Farrar News

Introduction:

Ductile iron has been a staple in various industries for its versatility, strength, and cost-effectiveness. However, like any widely used material, ductile iron is not immune to myths and misconceptions. In this blog post, we’ll debunk some of the common misconceptions surrounding ductile iron, shedding light on the truth behind this robust and reliable material.

Myth 1: Ductile Iron is Brittle Like Cast/Gray Iron:

Reality: One of the prevalent myths about ductile iron is that it shares the brittleness of traditional cast iron. In fact, ductile iron exhibits enhanced ductility due to its unique microstructure, making it more resistant to fractures and offering better toughness than cast iron.

Myth 2: Ductile Iron is Prone to Corrosion:

Reality: Some believe that ductile iron is highly susceptible to corrosion. In reality, ductile iron has inherent corrosion resistance. Proper coating and surface treatments can further enhance its resistance to environmental factors, making it a durable choice for various applications, even in challenging conditions.

Myth 3: Ductile Iron is Difficult to Machine:

Reality: Contrary to popular belief, ductile iron is machinable and can be easily worked with standard machining processes. With the right tools, techniques, and programming, , manufacturers can achieve precision machining and produce complex components efficiently.

Myth 4: Ductile Iron is Expensive Compared to Alternatives:

Reality: While initial costs might seem higher than some alternatives, the long-term benefits of ductile iron often outweigh the upfront expenses. Its durability, high strength, and low maintenance requirements contribute to a cost-effective solution over the lifecycle of the product.

Myth 5: Ductile Iron is Only Suitable for Heavy-Duty Applications:

Reality: While ductile iron is indeed favored for heavy-duty applications due to its strength, it is also versatile enough to be used in a wide range of industries. From automotive components to water pipes, ductile iron’s adaptability makes it suitable for various applications across different sectors.

Conclusion:

Ductile iron continues to be a reliable and indispensable material in many industries. By dispelling these common myths and misconceptions, we hope to provide a clearer understanding of the capabilities and advantages of ductile iron. As technology advances and new innovations emerge, ductile iron remains a key player, debunking myths and standing strong as a material of choice for countless applications.

In this Q&A, we wanted to hear from a few team members that help operate our two CNC Machining facilities. To deliver ISO-certified quality products to our customers on time, it takes highly skilled individuals who all possess excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail. Farrar machinists are trained to operate advanced machining centers from DMG-Mori, Okuma and Haas, and their role is crucial to finishing our promise of a vertically integrated process. Below are the thoughts taken directly from our team members on several aspects of their job.

What do you like best about working in the manufacturing industry?

• You can physically see and touch the final product of your efforts.
• That the parts we build go on so many different things that help make a better and easier life for us.
• Staying active!

What are the challenges you face when operating a machine?

• I’m primarily doing the 1st run of a new part, so my challenge is always to get the new part running in spec and as efficiently as possible.
• None I do it all from indicating in pallets and setups to making programs or adjusting programs.

What do you like best about working at Farrar?

• I learn something new every day.
• Not only the convenience of working in my backyard but also being able to provide a service to so many different companies. Whether they are a small or global company, we treat them all as if they are our #1 customers.
• It’s a smaller company where most everyone knows each other’s names

What is the most challenging part of your job?

• Problem-solving.  There’s a new issue every day, and we must figure it out together.
• Really, I don’t have any. Whatever challenge comes my way I just overcome it and move on.
• Keeping operations of all the different machines straight.

What is the most rewarding part of your job? 

• When we finally solve a complicated issue, it feels good to see how much better the product comes out or how much more efficiently it is produced.
• The company recognizes all the hard work and time we put in for our customers and acknowledges and thanks us for it.
• Watching good quality parts getting out the door.

What do you think sets Farrar’s products apart?

• The quality of our products will outperform most any others.
• Attention to detail and keeping parts that wouldn’t meet customer satisfaction from reaching the customer.
• Because we treat each customer like they are our #1 customer and strive to produce the best work we can for them. Whether from good castings or all the way up to machining it for the customer. We take pride in our work and in our products. That’s why I feel customers come to Farrars to get quality parts and excellent customer service.

Farrar is proud of the work all our employees do to help provide the customer with creative solutions, world-class products, and top-notch customer service. If you are interested in joining our team, visit our careers page. To learn more about our machining capabilities visit our Machine Shop page or Machining page. If you are interested in using Farrar for your next project, visit our contact page to request a quote and get in touch with our manufacturing experts.

Modern Casting magazine features our commitment to growth in their October 2022 issue.  Our new melting system, shakeout system and the molding line have allowed us to make significant improvements in our efficiencies. Along with the addition of a new FBO-IIIS molding machine and integrating MAGMASOFT ® into our pattern shop we have elevated our customer experience. We produce cored casting jobs, pattern designs, pattern layouts, austempering, gating and risering all in-house.  Every investment in growth is an investment in our customers through competitive pricing and flexible capacity.  For more go to, https://www.moderncasting.com/articles/2022/10/06/farrar-sets-growth

Farrar is excited to announce that our state-of-the-art pattern shop has invested in MAGMASOFT®, an innovative foundry engineering software. Pattern shop personnel will have completed initial training by August 22, and Farrar will begin to utilize the software in the coming weeks.

MAGMA, a company that has been a staple in the metal casting industry since 1988, is a trusted worldwide developer of casting software. This software offers solidification and flow analysis capabilities while giving our team the ability to optimize tooling designs prior to sampling.

“Our investment in MAGMASOFT® will allow us to effectively produce quality castings with optimized tooling designs,” said Chad Allender, Farrar’s Pattern Shop Engineering Supervisor. “We look forward to the reduction in production costs this will bring as we optimize existing jobs. This simulation software will reduce the ‘trial and error’ when sampling new jobs and allow us to mitigate potential defects during the initial design rather than during sampling. “

Farrar’s team of engineers provides customers with a flexible design process to meet the specific needs of each project.

MAGMASOFT® will only elevate that process, in addition to Solidworks 2021 and MasterCAM, which are the two other programs our pattern shop utilizes.

The software upgrade continues the trend of improvements that has been prevalent at Farrar in the past few years. Earlier this spring, we installed a cutting-edge FBO-IIS 20 x 24 molding line from Roberts Sinto that will increase the capacity of our ductile iron foundry. Other recent capital investments include two new 2500KW Inductotherm coreless induction furnaces that were installed in early 2019 and two DMG-Mori NTX 5-axis CNC machining centers that were added in late 2019 and early 2020. We have also invested in upgrading our shakeout system, including new conveyors and a media drum.

Continuous improvement is one of our core values and we are committed to finding new ways to enhance our products, pricing, and lead times for our loyal customers.

If you are interested in using Farrar for your next project, visit our contact page to request a quote and get in touch with our manufacturing experts.

At Farrar Corporation, we only pour ductile iron and ductile iron properties for austempered ductile iron (ADI).

That’s because this type of metal has many advantages that best suit the needs of our customers, as we can manufacture products that are of the highest quality and in a cost-effective manner.

Ductile iron was founded in 1943 by Keith Millis, as part of an effort to produce a stronger iron that could be used for the American military in World War II. This type of iron cast contains a secret ingredient — spherical graphite nodules — which is what provides the many benefits ductile iron offers compared to other metals.

Why is ductile iron the choice for you? There are several reasons.

Strength

Ductile iron has much higher tensile strength compared to other options such as gray iron. In our foundry, we primarily pour four grades of ductile iron (60-40-18, 65-45-12, 80-55-06, 100-70-03) which equates to tensile strength between 60,000 and 100,000 psi. With the austempering grades we offer (130-90-09, 150-100-07, 175-125-04, 200-155-02, 230-185-01), that strength level rises between 130,000 and 230,000 psi.

Versatility

Because of the spherical nodules, ductile iron has superb wear resistance and elongation properties.  This versatility allows for varying elongation within designated iron types, which allows end users to design their product in the most efficient and cost-effective manner; selecting a needed strength complemented with a needed elongation. 

Lightweight

Despite its toughness, ductile iron’s strength-to-weight ratio stands apart from other metals. Therefore, these castings have become the popular choice for products that need to be lightweight but maintain strength. This is one reason why the automotive industry, agricultural industry and the heavy truck industry rely heavily on ductile iron.

Cost-effective

Compared to products such as steel, ductile iron offers an efficient manufacturing process which allows it to be more affordable for customers. 

“Quality ductile iron comes from quality raw materials. At Farrar, we have strict parameters around our scrap steel, minerals/additives/inoculants, sand, and other critical path raw materials.  This gives us the ability to control the chemistry and ensure the properties you buy are exactly what you specified.”

Scott Case, President/CEO of Farrar Corporation

If ductile iron sounds right for your next project, visit our contact page to get in touch with our manufacturing experts.