantage of the design/technology leader .
Typical casting plant with machining 130 mil euros less than 1400 tons with machining (brackets, filtration
housings) highly automated.
Metal market adjustments for OEM problematic; having trouble getting paid with metal variation.

Energy costs in EU upward trending on both natural gas and electricity.

An average of 2.1% of sales is put towards R&D in the Basque region of Spain.
40% of Spain production is done in North Basque region.
3-4% from pay to Social Security for health and retirement.
Company pays 27% of salary (60% from pay at person and 40% from company)
Diecast operator $1200/mo employee pays, cost to company $1500/mo.
Double for tool maker
1,750 hrs/year
After 1 year 4 wks vacation
65 retirement age
Up to $2000 E/mo. Pension average of last 5 years
Some companies have separate (private pension plan) in addition
Girl handling, inspect and file large transmission case casting ($15- 20 euros /hour)
Diecast setup or skilled $25 euro/hour

There were many similarities observed in the various facilities visited. Below were mentioned the most during our
general discussions amongst the group:

Melting

Stack melters were used in every operation visited. This was also true in the facilities that we visited on
our last trip (Austria, Germany, & Switzerland) a few years earlier.
Fagor ( a very large automotive die caster) brought in hot metal into the breakdown furnace but had
stack melters to melt plant gates, runners and scrap.
Mostly dosing and some conventional ladling (all 4 aluminum plants had dosing with 2 plants having both
types of ladles 70% dosing, 30% ladle). ..higher quality castings with dosing, lower quality castings on
ladle machines. oxides and inclusions greater with ladles
There we no hand ladling. It was all done by automatic ladlers.
Both zinc operations melted ingots directly into the machines furnace. Ingots were specially designed to
hang above melt and slowly feed as metal was consumed by casting.
Aluminum metal filtration was used in some cases, but not widespread.
There was some degassing and a few rotary impellors were seen, but this was not standard practice from
what we could observe.

Die Casting Machines & Ancillary Equipment

All die casting machines had some type of emission collection hood. The air cleanliness was noticeably
better in the die cast areas.
Additionally, minimal spray on the die surfaces was used. In all cases the spray was applied by some type
of robot.
Two types of sprayers and manifolds were prevalent - Gerlieva and Wollin
Spray manifolds very simple grids, complexity in motion in and out and on the dry-off.
There was not much vacuum used on the components we saw. They were using technology from
Germany and Pfieffer.
Almost all the robots were Kuka and ABB.
Trim dies were automated in most cases.
High degree of robotic complexity throughout the facilities.
Robotic overflow break-off before trim.

Jegan Fundicion Inyectada Zinc die casting operation in Itziar, Spain.

In 1972 JEGAN began its activity in the field of parts produced by Pressure Die Casting. The various stages of
casting production are integrated with a range of alternative surface finishing processes to produce finished
casting, components and assemblies. They manufacture product for the Automotive Components, Original
Equipment and Aftermarket industries of both Europe and America, as well as for the Electronics, Domestic
Appliance and Construction Equipment Industries.
One of their new product lines, which they expected to be 30% of their business, was knobs for washer and driers
in Europe. The appliance manufacturer says their customers like the look and feel of metal versus plastic.
The second major part of their business was a part for an automotive seat belt. This was as much as 25%
of their business. A dedicated cell was developed for casting and inspecting this part.
There were about 60 people in the casting facility and another 10 in their plating and painting operation
(about 30km away). In the die casting facility they had all hot chamber casting equipment, with 17 casting
machines, in the range of 5Tns to 250 Tns, They produced a variety of parts from 3 grs to 3 kgrs in weight.
They used vision systems extensively on many of their die casting cells. The 3150 square meter plant was
very clean and integrated shot blast within the die casting cell. They had their own die repair area and
really paid attention to maintaining their dies. There was extensively cleaning after use and then again
prior to being set up in a machine.

Figure 3 Melting Area

for Gates and Runners

Figure 2 Completely Automated Cell with 2 Die Casting Machines

Feeding into Single Trim and Inspection Line
Figure 4 Die Casting Area
in Jegan Plant

CIE Automotive Aluminum automotive die caster in Bizkaia, Spain that produced medium sized parts.
They are 100% automotive and a Tier 1 auto supplier. Customers include: Ford, Fiat, Toyota, VW, GM, Renault,
Bosch, Continental. They have other die casting plants in Spain, Mexico and Romania. They support a separate
R&D/Technology Center to work directly in designs with their customers. Currently, they are trying to convert a
control arm from iron to SSM/Rheocast.
CIE has 1300 employees worldwide and are a 133 Million Euro manufacturer. They have in their five location
aluminum cold chamber machines ranging from 400 2800 tons. GM is their main customer and they produce the
parts for the 6 speed automatic transmission.
This particular facility was 46,000 square meters, very clean and well organized. They had 13 machines with 228
employees. They poured two alloys (A380 and A383). Hoods were on every machine and minimum die lube was
used throughout.
Within the casting cell they ran single cavity tools and sawed off the gates robotically. They also had wheelabrator
machines at each die casting machine. Parts were shot blasted right out of the casting cell with small belt type
unit (Roesler).
The porosity looked good on machined parts. They used Flow simulation on every job. Their daily scrap sheets
were posted by every machine and it showed that porosity rejects ere very low.

AIC Automotive Intelligence

Center in Bizkaia, Spain. The AIC-Automotive
Intelligence Center is funded by the public and
private sectors with the aim of improving
competitiveness within the automotive sector. In
October 2006, regional government and private
sector organizations formed a foundation whose
task is to support and vitalize the Center. About 75%
of the funding comes from the private sector.
However, that had dried up a bit in the last two
years. The founding partners are: Provincial Council of Bizkaia, Amorebieta-Etxano City Council, City of Ermua,
ACICAE-Basque Country Automotive Cluster, ZF Lemfrder TVA, Pierburg, CIE Automotive, Amaya Telleria and
Microdeco. To date, the AIC-Automotive Intelligence Center has 22 members: 1 car builder;5 foreign
multinationals;11 Basque companies;2 research centers;1 engineering firm;1 training center; and 1 cluster
(industry group). These organizations have relocated their R&D, training or industrial development departments
to the Center. Altogether, more than 250 professionals work in the facilities. This is a huge facility with separate
labs for each organization that is conducting research. It is a very large and costly operation that will be very
difficult to fund in lean times.

The AIC-Automotive Intelligence Center aims to meet all the strategic needs of the automotive sector. It does so by
concentrating on five lines of work:

Competitive Intelligence: Analyzing future scenarios within the automotive sector.

Training: Preparing highly qualified automotive professionals in various fields.

Research: Research in priority areas for the industry and companies operating in it.

Industrial development: Develop new industry initiatives.

New business: Promote, support and develop new businesses associated with the automotive industry.

Aurrenak Tooling builders of large automotive die for die casting in Victorialand, Spain.

This company is

part of the Mondragon Group. Details of their capabilities can be seen on their company video at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khIWM8s6z28

They are the biggest toolmaker in Spain. They supply die and molds for all casting processes. They make tools for
Loramendi no-bake sand machines. They had $20M Euro sales and dropped to $14M Euro in 2009. Their markets
are in Germany, Mexico and China.
They have 18 mechanical designers on staff. They were performing stress analysis for holding blocks. More
mechanical design on die holder blocks than normal in US, extensive finite element analysis, proprietary closed
form solutions. Their dies are from 6 tons to 40 tons. Extensive use of high speed 5 axis CNC mills
(Charmills/Mikron).
They had a 2000T Wotan die casting machine for tryout and also used a 2800 ton Mueller at Mondragon research
center (Edertek).
Quality non-contact optical measurement GOM optical measuring technologies. Cost about $100K euro.
Estimated cost accuracy 0.03mm/m.

Fiasa Aluminum die caster in Alava, Spain.

This

company has about 200 employees and is private

family owned. It started in 1962. They have
extensive machining and assembly operations.
Machine ranges between 500 and 1650 Tonnes.
They cast parts between 1 and 14 pounds.

They have four central stack melting furnaces with a melting capacity of 9000kg/hr. They have 22 total
machines (6-500t, 6-750t, 6-900t, 2-1250t, and 2-1650t). The machine type were split between Buhler (Evolution
SC) , Italpresse and STP. They also had 18 CNC machines.

All metal delivered was impellor

degassed. There was a chart in
the melting area that showed
which alloy was in which die
casting machine. Everything
was color coded. The transfer
ladle was color coded to the
type of alloy being transported.
So, only a red marked ladle
should take alloy from the red
marked stack melter to the die
casting machines that were red
marked.
All machines have exhaust hoods and dies covered w/plastic when stored. There was an operator stamp on all
parts. They used vacuum and squeeze pins on tough parts. The plant was very clean.

Azterlan Research and Testing Testing facility in

Bizkaia, Spain. This is very well equipped testing facility for all
types of analysis of materials. They conduct some research for
their clients and have some expertise in aluminum die casting.
They would be a good source to use to independently evaluate
results on new alloys or failure analysis of a casting. They are
funded privately and through government contracts. It seemed
that much of their current work was for the wind power industry.
They had several dedicated pieces of equipment to test the
strength of bolts for anchoring the wind turbines. They also had a
large fixture that could be used for fatigue testing of actual assemblies. They also had a very well equipped
environmental testing laboratory. The client base was more likely the end user of the product and not the die
caster.

TEY Heat Treaters Heat Treater of tool steels in Bizkaia,

Spain. They are a local heat treatment facility with excellent
process control technology. About half of their furnaces are
vacuum. They also have a Plasma Spray unit for coatings.

Fagorederlan Large automotive aluminum die casting in Gipuzkoa, Spain.

Part of the Mondragon Group.

The following video shows part of a very complex machining line for the automotive heads they were machining.
They had a less flexible and less expensive line that they were moving away from. They felt that the added
investment in robots made the line more easily changed over if a new design or part was added to the production
schedule. The old line was only for specifically machining one type of design head.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjSzm6GDifc
The following video shows a complete cycle for the automotive part that was being produced.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0oVuXFH-ZI
The following video shows a robot placing inserts into to die. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdGE94TxfEg
Fagor Ederlan group (part of Mondragon) and employee owned. Within the automotive group there are two units
( Powertrain/ chassis brake & suspension). They have die casting machines 1000 metric ton 2800 metric ton in
the Gipuzkoa location. 40 machines that produced $541 million euro sales in 2009. They are 100% automotive.
They automotive group of Mondragon employs 3,312 people. They produce over 23,000 tons of high pressure die
castings per year with major customers being Renault and Ford Powertrain.

They have standardized cells that are supplied by two large holders (receiveing liquid aluminum from outside
vendor) and supplemented by two stack melters for run around scrap. Their inhouse scrap is conveyed
underground to the stack furnace. They distribute through a filter box to ladles on fork lifts. They found benefits
in filtration but not degassing.
In the cells, they used robot to break-off overflows. It holds the casting and hit the shot against steel bar. All cells
cast, quench, trim, deburr. Each casting is serialized a the quench station. All their machines were 2000 metric
tons and above. The airflow for the hood over each machine was directed underground in order to leave room
above the machine for cranes.
They had laser gauging and used Telesis impact marker. They reported 120,000 to 250,000 shots per die.
Flow meters, colored tubing used on all die water lines
Very clean and organized die casting operation.

Edertek Technology Center

Design, testing and

process improvement research for the Mondragon Automotive

group. $10 million euro invested into this test facility. There
were 35 people working on production materials/processes die
design component design. They had a complete die cast cellMueller machine (2800 T) with both conventional shot end and
Vacural.
Edertek is located in the Garaia innovation park in the town of
Mondragon right in the heart of the Basque Country. Edertek
has two buildings; a 1000 m2 facility for engineering and
research and a second 1500 m2 facility, the advanced
industrialisation module IMA, which carries out
industrialisation trials and develops prototypes in different technologies, as well as validation tests.

They are clearly seeing the future as structural heat treated castings. This facility was state of the art and was used
for development and to establish parameters and processes for production parts.

Dynacast Espana zinc die caster in Barcelona, Spain.

Part of the Dynacast group of die casting companies.

Dynacast Spain is located in an industrial state near Barcelona. This is their third facility since Dynacast Spain was
opened in 1976. Approximately every 11 years they have had to move to a larger facility to cope with their
continuously increasing capacity needs.
Dynacast is the world's leader in precision die casting of zinc, aluminum and magnesium alloys. They operate in 17
countries through 19 manufacturing locations. Capabilities cover not only die casting, but also machining, finishing,
plating, painting, assembly and specialized packaging.

Dynacast Spain capabilities include both, Dynacast proprietary multi-slide and conventional hot-chamber
die-casting technologies. They have a large presence in the automotive market but also supply other
markets such as consumer electronics, security systems, telecommunications, hardware, promotional,
etc, supplying from safety critical complex components to easy parts in massive volumes. This was the
busiest die caster that we visited. Almost every machine was operating. There were 115 people with
$15M Euro sales in 2009. Diemaking capability consumed most of the people. Plant was very efficient,
counted approximately 9 people running all the die casting machines.

Dynacast Spain has its own tool-room, they control, in-house, the entire process, starting with the tool design,
through tool construction until component approval and serial production. Main production items are:
Die-casting machines:

33 multi-slide proprietary A2 Zinc, ranging from 3,5 to 10 tons.

5 multi-slide proprietary A3 Zinc, ranging from 20 to 28 tons.
4 Frech 20 tons hot-chamber.
1 Frech 5 tons hot-chamber.
2 Frech 80 tons hot-chamber.
6 Frech 125 tons hot-chamber.

Other:

Tool design (using Pro/ENGINEER® CAD and MAGMASOFT® mold flow analysis) and tool room in
house.
Secondary operations (like machining, tumbling, sandblasting ) in house.
Services provided and coordinated: electroplating and other coatings.

Sandhar Technologies This is an Indian owned aluminum automotive die caster in Barcelona, Spain.
Their parent company has over 22 different business units, mostly in India, that supply the automotive market.
This facility had 26 automated cells and specialized in five specific product lines. Seat belt retractor castings and a
bracket were the two largest volume parts being die cast at this facility. They had Buhler, Italpresse and STP
machines. However, the General Manager said all of their new machine purchases were Buhler machines. There
were not a lot of people working in the die cast area. While about half the machines were operating, only about 6
people were running these automated cells.
They used stack melting and mostly dosing furnaces. The non-dosing furnaces had robot pouring devices.

Trends from EU and Asia

Automation added to offset inability to find manpower.

Shortage of trained maintenance for the high end applications
o Complaints on service support on mfg systems.
Outsourcing becoming in-sourcing (return of projects to US and EU)
Trends on vehicle platforms electric, hybrid, lighter vehicle weight, more efficient
Current carbon based combustion technologies will dominate for the next 10 years
Trending to shorter product life cycles (succession of earlier transmission product life 16 years, then 10
years, then 8 years, maybe a 6 yr cycle ahead) Aluminum casting demand heavily tied to transmissions,
blocks, etc when the technology changes, Al demand will change, larger tonnage machines will have to
shift to different components.
Faster and quicker design-launch plans.
EU and Asia to maximize automation; India to measure automation against use of human labor.
Skilled workers in demand in all markets.
Big high tech world investment in China and India; plants mirror technology in the mature market
manufacturing world.
Big OEMs are positioning mfg capacity in Asia to match unsaturated markets.
Globalization interdependency to continue; goods, services to grow in mature markets while diffusion of
technology and capital inflows (investment outflows) to focus on emerging markets will continue
Focus on the various forms of capital required in the world (human, infrastructure, expertise,
entrepreneurial, and knowledge based advantages and products)
Sustainability as business opportunity (infrastructure, integration, IT, research and deployment, mass
transit systems, energy application)
Population demographics are aging products promoting enhanced well being (quality of life ie..
products like fitness) growing in demand
Socialized economic worlds and younger workforces in mature markets are placing greater value on
Quality of Life.
General trending to the more connected electronically, more mobile, more decentralized, more
personalized, and practices and products that promote faster adaptation to change
o Sustainability, flexibility, reconfigurability, high connectivity

Automotive Trends and the ripple effect

Vectors of Growth to be reoriented to the emerging markets => design to lead in product sphere; low
weight, smaller, more agile
Fuel consumption dominant factor
o Electric or Hybrid, or low fuel consumers
o Downsized
o Light weight
Mixed claim among experts on electric car adoption
o Between 5% - 20% of sales in next 10-20 years
o Reduced Aluminum component weight in conventional systems (block, transmission) with
increased AL component weight in battery, frame, brackets, and regenerative braking systems.
NADCA report to be released shortly o the impact of this trend
Net doubling in Aluminum content by 2025
EU manufacturers being pressured to move facilities with OEM to emerging markets (China, India, Brazil
as the primary markets to be fed)
EU manufacturers are also being pressured to move to NAFTA corridor including US where new facilities
are in planning or under construction for 2014 and on
Replication of manufacturing concepts to match the plans in Europe to be installed with EU-US partners
or EU transplants

Conclusions-EU Speakers
o electric (and hybrid) car move no threat to Al foundries if flexible
o impact minimal in next 10 years
o downsizing trend => market vector; therefore it is the next opportunity and design direction for
castings
o increasing car manufacturing = growth force
o surge in low cost and ultra low cost in emerging markets will further reinforce the margin
squeeze trends
o casting company presence in emerging markets important

In conclusion, the picture at

the left represents the state of the
die casting industry in the United
States after the last recession. I saw
this exhibit in the Guggenhiem in
Bilboa, Spain. Once a day, someone
comes out to fire a chuck of wax
from the air cannon at the wall. I am
almost positive my interpretation of
this is different from the artists.