On October 21-23, 2025, the XVIII Scientific and Industrial Forum "Technical Re-equipment of Russian Machine-building Enterprises" was held in Yekaterinburg at the sites of the Universitetskiy Technopark and Ural Federal University. The key event of the business program was the section "Foundry technologies in mechanical engineering. Digital Solutions in technological processes", which brought together leading industry experts — engineers, technologists, software developers and representatives of the scientific community to discuss current challenges and prospects for the development of metallurgy and foundry.As part of the section on technological sovereignty and import substitution, Sofia Yurievna Korysheva, Project Manager at Eurasian Devices LLC, delivered a report on "Technological sovereignty in the field of rapid analysis of metal melts." In her speech, she drew attention to the critical dependence of domestic metallurgy on imported components in the rapid analysis of metal melts. During the discussion, a number of systemic risks were highlighted: the potential disruption of metallurgical processes while limiting the supply of critical components.; decrease in product quality due to lack of accurate data on the chemical composition of melts; 20-40% increase in production costs%; loss of production competencies and increased technological dependence.The restoration of a full production cycle in Russia with a focus on domestic manufacturers of key components was proposed as strategic development directions.At the same time, other significant reports were presented at the forum, revealing the versatility of digital transformation in metallurgy.Innovations in foundry equipment and toolingLugansk State University named after Vladimir Dahl presented a number of promising developments aimed at improving the efficiency and environmental friendliness of foundry production. Among them: — A method of forming according to "paired models" for the production of critical body castings, which reduces material consumption and energy consumption by 20-25%.— The cassette method of production (PCB) of molds using vacuum film forming, which provides full automation of the process and reduces personnel to one operator.— Safety molding, eliminating the need for expensive flasks and allowing for flexible mini-foundries.— New binders based on biopolymer (lignin process), offering an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional materials.Digital twins and artificial intelligenceIntellect Soft presented a pilot project implemented jointly with Uralvagonzavod, a system for predicting defects and optimizing melting parameters based on data on chemical composition and melting modes. With the help of machine learning, it was possible not only to predict the occurrence of "hot crack" type defects, but also to make recommendations for process adjustments, which significantly increased the impact strength of products and reduced economic losses.Experience in industrial implementation of digital solutionsSergey Martynenko, Chief metallurgist at Uralvagonzavod, shared his many years of experience in digitalizing foundry production, from introducing the first CAD/CAM systems and 3D printing to using domestic LVMFlow software and creating an "electronic assistant" for controlling metal properties based on AI. He noted that the key success factors are the qualifications of specialists and the interest of the management.Improvement of aluminum alloy melting technologyViktor Ufimtsev, a specialist in metallurgy, presented an innovative approach to melting aluminum alloys, which makes it possible to increase the metal density by 3-4%, reduce the hydrogen content and completely eliminate the refining stage. The use of special fluxes and temperature control made it possible to achieve a significant reduction in the percentage of defects and improve the quality of castings.Domestic casting modeling software Albert Abdullin (Nova Engineering) introduced the audience to the Russian LVMFlow software package designed for modeling foundry processes. Among its advantages are high calculation speed, support for a domestic database, and low hardware requirements. The DT Seven platform for automation of engineering calculations and optimization of technological processes was also presented, which is especially important in conditions of reduced access to foreign CAE solutions.ERP systems for metallurgyAlexey Krutilin (1C-Perspektiva) announced the release of the 1C:ERP Metallurgy industry solution, which covers all stages of production — from sales planning to production accounting and quality management. The system has already shown high efficiency in a number of projects, covering up to 80% of the requirements of metallurgical enterprises.Innovative materials to improve the reliability of equipmentAlexey Nazarov (Intel Ross Company) presented solid-plastic lubricants and antifriction composite materials that can increase the service life of equipment by 3-5 times, reduce maintenance costs and minimize the risk of emergency shutdowns. The company's solutions are already being successfully applied at NLMK, VSMPO-AVISMA enterprises and in the railway industry.Science and education as the basis of technological sovereignty The UrFU Foundry Department presented its competencies in the field of additive technologies, laser surfacing, reverse engineering and manufacturing of complex castings. The University actively cooperates with industry, fulfilling orders for the creation of tooling, tool restoration and the development of new alloys.Conclusion The Forum clearly showed that the path to technological sovereignty lies through cooperation between science, education, IT developers and industry. Digitalization, import substitution of software, support for the full production cycle and the introduction of innovative materials are not just trends, but a necessity for maintaining the competitiveness of Russian metallurgy in the new economic conditions. The participants agreed that only through joint efforts can existing challenges be overcome and a sustainable, technologically independent industry be created.