UNI Metal Casting graduates in high demand

Every student dreams of having more than one job offer when they leave college.  At the University of Northern Iowa, that’s the reality for the students who graduate annually with a manufacturing degree with an emphasis in metal casting. Most are recruited by multiple companies, including several in Iowa -  Deere & Company, Sivyer Steel and ATEK Precision Castings.

“I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1996 and a Master of Arts degree in 2004, both with an emphasis in metal casting. I completed internships at John Deere and also at Chrysler. I had four different job opportunities, and accepted one, before I even graduated” says Sheila Dickey, manager of technology integration at the John Deere Foundry in Waterloo.

It’s no wonder graduates like Dickey are in high demand when you consider more than 90 percent of all manufactured, durable goods and 100 percent of all manufacturing machinery contain metal castings.

UNI's Metal Casting Center (MCC) is one of the best-equipped and most versatile foundry research centers in the world. It has been instrumental in developing new technologies for the industry while also providing research to help private companies improve existing or develop new, competitive products.

MCC highlights include a new series of foundry sand binders that can reduce harmful mold gas emissions as much as 50 percent more than conventional materials. The MCC also operates a state-of-the-art facility for testing and analyzing air emissions from foundry products and three-dimensional printing for on-demand manufacturing molds and cores for metals castings.

Upcoming Event:

Saturday, April 27, 7 to 8 p.m., UNI's Textiles and Apparel Program presents the "POW: A Superhero Catwalk" Fashion Show, Lang Hall Auditorium