July 2006
A new Hunter XL2024 automatic matchplate molding machine was installed during shutdown, replacing an old HMP-20C machine. The newly designed machine incorporates numerous improvements. Mold alignment is improved, resulting in reduced casting finishing requirements. Machine cycle time has been reduced, leading to productivity improvements.

July 2006
Further refinements to the upgraded casting finishing area have been completed. A JetBlast System has been designed and installed for automatic delivery and removal of castings at the Jet WheelBlast machines. A similar Wheelabrator System has been installed at two of the Wheelabrator shot blast machines. The new systems have improved productivity and throughput in the shot blast areas.

July 2005
The Company has completed a major upgrade of the casting finishing area. The centrepiece of the upgrade is an Automatic Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) which utilizes a robotic forklift and high density shelving to store and distribute castings for the various finishing operations. Two new Jet WheelBlast Multi-Tumbler shot blast machines were added for initial blasting and/or tumbling of castings. The Company's engineering department designed and installed an automated handling system for the delivery and removal of castings at the new blast machines. A second Vulcan Foxall robotic grinder was installed. New workstations were implemented at the stand grinders. Photos and further info can be found on the grinding abilities pages. There is also a movie of the ASRS in operation.

July 2005
Shutdown 2005 also saw the installation of a new Returns Crusher and Returns Transfer System. The transfer system was designed in-house. It automatically moves the returns from the degating area to the the crusher. The crusher breaks up the gating system in preparation for re-melting. The reduced size of the returns leads to more efficient handling and furnace charging.

June 2004
Jim Crandall, Traffic Manager, has retired after more than 31 years at Lethbridge Iron Works. Jim was a familiar voice to many of our customers, assisting them with their shipping solutions. Jim oversaw all incoming materials and outgoing manufactured goods, and even had time to take the sweeper for a ride around the parking lot once in awhile.

September 2003
The quality management system at Lethbridge Iron Works was successfully audited to ISO 9001: 2000 revision. This represents another step forward in our commitment to continually improve our abilities in providing quality assured castings to our valued customers.

December 2002
Otto Pankotay, Core Manager, has retired after 39 years at Lethbridge Iron Works. Otto followed his father's footsteps into the foundry business. Otto led the core department through may changes over the years, including the addition of the company's first automated Laempe CoreCenter.

September 2002
Wayne McEntee, Melt Manager, has retired after more than 28 years at Lethbridge Iron Works. Wayne started his career at the old plant working with the cupola and arc furnaces. Wayne continued in the melt department when the new plant was commissioned in 1975, where induction melting using an Ajax channel furnace was a new challenge. Wayne's knowledge and leadership were an integral part of the company's rapid growth in the 1990s.

September 2002
Shutdown 2002 saw the installation of a new IMM mould pushout system. The equipment was designed in-house by Dylan Davies and was fabricated and installed by LIW maintenance personnel. Before the new system was installed, mold shakeout was completed manually. The new system, powered by hydraulics, pushes the mould out of the flask and presents the castings and sand to the operator for further processing. Labor requirements are substantially reduced.

October 2001
Lethbridge Iron Works is pleased to announce that we have received accreditation to the QS 9000 Quality Management System. This valuable addition will provide the opportunity for continuous improvement in all areas of casting production, from the quotation process through to shipping the final product.

August 2001
Shutdown 2001 has come and gone, with several small projects completed. Modifications to the screen in the sand room will reduce downtime and increase throughput. The addition of a drop box in the sand room will reduce loading on the dust collector. Modifications to the shipping area included the addition of a casting sorting/inspection conveyor and several digital scales. A new motorized shuttle conveyor was installed on our original Hunter-10, replacing a problematic pneumatic conveyor.

June 2001
Lethbridge Iron Works is pleased to announce the addition of Brad McTaggart to our sales staff. Brad is located in Waterloo, Ontario and will be working hard to expand the company's customer base in Ontario. Brad has a lot of experience in the foundry industry and prides himself in cultivating long lasting customer relationships. Welcome Brad!

December 2000
Two long term employees have retired. Lorraine Bruyckere, receptionist, retired at Christmas. Lorraine's replacement is Tracy Stratton. Shirley Setoguchi, controller, retired at the end of December. Blair Lozza has taken over Shirley's duties. All of the staff at Lethbridge Iron Works wish Shirley and Lorraine all the best for the future.

November 2000
Lethbridge Iron Works has improved its shipping and receiving abilities with the completion of a building addition. The new area provides increased storage for packaged castings awaiting shipment and contains 2 additional loading docks.

August 2000
A new Vulcan Engineering Truflo 2000-V automatic mold handling system was installed on a Hunter-10 molding machine. The unit replaced an old Hunter HMH turntable. The Vulcan system offers many advantages, including improved cycle time, lower maintenance, increased cooling time, five times as many molds under weights and jackets, and access to numerous molds for pouring. The system was custom designed and engineered for Lethbridge Iron Works. The overwhelming success of the system has prompted Vulcan Engineering to offer it to other customers as one of their many mold handling solutions.

August 2000
The complete metal transfer and pouring crane system was replaced during the summer shutdown. The new system has a higher load rating, permitting the use of larger pouring ladles. Also, the travel of the cranes has been extended to allow access to a greater number of molds. The increased access reduces the amount of waiting time during which an automatic molding machine is unable to produce molds. Conveyors were also installed which automatically transport excess (or "pigged") metal away for remelt.

May 2000
Lethbridge Iron Works has issued a Purchase Order to D.A. Building Systems of Lethbridge for a shipping addition. The building addition will comprise about 3,000 square feet and will provide increased storage for packaged castings awaiting shipment. The addition will also incorporate 2 new loading docks, increasing our capacity to a total of 4 loading docks. Construction is scheduled to begin in early July, with completion set for late August.

March 2000
We have completed an upgrade and expansion to our pattern shop. This tooling development area has increased in size by approximately 50%, allowing for the addition of new equipment including a profile sander, a second double disc sander, and a second drill press. Two new employees have been added to the pattern shop team: Randy Melnychuk (journeyman patternmaker) and Robert Hetesi (apprentice patternmaker). The expansion in space, equipment and staff will allow us to manufacture more of your pattern & corebox equipment in house, providing you with reduced costs, improved control of tooling development, and shorter deliveries.

February 2000
Lethbridge Iron Works has issued a Purchase Order to Vulcan Engineering of Helena, AL for a new automated mold handling system. The system will be installed during summer shutdown on one of Lethbridge Iron Works' existing Hunter HMP-10 molding machines. The new system will replace an existing mold handling system. The benefits of the new system include more molds under weights and jackets (50 vs. 12), more pouring positions (20 vs. 1) and more total mold positions (100 vs. 48).

December 1999
Lethbridge Iron Works has purchased a SolidWorks seat. SolidWorks is a fully featured 3-D CAD modeling program capable of reading all of the major formats, including ProEngineer, AutoCad, IGES, DXF and many others. Several of Lethbridge Iron Works' customers are using 3-D modeling programs to design their castings. The SolidWorks seat will allow the company to receive drawings by e-mail, provide customers with suggestions to improve castability, and provide quotations without the need to courier paper drawings.

December 1999
The Engineering Department completed an upgrade to the IMM molding line. Draw cylinders have been equipped with linear transducers, providing better control over mold draw and virtually eliminating losses due to uneven mold draw.

November 1999
Todd Petro, a journeyman patternmaker with 12 years experience at Lethbridge Iron Works, has been promoted to Tooling Development Coordinator. Todd's in-depth knowledge of tooling construction will help customers design the most economic cast part. Todd will be preparing quotations, overseeing tooling construction, designing gating systems, and assisting customers in casting design.

August 1999
A major upgrade to the prepared sand system was completed during the annual summer shutdown. A new Simpson MC-150 Sand Cooler was installed, replacing the model MC-50 Cooler that had been installed in 1992. Recent growth in production has seen in excess of 90 tons per hour (tph) of sand being processed through the cooler. The MC-150, rated at 150 tph, triples the production rate of the MC-50 it replaced. A new dust collection system, bucket elevator and belt conveyor were also added as part of the total system. Computerized PLC controls were upgraded, yielding a fully automated prepared sand system.

December 1998
Lethbridge Iron Works received a certificate of recognition from Alberta Human Resources and Employment Workplace Health and Safety. This certification represents the achievement of a goal of the Lethbridge Iron Works Health and Safety Program. Implementation of a successful, accredited program now compliments the Quality Assurance system in providing workers with knowledge and skills necessary to do the job safely and effectively.

November 19th 1998
Lethbridge Iron Works received the prestigious Pinnacle Award at a luncheon in Calgary. The Pinnacle Awards recognize and honour individuals for their entrepreneurism. Each year ten awards (five in each city) are presented in Edmonton and Calgary to winners from the northern and southern parts of the province, by the law firm Fraser Milner. Winners are recognized for their drive to successfully meet the needs of the marketplace in an ever-changing economic environment and for playing leading roles in their communities.

August 21st to 23rd 1998
The management and staff of Lethbridge Iron Works welcomed over 200 of their customers, suppliers, retired employees and spouses to Lethbridge to join together in celebrating the company's Centennial Anniversary. The weekend's events included a reception Friday night, golf or sight-seeing tours on Saturday, and a gala celebration at the University of Lethbridge Saturday evening. Entertainment at the dinner included John "Bagpipes" Johnson, a comedian from Victoria, BC, and the Timebenders, a band based in Victoria, BC that played music from the 50's, 60's and 70's. During the evening, the Lethbridge Iron Works donated $100,000.00 to local charities to commemorate the 100th anniversary. $5,000 each was donated to the Lethbridge Food Bank and the Interfaith Food Bank, $15,000 to the Lethbridge Community College, $25,000 to the University of Lethbridge's Library Information Network Centre (LINC) campaign, and $50,000 to the Lethbridge Regional Hospital's Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) campaign. The donation to the MRI campaign was the final money needed for the campaign to reach its goal of 2 million dollars, a full year ahead of schedule.

August 1998
A new return sand system was installed during the annual summer shutdown. The old pneumatic conveyor systems were removed. One new bucket elevator and two new belt conveyors were installed. A 3-way diverter was also installed, allowing return sand to be directed into any of the 3 storage silos. A fully automated PLC control system interfaces with the prepared sand system, ensuring downtime is minimized. The new equipment more than doubled the throughput of the return sand system, while reducing electrical consumption by 75%.

July 2nd 1998
To celebrate the Lethbridge Iron Works' Centennial Anniversary, a company party was held at the Lethbridge Community College Barn. Staff, retirees, sub-contractors, and spouses enjoyed a fine evening of food, drink and entertainment. The band Kit Cat Club from Edmonton had the place rockin' all night long. Employees and contractors, both past and present, got together to swap stories about the good old days.

July 1998
George Urasaki has been promoted to the position of Systems Coordinator. Throughout the past 10 years the company has automated most of its processes, installing PLC controls and touchscreen operator interfaces. George is responsible for the maintenance of the existing systems and the installation of new systems.

June 1998
Lethbridge Iron Works received its ISO 9002 Certification from the Quality Certification Bureau. The ISO 9002 quality system in place at the company ensures customers receive castings that meet or exceed their specifications, the first time and every time.

May 1998
Lethbridge Iron Works installed its first automated core production system. The Laempe LL-10 CoreCenter utilizes an amine gas coremaking process which permits short gassing times and high production rates. The LL-10 can single shoot up to 10 litres of sand. The high throughput of the machine expands the company's capabilities to produce large volumes of cored castings without requiring long lead times.

April 1998
The construction of Plant #2 has been completed. The 80' x 160' steel building is connected to Plant #1 by a 25 foot long causeway. The design of the building allows for the easy removal of the East wall. Future expansion to the East would bring the building up to 38,400 square feet. Plant #2 will house core storage, raw materials storage and a new Laempe LL-10 CoreCenter.

March 1998
A second bridge crane was installed in the melt area. The remote control crane allows for charging of raw materials into the coreless melt system at the same time as molten metal is transferred into the channel furnace. This has eliminated the time required for the operators to remove and install the charging magnet, thereby increasing efficiency and melt capacity.

February 1998
Lethbridge Iron Works recently installed the world's first Hunter HMP-20H Automatic Matchplate Molding Machine and Hunter HLH-20 Type III Horizontal Line Handling system. The molding machine is engineered using the latest proportional hydraulics and PLC controls to provide for significantly smoother operation and improved cycle times. The Hunter system will more than double the company's capacity in mid-sized molds.

January 1998
A second 1500 kW Inductotherm Coreless Furnace system has been placed into operation. The system has increased melt capacity by approximately 40%. The existing coreless furnace was relocated, new charge pits were added, and two Carrier vibratory feeders were installed to reduce labor and increase throughput on the charging system.

December 1997
A Mitutoyo Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) complete with PC software interface has been installed in the company's offices. The CMM will aid first article inspection for new castings, and will allow for casting and tooling measurement to monitor tooling wear and continued conformance to customer specifications.

November 1997
A building addition has been completed, increasing office space and employee locker rooms. Eight offices have been added. An employee training room has been incorporated, providing an area for employee training to meet the goals of the company's Quality Assurance program and Health & Safety program.

November 1997
Lethbridge Iron Works received the 1997 Business of the Year award in the manufacturing division from the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce.

October 1997
A new spectrometer has been installed in the foundry lab. The spectrometer facilitates the determination of the chemical composition of metals poured by the company. A close monitoring of chemical composition allows the company to consistently produce castings that exceed the physical properties requested by the customer.

September 1997
Blair Lozza has been promoted to the position of Cleaning Room Foreman. Blair will be responsible for the operation of the company's Cleaning Room, where castings are shaken out, degated, ground, shot-blasted, rumbled and inspected.

August 1997
The company recently completed the installation of a new high pressure molding line, capable of producing high density green sand molds measuring 42" by 54" by 24" deep. The line will increase production in the large-sized mold area by a factor of 6 times or more. The machines are produced by International Molding Machine and generate 200,000 pounds of force during mold compaction. High quality, close tolerance castings up to 500 pounds are produced on the line.

May 1997
Mark Mundell, Quality Assurance Coordinator, has joined the office staff at Lethbridge Iron Works after graduating from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology with a diploma in Operations Management Technology. Mark will be responsible for the completion of the company's Quality Assurance program and its certification to the ISO 9002 standard. Mark has had several years experience in the foundry, working in the melt shop and the cleaning room before receiving his diploma.

May 1997
The engineering department has expanded with the addition of Dylan Davies as Projects Manager. Dylan recently received his diploma in Mechanical Engineering Technology from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. Dylan will be working with John Davies, Vice-President Engineering & Operations, coordinating the many projects the company is planning to complete over the next 15 months.

August 1996
An ambitious shutdown project has been successfully completed and placed into operation. The cleaning room has been relocated and completely reworked. A large amount of new equipment was installed, including a Didion MD-100 Rotary Media Drum, two Wheelabrator Tumblast shot blast machines, a Wheelabrator cartridge dust collector and six Carrier oscillating conveyors. PLC controls with touchscreen operator interfaces have been installed to facilitate automatic control of the entire sand shakeout system. The Maintenance shop has been relocated into a new 6,400 square foot building addition.

April 1996
Jeff Marshall has been promoted to the position of Health & Safety Coordinator. Jeff will be responsible for developing, implementing and maintaining a formal Health and Safety Program at Lethbridge Iron Works.

January 1996
A used Hunter HMP-10 Molding Machine and mold handling system has been completely rebuilt by the company and placed into service. The system was transported from Los Angeles to Lethbridge, stripped down to the frame, sand blasted, painted and rebuilt. All moving parts were replaced or rebuilt. PLC controls have been installed. The machine is an addition to the company's existing Hunter HMP-10, thereby doubling the company's capacity in small-sized molds.

October 1995
Calvin Miller has been promoted to the position of Quality Assurance Representative. Calvin will be responsible for first article inspections and the creation of job instructions.

August 1995
Prepared sand capacity has been doubled with the installation of a Simpson 22G Multi-Mull, replacing a 20 year old Simpson 215G Multi-Mull. The increased capacity allows for longer mulling times, resulting in improved sand quality. Casting finish will benefit from the sand improvement.

August 1995
PLC controls have been added to the company's three Hunter Matchplate Molding Machines. The controls have increased production rates by up to 20%, while also providing a touchscreen operator interface that allows for more precise machine control, and improved maintenance troubleshooting.