Castings of the Year: Supporting Packaging Changes

摘要

It was a change in mindset, more than engineering or economic challenges, that brought Daimler Trucks, Portland, Ore., back to a casting for its Western Star model front cab support bracket. In the early 2000s, the bracket was being produced in the metalcasting process. But the component, two of which are used to connect a tube that helps hold up the cab of a heavy truck, began to diverge among different Western Star platforms. Among mid-size trucks, large trucks and others, Daimler found it needed multiple configurations in order to make the bracket fit the packaging requirements. As volumes fell for the individual components, the need for a casting lessened, and Daimler began making the brackets via fabrication.