Mercury Marine (Fond du Lac, Wisconsin), a manufacturer of recreational marine engines, announced the commissioning of a new high-pressure die casting machine, said to be the largest in North America. This investment is a 4,500-ton Buhler-Prince machine. Installation began late in 2016 and was completed in March 2017.
According to a news release, Mercury Marine has now invested more than $800MM in R&D and manufacturing expansion at its Fond du Lac campus since 2009.
"This new machine positions us to make castings that no one else in the industry can do," said Mike Meyer, general manager, Mercury Castings. "With this new machine, Mercury can make larger, lightweight structural components and reduce the overall weight of our engine by producing more efficient castings."
The new machine has 4,500 tons of closing force with three industrial robots integrated into the cell. The total weight of machine with tools and oil is more than one million lbs. The new machine can produce large, structural components for the high horse power marine segment, and other segments such as automotive.
"This new state-of-the-art casting machine on our campus as it gives us the opportunity to continue to drive growth for the business," said John Pfeifer, president, Mercury Marine. "This investment is one of many milestones on Mercury's investment journey to support our customers now and into the future."