Why Cast Metals Technology Is One of the Leading Aluminum Sand Casting Foundries in the Midwest
American-Made Aluminum Castings, Engineering, Tooling and CNC Machining
Manufacturers looking for a dependable Midwest aluminum foundry need more than a company that can simply pour aluminum. They need a supplier that can understand the application, develop or adapt tooling, produce repeatable castings, solve manufacturing problems and support the part through final machining.
Cast Metals Technology has built its business around that complete approach. Founded in 1992, CMT operates three facilities in Ohio and Indiana and supports customers nationwide with aluminum sand casting, engineering, tooling, heat treating, finishing and precision CNC machining.
For manufacturers evaluating an aluminum sand casting foundry in the Midwest, CMT offers a combination of process range, technical support and vertically integrated manufacturing that makes the company a strong candidate for both new and transferred casting programs.
Three Midwest Manufacturing Facilities
CMT’s manufacturing footprint is organized around different production needs rather than forcing every casting through the same process.
The Union City, Ohio foundry is focused on low- to medium-volume production and provides green sand and air-set molding, multiple core processes, in-house heat treating and finishing. The Winchester, Indiana foundry supports medium- to high-volume production with automated green sand molding and production finishing capabilities. The Selma, Indiana facility provides precision CNC machining, assembly and inspection.
Together, these facilities allow CMT to support a casting from early engineering and tooling through foundry production and final machining.
Aluminum Sand Casting Is Our Specialty
CMT is not trying to be every type of foundry for every material. A core part of our business is aluminum sand casting.
That focus gives our team practical experience with the variables that determine whether an aluminum casting program succeeds: parting lines, draft, wall thickness, core design, gating, risering, alloy selection, solidification, heat treatment, finishing and machining stock.
CMT works with a range of aluminum casting alloys and supports both straightforward industrial components and intricately cored castings.
Low-Volume Through High-Volume Production
A major advantage of CMT’s manufacturing footprint is the ability to support very different production requirements.
CMT’s public production guidelines range from one casting per year to thousands of castings per year, with castings ranging from ounces up to approximately 100 pounds. Manual and automated molding systems allow the process to be matched to the size, geometry and expected annual usage of the component.
That flexibility is valuable for OEMs with multiple casting families. A customer may have a low-volume service component, a medium-volume industrial housing and a higher-volume production casting – without needing a different supplier for every program.
Green Sand and Air-Set Casting Capabilities
CMT’s aluminum casting capabilities include both green sand and air-set molding.
Green Sand Aluminum Casting can be well suited to repeat production, including medium- and higher-volume programs supported by automated molding. Air-set molding adds flexibility for larger, complex and lower-volume castings.
Rather than maintaining a separate promotional page solely for air-set casting, CMT can explain air-set capability in the context of its broader aluminum sand casting expertise and select the process based on the customer’s actual component and production requirements.
Complex Cores and Internal Geometry
Many industrial castings are defined by what is inside the part, not just the external shape.
CMT supports shell, Isocure and air-set cores for internal cavities, passages and complex geometry. For select applications, CMT can also integrate 3D-printed sand cores or molds into the casting program, providing another option when conventional core tooling is missing, difficult to justify or unable to efficiently create the required geometry.
Engineering and Solidification Analysis
A strong foundry relationship should begin before the first production pour.
CMT provides casting design assistance, tooling design support and 3D solidification analysis. These tools allow the team to review manufacturability and evaluate issues such as gating, risering, feeding, hot spots and shrinkage risk before committing to production.
Early foundry involvement can also help engineers evaluate draft, wall thickness, core strategy, machining stock and other design choices that influence casting quality and total manufacturing cost. Read more in Designing for Aluminum Sand Casting.
A Foundry That Can Take On Transferred Tooling
Not every sourcing project begins with a new part.
Manufacturers often need to move an established casting because of supplier capacity, delivery performance, quality concerns, a foundry closure, a need for a second source or a broader reshoring strategy.
CMT has experience working with existing casting tooling. CMT tooling capabilities include reconditioning transferred patterns and core boxes and rigging new and existing tooling. The goal is to determine what can be reused, what should be modified and what must be replaced before unnecessary tooling investment is made.
Learn more about Transferred Aluminum Casting Tooling.
Casting + CNC Machining From One Supplier
For many OEM components, a casting is only an intermediate step. The finished part still requires precision machining.
CMT’s Selma machining operation includes live-tool lathes, 4-axis and 5-axis milling, CMM inspection and customer-dedicated machining cells.
Having casting and machining under the same company can simplify supplier management and gives the foundry and machine shop an opportunity to coordinate machining stock, datum strategy, fixture locations and critical features earlier in the program.
CMT can also support value-added operations such as finishing, coating and assembly depending on program requirements. Explore our full casting and machining capabilities.
Experience Across Demanding Industrial Markets
CMT supplies aluminum castings to a broad range of industrial markets, including pumps, compressors, blowers, HVAC, agriculture, construction, power generation, electrical equipment, machine tools, food-processing equipment, material handling, large truck, oil and gas, lighting and liquid or fuel-handling applications.
Serving different industries matters because it exposes a foundry to a wide range of casting geometries, volumes, quality requirements, machining challenges and supply-chain expectations.
American-Made Castings With a Midwest Manufacturing Base
CMT’s casting and machining operations are based in Ohio and Indiana.
For manufacturers prioritizing domestic production, a Midwest supplier can provide advantages that go beyond freight distance. Engineering teams can collaborate directly with the foundry, tooling can be evaluated locally, production issues can be addressed without an overseas supply chain and casting and machining programs can be managed through one U.S.-based manufacturing partner.
CMT’s goal is straightforward: provide high-quality, American-made aluminum castings and machined components with responsive technical and customer support.
What Should You Look for in an Aluminum Sand Casting Foundry?
A supplier should be evaluated on more than the quoted piece price. Important questions include:
CMT’s combination of foundry, engineering, tooling and machining capabilities is designed to address those questions within one manufacturing organization. Review our foundry education and dimensional guidelines for more detail.
Does the foundry have the molding process that fits the component and annual volume?
Can it support the casting from low volume through higher production if demand changes?
Can the engineering team review the 3D model before tooling is finalized?
Does the supplier use casting simulation or solidification analysis?
Can it produce the required cores and internal geometry?
Can existing tooling be evaluated and transferred?
Can the supplier heat treat, finish and machine the casting?
Does it have dimensional inspection capability such as CMM inspection?
Is production located where your supply chain needs it?
Will the supplier communicate and help solve problems when the program changes?
Why Manufacturers Choose Cast Metals Technology
- Three manufacturing facilities in Ohio and Indiana
- Low- through high-volume aluminum sand casting
- Manual and automated molding systems
- Green sand and air-set molding
- Castings from ounces to approximately 150 pounds
- Shell, Isocure and air-set core capabilities
- Multiple aluminum casting alloys
- Casting design and tooling assistance
- 3D solidification analysis
- Transferred-tooling evaluation and reconditioning
- In-house heat treating at foundry operations
- CNC milling and turning, including 4-axis and 5-axis machining
- CMM dimensional inspection
- Value-added finishing and assembly options
- American-made casting and machining
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of aluminum sand casting does Cast Metals Technology provide?
CMT provides aluminum sand casting for low- through high-volume production using manual and automated molding capabilities. Its public capabilities include green sand and air-set molding, multiple core processes, in-house heat treating and finishing options.
Where are Cast Metals Technology’s facilities located?
CMT operates facilities in Union City, Ohio; Winchester, Indiana; and Selma, Indiana. The Ohio and Winchester facilities support aluminum casting, while Selma provides precision machining, assembly and related services.
What size aluminum castings can CMT produce?
CMT states that its manual and automated processes can produce castings ranging from ounces up to approximately 150 pounds, depending on part design and process requirements.
Can CMT machine aluminum castings after they are poured?
Yes. CMT’s machining capabilities include CNC milling and turning, live-tool lathes, 4-axis and 5-axis machining, CMM inspection and customer-dedicated machining cells.
Can CMT work with existing or transferred casting tooling?
Yes. CMT states that it works with transferred tooling and can recondition transferred patterns and core boxes as well as rig new and existing tooling.
Does CMT help with casting design and engineering?
Yes. CMT provides casting design assistance, tooling design assistance and 3D solidification analysis to help customers evaluate manufacturability before and during production development.
Looking for a Midwest Aluminum Sand Casting Foundry?
Whether you’re developing a new aluminum casting, looking for additional domestic capacity, transferring tooling from another supplier or searching for a foundry that can provide both casting and machining, Cast Metals Technology is ready to review your application.
Send us your drawing, 3D CAD model, alloy requirement, estimated annual usage, casting weight, machining requirements and any available tooling information. Our team can evaluate the program and help determine the most practical manufacturing approach.