Continuous Flow Manufacturing at its finest in Hartford, Wisconsin

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PHOTO TOUR
View various images from the Signicast Hartford location.

The Signicast complex in Hartford is where our Continuous Flow Manufacturing philosophy really hits its stride. One thing you'll notice when you visit the plant floor is that there aren't piles of parts sitting around. That’s because nothing ever stops moving. Designed from the outset to function much like a single long production line, you’ll be hard pressed to find another plant like it anywhere.

The Hartford plants provide true “just-in-time” delivery of medium- to high-volume parts. By producing small quantities on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, we can ship exact quantities on the day you request, with the same low price for any quantity. Unscheduled orders can be turned around in as little as five days – perhaps even less, depending on the type of part and schedule availability.

Signicast Growth

HARTFORD MODULE 1
Designed from inception to change the investment casting industry. This plant started our continuous flow philosophies and introduced most of our robotic technologies. This plant pours low alloy steel, 400S and tool steel. Module 1 opened in June of 1993 with 66,084 square feet of manufacturing space.

HARTFORD MODULE 2
It employs 141 people (four teams), covers 76,149 square feet, and opened in November 1997. With the success of Module 1, Module 2 was created with slight improvements such as the ability to pour and cutoff stainless steel investment casting.

HARTFORD MODULE 3
When this 82,654-square-foot facility opened in August 2003, it truly set Signicast even further apart from the competition. With state-of-the-art robotics, including robotic pour, and automated investment casting processes, Module 3 is the envy of investment casters around the globe.

HARTFORD MODULE 4
Construction is now underway for this 85,085 square foot facility. (View photos.) When it is completed in 2006, this new plant will be Signicast’s most innovative yet. It will feature much of the same functionality as Module 3, but with even more proprietary processes.

HARTFORD MODULE 5
Completed in 2001, this 74,364 square feet houses all secondary operations including machining, assembly, vibe tumble and painting. Parts are routed from each investment casting module via roof top conveyor. Upon arrival they are automatically routed to the required cells where they are completed and shipped per the customers requirements.

Technological highlights:

An Automatic Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) delivers product quickly and efficiently (on demand) from one station to the next.
10 Signicast designed automatic wax presses and one automatic sprue press.
Patented Wax Distribution System maintains precise temperature control for maximum dimensional repeatability.
Four robots perform dipping functions with absolute precision and efficiency.
Samples from each lot are weighed to assure conformance of shell requirements; data is stored in computer database.
In pouring stage, chemistry of each heat is analyzed with a spectrometer (standardized twice per shift and at each alloy change).
When caustic cleaning of parts is required, robots load/unload eight molds at a time.
Finishing fixtures are designed and built by Signicast’s Tooling Center.
If machining, assembly, painting, or plating is required, parts are sent to Module 5 via an overhead conveyor.