Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - University of Wisconsin-Platteville metals students, under the leadership of UWP American Foundry Society president and student Henry Frear and UWP professor of industrial studies Kyle Metzloff, worked together last semester on creating a park bench for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Lakeshore Nature Preserve.

UW-Madison brought the project idea to UWP and Mezloff's metal casting class; Frear took it from there. It all started with a design, requested by the nature preserve to compliment the natural features around it.

Frear said the design was particularly unique because the bench reflects the nature preserve itself, "It looks like a tree canopy with the arm rests as tree tops and the feet as the trunk and roots," said Frear.

Frear created the design using SolidWorks 3D software, it was approved by Lakeshore Nature Preserve and sent to Perfect Patterns Inc. of Appleton, where UWP alumnus Greg Gauerke turned the design into a pattern. "We were so grateful because Perfect Patterns actually donated two-thirds of the pattern cost to UWP," said Frear. This process typically costs around $6,000.

UWP students Adam Butry and Bret Heinemeyer calculated the gating for the design and then simulated the calculations using MAGMA Software to ensure quality.

When the metal casting class received the pattern, they started the iron casting process. At the request of Lakeshore Nature Preserve, recycled rebar from a demolished building in Madison was used for a significant part of the iron. 135 pounds of iron was poured for each end of the park bench, resulting in a finished casting of nearly 100 pounds.

At around 1,600 pounds and measuring 4 feet by 4 feet, this is the biggest mold the UWP metals lab has seen so far.

The nature preserve hopes to install the bench by spring. Frear is happy with the final product, "One great thing about working with ductile iron castings is how sturdy the parts turn out. That bench isn't going anywhere for awhile," he said.

For more information on this or other metals lab projects, contact Frear at frearh@uwplatt.edu.