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A Design Study in Ductile Iron - Dotson Company Pivot Frame

Lessons Learned

The successful design and production of this plate required detailed, collaborative design work and process optimization by the design team -- the Dotson Company, the McNeilus Company, Winona Pattern & Mold, and EIMCO Machining.  

Major lessons learned were:

  • 3D computer-aided design is the key to rapidly optimizing the design for mechanical performance and weight reduction.  This also reduces the "first part" time. 

  • Concurrent engineering by the design team is essential at each step of the design and casting development process for rapid and effective part production.

  • Die design for efficient metal yield, smooth metal flow, and controlled solidification is critical to ensure that the casting meets tolerance, mechanical strength, and cost requirements.

  • Rapid prototyping was used to check form-fit-function on the final design. Rapid prototyping was done by Global Design Works, using a high speed 3-D printing system.


Machined Casting with the Pivot Shaft Installed


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Copyright 2005 by the American Foundry Society. All rights reserved.
Address Comments to: jss@afsinc.org
Last Modified:September, 2005 by STG

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In cooperation with
The Dotson Company.