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The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how Six Sigma methodology has been applied in a small-scale foundry industry to improve the overall first-pass material yield and quality, with a view to the product and the process.

The researchers have reported this paper based on a case study carried out in industry using the Six Sigma Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control (DMAIC) and its application in improving the manufacturing process of a foundry shop.

Identified root causes are validated and countermeasures are implemented for improvement. As a result of this case study, the overall first-pass yield of the sand casting process is improved to 78.88% from the previous yield of 67%. For product-specific case, yield is improved by 18% through the improved gating system design. Sigma level of the process is improved to 3.08 from baseline 2.21. Key lessons learned from this case study are mentioned in the current study.

This case study provides a standard road map and motivates small-scale foundry industries to implement Six Sigma methodology for productivity improvement, especially in jobbing foundry. The presented paper is based on a single case study, and the results are limited to the company only. Also, one of the reasons for low process yield is slag creation, which is not covered here, as it is a concern of the material quality supplied by the vendor. However, the approach of this paper is generic for learning perspective.

This case study provides a standard road map and motivates small-scale foundry industries to implement Six Sigma methodology for productivity improvement, especially in jobbing foundry. Through the effective application of Six Sigma quality initiative, how a quantum jump in financial aspect could be gain, has been demonstrated.

This research study showcases step-by-step implementation of Six Sigma-DMAIC methodology at a small-scale foundry industry. This paper could serve as a unique roadmap for practitioners and academicians to improve the material productivity of the foundry industry both ways, product and process.

The British Robot Association has just released its annual robot statistics and has been able also to include some other European figures.

At the IPA work has been carried out into improving the quality and programming of robotic deburring using integrated sensors.

‘and so we say farewell’ Filming a sequence, showing casting in progress at the foundry of Sterling Metals Limited, for the new film Talking about CO2, which describes the use of CO2 for foundry core and mould making The film was sponsored by The Distillers Company (Carbon Dioxide) Limited and is distributed free‐on‐loan by Golden Films

AN article on the production of an acro‐engine is far more difficult to write than one about an airframe, for the majority of the operations take place in the machine shop, leaving one with two alternatives—a brief, uninformative outline, or a laboriously detailed, dull account. The form of the present article is an attempt to give both an interesting and informative, although of necessity incomplete, account of the production of the Alvis Leonides. Since Alvis Ltd. are, comparatively speaking, newcomers to the aircraft industry, the extent and facilities of their works are not generally known, so these are dealt with at some length, while the actual machining operations are covered by a selection of photographs, accompanied by explanatory captions, of some of the most interesting parts and operations.

Thorn EMI is continuing to expand its commitment into robotics. Following the purchase of Hazmac last year it has now added Workmaster to its range.

A PART from its intrinsic attraction as a modern aero‐engine, the de Havilland Gipsy Twelve has a particular interest in that it is as yet the only British example of the inverted vee air‐cooled engine. The 1938 Paris Aero Show has proved that beyond doubt there is a great deal of scope for this arrangement, both in the eight‐ and twelve‐cylinder forms Great Britain, Germany, Czechoslovakia and Poland were represented as well as the originator of the arrangement, France. The Renault engines developed for the Coupe Deutsche de la Meurthe races were, we believe, the first examples of the air‐cooled inverted‐vee aero‐engine.

The Scottish robot company Lamberton has established a niche market for itself in heavy duty handling. Major contracts have been forthcoming from Europe, the USA and Japan with applications in the foundry, forging, steel and food industries.

Graham Engineering, a UK company specialising in the manufacture of large complex components for high‐tech industries has pioneered the application of 3D laser trimming and welding of stainless steel and other difficult‐to‐process pressings and fabrications. It uses a Prima Optima 3D laser profiler, one of the largest built by the Italian company, for this work and examples are described from the nuclear, aerospace, domestic heating and telecommunications industries. One of the largest is a nuclear containment vessel manufactured in 6 mm stainless steel, requiring over 18 m of laser welded seams produced in a single pass compared with a root and four capping runs required when TIG welded. Quality and strength are also superior to TIG. Other components produced in the Prima machine include mild steel pressings for an aerospace customer, satellite dishes for a telecommunications company and stainless steel hot water cylinders marketed by Graham Engineering company.

This year the 16th International Symposium on Industrial Robots(ISIR) comes to Belgium. Brian Rooks looks at robotics activities in that country to set the scene for the conference and exhibition in September/October.