Mechanical Engineering
At Joyworks, we provide solutions to a myriad of mechanical engineering conundrums. It’s our mission to advocate and execute clever designs from concept to prototype. Our studio in Ann Arbor is your source for experiential knowledge and visionary change in casting design. Joyworks can take your project from concept to casting in weeks.
We work more efficiently and flexibly than other shops, so we’re able to focus on a multitude of different types of mechanical engineering projects, including:
Evaluation and analysis: We work with our customers to evaluate designs for parts made as aluminum and steel castings, weldments, and forgings, and target good candidates for re-designs as Ductile Iron (DI) and Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI) castings.
Conversions: In many cases, we have been able to help optimize the material/design/processing to reduce cost and weight as well as meet target application performance. We use computer aided engineering tools to help verify our designs.
Casting: We cast prototype castings in quantities up to 50 (depending on part size) and up to 150 lbs. We work with ASTM grades of: Gray Iron, Ductile Iron, Austempered Ductile Iron as well as Carbidic Austempered Ductile Iron. Customized or specialty ferrous alloys can be made available upon request.
Production: We use available mechanical engineering technologies such as: 3D printed patterns and molds, CNC machined patterns, loose patterns, and more to provide prototype solutions optimized for cost, quality and speed.
Our brick and timber studio is equipped with state of the art mechanical engineering tools, including:
- Two 200-lb. Inductotherm medium frequency induction furnaces powered by a 65kW melt control unit
- Phenolic Urethane No-Bake molding system
- 3-D printer for tooling production
- Clemex image analysis software for microstructural analysis
- Solidworks CAD software suite including Solidworks Simulation Premium
Casting design is at the heart of what we do at Joyworks. We assist with the design of GI, DI, AGI, CADI, and DI castings, optimized for manufacturing, cost, and function. Joyworks can help simplify the casting conversion process, helping to re-design steel castings, weldments, forgings, and aluminum castings. We aim to help mechanical engineering customers reach the best material and process combination, acknowledging the unique elements that are represented in each project and recognizing that there is no universal solution.