Automated Grinder Provides Fast Accurate Finishing of Brass, Gray & Ductile Iron Castings

When Hiler Industries of Walkerton, IN was looking for ways to improve the safety and productivity of their grinding and casting department, they contacted Sinto Surface Treatment, a division of Roberts Sinto Corporation of Lansing, MI.

According to David Frazier, Plant Manager for Hiler Industries, “Dan Luck, VP of Manufacturing for Hiler, purchased six 400 Series Barinder automated grinders, three with indexes and three without indexes in 2003 and 2004. Compared to hand grinding of some castings, production using the Barinder has increased 30 to 50%. We use the Barinder 400’s for a variety of casting sizes ranging from 1 lb. to 30 lbs. The machines are used for finishing brass, gray and ductile iron castings that we supply to automotive, agriculture, electrical, heavy-duty industrial and air conditioning manufacturers. Average cycle times for cleaning castings using the Barinder are 30 seconds to 1 minute for single parts. Some parts are multiple component fixtures that can be cleaned at an average of 15 seconds per part, depending on part complexity.”

“The Barinder grinder provides a safer, cleaner environment through completely enclosed grinding that reduces dust and eliminates the problems associated with hand grinding. We use the Barinder grinder primarily for gate and flash removal and find the Barinder’s performance repeatable and very dependable.”

Hiler Industries, a leading producer of shell mold castings, has foundries in Kingsbury and LaPorte, IN and the cleaning division is located in Walkerton, IN.