2025 SFSA Technical & Operating Conference

Schedule

Conference registration is in the Wright Foyer. Registration Hours: Wednesday: 1:00pm – 6:00pm, Thursday: 8:00am – 5:00pm, Friday: 8:00am – 2:00pm

Workshop

Wednesday Dec. 10, 2:00pm-6:00pm

Porosity

Tom Stevens – SFSA Alumni

Liquid metal has the ability to absorb large quantities of hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen from many sources. During solidification, these gases have limited solubility and are rejected to the remaining liquid metal. When a critical limit occurs, spherical bubbles form in the liquid, creating a void in the structure. This talk explores the science behind this phenomenon and practical ways to reduce this defect.

Technology Roadmapping:  Bringing focus to your innovation efforts

Melissa Martinez – MetalTek International

This talk will focus on technology roadmapping – what it is, types of technology roadmaps, why they matter and how, combined with a business’s strategy, they support growth.

Continuous Improvement Program Savings

John Workman – Eagle Alloy

Eagle Alloy has had a strong continuous improvement program with contributions coming from all departments including HR, Engineering, Quality and production.  Recent efforts to increase contributions from the floor have generated savings from the operators.  An ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan), Eagle Alloy’s mantra is “Think like an Owner”, and they do.  We are sharing four years of continuous improvement ideas, so you may be able to find some that may help your foundry.

Obstacle Squares – Driving Standard Thinking

Andy Oskam – PRL Industries

Ever wonder what it means to achieve operational excellence or attain world class status?  It’s not magic, just a different way of approaching problems – a standard way.  This session will demonstrate some foundational elements of Lean Thinking and provide a small taste of Toyota Kata discipline.  Everyone in today’s manufacturing workplace from sales and engineering to operations and quality, as well as top leadership, will benefit from this session.

Reoxidation and Oxide Bi-films

Raymond Monroe – SFSA

SFSA’s work on pouring and gating has made great progress in understanding the quality issues of inclusions formed by reoxidation.  In the aluminum industry, J. Campbell has developed a parallel path and identified oxide bi-films are the challenge for aluminum castings and proposed that these films are principal quality details in all cast metals.  This presentation will review the oxide bi-film work and identify the overlap and differences between it and SFSA work on reoxidation.

Miscellaneous

Alternative parking

SpotHero

Artwork Contest

Over the decades, the artwork used for the T&O has come from SFSA research.  For 2026, our 80^th T&O and marking 125 years of service for the Society, we’d like to feature an image from a member foundry.  The artwork is “technical” in odd years and “operating” in even years.  So, for next year’s artwork, please submit high resolution, in focus “operating” image files at https://www.sfsa.org/blairr/uploadimages/ by December 31, 2025.  After uploading, please email blairr@sfsa.org your name, company and filename(s) of the image(s) you submitted so we can properly credit the winner, which will be selected by the T&O Committee and used at next year’s conference.

Registered attendees

This list of registered attendees was correct as of December 1 2025.  Late registrants will not appear on the list.