Casting Design
Meet Our Pattern Shop: A tour with Tim Wenninger
The C.A. Lawton Co. strives for high-quality castings and with that, pattern shops are a necessity to reach those standards. This week we’re touring The C.A. Lawton Co. De Pere pattern shop with supervisor, Tim Wenninger. Review the Casting Shape The design review process begins with the customer and the foundry’s casting engineers. Together they…
Read MorePattern and core box materials
The C.A. Lawton Co. can make patterns and core boxes from various materials. Here are the options we offer. Metal: Typical materials used include aluminum and steel. Advantages are high tolerance and excellent durability. Downsides are long lead times and high costs. Metal patterns are best suited for high production run-parts (EAU 200 castings or more),…
Read MoreEverything you need to know about a casting
Casting is a complex art and science that dates back several thousand years. So it’s not surprising that it has its own world of specialized terminology that’s quite foreign to the average OEM design engineer or purchasing manager. That’s why we created this casting terms dictionary, to shed light on the most common terms you…
Read MoreRamming at the C.A. Lawton Co.
From start to finish, explore the steps of ramming a mold at the De Pere site of Lawton.
Read MoreOur Process
Follow each step in our metal casting process at our De Pere location.
Read MoreOptimizing the pattern of a casting
Designing a pattern can be a challenge, especially if you don’t have a well-defined process. At The C.A. Lawton Co., the design review process begins when the customer and the foundry’s casting engineer review the required casting shape. It consists of drawings or models of a casting-friendly pattern and one or more core boxes. Technical…
Read MoreWhich industries need castings?
Metal casters can develop complex shapes in many sizes using various materials with unique properties that serve many purposes. That’s why metal castings are vital to many key industries such as agriculture, automotive, and mining. Without castings, these industries and their role in our everyday lives wouldn’t be the same. Agriculture “Agriculture is the world’s…
Read MoreEXPERT’S OPINION: Fill the Bench and Balance the Pyramid
The C.A. Lawton Co. periodically publishes input from professionals both within the foundry industry and outside the casting world. These Expert Opinions may be casting related, Continuous Improvement (CI / LEAN), Operational Excellence (Op-Ex), or just working through the challenges of today’s business environment. The goal is to present you with differing viewpoints of how…
Read MoreCommon casting design mistakes & how to avoid them
As older design engineers retire, a new wave of young engineers are taking their places. What many younger engineers lack is an understanding of casting design – how to design parts so they can be cast with a consistently high level of quality. Jeff Taylor, engineering manager at The C.A. Lawton Co., expands on the…
Read MoreHow heat treatment helps your iron casting perform its best
Iron, in its pure form, is lustrous, silvery, and soft. Iron’s electrons can spin in the same direction, which means it effortlessly combines with alloying elements. Iron is also polymorphic. Its crystal structure can transform into different forms by changing the temperature and carbon content. Iron’s properties make it valuable to metallurgists and engineers. The…
Read MoreLawton locations grow together
The C.A. Lawton Co. is dedicated to integrating the newly acquired Minster, OH foundry. Employees from both locations have been working meticulously to create a cohesive and seamless process from start to finish. A LEAN Team LEAN Consultant, Cathlin Stuntz, goes into depth about the new projects happening in Minster. “The focus was to integrate…
Read MoreLawton to be featured at Employee Retention Summit for Manufacturers
The C.A. Lawton Co. has been invited to share their success stories of retaining employees in a manufacturing environment November 9-11, 2020 during an exciting virtual event. Dana Syndergaard will present: LEANing into Engagement Andrew Mastalir will present: LEANing into Employee Retention About the Summit The Employee Retention Summit for Manufacturers is for you. In…
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