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Cast In Steel Season 1 Premieres July 9 on YouTube
After years of planning, filming, and collaboration with students, universities, and industry mentors, Season 1 of Cast In Steel will officially premiere on July 9, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the Cast In Steel YouTube channel.
Supported by the DoW Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) Program, Cast In Steel brings viewers inside SFSA’s nationally recognized collegiate competition, where university teams are challenged to design, manufacture, and test a replica of George Washington’s sword using modern engineering and steel casting technologies.
The six-episode series, released weekly, follows college student teams as they work through the entire product development process—from design and manufacturing to testing and final competition. Along the way, viewers gain a behind-the-scenes look at the ingenuity, teamwork, and technical expertise required to transform molten steel into a finished product. Celebrate America’s 250th year by watching students cast the swords of America’s icon, George Washington!
The series was created as part of SFSA’s workforce development strategy to showcase the opportunities available in metalcasting and manufacturing while inspiring the next generation of engineers, metallurgists, and skilled trades professionals. By launching on YouTube, the series will be freely available to students, educators, parents, industry professionals, and anyone interested in the foundry trades, engineering, innovation, and manufacturing.
The premiere marks an important milestone for the Cast In Steel program and would not have been possible without the support of SFSA member companies, industry mentors, university faculty, and the many volunteers who helped guide student teams throughout the competition.
Members are encouraged to subscribe, share the series with employees, customers, schools, and community partners, and help spread the word about the exciting career opportunities available in the steel casting industry.
Season 1 Premiere
July 9, 2026 • 8:00 p.m. Eastern
Watch and Subscribe:
https://www.youtube.com/@CastinSteel
Research Review July 7-9 Register Today!
Please make plans to participate in the annual SFSA Research Review on July 7-9. Again, this year our meeting will be held in Rosemont, IL.
The Review will cover the latest Carbon & Low Alloy and High Alloy steel casting research under the AMC and STAR programs. It’s also a great opportunity to interact with researchers and help provide industry guidance. The event helps evaluate our research portfolio to select R&D projects to be featured at the National T&O Conference.
Hotel Information
Embassy Suites by Hilton Chicago O’Hare Rosemont
5500 North River Road
Rosemont, IL 60018
- Group Rate: $169.00/night
- Self-Parking: $18.00 (reduced rate)
- Reservation cutoff date: June 23, 2026
- Reservations by phone: 1-800-315-1061 Group Code: SFS
- Online Reservation: Online Reservation
Please note that registration is required and must be completed by June 23.
Foundries are encouraged to invite their customers to the Design Day on Thursday, July 9. Design Day attendees can register here.
Below is the tentative schedule.
For questions, please contact Caelan Kennedy at ckennedy@sfsa.org
| Project | University | Presenter | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 8am-5pm | ||||
| Introduction | SFSA | Dave Poweleit | ||
| Automated Arc Air Riser Removal | Iowa State University | Frank Peters | ||
| Automated Grinding - Phase II | Iowa State University | Frank Peters | ||
| Tele-Gouge Arc Air Phase II | EWI | Ian Gibbs | ||
| Development Of A Standalone Retrieval-Augmented Generation System for Steel Casting Wiki | University of Utah | Taylor Sparks | ||
| Quality Detail Automated Recording and Tracking (Q-DART) and Humanoid Robotics | Deierling Consultants | Phil Deierling | ||
| Automated Inspection Assistance System | Purdue | Shirley Dyke | ||
| AIA For Radiography and Fracture Surface | University of Alabama at Birmingham | Emma Schmidt | ||
| Practical Approach for Ultrasonic Phased Array Inspection of Cast Steel Materials | Rhyton Technologies | Hossein Taheri | ||
| Automatic Non-Destructive Testing of Steel Castings Using AI and XR | Gridraster | Bhaskar Bannerjee | ||
| Quantification of Iron Oxide in Iron/Steel Casting Mold Sands | University of Northern Iowa | Nate Bryant | ||
| Prediction of Macrosegregation in Steel Castings | University of Iowa | Richard Hardin | ||
| Modeling of Oxide Films in High Alloy Steel Castings | University of Iowa | Richard Hardin | ||
| Reject Rate Reduction Program Overview | SFSA | Dave Poweleit | ||
| Wednesday 8am-5pm | ||||
| Introduction | ||||
| Commercial Quench Tank Facility Characterization | University of Alabama at Birmingham | Robin Foley | ||
| Tankless Water Quenching of Production Steel Castings | University of Alabama at Birmingham | Robin Foley | ||
| Working Group Updates | SFSA | Tory Wendlandt | ||
| Steel Die Casting | SFSA | Caelan Kennedy | ||
| Examining Transformation Temperatures in Martensitic Stainless-Steel Castings | Missouri S&T | Mario Buchely | ||
| Update on AFS Research Project Focused on Investment Casting Efficiencies Enhancements | Product Development & Analysis | Jiten Shah | ||
| Carbon and Low Alloy Atlas | SFSA | Caelan Kennedy | ||
| QLT Heat Treatment of Ultra-High Strength, High Toughness Steels | Colorado School of Mines | Stuart Miklas | ||
| Microstructural Investigation towards Industrial HY Steel Casting and Heat Treating | Colorado School of Mines | Sam Beck | ||
| Alloy and Process Improvement of Q&P Plate Steels for Dynamic Impact Performance | Colorado School of Mines | John Speer | ||
| Evaluating High Strength Welding Feedstocks for HSLA Steel Repair | Colorado School of Mines | Jonah Klemm-Toole | ||
| High Performance Product Development | Michigan Tech | Allie Glover | ||
| Augmented Reality Implementation into Steel Foundry Applications | University of Wisconsin, Madison | Hannah Blum | ||
| New Project Overview | Michigan Tech | Josh Mueller | ||
| New Project Overview | SFSA | Caelan Kennedy | ||
| Thursday 8am-12pm | ||||
| Introduction | SFSA | Caelan Kennedy | ||
| Generalized Fatigue Assessment for Steel Castings - Phase II | Baylor University | Brian Jordon | ||
| Application of Fracture Mechanics for Strength Prediction of Steel Castings - Phase II | University of Memphis | Ali Fatemi | ||
| Enabling Performance-based Design and Analysis of Cast Components with Quality Features | Texas A&M | Ankit Srivastava | ||
| Microporosity-Derived Quality Details: Impact of Geometry and Grade on Performance | Michigan Tech | Allie Glover | ||
| Cast Steel Components for Building Construction | University of Arizona | Robert Fleischmann | ||
| Steel Casting Design Evaluation | No Redesign | Mike Gwynn | ||
Section IX Seminar
Many foundries produce pressure containing castings that require welding to Section IX of the Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC). Leading industry expert, Walt Sperko, will present this seminar for SFSA members to improve understanding of the code and tricks to compliance. Production welding of steel castings is a common practice and the principles of Section IX apply to other welding specifications such as ASTM A488. The seminar will be August 18-20 in Tacoma, WA. Additional details will be sent to members soon. Please contact Dave with any questions.
80th Technical & Operating Conference
The T&O Committee is in the process of setting up this year’s conference at the Loews Hotel in Chicago December 9-12. This year will feature a special workshop on sand control Wednesday morning. If you would like to recommend a topic and presenter, please contact Dave.
Scholarships
Remember to Nominate Your Student Interns for the Summer Intern Scholarships Opportunities!
Will you have summer interns this year? If so, please inform them of these scholarship opportunities. They’ll appreciate you sharing these scholarships with them.
About the Scholarships
The steel casting industry is focused on building the next generation of leaders. As part of this effort, the Steel Founders’ Society of America (SFSA) Foundation encourages companies to hire student interns and recognizes the important work they do. The Foundation offers $2,000 scholarships to student interns who worked at an SFSA member foundry in 2026. These scholarships reward students for their contributions and support their future in the industry.
Scholarship Opportunities
- Schumo Scholarship
Created in memory of Robert M. Schumo, a former SFSA president. His contributions helped establish the Foundation. - Peaslee Scholarship
Created in honor of Dr. Kent Peaslee, a leader in steelmaking education.
Note: Projects for this scholarship must focus on melting or refining. - Cooke Scholarship
Created in honor of Jim and Betsy Cooke, a foundry leader and his wife, an inspiration to the Society.
Note: Projects for this scholarship must focus on management or other non-technical or production. - Stevens Scholarship
Created in honor of Sandy Stevens, wife of Tom Stevens, who edited our Handbook and other Society publications.
Note: Projects for this scholarship must focus on high alloys (corrosion, heat and wear resistant SFSA-supported grades). The High Alloy scholarship offers the opportunity for an additional $3000 scholarship (contact SFSA for additional details).
Who Can Apply
To be eligible, interns must:
- Have worked at an SFSA member foundry during 2026
- Have been responsible for a specific project (not just assisting others)
- Submit a written paper and a PowerPoint presentation about their project
All submissions are reviewed by a committee of experienced industry professionals.
Recognition
Winners will be recognized at the SFSA Technical & Operating Conference in Chicago on December 11, 2026.
Each winner will be expected to present their project at the conference.
How to Apply
To apply, interns must:
- Complete the registration form
- Prepare a paper and PowerPoint about their project
- Get approval from their supervisor
- Email the paper and PowerPoint to Renee Mueller at rmueller@sfsa.org by August 14, 2026
Impact 2.0 AM Seminar
Additive manufacturing is changing how steel foundries produce castings. This seminar on July 15 in Livonia, MI will discuss how foundries can take advantage of shorter delivery times, meet higher dimensional tolerance demands and reduce cleaning times with reduced parting lines. Registration and additional information is available here.
Fall Leadership Meeting
Mark your calendars to attend the 2026 Fall Leadership Meeting on September 18-21, 2026 at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, WV. Business sessions will include:
- Trade and Tariff Update, Dan Pickard, BIPC
- The 2026 Midterms: What Manufacturers Should Expect, Ken Wetzel, SMI
- Leading Through Uncertainty: Economic, Policy and Technology Trends Shaping the Steel Foundry Industry, Gene Marks, The Marks Group
- Steel Outlook, John Anton, S&P Global
- XR/AI Technologies: Advancing NDT for Steel Foundries, Bhaskar Banerjee, GridRaster
- Lessons In Leadership, Forrest Large, L2 Learning & Development (Invited)
- SFSA Market Forecast
An email with hotel and registration details will be sent to members later this month.
Market News
Manufacturing & Industrial Markets Outlook
Source: ITR Economics
ITR’s June economic outlook continues to point toward modest manufacturing growth through 2026, a softer environment in 2027, and renewed acceleration in 2028. Industrial production, capital spending, and durable goods activity remain positive, supported by strong investment in technology, data centers, and defense-related manufacturing. However, growth is becoming increasingly uneven across sectors, with high-tech and defense markets outperforming while housing-related and discretionary consumer markets remain under pressure.
Manufacturers are also facing rising cost pressures. Energy, transportation, metals, and technology-related inputs have increased significantly, creating margin challenges even as demand remains relatively stable. Higher oil prices, supply chain disruptions tied to geopolitical uncertainty, and continued investment in AI infrastructure are contributing to inflationary pressures. While overall inflation is expected to remain below the levels experienced during the post-pandemic surge, companies should expect ongoing pressure on labor, materials, and operating costs.
Several steel casting markets continue to show encouraging trends. Defense capital goods orders remain one of the strongest-performing manufacturing sectors and are expected to grow into early 2028. Industrial machinery, electrical equipment, and metalworking machinery are all forecast to expand, driven in part by technology investment and modernization initiatives. Heavy-duty truck production is beginning a recovery phase, while aerospace production remains on a positive trajectory.
Construction markets present a more mixed picture. Public infrastructure, healthcare, education, and warehouse construction remain relatively healthy, while residential construction continues to face affordability challenges and manufacturing construction is correcting after several years of exceptional growth. Reshoring activity continues to support long-term demand, but elevated interest rates are limiting the pace of expansion across many construction segments.
Overall, the outlook remains cautiously positive despite geopolitical volatility and rising costs. Economic activity is expected to continue growing, but at a measured pace. For steel foundries, opportunities remain strongest in defense, energy, infrastructure, machinery, and technology-related supply chains.
SFSA Business Trends
To benchmark your facility with other steel foundry members, SFSA encourages you to participate in the monthly SFSA business trends survey – only participants have access to the results. The quarterly data will no longer be included in the Casteel Reporter. Please complete the business trends survey for May 2026: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SFSA_BTB_May26. Survey results are provided to participants the following month.
SFSA Business Report
| STEEL FOUNDERS' SOCIETY OF AMERICA BUSINESS REPORT | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Mo Avg | 3 Mo Avg | April | March | February | ||||||
| Department of Commerce Census Data | ||||||||||
| Iron & Steel Foundries (million $) | ||||||||||
| Shipments | 1,909.10 | 2,013.00 | 2,063 | 1,983 | 1,993 | |||||
| New Orders | 1,937.00 | 2,022.70 | 2,063 | 1,975 | 2,030 | |||||
| Inventories | 3,307.00 | 3,365.70 | 3,376 | 3,376 | 3,345 | |||||
| Nondefense Capital Goods (billion $) | ||||||||||
| Shipments | 89.8 | 91.8 | 92.7 | 91.6 | 91.1 | |||||
| New Orders | 100.5 | 99.1 | 113.5 | 91.3 | 92.4 | |||||
| Inventories | 249.5 | 250.8 | 251.5 | 250.6 | 250.3 | |||||
| Nondefense Capital Goods less Aircraft (billion $) | ||||||||||
| Shipments | 78.1 | 80.6 | 81.2 | 80.8 | 79.8 | |||||
| New Orders | 78.6 | 82 | 82.5 | 83.3 | 80.2 | |||||
| Inventories | 184.6 | 186 | 186.2 | 185.9 | 185.9 | |||||
| Inventory/Orders | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.26 | 2.23 | 2.32 | |||||
| Inventory/Shipments | 0 | 2.3 | 2.29 | 2.3 | 2.33 | |||||
| Orders/Shipments | 0 | 1 | 1.02 | 1.03 | 1.01 | |||||
| American Iron and Steel Institute | ||||||||||
| Raw Steel Shipments (million net tons) | 7.7 | 7.7 | 8.2 | 7.4 | 7.6 | |||||
Casteel Commentary
Steel Founders’ Society of America was established in 1902 by manufacturers of steel castings. By the 1920’s, the Society was developing ASTM specifications to standardize cast steel products. By the 1930’s, the Society was working on new x-ray technology so one could look inside a casting. In the 1940’s, research and development expanded greatly to support the war effort. One core theme of the Society from the beginning and through today is the pooling of ideas and discussions of the problems faced by the industry. This collaborative nature has served the industry well as the organization nears its 125th year of service.
Working together to advance steel castings is rooted in the care and passion of many, many people – collectively, our industry. These people are the founders of our Society. Our company name is not tied to Henry Bessemer or Andrew Carnegie. But, it does have a little to do with history in that founding was a term used for the process of pouring metal into a mold cavity to create a casting. And founders in a general sense were then the employees of the foundry. So, we are a society of people who work for steel foundries. Our logo well represents this connection. If you look at it carefully, you’ll see a lip pour ladle at the top with red molten steel filling a black mold of a red astroid or star. This astroid symbolizes steel as can be seen in the logo for the American Iron and Steel Institute, Pittsburgh Steelers or Huachipato FC.
Throughout our history, people and casting innovation have been hand-in-hand. In recent years, we’ve experienced a shrinking pool of skilled tradespeople and engineers, and this poses a challenge for manufacturing custom engineered products. As manufacturing processes are essential to producing a casting, we once again look to people and innovation through Industry 4.0 to advance how we make castings and attract new people to our industry. These people will help solve the limitations of Industry 4.0 being applied to manufacturing with variations through adaptive autonomous automation, vision and analysis, and in-situ quality and process improvement. Steel foundries have a lot to offer to an engaged workforce of both makers and innovators. If you have a summer intern this year, implementing Industry 4.0 is a great opportunity for the company and the intern – please consider leveraging SFSA’s scholarship program to make their experience in our industry even more rewarding!
In recent years, “Cast In Steel” was coined to recognize and celebrate the pride we steel founders take in our jobs. This motto was used to commemorate our 75th Technical & Operating Conference. We designated our need and interest-based scholarship, “Cast In Steel”. “Cast In Steel” is also our competition for college student teams. And this year, on Thursday, July 9th, “Cast In Steel” will be a show with the premiere of the first episode from season one. Since the beginning, our organization has been centered around people. This show is about students’ journey to becoming founders. If you work with metal or manufacturing, please share your story with others and encourage them to watch the CastinSteel show on YouTube.
David Poweleit