Kinetic Die Casting Blog

Intermet Corp., formerly based in Troy Michigan, but now based in Fort Worth, Texas, is liquidating.

The company was once one of the world’s largest independent makers of automotive castings, but has now ceased operations at two Virginia metal-casting plants, its last remaining foundry operations, a company official said.

Operations ended late last month at the Lynchburg Foundry Co. in Lynchburg, Va., and New River Foundry in Radford, Va., said the official, who asked that his name not be used.

In August, the company filed for conversion of its Chapter 11 reorganization into a Chapter 7 liquidation with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the district of Delaware. Intermet was headquartered in Troy since the mid-1990’s after relocating from Atlanta to be closer to its automotive customers. The company then moved its corporate headquarters to Fort Worth in 2006.

Intermet had gone through Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2004-05. This time the supplier was burning through cash at a rate of $250,000 per day, so it tried to reject contracts, according to Bankruptcy Court documents.

That led to an administrative freeze on the payment of millions of dollars of prepetition receivables from customers such as the Detroit 3, according to the documents.

Said one document: “The cavalier manner in which these debtors have handled ongoing negotiations will likely result in the severance of many — if not all — of these customer relationships, which account for well in excess of 50 percent of [Intermet’s] gross annual revenue.”

Intermet’s Lynchburg factory has operated for more than 100 years. It was manufacturing brake calipers and crankshafts used by the Detroit 3 and Toyota Motor Corp.

Intermet was heavily dependent on the U.S. auto market, particularly SUVs.

The company, with estimated sales of $823 million in 2006, ranked No. 59 on that year’s Automotive News list of the 150 largest suppliers of parts to North American automakers. Intermet was not ranked in the most recent listing, based on 2008 sales.

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Since an Aluminum Die Casting Company has the resources and knowledge in die casting, they can efficiently create parts and products to the specifications of their client. How do they do it?

First, they melt the aluminum by placing them in a furnace, thus making them into liquid. The liquid aluminum will then be casted into molds which give them their new size and shape. Applying huge amounts of pressure, the liquid aluminum enters every crevice of the mold, which results in more accurate dimensions. The molds are set aside to cool and the liquid hardens. Once they are opened, the parts or products will simply need a few finishing touches and they can be delivered to the client.

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An Aluminum Die Casting Company specializes in the procedure of shaping aluminum bars into the parts that the manufacturers need, this is known as die casting. This process starts off with aluminum bars that are melted with the use of high temperatures. When the metal is turned to liquid, they are injected into molds known as castings. The liquid metal will then take the shape of the mold and once it hardens, it becomes the finished product, albeit some finishing touches.

The services provided by an Aluminum Die Casting Company can be very valuable to a manufacturer. It is a fast and cheap method of creating high quality parts for their products and they are relatively easy to find because they can be found almost everywhere with a quick search of the phonebook or internet.

Aluminum Die Casting Company – What’s their worth? Manufacturing parts and other products is sometimes a very complicated and delicate matter wherein the people behind the operation should take into account every detail of their business so that they can insure every cost is covered and they can make good money out of it. This would mean that they should find ways in limiting their production costs without significantly sacrificing the quality of their product. It can be a difficult task, but it is possible. For those who need aluminum parts, they can try contracting an Aluminum Die Casting Company.

An Aluminum Die Casting Company provides a valuable service to manufacturers. Many products in the market today or under production make use of aluminum parts such as appliances, electronics, houses and buildings among other things. Aluminum is an in demand material because it is strong, light and cheap, at the same time die casting companies offer cheap rates with more than satisfying results.

The difference between permanent mold casting and die casting is that the latter doesn’t just melt the material and place them into molds, it uses high amounts of pressure in order to secure the material in every crevice of the mold. This results in a smoother and higher quality finish for the product. At the same time, it is better in consistency as well.

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Such companies commonly provide intensive analysis of how their process is done. An ideal aluminum die casting company has a specific team for every step involved in the die casting process. These subdivisions allow better outputs of dies by use of well conducted design imports. The specific people who oversee the manufacturing system should also conduct quality control to provide consumers with the best products in accordance to their specific requests. Most dies require precise measurements that must be followed regardless of the number of items being requested. There are also die casting companies that specialize in complex pressure vessels as well as other difficult components. These are companies that have been around in the industry for quite some time and have mastered the entire process of aluminum die casting. Consumers must also be on the lookout for companies that have proven themselves throughout the years and have efficiently served the metalworking industry.