Welcome to e-Connections, the weekly AFS email newsletter. In this May 20, 2008, edition:

New MSDS Forms Complete Updates for Alloys
The American Foundry Society (AFS) has added the Magnesium Casting Alloy family to its series of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) which is available for purchase through AFS. The layout will follow the new American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 16-part format and complete the updates for the ferrous and nonferrous alloys.

The new forms will help metalcasters meet their ISO certification requirements by ensuring that all of their records are current. The 16-part ANSI format includes necessary fields such as product identification and company information, hazard identification, composition/information on ingredients, first aid measures, fire and explosion data, exposure controls and personal protection, physical and chemical properties, toxicological information, ecological information, disposal considerations, transportation information, regulatory information and more.

For more information on the new MSDS format, contact Fred Kohloff, AFS, at fhk@afsinc.org. To purchase the new forms, contact AFS customer service at 800/537-4237 or order online at www.afsinc.org/estore.

Sales & Marketing Conference Focuses on Customer Loyalty
The AFS Marketing and Selling of Castings conference will be held July 31-Aug. 1 at the Westin O'Hare, Rosemont, Ill. The focus of the conference is to educate metalcasting marketing and sales professionals on strategies to improve their bottom line.

A special two-hour in-depth seminar with marketing guru Dan McQuiston, Butler Univ. is planned, along with several top-notch speakers including:

  • Ed O'Neil, Caterpillar
  • Bob Whaley, Haas Automation
  • Jim King, FMC Technologies
  • Robert Ryan, Cummins Inc.
  • Wayne Braun & Jim Clifford, AmeriCast Technologies Inc.
  • Alex Bryant, East-West Associates
  • Rick Betori, Wonderlic
  • Tim Daro, Bernard & Co.

As part of the conference special, have your website, brochures and other marketing and communications vehicles evaluated one-on-one by industry experts in a 30-minute critique session. Register by June 30 to be entered into a drawing to win a sales and marketing kit (valued at more than $500). All attendees will receive a free copy of the 2008 AFS Forecast and Trends Report (valued at $400).

For more information, or to register for the AFS Marketing and Selling of Castings conference, contact AFS customer service at 800/537-4237 or click here for more information.

AMC Tech Review to Highlight Metalcasting Technologies
The American Metalcasting Consortium (AMC) is holding its 2008 AMC Technology Review June 25-26 in Chicago. This year's review will highlight new metalcasting technologies addressing the Defense Logistics Agency's procurement process to eliminate backorders, reduce procurement lead times, enhance part quality and ensure a reliable U.S. metalcasting base to improve warfighter readiness.

Registration is free to AFS members. For more information or to register, visit http://www.amc.aticorp.org/techreview.html.

New to Metalcasting? CMI Offers Intro Course
CMI will be offering an Introduction to Metalcasting course July 15-17 at AFS headquarters, Schaumburg, Ill. This introductory course presents a general overview of the metalcasting process. Topics covered include patternmaking, molding and coremaking processes, alloys poured, melting methods, gating and risering, cleaning and finishing, defects, and inspection techniques. The program also acquaints the student with metalcasting industry terminology.

For more information or to attend this course, contact AFS customer service at 800/537-4237 or click here to register.

Looking for more information on metalcasting? The publication Metalcasting Dictionary, 2nd Edition can help. AFS Special Publications has everything you need to supplement your metalcasting training. Visit www.afsinc.org/estore or call 800/537-4237 for more information.