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More than 90% of all manufactured goods and capital equipment use metal castings as engineered components or rely on castings for their manufacture. [AFS 2001] The metalcasting industry produces both simple and complex components of infinite variety, whether they are produced once as a prototype or thousands of times for use in a manufactured product. In addition to producing components of larger products, foundries may also do machining, assembling, and coating of the castings. Major end-use applications for castings include automobiles and trucks, farm and construction equipment, railroads, pipes and fittings, valves, and engines. [AFS 2001]
Metalcasting industry sales in the United States have been in the range of $25 to $28 billion annually for the past several years, with a small trade surplus. There are close to 3,000 foundries operating in all 50 states, employing one-quarter of a million people. [AFS 2001] The industry estimates that it invests more than $1.25 billion annually in pollution prevention technologies and in meeting environmental standards. [MECS 1994] Under the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), the iron and steel foundries are grouped under code 33151, while nonferrous foundries and die casters are grouped under code 33152.
Shipments from foundries are valued at $28 billion annually.
The metalcasting industry uses an estimated 200 to 250 trillion Btu annually.
U.S. metalcasting facilities are found in every state but are concentrated in the Midwest.
More than half of U.S. castings are produced using sand casting methods, followed by permanent mold, die casting, and investment casting.
Almost two-thirds of foundries conduct energy-management activities.
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