Capabilities
Engineering
World-class technology meets 150 years of engineering expertise.
From ideation through production, the engineering teams at NEI develop robust, cost-effective casting designs for the Infrastructure market, utilizing cutting-edge 3D modeling and simulation software.
Engineering Tools
NEI is committed to investing in advanced, world-class technology that allows us to produce optimized products that meet your design and performance requirements. These tools help us identify the most cost-effective, lightest, durable, and safest solutions, given your needs and specifications. Our engineers are seasoned professionals, always investigating innovative ways to add value to and differentiate customer solutions.
- 2D Cad Software: AutoCAD™
- 3D Cad: Creo™, Solidworks™, AutoCAD Inventor™
- Finite element analysis: Creo Simulate and Solidworks
- Casing simulation software: Magma™ (Iron flow) and C+M™ (sand flow)
Additive Manufacturing
NEI utilizes additive manufacturing (3D sand printing) technology to create sand cores and molds that aid and enhance the casting development process. As a result, many benefits are realized, including the following:
- Reduced lead time for prototypes
- Ability to cast geometry that would not be feasible with standard foundry tooling
- Tooling cost reduction through the elimination of core box and/or pattern tooling
Conversion Steel Fabrication to Cast Iron
The NEI engineering team strives to streamline the conversion process of steel fabrication to iron casting so our customers can rapidly recognize the following benefits:
- Piece price reduction
- Improved durability and wear characteristics
- Reduced parts inventory by combining multiple welded components into a single iron casting
- Ease of assembly - machined iron castings provide better accuracy than laser-cut, welded fabrications
- Weight reduction - iron has -8% lower density than steel
- Design options casting geometry provides flexibility vs fabrications
Conversion Aluminum to Cast Iron
Cast iron often provides benefits over aluminum castings, including:
- Improved strength and stiffness
- Better fatigue properties
- Reduced piece price
- Better wear resistance
- Reduced embodied energy
- Weight neutrality - can be achieved through the utilization of austempered ductile iron
DFM (Design For Manufacturing)
Early supplier integration is critical to the design process. Involving the Neenah Engineering team upfront provides benefits to both NEI and the customer:
- Reduced lead time to finalize the design
- Improved casting quality
- Costs can be minimized upfront, saving time and money; eliminating revisions after production begins
