Welcome to e-Connections, the weekly AFS email newsletter. In this Feb. 3, 2009, edition:

• Metalcasting Industry Government Affairs Conference Includes Briefings on Card Check, Climate Change Legislation
• Best of CastExpo Webinar to Focus on Molding
• Last Chance to Submit Your Casting of the Year
• Visit the Updated Marketplace on MODERNCASING.com
• CMI Offers Foundry Sand Test Procedures Workshop

Metalcasting Industry Government Affairs Conference Includes Briefings on Card Check, Climate Change Legislation
The 2009 Metalcasting Industry Government Affairs Conference, which will be held May 4-5 at the Capitol Hilton, Washington, D.C., will focus on climate change, the Employee Free Choice Act, expansion of the Family Medical Leave Act and healthcare reform.

The Government Affairs Committee selected the issues as legislative and regulatory priorities based on their impact on the industry and the likely agenda of the 111th Congress. The conference is sponsored jointly by AFS and the North American Die Casting Association (NADCA).

The 2009 Metalcasting Industry Government Affairs Conference will consist of a two-day program that includes:

• “Breakfast With a Lawmaker” and insights on the 2009 legislative agenda;
• policy briefings on climate change legislation, health care reform and card check legislation;
• featured speakers from the new administration, policy experts and lawmakers to answer questions about both the policy and enforcement changes likely to affect metalcasting facilities;
• reception on Capitol Hill;
• “Metalcasting Advocacy Day,” an entire day set aside for prescheduled meetings with lawmakers.

The 2009 Metalcasting Industry Government Affairs conference is shaping up to be a critical event in moving the metalcasting industry agenda forward in the new Congress and administration. As manufacturers and constituents, metalcasters play a unique and vital role in telling the U.S. Congress how legislation impacts their ability to generate economic growth, create jobs, maintain safe and environmentally responsible worksites, and contribute overall to the nation’s economic security. At this year’s conference, AFS and NADCA members will be able to bring a colleague from the same company free of charge after the price of one admission is paid. Make your hotel reservations today as the hotel cut-off is April 13. Be sure to mention the 2009 Metalcasting Industry Government Affairs Conference when contacting the Capital Hilton. .

To register for the Metalcasting Industry Government Affairs conference, contact AFS customer service, at 800/537-4237.

Best of CastExpo Webinar to Focus on Molding
AFS's webinar series, the Best of CastExpo, recaps the most important technical sessions of the event held last year in Atlanta.

The third webinar in the series, scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 5, at 11:00 AM EST, will focus on molding. Important topics include core gas evolution rate, the three zones that exist within cores in contact with molten metal (volatilization, condensation and initial zone production) and the development of models to predict gas pressure inside molds and cores. Presenting on these topics will be Preston Scarber, Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham.

The cost to attend this and future Best of CastExpo webinars is $50 for AFS members, $100 for non-members. For more information on the Best of CastExpo webinar series, or to register for this webinar, contact Rebecca Erickson, AFS technical assistant, at rebecca@afsinc.org or 800/537-4237 x 246.

Last Chance to Submit Your Casting of the Year
Don't miss your last opportunity to submit your casting of the year to Engineered Casting Solutions and the AFS Marketing Div. 14 2009 Casting Competition. The official entry deadline set for Jan. 31 has passed, but AFS recognizes the importance of marketing in these economic times and is extending the submission deadline through this week.

Take advantage and receive free publicity in Engineered Casting Solutions magazine as well as inclusion in an end-user PR campaign. In addition, the Casting of the Year and Best in Class winners receive a free license to Magmasoft casting simulation software. Click here to download an entry form. For more information, contact Dave Krugman, AFS PR and marketing coordinator, at dkrugman@afsinc.org or 800/537-4237 x 286.

Visit the Updated Marketplace on MODERNCASTING.com
The internet now has one place where you can view metalcasting classifieds, careers in the industry and all the major metalcasting suppliers—the MODERN CASTING Marketplace.

In an effort to bring together all of the tools necessary to make purchases for your business, MODERN CASTING has put its monthly classified listings, revamped career center, online buyer’s guide and highlighted suppliers online under one virtual roof. The new marketplace is displayed on the right side of the www.moderncasting.com homepage, as well as on the main menu across the top of the page.

Go to the marketplace today and make all the purchases you desire in order to grow your business.