Barron Industries Wins Industry Recognition for Aerospace Part
Oxford, MI– The Investment Casting Institute has recognized Barron Industries for an aerospace component the company converted from a fabrication into an investment casting. Barron was named a 2017 finalist in the organization’s annual contest which recognizes companies that best illustrate and promote the benefits of the investment casting process and demonstrate problem solving techniques for the customer.
Barron manufactured an aluminum forward canard section, used in the flight guidance of a 2000 lb. ordinance. The part was originally a fabrication made of five separate machined parts that were bolted and welded together.
“Barron converted it into a one-piece investment casting which reduced cost by more than 30 percent, and cut manufacturing lead times in half,” said Barron president and CEO Bruce Barron. “In addition, the smooth radii of the root and trailing edges are an improvement over the machine cut and hand-sanded version.”
The casting is unique due to its size of 27” X 15” and composition, made from A357-T6 aluminum alloy. Barron used a compression straightening technique to hold a 2.0mm profile tolerance on the entire surface.
“Barron was able to supply the complete part from the foundry,” said Barron. “We did all the CNC machining, plating, painting and assembly in-house”.
This is Barron’s second ICI award in two years. Last year the company received Defense Casting of the Year for a low-alloy steel fabrication conversion part the company makes for an armored personnel carrier.
The award-winning casting was converted from two separate welded fabrications totaling 12 pieces. It now serves as both an engine mount and an alternator mount for a power pack used on a new generation armored personnel carrier. Barron Industries also machines the casting in-house using a 5-axis CNC machining center, performing all machining in one setup.
“The finished casting is manufactured at 1/3 the total cost of the original fabrication,” said Barron.
Photo above: Aerospace Part converted from a fabrication to casting.