It was great to be part of this year’s AFS Wisconsin conference in Brookfield, Wisconsin on February 4th and 5th.
The Lawton Standard Co. was set up in booth #44 making great connections with others in the foundry industry.
Our hot sauce was a big hit again, bringing the heat to this year’s AFS WI conference.
The 87th Annual AFS Wisconsin Regional Foundry Conference and Exhibition
This year’s event had over 90 exhibitors, offering a wide range of services from cores to 3D printing to cleaning services.
It was the 87th annual AFS Wisconsin Regional Foundry Conference and Exhibition.
The expo was open from 2-6 p.m. on Tuesday (February 4th) and from 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on Wednesday (February 5th)
Technical sessions at AFS WI 2025
On Wednesday, the show had a full list of technical sessions to learn more about the latest advancements in the foundry industry.
Those sessions included a talk on Industry 4.0, 3D printing in production, a case study on high accountability reducing turnover and new rapid casting technology.
Other sessions included how to bring foundry in a box to more schools, the FEF’s efforts to fill the metalcasting pipeline and fostering innovation through human-centric leadership in the age of AI.
The future of the foundry industry at AFS WI 2025
It was great to see several colleges set up at this year’s conference.
Representatives and students from AFS Student Chapters at UW-Platteville, UW-Milwaukee, Pittsburg State University and UW-Whitewater all had booths at this year’s event.
The college students competed in a casting competition and displayed their work at the show. One of the teams did an investment casting using 3D printing designs. Another team tackled designing, ramming and pouring a train brake casting.
All four teams did a great job!
The teams battled for a $1,000 first prize. The contest was judged by a panel of five industry experts.
Along with the colleges on hand, the Foundry Education Foundation and other AFS organizations were there offering information on student advancement, programs, scholarships, internships, apprenticeships and more.
There was also a foundry in a box station to show students how the casting process works and to show foundry industry leaders how this can be used in schools to recruit more people into the metalcasting industry. The FEF already has launched pilot programs at several schools in Wisconsin.
Looking forward to AFS WI 2026
Lawton Standard had a great time at this year’s conference and we look forward to the AFS WI 2026.
For more information on AFS Wisconsin you can click here.
For more information on what Lawton Standard can do for you, click here.