LONDON, UK – December 3, 2014 – The metalcasting industry’s leading professional society, the American Foundry Society (AFS), has awarded its highest accolade to Element Materials Technology’s Rick Gundlach, recognizing pioneering research in the use of cast metals for the Transportation and Industrials sectors.
A metallurgy expert at Element Wixom, MI, Gundlach receives the AFS Gold Medal for outstanding contributions to the metalcasting industry through research and technology transfer. Gundlach’s investigations encompass structure-property relationships in gray iron, ductile iron and aluminum-silicon alloys. The Element expert has developed white cast iron alloys with unprecedented hardness and abrasion resistance, which the company is now successfully transferring to industry application in electric power and mining through licensed patents across its international platform.
On the award, Chris LaMothe, Element’s Executive Vice President, Transportation and Industrials, says: “We are delighted at this prestigious recognition of Rick’s contributions to cast metals technology. Element Wixom has unique capabilities in carrying out original research on new materials, which has led to global sharing of knowledge and groundbreaking applications in the Transportation sector.
“The AFS award is a wider reflection of the external community’s acknowledgement of Element’s exceptional expertise, which further strengthens our reputation as a leader in materials testing and research.”
Metalcasting is a vital process in forming parts and components for transportation and other industrial applications, in which molten or liquid metal is poured into a mold made of sand, metal or ceramic to form geometrically complex parts. Pioneering research and materials testing is performed at the Element Wixom laboratory, strategically located adjacent to US Transportation Majors in Detroit, MI.
The AFS Gold Medal award will be presented at the 119th Metalcasting Congress in Columbus, OH on April 21-23, 2015.
About Element:
Element is a company with a global presence; its laboratories are staffed by experts specializing in materials testing, product qualification testing and failure analysis for the Aerospace, Oil & Gas and Transportation and Industrials sectors. Element’s team of 1,540 scientists, engineers and technicians work in 43 laboratories located throughout the U.S. and Europe. For a complete list of Accreditations & Approvals and more information, please visit www.element.com.
Media Contact:
Alison Dwyer, Matthew Judge or David Savage, Smith & Smith PR Ltd., tel: +44 161 927 9487, e-mail: element@smithandsmithpr.co.uk.
“Element Wixom has unique capabilities in carrying out original research on new materials, which has led to global sharing of knowledge and groundbreaking applications in the Transportation sector.”
Chris LaMothe
EVP Transportation & Industrials