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Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry ( WAF ) was brought to life by Abraham Schwartz in 1909 . The company is still privately held by the Schwartz family , who have continually invested in the business to grow the company to where it is today . “ We have a very dedicated workforce that has the family ’ s passion for customer service and community support engrained in the DNA of the organization ,” begins President , Bob Braun . “ WAF designed and built aluminum pressure cookers back in the 1930s , and the ‘ All-American ’ model is considered one of the premier units in the world that we still cast and market out of our consumer product facility in Manitowoc , Wisconsin .” The company is completing the largest expansion in its history this year with the 50,000 square feet permanent mold addition . The foundry is considered one of the largest non-captive nonferrous plants in the country shipping more than one million pounds of finished castings monthly .
The foundry is fortunate enough to have several molding processes under one roof . From air set sand molding and green sand low volume to automated molding lines , static and tilt pour permanent mold and low pressure permanent mold the company can offer a wide array of options to cast parts . “ This provides critical flexibility to choose the process best fit for the casting . We currently cast parts that range in weight from one ounce up to 1350 pounds . Volumes range from a couple of parts per year up to over 250,000 . Many of our parts require multiple secondary operations including heat treatment , blasting , impregnation , machining , coating , painting , and assembly . The plant thrives on managing all these operations to provide our customer with a ‘ line ready ’ component .”
For Bob , every day is filled with new opportunities that challenge the team , and according to him , being bored is something
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