Castool Community

Like a sandcastle trying to fend off a rising tide, businesses with closed doors are being washed away by the honesty and immediacy of online culture.

As the internet engulfs the world no business will be able to escape the flood of information and resulting transparency. Better information will radically transform our market place, as the old sandcastles are washed away, the transparent brands will float to the top.

With nothing to hide, they can relate better to consumers, and people who work within these companies are generally happier.

In the beginning, the extruder sent the diemaker a drawing of the profile he wanted, with dimensions and tolerances indicated, and also the application.  The diemaker then sent the extruder an initial die, saying something like, “This should give you a section that’s fairly close to what you want.  After die trials, have your die corrector tell me precisely what modifications he had to make to get acceptable product, and with luck, the next die I send you should need no further changes.”  This may sound like a very rudimentary way to operate what has become an important industry, yet it worked relatively well for many years.   One reason it did was because many diemakers, and especially die correctors, were extremely talented.  Some almost intuitively understood and could predict the flow of metal through the die.

This was the period of emerging growth when extrusion became recognized as a viable industry.  Several stages of evolution then followed, but by definition, light metal extrusion is not yet a mature industry since continued growth is still anticipated.

The initial major stage in the evolution of extrusion technology was triggered about 1980 by the introduction of wire EDM and CNC milling. These two procedures gave us the ability to make a good and repeatable die. Before this time, dies were made entirely by hand.   It was difficult to control shape, make square bearings, or even to have ports that were the same size.  Just now, when we can measure and manage temperatures with an accuracy never before imagined, and achieve consistently uniform flow by changing our approach to die design dramatically to reflect today’s reality, we may be on the verge of as important a stage of evolution as we were in the early 80’s.

In the future, when application-specific alloys are readily available, the extruder will then first negotiate the required section with his customer. He will discuss the application in some detail to determine the shape, the physical properties, surface finish, tolerances and so on that are actually necessary, not merely what the customer thinks he would like, with a view to modifying the original specification in any way he can to improve his productivity.  As the technology is constantly improving, customers are often unaware of what can actually be accomplished by a good extruder.  He will then talk with his billet supplier to determine the alloy that will best fit his actual requirements and allow maximum ram speed.  Then he will present the revised specification to his die maker saying something like, “This is the shape, these are the tolerances, and this is the alloy we’ll be using.  Give me a die that will provide saleable product, and allow the fastest ram speed.”

Only then will the extrusion system really approach maximum productivity, and the light metal extrusion industry will approach maturity.

On my travels I frequently ask how people found their path.

I think it’s a common question because we’re all searching for our true passion in life. To me, the key to finding our purpose is to first find true happiness within ourselves. When I think of true happiness, I think of the kind of happiness that is not attached to another person or thing. True happiness cannot be found by obtaining something or having somebody; it exists in understanding, appreciation, and the ability to be present.

The industrial system (and the marketing regime) adore the mindset of ‘a little bit more, please’, because it furthers their power. A slightly higher paycheck, a slightly more famous college, an incrementally better car–it’s easy to be seduced by this safe, stepwise progress, and if marketers and bosses can make you feel dissatisfied at every step along the way, even better for them.

Their rules, their increments, and you are always on a treadmill, unhappy today, imagining that the answer lies just over the next hill…

All the data shows us that the people on that hill are just as frustrated as the people on your hill. It demonstrates that the people at that college are just as envious as the people at this college. The never ending cycle (no surprise) never ends.

In the near future, companies will tell the truth and work hard to create better products and a better planet.

Corporations have incredible influence on the world we live in and that’s given them free reign to pollute, collude and mislead us, but advances in technology are rapidly making them accountable not just to shareholders, but to everyone. Now that we have constant access to the truth about the products we use and the ethics of the companies behind them, big brands are realizing that looking great isn’t enough. It’s time to actually be great.

In discussing the evolution of the now maturing extrusion industry, there is a basic truth which should always be considered.   The productivity of every extrusion plant can be improved.  There are no exceptions to this rule.  The single uncontrollable limiting factor in the quest for increased productivity is the maximum speed at which the metallurgy of the alloy being used will permit it to form saleable product with the required profile.  Everything else in the entire production system is now controllable.

The technology of light metal extrusion has improved considerably in the past few years. Even the best extruders, however, are not yet able to make best use of the advanced technology now available. The reason for this is that the variety of leaner alloys now available that provide better strength, physical properties and surface finish as well as increased ram speed, does not nearly match the variety that would really benefit extruders whose improved temperature measurement and control would now make their use possible and profitable. The current trend toward leaner and faster alloys is a positive development in the industry and of course increases the available market.

In the future, the best extruders will have a broad spectrum of application-specific alloys to choose from.  They can then take full advantage of the fact that they now have very close control of the temperature at every point in the production process from the time the billet is heated until the extrusion is ready for shipment.

The simplest picture one can form about the creation of an empirical science is along the lines of an inductive method. Individual facts are selected and grouped together so that the laws that connect them become apparent. However, the big advances in scientific knowledge originated in this way only to a small degree. The truly great advances in our understanding of nature originated in a way diametrically opposed to induction. The intuitive grasp of the essentials of a large complex of facts leads the scientist to the postulation of a hypothetical basic law or laws. From thee laws, he derives conclusions.

Edison didn’t “invent” the light bulb; he made them last longer, and then started a company to power them.

The difference between Edison and many unsuccessful inventors was that he knew how to hunt down cool ideas and technologies, mobilize people to turn them into working, useful products, drum up the public’s interest in what he was doing, and then parlay that into new ventures.

Castool Tooling Systems of Uxbridge Ontario is a leading global supplier of production tooling equipment to the aluminum extrusion and die casting industries. Over the years, Castool has received a number of awards which reflect the continued effectiveness of its operating system. The designation ISO 9000 for quality of operation was first certified for Castool on behalf of the International Standardization Organization in 1999. Castool has been successfully audited and recertified on a regular basis since that time, including an upgrade to ISO9001in 2008
After a lengthy stringent and extensive audit, Castool has just become the first company in Canada to be certified as being in compliance with a newly integrated group of three ISO programs.
This year, in response to the changing priorities of contemporary industry, ISO has made available 2 additional programs which can be integrated with the basic ISO9001program whose major premise is that every employee at every level works toward a clearly understood and measurable objective. This program is then regularly audited internally to evaluate it for conformance and effectiveness.
The two new additional programs are ISO 14001 for Environmental Management and OHSAS18001 for Occupational Health and Safety. Castool has long been known as an efficient knowledge-based company. This new certification confirms Castool’s ongoing ability to effectively and consistently satisfy its customer requirements, minimize the company’s impact on the environment outside the building, maintain a safe and healthy environment inside the building, and remain a world-class tooling supplier.

It’s too easy to blame the Company and the bottom line for decisions that a person would never be willing to take responsibility for.

Whenever you can, work with people who take it personally. You will be glad you did.