CWM News Archive
 CWM Marks 70th Year of OEM Services Expansion
Lean Manufacturing Practices to the Next Level
Walter Treiber Retires IMA Presidential Gavel
EPA-Compliant Chromate for Al, Mg & Zn Parts
Magmasoft® Assures Critical Cosmetic Success
EPA Report: Chemical Usage Down, Recycling Up
CWM CEO Leads IMA to 1st China Conference
Customized OEM On-site Design Seminar Available
IMA Excellence Award to CWM Mg Medical Housing
Mg Plus Overmolding Equals a Superior Housing
New, More Accurate Digital Sensors; Fewer Rejects
NADCA Life Achievement Award to Walter Treiber
CWMers Certified in Sony Sensory Inspection
CWM Marks 70th Year of OEM Services Expansion
Chicago White Metal Casting was founded in 1937 in a loft building in the center of Chicago by Walter G. Treiber, Sr. and Samuel Gullo. As a custom die caster of recyclable alloys, the company operates today under 2nd & 3rd-generation Treiber family management from a modern 136,000 sq. ft. facility in Bensenville, Illinois.
From Zn to Al to Mg and Beyond. An early adopter of thin-wall zinc technology for hot-chamber die casting, CWM promoted Zn for complex, lighter-weight and lower-cost parts. With the addition of cold-chamber aluminum die casting machines, CWM soon integrated successive porosity-reduction techniques into Al part production. Today CWM engineers are leveraging the processing predictability of the Magmasoft® die casting software simulation system to optimize net-shape aluminum die cast components.
A Pioneer in Hot-Chamber Mg Production. CWM became a pioneer in hot-chamber magnesium die casting as the first North American custom die caster to offer this advanced, faster-cycling process. Its Mg experience has set the standard for close-toleranced, thin-wall, net- and near-net shape Mg housings: it operates the largest custom hot-chamber Mg department in North America. And today the cost-efficiency of miniature Zn & ZA-8 die casting is now offered.
High-precision in-house CNC machining, as well as complete contract manufacturing and assembly, became a part of CWM’s broadened services. CWM and its divisions are ISO 9001 registered and its environmental management systems 14001 registered, with best-in-class environmental practices recognized by EPA. For more on CWM capabilities, see the Capabilities Section.
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Lean Manufacturing Practices to the Next Level
As part of its program of aggressively pursuing best lean practices, CWM has formalized lean manufacturing in its production procedures, incorporating continuing in-house training.
The CWM program is based on in-depth reviews of the successful lean programs of its largest customers, with successful backgrounds in the formal application of lean manufacturing principles. CWM team members participated in comprehensive lean training sessions incorporating Kaisan events and Value Stream Mapping.
The lean manufacturing program at CWM is demonstrating its continuing effectiveness in revealing significant improvement opportunities.
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Walter Treiber Retires IMA Presidential Gavel
In recognition of the importance of association activity to growing the world-wide market for magnesium die castings, Chicago White Metal Casting has been a 22-year company member of the International Magnesium Association. And CWM CEO Walter Treiber has made a continuing personal commitment to the work of this association in a variety of capacities.
Walter has served two separate spans as IMA president: the first an unprecedented three consecutive terms from 1990 to 1993 and the last a two-term stint from 2005 to 2007, after which he is retiring his IMA presidential gavel. He continues as a member of the IMA Executive Committee and the Board of Directors.
Special “Mag Promotion Award.” CWM was the only member company to receive a special IMA award for “Promoting Magnesium Die Casting,” and has been the recipient of many “Magnesium Die Casting Design Excellence Awards.” Chicago White Metal and Oskar Frech GmbH & Co. partnered to develop the world’s largest capacity hot-chamber Mg die casting machine, which won the IMA’s “Process Award of Excellence” in 1989. See the Home Page for photos of some of the latest CWM Mg applications.
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EPA-Compliant Chromate for Al, Mg & Zn Parts
Environmentally friendly trivalent chromium is now a proven, economical alternative to hexavalent chromium coatings, offering high corrosion resistance for CWM Al, Mg and Zn die castings in a range of applications.
With a bright, cosmetically pleasing finish, this alternative combined conversion-functional coating meets stricter commercial and U.S. and European Union environmental mandates, avoiding the concerns with prohibited products using toxic hexavalent chromates.
Results of tests to ASTM standards demonstrate salt-spray protection up to 168 hours on Aluminum alloy 380.
(For a printed CWM "Tech Brief" on the latest information regarding Trivalent Chromium coating for die castings, contact your CWM Regional Sales-Engineering Representative or the CWM Sales Dept., or download Tech Brief No. 34 in the Application/Tech Brief section of the OEM Resource Center)
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Magmasoft® Assures Critical Cosmetic Success
Critical cosmetic plated finish requirements for die cast component surfaces has always been one of the most exacting specifications for the die casting process. A current project for an aluminum die cast dome-shaped design required a gold-plated finish: the combination of this plating specification and the part's shape meant the optimum surface finish challenge.
After inputting the customer's CAD files and developing the optimal tooling design for the project, use of advanced Magmasoft® process simulation software in-house enabled CWM engineers to predict the effects of final metal flow on the part's critical surface. After a series of precise tooling design iterations and repeat simulations, the design was released for die tooling construction. The final result: first-shot success.
Interfacing with extensive databases and its 3D modeler, the new software allows rapid analysis of a product’s design, tooling, and process variables prior to die construction. CWM engineers believe that the Magmasoft system is, today, the best predictor of the performance of a die casting die design. It provides a best estimate of the mechanical properties that can be expected in the final cast part.
The bottom line for OEMs by CWM's use of this advanced system is reduced lead time, improved quality assurance, and lower costs of manufacturing. Arrange a visit to CWM to see CWM’s Magmasoft workstation in action.
(A CWM "Guide to Surface Finishing" for die castings, containing design tips for better finishing results and alternative finishing cost comparisons, can be downloaded from the Design Guide Section in the OEM Resource Center. For more on Magmasot simulation, see the Applic/Tech Brief Section. To arrange a CWM Plant visit to see Magmasoft metal flow simulation in action, contact your CWM Regional Sales-Engineering Representative or the CWM Sales Dept.)
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CWM EPA Report on Chemical Usage, Recycling
As a charter member of the U.S. EPA’s National Environmental Performance Track program, CWM submitted its annual report detailing the progress the company has made in its ongoing commitments to environmental initiatives. The long-term goal of the program is to enable strategies leading to significant reductions in pollution, waste, environmental and human health impacts, with a decrease in regulatory burdens. The CWM report to the Performance Track program included:
Reductions in Chemical and Process Water Usage
Reductions of 21% in the amount of die casting die lubricant used in the aluminum die casting department and of 50% in the amount of SF6 gas used in the magnesium die casting department, despite increased production in both departments; Elimination of approximately 4,000 lbs. per year of chemicals used to treat process water through the installation of a new environmentally friendly process water system; Reduction by 22% in the amount of process water used company wide.
Materials Recycling Activity Up
Recycling of 9,300 lbs. of magnesium machining chips through processing into small, solid blocks used for desulfurization in steel production; Recycling of 10,000 lbs. of office paper, 12,000 lbs. of corrugated materials, 1,000 lbs. of plastic stretch film, 71,000 lbs. of steel, and 445 wood pallets.
Chicago White Metal was the first die caster to achieve ISO 14001 registration for its environmental management system and has served as a mentor facility for the EPA to the die casting industry.
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CWM CEO Leads IMA to 1st China Conference
In pursuit of the goal of the International Magnesium Assn. to promote wider worldwide use of magnesium, the IMA held its first Annual World Magnesium Conference in Beijing, China, jointly organized by the China Magnesium Assn. Walter Treiber, CWM CEO, led this international industry conclave of lectures and exhibits as the IMA’s president.
Building the Die Cast Mg Market A major feature of the Conference was the presentation of IMA awards for excellence in magnesium die casting and display of past award-winning examples. CWM has won this award, which promotes new die casting applications, many times in the past.
Die Casting Now Leads All Mg Usage Among the magnesium end-use categories, die casting is now estimated to be the single largest usage category in 2005, and appears on track for continued growth in both the automotive and non-automotive markets.
Magnesium die casting is growing at nearly twice the rate of overall Mg consumption, according to data from the IMA.
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Customized OEM On-site Design Seminar Available
to OEM Engineering Departments
A comprehensive 1-day on-site "Design-for-Die-Casting" Seminar is available from CWM, covering the most widely used die casting alloys, for presentation on-site at your company location for any size group of product designers, engineers and specifiers.
The design seminar can be customized by consultation in advance with your Engineering Dept. to focus on your current design engineering interests, utilizing projected visuals and die cast sample parts selected for your specific audience. A NADCA "Product Design" Manual, CWM "Design & Production Solutions" CD and design tips & part finishing handouts are included for each attendee.
For complete CWM Seminar description, agenda, and scheduling document, contact your CWM Sales/Engineering Representative (for Rep location, Click Here) or log in to the Resource Center Section of this website.
If you would like to discuss specific dates and other particulars, contact your CWM Sales-Engineering Representative, or phone (630-595-4424), fax (630-595-4474) or E-mail (Attn: Michael Dimitroff, VP,Sales & Mktg.) at CWM, with your specific questions on CWM's Customized On-Site OEM Design Seminar.
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IMA Excellence Award to CWM Mg Medical Housing The hot-chamber magnesium die cast housing from CWM for a new cart-based modular ultrasound system received the "Design Award of Excellence" from the International Magnesium Assn. Light weight, durability under abuse, and fail-safe shielding against the ultra-high EMI noise levels of hospital environments were important material and process considerations.
In-depth OEM experience with plastics rejected a resin-based design, based plastic's requirement for thicker walls and the difficulties of assured EMI/RFI shielding, plus inherent lower drop strength.
Both mag die casting and thixotropic metal molding were carefully evaluated. While metal molding could meet the shielding advantages and ruggedness of die cast Mg, it could not meet the minimum wall thicknesses required— achievable with advanced die casting.
For more details on this Medical Housing application, see "Case Studies" in the Resource Center Section.
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Mg Plus Overmolding Equals a Superior Housing
Leading OEM engineering publications have featured the breakthrough design marriage of a CWM mag die cast case with an overmolded polyurethane elastomer.
The new housing, for an advanced Tektronix fiber optic cable tester, offers greater strength and performance over plastic, with part consolidations of the hot-chamber Mg and elastomer unit resulting in a 20% saving compared to similar plastic cases, according to Tektronix engineers. This combination of the two processes is believed to be the first such example incorporating a complex, finely featured magnesium die cast housing.
The application was a cover feature in Design News magazine and was featured in a two-page story in Advanced Materials and Processes magazine. The magnesiusm and elastomer application was a three-page feature in Modern Metals, and was also featured in Product Design and Development.
For a detailed discussion of this "Overmolding" application, see see "Case Studies" in the Resource Center Section.
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New, More Accurate Digital Sensors: Fewer Rejects
To produce die cast parts to precise specifications, molten alloys must be metered and forced into a complex die cavity, at pressures up to 20,000 psi, in about a second. During that second, in an environment of vibration, high heat, fine dust and lubrication mist, a machine sensor must relay the exact position and velocity of the machine's plunger at all points, to 0.001 in.
Reliable sensor feedback has been an industry challenge. CWM is now using linear digital position sensors in its aluminum die casting machines based on enhanced magnetostrictive technology. These new-generation transducers, encased in a specially sealed energy-absorbent package, have the ability to accurately adjust to vibration and temperature changes. The result is better parts, fewer rejects, and lower costs. Back to Top
NADCA Life Achievement Award to Walter Treiber
The North American Die Casting Association presented CWM President and CEO Walter G. Treiber their Distinguished Life Achievement Award at the International Reception and Awards Banquet during the NADCA 22nd International Die Casting Congress and Exposition.
The award is given in recognition of outstanding contribution to the die casting industry and a long record of service to the association and its predecessors. He is a past recipient of NADCA’s Austin T. Lillegren Award, Doehler Award, and Gullo & Treiber Award. Walter has served as a member of the NADCA Board of Directors, co-chairman of its National Affairs Committee, and as a founding member of NADCA’s Die Casting Development Council and co-chairman of its first Finance Committee.
He has also served as president of the International Magnesium Association and currently as a member of the IMA’s Executive Committee, Board of Directors and as First Vice President. His record includes service as a board member of the Institute of Magnesium Technology.
A pioneer in the introduction of the hot-chamber magnesium die casting process in North America, Walter brought the first hot-chamber magnesium machine to Chicago White Metal Casting in 1978.
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CWMers Certified in Sony Sensory Inspection
Selected CWM personnel attended Sony Corporation's first Sensory Inspection Training program held in North America, with attendees coming from Sony's own plants and from those of critical component supplier companies to Sony.
Tom Mrock, CWM Manager of Process Technologies, and Zofia Legut, Manager of Workmanship Standards, were CWM participants in this program and received certification from Sony at the program's close.
Sony developed this Sensory Inspection Training (S.I.T.) program to assure that the cosmetic quality judgements regarding the production of its products anywhere in the world are uniformly adhered to. The global training program has thus far certified 515 persons, with recertification required yearly.
Specific objectives of this inspection program include attaining a common appearance judgement standard between Sony and the producing supplier; imparting accurate and consistent judgement skills to the person responsible for sensory inspection; and teaching the sensory inspector how to create and use limit samples as part of this inspection procedure— to assure especially that color tones will be rigidly maintained.
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