CPT International 03/2016
The leading technical journal for the global foundry industry – Das führende Fachmagazin für die weltweite Gießerei-Industrie
The leading technical journal for the
global foundry industry – Das führende Fachmagazin für die
weltweite Gießerei-Industrie
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www.giesserei-verlag.de<br />
September<br />
<strong>2016</strong><br />
CASTING<br />
PLANT AND TECHNOLOGY<br />
INTERNATIONAL<br />
3<br />
Melt treatment improves<br />
quality, productivity and<br />
melting capacity
EDITORIAL K<br />
Made in Germany –<br />
a success story!<br />
Germany has a worldwide reputation for its great cars, its beer brewing artistry<br />
and its successful world-class football. German engineers and technology<br />
have also been considered pioneering since the industrial revolution in the<br />
19 th century – with the invention of the car, jet propulsion engines and nuclear<br />
fission, for example. While these inventions marked far-reaching technological<br />
upheavals, German engineers have also made their mark on developments<br />
in many other sectors. Such as in foundry technology where, for<br />
example, Dr. Adey first produced cast iron with spheroidal graphite in 1939,<br />
revolutionizing the foundry world. The German foundry industry is now considered<br />
the most productive worldwide, which is not least due to its state-ofthe-art<br />
plant technology and its innovative capability in areas such as sand<br />
preparation, core production, smelting operations and, last but not least, quality<br />
assurance and simulation technology.<br />
CASTING, PLANT & TECHNOLOGY takes these technologies out into the<br />
world: in this issue we focus on, among other things, core production technologies.<br />
We examine the production of cores at the Halberg Guss foundry from<br />
two different perspectives: first we consider the maintenance-free Fibromat<br />
rotary table for transporting parts (from P. 12) then we take a look at the fully<br />
automatic assembly of core packages by 25 Kuka robots (from P. 16)!<br />
Articles on quality assurance form another large section in this issue – from a<br />
sophisticated coating preparation plant (P. 20), through turbo-grinders for wind<br />
turbine castings (P. 24), to cryogenic deburring of non-ferrous parts (P. 28).<br />
German foundries produce top quality in all sizes, as can be seen from the<br />
Siempelkamp foundry in Krefeld: they recently produced the world’s longest<br />
casting made of cast iron with spheroidal graphite for a Czech company (from<br />
P. 30). Another article is dedicated to the production of castings for the energy<br />
transition (from P. 34).<br />
This issue is rounded out by a user report on the TimeLine-Guss ERP/PPS system<br />
in Dutch foundry BUVO Castings in Helmond (from P. 38), and the works<br />
report “Shaping the future with die-casting technology” about KSM Castings<br />
in Hildesheim – a successful example of Chinese-German industrial cooperation<br />
(from P. 40).<br />
Have a good read!<br />
Robert Piterek<br />
e-mail: robert.piterek@bdguss.de<br />
Casting Plant & Technology 3/<strong>2016</strong> 3
K FEATURES<br />
INTERVIEW<br />
Bosse, Manuel<br />
“Replacing equipment and simulation improves quality automatically” 6<br />
MOLDING MATERIAL<br />
Görke, Hanna Maria; Zille, Jörg Ulrich; Demary, Marc<br />
The impact of grain distribution on molding material parameters 8<br />
COREMAKING<br />
Schauder, Thorsten<br />
Rotary table transfer increases reliability in the core production of foundries 12<br />
Schwarzbach, Laura<br />
In perfect harmony 16<br />
Cover-Photo:<br />
Foseco Foundry Division<br />
Vesuvius GmbH<br />
Gelsenkirchener Str. 10<br />
46325 Borken<br />
Tel: + 49 2861 83-0<br />
Fax: + 49 2861 83-338<br />
fosecogermany@vesuvius.com<br />
www.foseco.com<br />
Casting at Foseco's technology center in Borken, Germany.<br />
Note: Please read our Foseco-article on page 20!<br />
QUALITY ASSURANCE<br />
Genzler, Christoph; Gruber, Mathias<br />
Customized CPP – Fulfilling demanding customer requirements 20<br />
Wenke, Heiko<br />
Light turbo-grinders for heavy wind-turbine castings 24<br />
Sinner, Ralf<br />
Cryogenic deburring of non ferrous die castings 28<br />
16<br />
30<br />
25 Kuka robots assemble crankcase core packages at Neue<br />
Halberg-Guss. The machines perform all assembly steps<br />
fully automatically and with utmost precision (Photo: Kuka)<br />
XXL foundry production: 23.5 m was the length of the crossbeam<br />
for a 2-column machining center for a Czech company – the longest<br />
casting made of ductile cast iron ever! (Photo: Siempelkamp)
CASTING<br />
3 | <strong>2016</strong><br />
PLANT AND TECHNOLOGY<br />
INTERNATIONAL<br />
CASTING TECHNOLOGY<br />
Weil, Mathias<br />
Longest casting made of ductile cast iron 30<br />
Rieck, Helmut<br />
Energy conversion with Siempelkamp cast components 34<br />
SOFTWARE<br />
Holzapfel, Matthias<br />
Additional performance through enhanced efficiency 38<br />
COMPANY<br />
Piterek, Robert<br />
Shaping the future with die casting 40<br />
K COLUMNS<br />
Editorial3<br />
News in brief 48<br />
Brochures56<br />
Fairs and congresses 58<br />
Preview of the next issue/Imprint 59<br />
<br />
40<br />
KSM Castings Group – with plants in Europe, the USA and China – has strengthened its competitive position as an automotive<br />
supplier with a major investment of 13 million euros at its Hildesheim site to increase the added value of its magnesium components<br />
(Photo: Andreas Bednareck)
K INTERVIEW<br />
“Replacing equipment and simulation<br />
improves quality automatically”<br />
Manuel Bosse is environmental and energy management expert of the BDG-Service GmbH in<br />
Düsseldorf, Germany. He played an instrumental role in EffSAFound 2 , a joint German-South<br />
African project dedicated to improve energy and resource efficiency in South African foundries<br />
Photo: BDG/Soschinski<br />
South African foundries have to cope<br />
with high scrap rates and their energy<br />
use is often very inefficient. What<br />
was your impression of the situation<br />
during your visits to South Africa and<br />
what has EffSAFound achieved in this<br />
respect?<br />
Until 2008, the foundries in South Africa<br />
had benefited very much from low<br />
energy prices. Between 2008 and 2011,<br />
the utility company Eskom raised the<br />
electricity price every year by 20 %. At<br />
the same time, the foundries were required<br />
to reduce electricity consumption<br />
by 10 %. The melting furnaces and<br />
molding equipment in the foundries<br />
are quite old. Power consumption had<br />
never been an issue. Furnaces used to<br />
be operated without closing the covers<br />
and the practice of ladle preheating was<br />
the exception and, if practiced at all, it<br />
was done by means of molten metal. 95<br />
% of the furnaces in South Africa are<br />
powered by electricity. All of a sudden,<br />
foundry operators were faced with the<br />
situation that they had to save energy.<br />
Since 2010, there has been a rise in investments<br />
in modern equipment. This<br />
perfectly coincided with our joint project,<br />
which was kicked off in May 2013.<br />
Energy and material efficiency were exactly<br />
our areas of focus. When foundries<br />
replace their obsolete equipment or<br />
start to simulate their processes, quality<br />
will improve automatically. Since<br />
2013/2014, also the issue of material<br />
efficiency has been moving in the focus<br />
of attention. It had been common<br />
practice to simply dump used foundry<br />
sands, but the foundries were faced<br />
with constantly increasing dumping<br />
costs. We made the foundry operators<br />
aware of the possibility of recycling the<br />
sands 30 or even 40 times. We did this<br />
by presenting suitable products and explaining<br />
that the efficient use of material<br />
and energy also provides economic<br />
advantages. The local foundries are<br />
very much under pressure: Since 2005,<br />
the number of foundries has shrunk<br />
from 270 to 170, due to cheap castings<br />
from China sold on the South African<br />
market.<br />
The skills of personnel in South African<br />
foundries leave much to be desired.<br />
Has EffSAFound been able to<br />
render support in this respect?<br />
According to a survey 70 % of the people<br />
working in South African foundries<br />
have never gone to school or only<br />
have basic education. This makes<br />
training and further education very<br />
difficult. One has to resort to illustrations<br />
and videos to train the people.<br />
Only 25% have a school-leaving certificate.<br />
Those are usually the supervisors.<br />
They do their best to train the<br />
workers, but it’s a hard job. And, finally,<br />
there is a 5% with a university graduation.<br />
Those hold the managing positions<br />
in the foundries. Since 2010, all<br />
institutions in South Africa related to<br />
the foundry industry have been joining<br />
forces to promote education in the<br />
foundries. For example, the University<br />
of Johannesburg has set up a programme<br />
dedicated to bringing more<br />
coloured and black people into management<br />
positions. For example, all<br />
engineers graduating from the University<br />
of Johannesburg have spent a<br />
semester at a foreign university, for instance<br />
in Freiberg, Germany, and more<br />
and more of them occupy leading positions<br />
in South African foundries. In<br />
order to train those 25 % of the workers<br />
with a school-leaving certificate,<br />
the German Society for <strong>International</strong><br />
6 Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong>
FILTECH<br />
October 11 – 13, <strong>2016</strong><br />
Cologne – Germany<br />
The Filtration Event<br />
www.Filtech.de<br />
Targeted<br />
Solutions<br />
Core-setting line: The workers at Guestro Foundry, Benoni, South Africa, insert<br />
freshly produced cores into the 35-year-old molding plant (Photo: Palesa Riba)<br />
Cooperation (GIZ) has opened a training<br />
foundry near Johannesburg, where<br />
most of the foundries of the country<br />
are located. Every year between 20 and<br />
40 young people are trained there to be<br />
head melters, mouldmakers and machining<br />
specialists. By this approach,<br />
the Society has introduced the classical<br />
German model of dual apprenticeship<br />
in the country. We have supported this<br />
programme by providing teaching material<br />
and know-how. To reach those<br />
workers who have no school education<br />
at all, we have introduced a software<br />
programme which Heger Pro uses in<br />
quality management. We have translated<br />
to software to English and added<br />
the topic of energy management.<br />
In the staffrooms of the foundries, the<br />
software runs on a display. Thus the<br />
workers learn from pictures, for example,<br />
showing a furnace with an open<br />
cover versus one with a closed cover.<br />
The project ran from May 2013 until<br />
October 2015. GUT Giesserei Umwelt<br />
Technik GmbH, Freudenberg, Germany,<br />
specialists in chemically bonded<br />
sand systems and sand reclamation<br />
systems, will continue to provide<br />
training courses in Durban, Johannesburg<br />
and Cape Town, the three largest<br />
cities in South Africa, in order to<br />
spread the knowledge to those foundries<br />
which had not had the opportunity<br />
to participate in the project. In<br />
November, I will present the final report<br />
of the project updated with new<br />
information at a colloquium staged<br />
by the Metal Casting Technology Station<br />
at the University of Johannesburg.<br />
Last but not least, Ametex, the<br />
South African sales partner of Magma,<br />
will play an active role in ensuring that<br />
the knowhow transferred to the local<br />
foundries during our project will not<br />
get lost.<br />
for<br />
the<br />
Pre-Register<br />
for fast track entry<br />
www.filtech.de/ticket.jsp<br />
Casting<br />
Industry<br />
How is the cooperation between the<br />
German and South African foundry<br />
industries going to be continued, now<br />
as the project has ended?<br />
www.ask-chemicals.com<br />
Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong> 7<br />
Your Contact: Suzanne Abetz<br />
E-mail: info@filtech.de<br />
Phone: +49 (0)2132 93 57 60
MOLDING MATERIAL<br />
Aerial view of Quarzwerke GmbH in Haltern with screening plant (on the right) (Photos and Graphics: Quarzwerke)<br />
Authors: Dr. Hanna Maria Görke, Dr. Jörg Ulrich Zilles, Marc Demary, Quarzwerke GmbH, Frechen<br />
The impact of grain distribution on<br />
molding material parameters<br />
<br />
duction. Optimized distribution curves offer advantages, since they impact the molding materi<br />
al’s gas permeability<br />
The significance of quartz sand from<br />
Haltern in Germany is indisputable<br />
in the foundry industry, yet this basic<br />
molding material’s potential for special<br />
applications is still underrated.<br />
In the ceramics and concrete industry,<br />
the modelling of packing density<br />
through the selection of grain size distribution<br />
is an important element in<br />
the development of high-performance<br />
materials. For foundry applications,<br />
however, the demands are very complex.<br />
These might require for example<br />
an improvement in strength values<br />
or a reduction in the use of binding<br />
agents, necessitate high uniformity in<br />
the distribution curve for automation,<br />
or entail particularly high demands in<br />
terms of surface quality or gas permeability.<br />
In any case, it must be taken into account<br />
that the change of one parameter<br />
impacts a number of other parameters,<br />
with implications for the molding<br />
material’s system.<br />
This is why several factors need to<br />
be taken into consideration when op-<br />
8 Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong>
timising the sands, because the resulting<br />
properties can no longer be directly<br />
assessed. The statistical design<br />
of experiments (DoE) was used for an<br />
in-depth examination of the impact of<br />
different grain sizes on the outcome<br />
of molding material-relevant tests<br />
relating to strength, gas permeability,<br />
coarseness, bulk density and flow<br />
properties.<br />
In this multi-parameter system, it is<br />
vital to identify and model the right<br />
balance of application properties for<br />
a given application. Quartz sand from<br />
Haltern offers a solid material basis<br />
given its rounded grain shape and<br />
high purity. The results of these experiments<br />
in combination with the possibility<br />
of customising individual sieve<br />
fractions can be used for a targeted depiction<br />
of optimum distribution curve<br />
designs for special applications on an<br />
industrial scale.<br />
Figure 1: Impact of bulk density on gas permeability of quartz sand from Haltern<br />
Experimental background<br />
Depending on their grain size, the<br />
quartz sands were split into six grain<br />
fractions in the Haltern screening<br />
plant. These fractions were then combined<br />
according to specific mixing ratios<br />
and examined in view of the parameters<br />
relevant to casting. Design<br />
Expert, a DoE software, was used to<br />
define a relevant sand mixture that<br />
would cover the entire system of parameters.<br />
In addition, the software is also used<br />
to evaluate the results. The following<br />
grain fractions were selected as parameters:<br />
> 0.710 mm, 0.170 mm, 0.355 mm,<br />
0.250 mm, 0.180 mm and < 180 mm.<br />
A cold-box binding agent was used with<br />
a ratio ranging from 0.5 to 0.9 %. The<br />
resin and curing agent amount was kept<br />
at a constant mixing ratio of 1:1. The<br />
parameters grain distribution, packing<br />
density, degree of uniformity and flowing<br />
property were determined based on<br />
the loose sand. To examine gas permeability,<br />
test specimens were produced<br />
using the automatic core shooter Lut-c<br />
and the permeability measurement device<br />
LPOR-3e of Multiserw in combination<br />
with common cold-box binding<br />
agents.<br />
Results<br />
The acquired data were examined with<br />
regard to the major influencing factors<br />
on bending strength [1]. The evaluation<br />
indicates that strength values and<br />
the impact of the binding agent content<br />
increase in proportion to the fineness<br />
of the sand’s grain size. For the extreme<br />
case of a particularly coarse grain<br />
(AFS grain fineness number 20), no increase<br />
in strength concomitant with<br />
binding agent content can be observed<br />
within the examined range. For coarse<br />
sands, it can therefore be assumed that<br />
a binding agent concentration of 0.5 %<br />
already leads to the saturation of the<br />
particle surfaces. The picture is different<br />
when taking a look at the positional<br />
stability of the cores. Here, a correlation<br />
with the binder content, yet not<br />
the grain size, was observed. When relating<br />
gas permeability to the immediate<br />
strength level, the tendency of lower<br />
strength values at high gas permeability<br />
can be observed. This relation, however,<br />
is not linear. With a smart selection<br />
of the grain distribution, it is thus possible<br />
to positively impact both gas permeability<br />
and strength. [1]<br />
This article analyzes the data in relation<br />
to the major influencing factors<br />
for gas permeability. Bulk density<br />
of the particles is crucial for gas permeability.<br />
In a real batch, bulk density<br />
depends on grain size, grain form<br />
and grain distribution. Bulk density in<br />
turn has an impact on strength, surface<br />
quality, flowability, thermal conductivity<br />
and sand requirements – in<br />
addition to gas permeability.<br />
The test results can be used to exemplify<br />
these theoretical correlations<br />
with concrete data for quartz sand<br />
from Haltern. If bulk density is considered<br />
as a function of gas permeability<br />
of the different grain size distributions<br />
under scrutiny as indicated in<br />
Figure 1a, it becomes evident that different<br />
gas permeability values can be<br />
achieved for average bulk densities.<br />
The gas permeability extremes with<br />
values > 3000 m 2 /108 Pa occur in mixtures<br />
that consist almost entirely of the<br />
fraction > 0.710 mm, which is not used<br />
in this form in common foundry applications.<br />
For a clearer illustration of the grain<br />
distributions in the depicted mixtures,<br />
different properties were highlighted<br />
in different colours in the figures 1b<br />
to 1d.<br />
In figure 1b, the grain size is highlighted<br />
and shows that a low bulk density<br />
is achieved with fine sand (light<br />
Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong> 9
MOLDING MATERIAL<br />
Figure 2:<br />
colour). In case of an average bulk density,<br />
gas permeability largely depends<br />
on the grain size. Extremely high gas<br />
permeability values are achieved with<br />
very coarse sand.<br />
Bulk densities and gas permeability<br />
values vary considerably in case of<br />
average grain size distributions. They<br />
depend on the composition of the distribution<br />
curve. In addition to the AFS<br />
grain fineness number, the degree of<br />
uniformity is relevant as well. Figure 1c<br />
illustrates the degree of uniformity of<br />
the mixtures with different colour gradients.<br />
It shows that higher bulk densities<br />
are achieved with a lower degree<br />
of uniformity. Mixtures with a high degree<br />
of uniformity achieve low to average<br />
bulk densities. Here, the grain size<br />
plays the decisive role. In figure 1d, the<br />
measured values for the sand mixtures<br />
are highlighted, 90 to 100 % of which<br />
consist of just one fraction. These mixtures<br />
come closest to the mono-grain<br />
distribution of real applications.<br />
The results show that for these mixtures<br />
with a very narrow grain distribution,<br />
both bulk density and gas permeability<br />
increase with the grain size.<br />
This deviation from the ideal theoretical<br />
packing density can be traced back<br />
to the fact that in a real bulk, the number<br />
of voids in a package increases with<br />
particle quantity [2]. This is why we observe<br />
an increase in bulk density with<br />
increasingly coarse grain.<br />
The increase in gas permeability<br />
with coarser grain can be explained<br />
with the so-called Bernoulli principle,<br />
an important equation in theoretical<br />
fluid dynamics. It indicates<br />
that a less linear flow in packages<br />
with smaller particles leads to a higher<br />
pressure loss and lower gas permeability,<br />
despite the lower packaging<br />
density.<br />
It is known that the packaging density<br />
of a sand filling impacts its flowability.<br />
Figure 2 is therefore an illustration<br />
of bulk density as a function of<br />
flowability. In figure 2a, the degree of<br />
uniformity is highlighted. This illustration<br />
shows clearly that flowability<br />
decreases as a function of bulk density<br />
and with a falling degree of uniformity.<br />
The colour gradient in figure 2b<br />
indicates the grain sizes for the recorded<br />
measured values. High flowability is<br />
achieved with a coarse grain and an extremely<br />
narrow grain distribution.<br />
Summary<br />
The demands made on the sand can<br />
differ largely. An improvement of one<br />
or several parameters through a change<br />
in the sand’s grain distribution always<br />
impacts other sand parameters. This is<br />
why it is important to be aware of and<br />
consider all the properties when optimizing<br />
the grain distribution. Based<br />
on the results of these comprehensive<br />
tests and given the high quality<br />
of sands from Haltern, it is possible to<br />
design optimized processes through a<br />
balanced interaction of all properties.<br />
The increase in gas permeability with<br />
coarse grain can be explained with Bernoulli’s<br />
principle, which states that the<br />
speed of a fluid increases exponentially<br />
with the flow diameter and that a higher<br />
fluid speed leads to lower dynamic<br />
pressure.<br />
www.quarzwerke.com<br />
References:<br />
www.cpt-international.com<br />
10 Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong>
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K COREMAKING<br />
Author: Thorsten Schauder, Business Development, Business Unit Rotary Tables , Fibro GmbH, Weinsberg<br />
Rotary table transfer increases<br />
reliability in the core production of<br />
foundries<br />
While conveyor solutions in core shops are widespread, the Neue Halberg-Guss GmbH is going<br />
in a different direction: On a fully automatic core machine system for engine blocks, it is completely<br />
forgoing linear conveyor technology and instead using maintenance-free Fibromat rotary<br />
tables for the transport of the parts. Downtimes due to handling have since fallen to virtually<br />
zero since then. And other plants will soon follow<br />
Halberg Guss utilizes a total of eight Fibromat rotary tables in the fully automatic core machine system (Photos: Fibro)<br />
Since the fully automatic core machine<br />
system at the Saarbrücken site<br />
has gone into operation, it has literally<br />
been an “all round” success at Halberg<br />
Guss. With a previously unimagined<br />
and unique process stability, 3,000<br />
core packages for engine blocks leave<br />
the plant each day. Eight modularly designed<br />
Fibromat heavy-load positioning<br />
tables handle the transport of the<br />
cores and core packages on two lines arranged<br />
in parallel ( Figure above). No<br />
conventional belt conveyor technology<br />
is needed. “By using rotary tables for<br />
transferring the parts, we have been able<br />
to achieve a significantly higher process<br />
stability of the entire system when<br />
compared to the previous solutions”,<br />
explains the Head of the Core Shop,<br />
Christian Ast. “The Fibro rotary tables<br />
run so stably that our servicing team has<br />
not had to intervene once even after 18<br />
months of continuous operation”, adds<br />
Sebastien Becker, Segment Manager of<br />
12 Casting Plant & Technology 3/<strong>2016</strong>
Halberg Guss<br />
The Neue Halberg-Guss GmbH is one<br />
of the leading foundries in Europe for<br />
the development and production of<br />
engine blocks, cast iron cylinder heads<br />
and cast crankshafts. Its products<br />
range from sophisticated three-cylinder<br />
blocks for automobiles to large<br />
volume V8 aggregates for commercial<br />
vehicles. In addition to this are also<br />
spheroidal graphite iron bearing tunnels<br />
as well as aluminium bedplates.<br />
Due to the high level of competency<br />
and the close cooperation during<br />
the development of efficient, inexpensive,<br />
powerful drive units and other<br />
cast components, the company is a<br />
sought-after partner in the European<br />
automotive industry. The Saarbrücken<br />
site has a workforce of approx. 1,200.<br />
Figure 1: On the core-shooting system (left), the grains of sand are initially<br />
deburred and then transferred to the second station (right)<br />
the Core Shop and responsible for the<br />
running operation of the system.<br />
High precision and reliability<br />
even in dirty environments<br />
Before the investment, the team tested<br />
the positioning tables and the associated<br />
transfer principle in two smaller<br />
applications. The weaknesses of the<br />
conventional belt conveyor technology<br />
were clearly apparent: positioning<br />
inaccuracy, problems with transport<br />
or susceptibility to wear of the individual<br />
components, which the new solution<br />
had none of. “The rotary tables<br />
behaved absolutely reliably in the test<br />
system – and despite the very dusty environment,<br />
underscores Christian Ast.<br />
“They facilitate a significantly higher<br />
precision and process reliability than<br />
other transfer solutions, without increasing<br />
the procurement costs for the<br />
entire system.” And with the running<br />
costs as well, the rotary table transfer is<br />
the clear winner thanks to the extremely<br />
low susceptibility. As a result, the decision<br />
was an easy one to make.<br />
Immediately after the core shooter,<br />
a robot now positions the cores for deburring<br />
on the first Fibromat rotary table<br />
(Figure 1). On a second and larger<br />
Fibromat, the cores are then stacked,<br />
transferred as subpackage to the third<br />
Figure 2: A total of 26 robots are active in the system. During the mounting<br />
of the core packages, the Fibromat rotary tables ensure a high process reliability<br />
and precision<br />
rotary table station and packetized there<br />
to approx. 80 kg complete packages.<br />
The fourth station subsequently serves<br />
to feed the screwed together complete<br />
packages to the sizing process and to finally<br />
eject them from the system.<br />
Modular design facilitates efficient<br />
solutions<br />
The decision by Halberg Guss to use<br />
the heavy-load positioning tables from<br />
Fibro (Figure 2) for all stations was a<br />
perfectly consistent one. Since its pre-<br />
Casting Plant & Technology 3/<strong>2016</strong> 13
K COREMAKING<br />
Figure 3: The flat Fibromat rotary tables facilitate an optimal accessibility of<br />
the individual stations and are extremely easy to maintain<br />
Fibro GmbH<br />
Fibro is a pioneer among rotary table<br />
manufacturers and offers the<br />
world’s most extensive rotary table<br />
programme from a single source with<br />
more than 150 types of rotary tables.<br />
The rotary tables are used as swivelling<br />
or positioning axes and as workpiece<br />
carriers in highly productive machine<br />
tools, assembly and production<br />
systems. The greatest possible standardisation<br />
of the individual series<br />
also makes the company an interesting<br />
partner with regard to cost aspects.<br />
Numerous projects in various industries<br />
around the globe prove how strongly<br />
customers profit from the high solution<br />
competence and worldwide service<br />
network of the rotary table specialists<br />
from Weinsberg, Germany.<br />
mier roughly four years ago, the modular,<br />
and thus price-performance-optimized<br />
rotary table has been writing<br />
its exemplary success story ever since.<br />
Regardless of the type and number of<br />
motors, size of the centre borehole,<br />
roller bearing or stiffness-optimized<br />
cross roller bearings, media distributor,<br />
collector ring transfers, or absolute<br />
measuring systems needed, the<br />
maintenance-free quick-change artist<br />
offers such a high freedom of design<br />
that extensive and thus expensive and<br />
lengthy special solutions have become<br />
the exception rather than the rule (Figure<br />
3).<br />
Depending on the size, the repeat<br />
accuracy lies at around 10 arc seconds;<br />
with absolute measuring systems,<br />
this accuracy can be increased<br />
to 5 arc seconds. Since the gearbox<br />
is not self-locking, this prevents any<br />
damage to the mechanical system of<br />
the rotary table in the event of a sudden<br />
power failure or emergency stop.<br />
In addition, the table does not swing<br />
open during positioning, even with<br />
superstructures on the table top. The<br />
precision required by Halberg Guss in<br />
the decimal range are easily ensured.<br />
And absolutely no comparison to the<br />
fluctuation margins of conventional<br />
transfer systems in foundries. All seals<br />
are already covered as standard and<br />
thus ideally suited for use in challenging<br />
environments such as in foundries<br />
or welding in automobile body<br />
construction.<br />
A clear advantage is Fibromat’s flexible<br />
range of application. With pneumatic<br />
indexing, for example, up to 38<br />
divisions are possible. If a master-slave<br />
drive is alternatively utilized, any arbitrary<br />
position can be freely taught and<br />
tensioned using the motor brake without<br />
play by software with a master-slave<br />
drive. Even though Halberg Guss hardly<br />
exhausts this potential with the current<br />
pivoting movements of 90°, 180°<br />
and 270°, it still offers leeway for mod-<br />
Figure 4: The modularly designed Fibromat<br />
heavy-load positioning table<br />
is available in four sizes with tabletop<br />
diameters of 800 mm, 1,000 mm,<br />
1,250 mm and 1,600 mm<br />
14 Casting Plant & Technology 3/<strong>2016</strong>
ifying the process over time or for integrating<br />
new versions and products<br />
into the system. The heavy-load positioning<br />
tables (Figure 4) are available<br />
in four sizes, with tabletop diameters<br />
of 800 mm, 1,000 mm, 1,250 mm,<br />
and 1,600 mm. The smallest size allows<br />
setups up to 4,500 mm in diameter<br />
and transport loads up to 10,000 kg<br />
while the largest setup permits up to<br />
9,500 mm and 25,000 kg respectively.<br />
The central borehole measures between<br />
320 mm and 1,200 mm. Special connecting<br />
dimensions and customer-specific<br />
drilling templates can be implemented<br />
quickly and easily.<br />
Rotary table transfer will soon<br />
be the new standard<br />
From Sebastien Becker’s perspective,<br />
the system concept has proven itself<br />
outstandingly. “With only two employees<br />
per line and per shift, we are able<br />
Figure 5: Christian Ast (left) and Sebastien Becker (right) speaking with<br />
Thorsten Schauder (centre), responsible at Fibro Business Development.<br />
to completely finish the immediately<br />
ready-for-decantation core packages.”<br />
In comparison to a different system<br />
with conventional conveyor technology<br />
and five robots, the significantly<br />
larger rotary table system with 26 robots<br />
performs exceptionally well. This<br />
applies to both the pure system availability<br />
as well as for broken cores and<br />
bearing changes. It makes perfect sense<br />
that Christian Ast and Sebastien Becker<br />
are planning to apply the rotary table<br />
transfer concept to other systems. “We<br />
are assuming that this principle will establish<br />
itself as the new standard”, emphasize<br />
both specialists (Figure 5).<br />
<br />
Foundry sands<br />
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99.5% SiO 2<br />
content<br />
excellent temperature resistance<br />
standard grain sizes and customized blends<br />
QUARZWERK<br />
BAUMS<br />
GmbH & Co. KG<br />
Letter Bruch 13 | 48653 Coesfeld | Fon 02546.93401-27 | Fax 02546.1733<br />
info@qwb-lette.de | www.quarzwerk-baums.de
The different types of robots harmonize like an orchestra (Photos: Kuka Roboter GmbH)<br />
Author: Laura Schwarzbach, Kuka Roboter GmbH, Augsburg<br />
In perfect harmony<br />
25 Kuka robots assemble crankcase core packages fully automatically at Neue Halberg-Guss<br />
With 2250 employees at sites in<br />
the German cities Saar brücken and<br />
Leipzig, Neue Halberg-Guss GmbH<br />
produces and develops cylinder crankcases,<br />
cylinder heads for industrial<br />
motors made of cast iron and cast<br />
crank shafts. The company is a European<br />
market leader and technological<br />
pioneer. The product range extends<br />
from delicate three-cylinder blocks<br />
for cars to large-volume V8 units for<br />
commercial vehicles. Other pro ducts<br />
include bearing tunnels made of ductile<br />
cast iron and bedplates made of<br />
aluminum. Customers include renowned<br />
automotive and commercial<br />
vehicle manufacturers such as Volkswagen,<br />
Daimler, BMW, Audi, MAN,<br />
Scania and Iveco.<br />
The company’s Saarbrücken plant<br />
was in search of an automated solution<br />
for the complete assembly of crankcase<br />
core packages. Neue Halberg-Guss decided<br />
to use a large number of Kuka robot<br />
in one system: 25 machines from<br />
the Augsburg-based robot and system<br />
builder perform all assembly steps fully<br />
automatically with utmost precision.<br />
The core packages are prepared in parallel<br />
by two systems – in other words,<br />
by a total of 50 robots.<br />
The Kuka robot orchestra<br />
“As a development partner with experience<br />
and expertise, we accompany<br />
our customers from product idea to<br />
series production readiness. Designing<br />
core packages in such a way that<br />
they can be assembled fully automatically<br />
poses a particular challenge,” explains<br />
Peter Koch, project manager at<br />
Neue Halberg-Guss. Here, robot-based<br />
automation offers the best solution in<br />
terms of flexibility, productivity and<br />
quality. For the assembly of crankcase<br />
core packages, a maximum of three<br />
different robot sizes were to be used.<br />
These had to be ideally suited to the<br />
special conditions in a foundry environment<br />
and also to allow a particularly<br />
space-saving and compact cell<br />
concept. Thanks to the company’s<br />
comprehensive robot portfolio, Kuka<br />
was able to offer the optimal solution<br />
for both the wide variety of work steps<br />
and the interaction of the individual<br />
robots. “The Kuka models we chose<br />
16 Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong>
COREMAKING K<br />
were the KR 300 R2500 ultra F from<br />
the KR Quantec series as well as the KR<br />
Agilus small robot series and the KR 5<br />
arc,” explains Mr. Koch. At Neue Halberg-Guss,<br />
the 25 robots now work together<br />
like an orchestra in perfect harmony.<br />
A total of twelve KR 300 R2500<br />
ultra F, eleven KR 5 arc and two KR 6<br />
R900 sixx robots have been assembling<br />
crankcase core packages fully automatically<br />
since 2013 (Figure 1).<br />
Ideal interplay in the concert of<br />
assembly<br />
The first robots in the assembly process<br />
are the KR Quantec Foundry robots.<br />
They first remove the complete<br />
set of cores – consisting of water jacket,<br />
balance shafts, channel cores, water<br />
pump core, thermostat core, wheel<br />
core, crankcase cores and a sole core –<br />
from the core shooting machine and<br />
set these on turntables no. 1 and no. 2.<br />
These tables then rotate 180 degrees<br />
to the smaller KR 5 arc robots. During<br />
the subsequent part assembly and deburring<br />
“concert”, the flexible KR 5 arc<br />
and KR Agilus robots come into action<br />
– positioned overhead, side-mounted<br />
on a pedestal and upright. They<br />
deburr and assemble the thermostat<br />
core and drill holes in the water pump<br />
with the utmost precision – and then<br />
in the wheel and crankcase, in the water<br />
jacket core and in the crank and<br />
sole core. Once both turntables have<br />
turned back to the original position,<br />
three further Kuka robots from the KR<br />
Quantec series pick up the individual<br />
cores and set them down on turntable<br />
no. 3 for partial assembly. After another<br />
180-degree turn, two further KR 300<br />
robots set down the completely assembled<br />
package (Figure 2). The next robot<br />
removes the package and moves it<br />
below the stationary screw-fastening<br />
station. Following screw fastening, the<br />
six-axis robot sets it down on turntable<br />
no. 4, which then rotates the assembled<br />
package towards the washing<br />
cell. Once there, a KR 300 picks up the<br />
package and immerses it in the wash.<br />
By pivoting and rotating the package,<br />
it ensures that the wash is applied<br />
evenly and then leaves the package to<br />
drip. Since the washing process takes<br />
90 s, and is thus longer than the entire<br />
Figure 1: 25 Kuka robots guarantee a fully automated and highly accurated<br />
assembly process at Neue Halberg-Guss.<br />
Figure 2: The robots work close together during the assembly process<br />
assembly of the core packages (60 s),<br />
two washing robots are used simultaneously<br />
so as to guarantee ideal cycle<br />
times (Figure 3). The washed package<br />
is then set back down on the turntable<br />
and once again rotated 90 degrees<br />
towards a manual inspection station.<br />
Following approval by the worker, the<br />
last robot in the ensemble picks up the<br />
core packages and sets them down on a<br />
rack with eight slots. Once all of these<br />
are filled with wet, washed core packages,<br />
the racks are transferred into the<br />
drying oven before finding their place<br />
among the finished products in the<br />
high-bay warehouse.<br />
Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong> 17
K XXX<br />
Figure 3: Two Kuka<br />
KR 300 robots<br />
guarantee perfect<br />
cycle times in the<br />
refractory dressing<br />
Figure 4: Deburring, mounting,<br />
drilling, handling: The spectrum of<br />
tasks done by the robots is huge.<br />
Harmonious combination of<br />
robot types<br />
With the KR300 R2500 ultra F robots,<br />
Neue Halberg-Guss has opted for veritable<br />
foundry experts. The robots of<br />
the Quantec ultra product family are<br />
characterized by high payload capacity<br />
combined with maximum performance<br />
and the most streamlined design<br />
on the market. Their ideal area<br />
of use is the handling of heavy workpieces<br />
and high-accuracy machining.<br />
In the foundry design, the robots have<br />
an impact-resistant, corrosion-protected<br />
foundry wrist, which is resistant to<br />
both acids and alkalis. It is also protected<br />
against dust and dirt and able<br />
to withstand temperatures of up to<br />
180 °C for short periods. The KR 5 arc<br />
robot and the KR Agilus stand out in<br />
the assembly process thanks to their<br />
outstanding precision, flexibility and<br />
speed. At the same time, the robot variants<br />
from the small robot segment and<br />
the low payload range allow particularly<br />
space-saving installation in the compact<br />
cell concept.<br />
A further ensemble of eleven<br />
robots already in the planning<br />
stage<br />
“The robot-based system has led to<br />
a 50 % increase in both productivity<br />
and quality,” concludes Mr. Koch. Today,<br />
each system of this robot orchestra<br />
assembles around 400 core packages<br />
per shift. In addition, production<br />
costs have been significantly reduced.<br />
The robot-based automation solution<br />
also guarantees the Saarbrücken-based<br />
company a consistently high quality<br />
for the assembled crankcase core packages.<br />
The systems can assemble two<br />
different types of core packages without<br />
the need for a gripper change. All<br />
that is required is a special change of<br />
program.<br />
Neue Halberg-Guss GmbH and its employees<br />
are very pleased with the solution:<br />
“Thanks to the positive experience,<br />
we are planning a further system<br />
with a somewhat smaller ensemble of<br />
eleven Kuka robots,” states Mr. Koch,<br />
providing a glimpse into the future. The<br />
robots are to be used for unloading, deburring,<br />
assembling and washing here<br />
as well (Figure 4).<br />
www.kuka-robotics.com
www.sinto.com<br />
Automatic SEIATSU-ACE Moulding Machines and Plants<br />
Flaskless Moulding Machines and Plants<br />
Vacuum Moulding Machines and Plants<br />
Pouring Units, automatic and semi-automatic<br />
Modernization of existing plants<br />
Software for Foundries<br />
Service<br />
HEINRICH WAGNER SINTO Maschinenfabrik GmbH<br />
SINTOKOGIO GROUP<br />
Bahnhofstrasse 101 · 57334 Bad Laasphe, Germany<br />
Phone +49 2752 907-0 · Fax +49 2752 907-280<br />
www.wagner-sinto.de
K QUALITY ASSURANCE<br />
Authors: Christoph Genzler and Mathias Gruber, Foseco Foundry Division, Vesuvius GmbH, Borken<br />
Customized CPP – Fulfilling<br />
demanding customer requirements<br />
With the continued focus of foundries on producing more complex components and improving<br />
as-cast quality to minimize the requirement for re-work and eliminate scrap, the need for process<br />
control is becoming more and more important. As a significant contributor to the as-cast<br />
quality of castings, the use of coatings is in many applications essential, however without process<br />
control and consistency of application the significant benefits of applying the correct coating<br />
can easily be lost [1, 2]<br />
The Coating Preparation Plant contributes to increase the process safety in foundries (Photos and Graphics: Foseco)<br />
Previous technical articles [1, 3, 4]<br />
have described preferred methodologies<br />
for the control of coatings to deliver<br />
consistent layer thickness application.<br />
These articles prescribe the use<br />
of coating density as the key parameter<br />
relating to applied layer thickness on<br />
the basis that other variables such as<br />
temperature and the rheological properties<br />
of the coating can be kept constant.<br />
The relationship between density<br />
and applied layer thickness as a<br />
coating is diluted is shown in Figure 1.<br />
Further process control can be implemented<br />
through the use of automatic<br />
measurement of the coating on<br />
a continuous basis [3, 4] using a Coating<br />
Preparation Plant, with the density<br />
of the product kept constant through<br />
automated additions of either undiluted<br />
coating or dilutant (water or alcohol).<br />
This provides significant benefits<br />
over the traditional manual control<br />
methods where a product is sampled at<br />
spe cific time intervals and adjustments<br />
made if required and removes operator<br />
variance from the process.<br />
20 Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong>
The need for process automation<br />
is even greater in foundries where robots<br />
apply the coating, such as Georg<br />
Fischer Foundry, Mettmann in Germany<br />
(+GF+) and Atlantis Foundries<br />
(pty) Ltd in Atlantis, South Africa [4],<br />
as there is less opportunity for modifying<br />
the application to accommodate<br />
variability of the product consistency.<br />
Implementation of automated<br />
coating control<br />
+GF+ Mettmann is a world class supplier<br />
of cast components to the automotive<br />
and commercial vehicle sector and<br />
prides itself on the quality and consistency<br />
of its products. One of the core<br />
competencies of +GF+ is “Added Value”<br />
through “the high level of automation<br />
in production and great flexibility<br />
with simultaneously high process<br />
reliability to guarantee efficiency in<br />
manufacturing and the quality of our<br />
solutions”. With these goals in mind<br />
+GF+ and Foseco undertook a project<br />
to modernize and improve the coating<br />
control and application process in<br />
their Mettmann foundry.<br />
The installation at +GF+ (Figure 2) incorporates<br />
a Coating Preparation Plant<br />
(CPP) being fed from an existing bulk<br />
storage tank that contains the undiluted<br />
coating delivered by bulk tanker.<br />
Figure 1: Relation between wet and dry coating layer and coating dilution<br />
The CPP unit measures the density<br />
of the prepared coating on a continuous<br />
basis and automatically makes addition<br />
of coating or dilutant to maintain<br />
the density at the defined level<br />
and homogenizes the coating so that<br />
it is ready for use. The preparation tank<br />
is then connected to a pipework “loop”<br />
system that allows the prepared coating<br />
to be pumped around the coreshop<br />
before being returned to the<br />
preparation tank for rehomogenization<br />
(Figure 2).<br />
The core-shop has eleven dip-tanks,<br />
each of which can draw coating from<br />
the supply loop when required. Overflow<br />
from the dip-tanks is also pumped<br />
back into the supply loop, where it<br />
passes through a set of filters to remove<br />
any sand or core debris, before<br />
being rehomogenized in the preparation<br />
tank, maintained at the correct<br />
density and subsequently recirculated<br />
within the supply loop.<br />
From a quality assurance perspective<br />
the CPP continually records the density<br />
of the supplied coating and the additions<br />
of both coating and water that<br />
have been made.<br />
Process approval<br />
As +GF+ supplies the automotive industry<br />
with highly demanding, safety<br />
Figure 2: Schematic of CPP with dip<br />
tank connected to bulk silo<br />
Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong> 21
K QUALITY ASSURANCE<br />
critical components which are highly<br />
specified, it was important to demonstrate<br />
the capability of the system and<br />
gain approval for the process change<br />
from +GF+’s customers. To demonstrate<br />
the consistency of the process<br />
control a set of tests were conducted<br />
over a four week period:<br />
»»<br />
The weight pick-up of coating was<br />
measured both before and after drying<br />
The wet and dry weight pick-up of the<br />
coating is respectively proportional to<br />
the wet and dry applied layer thickness<br />
of coating, and knowing the area<br />
Figure 3: Automated dipping of test<br />
pieces<br />
Figure 4: Quality assurance checks of wet layer coating thickness<br />
»»<br />
Transverse test bars were produced<br />
using a PUCB binder following a<br />
standardized procedure<br />
»»<br />
The uncoated weight of each test<br />
piece was recorded<br />
»»<br />
Sample coating was removed from<br />
the Coating Preparation Plant at<br />
regu lar intervals<br />
»»<br />
The density of the sampled coating<br />
was measured accurately using a calibrated<br />
pyknometer and recorded, as<br />
was the solids content of the sample.<br />
»»<br />
Coating was applied to the test pieces<br />
using an automated dipping device<br />
(Figure 3) which controlled<br />
both speed and dwell-time of the<br />
dipping operation<br />
of coverage and density of the coating<br />
allows the average layer thickness<br />
to be calculated. The result of this intense<br />
study over the four week period<br />
showed that:<br />
»»<br />
At a target density of 1.15 g/cm 3 the<br />
average CPP density was 1147g/cm 3<br />
»»<br />
The standard deviation for the dataset<br />
was only +/- 0.001g/cm 3<br />
»»<br />
The measured dry coating weight<br />
per core was on average 11.2 g with<br />
a standard deviation of only +/-<br />
0.25 g<br />
Overall this was assessed as extremely<br />
accurate and reproducible, with the<br />
variance in weight pick-up onto the<br />
cores indicating that the layer thickness<br />
was very consistent over the four<br />
week trial period as the CPP maintained<br />
the coating density within very<br />
tight control limits.<br />
The test method was designed to<br />
replicate the foundry process where<br />
the coating supplied at specific density<br />
is applied to the cores using automated<br />
robots that control both speed<br />
of dipping and dwell time within the<br />
coating. Subsequent quality checks<br />
within the foundry continue to validate<br />
the process, with the CPP maintaining<br />
a very consistent density of<br />
supplied coating and regular wet layer<br />
thickness checks (Figure 4) confirming<br />
consistent coating layer application.<br />
Process assurance<br />
For the control of water-based coating<br />
products it is essential to implement<br />
good housekeeping procedures<br />
22 Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong>
to prevent contamination of the product<br />
resulting in bacterial attack and a<br />
degradation of the product rheology<br />
leading to a change in application<br />
properties.<br />
In order to avoid this risk, +GF+<br />
has chosen the optional water disinfection<br />
system to be installed on the<br />
CPP. This system ensures that all incoming<br />
water used for dilution is disinfected<br />
and hence avoids<br />
any coating product deterioration<br />
due to bacterial infection<br />
over time.<br />
The advantage of the<br />
system installed is that it<br />
achieves this disinfection<br />
without the use of harsh<br />
chemical additives that may<br />
cause dermatological reactions<br />
if in contact with operators<br />
or adversely affect the<br />
rheological performance of<br />
the coating.<br />
continuous improvement and can be<br />
tailored to every customer requirement.<br />
Acknowledgement<br />
Thanks to +GF+ Mettmann Automotive,<br />
in particular Mr M.Busch for his<br />
invaluable and trustworthy cooperation.<br />
Our value<br />
adding solutions<br />
for your process<br />
www.foseco.com<br />
References<br />
www.cpt-international.com<br />
Customized CPP at<br />
Georg Fischer,<br />
Mettmann, Germany<br />
http://bit.ly/1LqhBw8<br />
Summary<br />
The benefits of the implementation<br />
of the CPP into<br />
the full casting process at<br />
+GF+ Mettmann can be concluded<br />
as:<br />
1. Continuously controlled<br />
coating application<br />
2. Repeatability of applied<br />
layer thickness<br />
3. Quality assurance and<br />
historical data availability<br />
4. Operator independent<br />
5. Cost savings through reduced<br />
scrap and re-work<br />
6. Maintaining core shop<br />
and foundry-processes at<br />
an optimized balance<br />
7. Improved working environment<br />
Considering the continuously<br />
growing demand for<br />
foundry process consistency,<br />
an acknowledgement of the<br />
need for a consistent coating<br />
due to its influence on<br />
casting quality is required.<br />
The CPP concept is now accepted<br />
as the way forward to<br />
achieving this goal. As with<br />
all technical equipment, the<br />
CPP design is subjected to<br />
Our services provide you with real added value.<br />
ASK Chemicals experts look forward to hearing from you:<br />
Phone: +49 211 711<strong>03</strong>-0<br />
E-Mail: addedvalue@ask-chemicals.com<br />
www.ask-chemicals.com
K QUALITY ASSURANCE<br />
Up to 20 t of liquid iron pass from the pouring basin to the mold via the discharge system in just 120 s – to become<br />
rotor hubs, machine frames, stator end-bells or main shafts (Photo: Enercon)<br />
Author: Heiko Wenke, Atlas Copco Tools Central Europe GmbH, Essen<br />
Light turbo-grinders for heavy<br />
wind-turbine castings<br />
Production at Enercon, a leading manufacturer of wind turbines, has moved into top gear. The<br />
company processes castings weighing up to 16 t with a new type of turbine grinder at its GZO<br />
foundry in the East Frisian region of Germany’s Lower Saxony. The grinders are considerably<br />
lighter and much more robust than the devices previously used, and offer by far lower energy<br />
consumption than conventional equipment<br />
“Our wind turbines already save energy<br />
before they have generated their<br />
first kilowatt hour of electricity,” says<br />
Thomas Bliesner, Manager of Casting<br />
Finishing at the Enercon Group’s GZO<br />
foundry in East Frisia. “Because we use<br />
tools supplied by Atlas Copco – with<br />
much lower nominal air consumption<br />
than classic pneumatic tools – for<br />
machining the surfaces of large workpieces.”<br />
Although the casting specialists<br />
really do not need to worry about<br />
24 Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong>
Enercon GmbH<br />
With the founding of the company in 1984, engineer<br />
Aloys Wobben initiated the economic /<br />
ecological success story of Enercon with a small<br />
team of engineers. The first wind turbines with<br />
a nominal output of 55 kW were the result. Initially<br />
equipped with gears, from 1992 there was<br />
a steady switchover to gearless plant technology.<br />
The use of fewer rotating components enabled an<br />
almost frictionless flow of energy with considerably<br />
lower mechanical stress, lower maintenance<br />
requirements, lower operating costs and longer<br />
service lives.<br />
The further development of all components offers<br />
customers technologically sophisticated products<br />
with an electrical output of up to about 8 MW.<br />
This is exemplified by, say, the new rotor blade<br />
geometry introduced in 2004 – which significantly<br />
increased profitability, reduced noise emission<br />
and reduced the loads affecting the wind turbine.<br />
In addition, all Enercon wind energy plants have<br />
a grid feed system that meets the latest grid connection<br />
requirements and can be integrated in all<br />
supply and distribution structures.<br />
Enercon, with its headquarters in Aurich in Lower<br />
Saxony, has been a worldwide leader in wind energy<br />
for well over 30 years. Enercon is the market<br />
leader in Germany and employs more than 13,000<br />
personnel. With about 27,000 installed wind energy<br />
plants in more than 30 countries, Enercon is<br />
also the third-largest producer in the world. Research<br />
& Development, Production and Sales are<br />
continuously being expanded.<br />
Deburring of a rotor hub with the GTG 25. The maneuverability of<br />
the turbo-grinder is increased by a MultiFlex swivel coupling. This ergonomic<br />
detail is a compressed air connection that turns through<br />
360° in two planes and follows the movements of the tool, reliev ing<br />
the operator of bending stresses in the air hose (Photos: Atlas Copco)<br />
www.enercon.de<br />
Thomas Bliesner is Manager of the Casting<br />
Finishing Department of Enercon’s GZO foundry<br />
in East Frisia and has subjected twenty angle<br />
grinders to an endurance test in his department<br />
the energy consumption of their works<br />
near Aurich because its entire electricity<br />
requirement is covered practically<br />
climate-neutrally from renewable<br />
sources of energy. But sustainability determines<br />
many of the processes at the<br />
works in the municipality of Südbrookmerland<br />
on principle, proven by certification<br />
of its energy management system<br />
with DIN EN ISO 50001 since 2014.<br />
“We have been casting all the large and<br />
important components for our Enercon<br />
generators since 2010, keeping the transport<br />
paths for production short. This<br />
provides ecological benefits, and our<br />
competence for these important components<br />
remains in-house,” Bliesner explains<br />
the company philosophy and goes<br />
on to describe the production portfolio:<br />
“Machine frames, stator end-bells, rotor<br />
hubs or main shafts with unit weights<br />
of up to 16 t are typical products.” The<br />
GZO, which has developed into one<br />
of Europe’s largest and most modern<br />
foundry operations, produces up to 70<br />
of these very large heavyweights every<br />
week in serial production. “With rising<br />
rotor blade diameters and increasingly<br />
powerful wind turbines, the already<br />
very large dimensions are growing even<br />
further,” Thomas Bliesner is certain, and<br />
even considers a doubling of dimensions<br />
and casting weights a realistic prospect.<br />
Processing meter-high unmachined<br />
parts<br />
The departmental manager is well<br />
aware that the processing of the me-<br />
Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong> 25
K QUALITY ASSURANCE<br />
ter-high unmachined parts after shaking<br />
out from the sand mold is extremely<br />
stressful for the tools used. “The<br />
grinding machines, in particular, are<br />
seriously challenged here,” acknowledges<br />
Bliesner: “Our special spheroidal<br />
graphite cast iron is a particularly<br />
tough material that demands everything<br />
of the tools when removing<br />
the burrs and roughing the surfaces!”<br />
During three-shift operation on five<br />
days a week the angle grinders undergo<br />
net operating times of 15 - 18 h a<br />
day.<br />
Tido Moritz, the Deputy Manager<br />
of Casting Finishing, also emphasizes<br />
that the entire sector is undergoing<br />
a change from more hand-crafted traditional<br />
production to the use of industrial<br />
processes, and reports that<br />
during the five years since production<br />
started at the GZO the work’s capacity<br />
utilization has increased massively.<br />
“We have introduced additional<br />
shifts in order to meet the demand.<br />
The 90 personnel in our department<br />
work on a piecework basis and treat<br />
the tools very ‘robustly’.” The industrial<br />
angle grinders from Atlas Copco,<br />
Essen, Germany, for the large 230 mm<br />
diameter abrasives have already been<br />
in use for a long time and can take the<br />
rough treatment, but standard devices<br />
for the smaller roughing and cutting<br />
disk dimensions did not survive such<br />
heavy-duty use for long.<br />
“We had to adapt our tooling to<br />
the changed conditions. The many<br />
defects and failures among both the<br />
electric and pneumatic grinders disrupted<br />
production work,” Moritz<br />
describes. The pneumatic grinders<br />
with vane motors and the electrical<br />
high-frequency grinders ultimately<br />
only had service lives of at most eight<br />
to twelve weeks. After this period, at<br />
the latest, the extreme stresses meant<br />
that expensive repairs were needed<br />
– and often even scrapping. “All the<br />
machines were economic write-offs<br />
after just a few weeks and had only<br />
scrap value. We couldn’t accept this<br />
state of affairs anymore because, with<br />
a total of 250 tools in use, this represented<br />
a considerable time and cost<br />
factor.” We therefore tested various<br />
alternatives.<br />
The new generation of turbo-grinders exceeded the expectations of the Enercon<br />
foundry in East Frisia. Weighing just 2.1 kg, the GTG 25 provides 2.5 kW<br />
power output and is very popular among the employees because of its low<br />
level of vibrations during operation.<br />
GZO Department Manager Thomas Bliesner (left) and his Deputy Tido Moritz<br />
(center) are convinced by the results of the surface treatment. With them is<br />
Atlas Copco application consultant Christian Hofmann (right).<br />
The fettling shop as an extended<br />
workbench<br />
“At first, we couldn’t find any satisfactory<br />
solution,” say Bliesner and Moritz.<br />
“But the proposal from Atlas Copco<br />
Tools to give us the prototype of a new<br />
turbine grinding machine to test – and<br />
to accompany us during these trials –<br />
seemed very promising.” The developers<br />
at Atlas Copco were looking for a suitable<br />
testing site for the latest generation<br />
of their Geared Turbine Grinder (GTG)<br />
with gear reduction. They worked together<br />
as partners because the extraordinarily<br />
high demands of the foundry<br />
in East Frisia ideally matched the device,<br />
which weighs only 2.1 kg, and both the<br />
user and the supplier could profit from<br />
the trial. The easy-to-handle machine<br />
is suitable for abrasives with diameters<br />
26 Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong>
When the going gets tough…: 4.5 kW GTG 40 turbine grinders have asserted<br />
themselves for heavy roughing and deburring work at the GZO. They are<br />
used with 230 and 180 mm abrasives.<br />
of 125 and 180 mm and exerts an output<br />
power of 2.5 kW on the disk. Its low<br />
overall height of just 59 mm above the<br />
spindle straightaway made the device<br />
eligible for use at Enercon for grinding<br />
work where space was limited, as well as<br />
in difficult-to-reach component corners<br />
and on edges.<br />
Employees no longer suffer<br />
from lame arms<br />
A total of twenty GTG-25 turbo-grinders<br />
were initially used at the GZO and<br />
were deliberately not treated gently.<br />
The Enercon users quickly reported<br />
their first positive feedback to the<br />
Essen-based suppliers. There was, of<br />
course, an acclimatization period with<br />
initial teething problems, but these<br />
only involved minor aspects and were<br />
quickly disposed of. “By and large, the<br />
little turbos worked remarkably well<br />
right from the start. Their performance<br />
was good and our test personnel didn’t<br />
want to give the versatile angle grinders<br />
back again,” Moritz describes the<br />
trial. “The machines are really fun to<br />
use. Even when working overhead I no<br />
longer get a lame arm,” says one worker.<br />
No wonder, because a GTG 25 only<br />
weighs half as much as a conventional<br />
grinder in this performance class.<br />
That comment about fun was meant<br />
very seriously, and was of major importance<br />
for those responsible at the<br />
GZO, stresses Bliesner: “The significance<br />
of ergonomy in our processes<br />
is as important as productivity!” That<br />
the GTG 25 can do both is due to the<br />
combination of its extremely strong<br />
drive and its effective vibration damping<br />
system. The lower vibration values<br />
are achieved by an automatic imbalance<br />
compensator (auto-balancer)<br />
that suppresses vibrations to a very low<br />
level of less than 3.8 m/s², measured in<br />
three axes. The noise emission value of<br />
76 dB (A) is also comparatively low. In<br />
addition to the excellent ergonomic<br />
properties, there is also the low nominal<br />
air consumption, considerably decreasing<br />
energy costs: in full-load operation<br />
just 12.8 l/s per kW – a level that<br />
is practically impossible for conventional<br />
pneumatic tools.<br />
Economical, powerful and userfriendly<br />
“Because downsizing is not entirely unproblematic,<br />
we were as curious as the<br />
producer about how such economical<br />
and compact high-performance tools<br />
would perform in the long term,” Bliesner<br />
and Moritz agree. Their endurance test<br />
showed that about 60 % more material<br />
was removed with the GTG 25 than<br />
with conventional grinders. This is why<br />
the two reckoned with a correspondingly<br />
high level of tool wear, as they were unfortunately<br />
accustomed to from the small<br />
grinders hitherto used. “Luckily, Atlas<br />
Copco disillusioned us in this regard! Although<br />
after 1,000 operating hours the<br />
turbos looked pretty ravaged externally,<br />
when they were completely taken to pieces<br />
and all the components thoroughly examined<br />
there was still no sign of internal<br />
wear and tear.” Bliesner and Moritz admit<br />
to having expected a much worse outcome.<br />
So they are all the more pleased to<br />
be able to carry out roughing and grinding<br />
work with the new GTG 25 tools considerably<br />
quicker, better and more cost-effectively<br />
than before.<br />
www.atlascopco.de<br />
Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong> 27
K QUALITY ASSURANCE<br />
Author: Ralf Sinner, Head of Sales, Mewo GmbH & Co KG, Olpe<br />
Cryogenic deburring of<br />
non ferrous die castings<br />
There are various established deburring processes for pressure die cast parts. They all have one<br />
thing in common: To a certain extend, they all lead to a change in the appearance of the as-cast<br />
surface, a shift of tight-tolerance dimensional accuracies, changes in the outside geometry as<br />
well as in the microstructure – and with that, in the most extreme case, this may even change<br />
the material properties of the treated part<br />
Example of application: zinc die casting<br />
with finished surface (Photos: Mewo)<br />
Thanks to technical innovations and<br />
highly complex, movable tooling arrangements,<br />
it is possible today to produce<br />
pressure die cast parts made of non<br />
ferrous (NF) metals for most different industries<br />
and applications. Such applications<br />
and constantly growing or even<br />
completely new requirements on dimensional<br />
accuracy, tolerances, surface<br />
conditions and reduced roughness call<br />
for finishing processes that safeguard a<br />
part’s quality, which often required a<br />
great technological effort to be achieved.<br />
Moreover, in series production 100 % reproducibility<br />
has become a standard requirement<br />
(Figures 1, 3 and 4).<br />
Mewo Maschinenfabrik, Olpe, Germany,<br />
which since 1948 has specialized<br />
in equipment for deburring processes,<br />
a few years ago accepted the<br />
challenge to develop a deburring solution<br />
specifically for the current requirements<br />
placed on NF-metals die<br />
castings on the basis of the company’s<br />
cryogenic blasting process, an established<br />
process for the treatment of<br />
elastomers and molded plastic parts.<br />
This application of the cryogenic blasting<br />
process is able to fulfill the requirements<br />
placed by customers on the full<br />
range of deburring processes – from<br />
prototype making through to fully automatic<br />
large series production.<br />
Cryogenic deburring is a process<br />
which involves freezing of the cast<br />
parts to a predefined range of below-zero<br />
temperatures by means of liquid nitrogen.<br />
The temperature is set according<br />
to the specific requirements of the<br />
parts on hand. The process extracts<br />
sensible heat from the castings, leading<br />
to embrittlement of the excess material<br />
flown out during the casting process.<br />
The cast part proper freezes only<br />
superficially, i.e. down to the root of<br />
the burr. The core of the casting is less<br />
affected by the low temperature and<br />
therefore retains its elasticity. When<br />
the cast parts are in this state of embrittlement<br />
induced by freezing, they<br />
are subjected to the blasting treatment.<br />
The treatment can be targeted on specific<br />
spots of the part or the entire part<br />
can be treated. Polycarbonatic material<br />
is used as blasting medium. Depending<br />
on the specific application<br />
and the requirements, different geometries<br />
and grain sizes from 0.15 to<br />
2.0 mm are used. During blasting, also<br />
the medium is constantly subjected to<br />
the low temperature, giving it the necessary<br />
abrasive resistance and impact<br />
strength for the process. Deburring is<br />
thus effected by knocking off the excess<br />
material and not by abrasion.<br />
In the PLC controlled deburring machines,<br />
the entire process takes place automatically<br />
(Figure 2). The process consists<br />
of various individual operations.<br />
First, the parts are cooled to the specifically<br />
defined target freezing temperature.<br />
Then, the actual blasting process<br />
takes place. Finally, media re sidues are<br />
removed from the cast parts and separated<br />
from broken burr material. Depending<br />
on the geometry, size and max-
Figure 2: Mewo Rotor TS 7.12 for batch<br />
deburring and inserts for holding devices<br />
Figure 1: Example of application: aluminium casting with article-specific<br />
holding device<br />
Figure 3: Example of application:<br />
batch deburring of zinc parts<br />
imum usable kinetic energy, the entire<br />
process takes 3 - 6 min on average.<br />
Just for parts with very delicate surfaces<br />
it is recommended that they should<br />
be dried after deburring in order to accelerate<br />
defreezing. This reduces the<br />
temperature gradient between the ambient<br />
air and the surface temperature<br />
avoiding fogging of the cast parts and<br />
subsequent staining caused by thaw or<br />
rust formation. Also for this case and for<br />
parts that have to meet extremely exacting<br />
cleanness requirements, Mewo<br />
offers an optional system specifically<br />
designed to clean and post-treat such<br />
parts, avoiding any unnecessary handling<br />
and shifting of filigree parts for<br />
downstream processes. An outstanding<br />
feature of this sophisticated variant of<br />
the Mewo technology is the fact that it<br />
is suitable for any parts in any conditions,<br />
i.e. as cast, after punching or after<br />
machining, and for any geometries,<br />
including thin-walled and crack-sensitive<br />
contours. The process provides extremely<br />
precise deburring and is 100 %<br />
Figure 4: Zinc castings – left: as cast,<br />
right: deburred<br />
reproducible. It is even suitable for surface-finished<br />
parts. Another advantage<br />
of the Mewo process over conventional<br />
processes is the fact that it does not affect<br />
in any way the surface, microstructure<br />
or appearance and feel of the part,<br />
nor the material properties or dimensions.<br />
Moreover, any risk of fire during<br />
equipment operation can be generally<br />
ruled out. Instead, all pre-existing tolerance<br />
values and dimensions, sharpedged<br />
contours or polished surfaces<br />
will be 100 % retained. Plus, due to the<br />
excellent deburring result achieved by<br />
the process, there will be no additional<br />
post-treatment.<br />
Depending on the geometry and<br />
material of the parts, the Mewo process<br />
achieves fine and ultra-fine deburring<br />
of up to 0.2 mm thickness and burr<br />
tolerances of up to 0.02 mm, with the<br />
minimum material thickness of the<br />
part being 0.5 mm. Renowned foundries<br />
use this process predominantly<br />
for parts made for the automotive and<br />
electronics industries, because the potential<br />
risk of “burrs getting loose”,<br />
which has been moving increasingly<br />
into focus, can be generally ruled out<br />
when using the Mewo process. Mewo<br />
Maschinenfabrik has an own service,<br />
development and training centre.<br />
There, interested customers may test<br />
the deburring process on their own<br />
products.<br />
www.mewo-machines.com<br />
Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong> 29
K CASTING TECHNOLOGY<br />
Author: Mathias Weil, Siempelkamp Giesserei, Krefeld<br />
Longest casting made of ductile<br />
cast iron<br />
23.5 m – not a typo but a particular requirement which the customer TOS KUŘIM placed on<br />
Siempelkamp Giesserei. 23.5 m was to be the length of the crossbeam for a 2-column machining<br />
center which the Czech company intended to award as a contract. After an in-depth consultation<br />
on feasibility, Siempelkamp Giesserei applied for this project, which it was awarded over<br />
three competitors from Germany and abroad, winning the contract for the ”longest casting<br />
made of ductile cast iron ever“!<br />
The longest cast part of ductile iron that has ever been cast has been realized by the Siempelkamp Foundry in Krefeld.<br />
With this casting the company wrote history. (Photos: Siempelkamp)<br />
In June 2014 TOS KUŘIM, a member of<br />
the Czech ALTA Group, Pilsen, Czech<br />
Republic, submitted the inquiry for the<br />
king-size project. The particular challenge<br />
in such a contract: ”There are<br />
no manufacturing-specific tolerances<br />
for casting and patternmaking in<br />
this size category; technical standards<br />
no longer apply. Only the skills of the<br />
engineers and technicians, as well as<br />
TOS KUŘIM: Profile<br />
»»<br />
Founded in 1942 with the product spectrum<br />
of boring, polishing, turning, console<br />
milling and special purpose machines.<br />
»»<br />
A joint-stock company since 1992.<br />
Member of the ALTA Group since 2005.<br />
»»<br />
Location: Brno, second-largest city in<br />
the Czech Republic.<br />
»»<br />
Business segment: production of precise<br />
machine tools and machining centers,<br />
especially with mobile columns<br />
and portal machining centers for complex<br />
component parts.<br />
»»<br />
Fields of application: heavy machine<br />
engineering, po wer en gineering, aircraft<br />
industry, shipbuilding, railway engineering<br />
30 Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong>
the patternmakers, molders and fettlers<br />
can make this project a success<br />
( Figures 1-4). The experience of our<br />
employees is the be-all and end-all in<br />
such a project,“ explains Mathias Weil,<br />
a Sales Representative at Siempelkamp<br />
Giesserei.<br />
23.5 m in length, with a unit<br />
weight in the raw casting of almost<br />
120,000 kg – only a few foundries in<br />
Europe are able to produce such a large<br />
component.<br />
Siempelkamp‘s reputation in this<br />
field is well-known in the Czech Republic.<br />
Therefore, one of the locations<br />
where the inquiry from the machine<br />
tool manufacturer was placed was<br />
Krefeld.<br />
One important criterion in the decisionmaking<br />
process for the order:<br />
Siempelkamp operates three machines<br />
which are considered to be the best<br />
reference for such a contract. For example,<br />
the Vertimaster VME 10 vertical<br />
turning, boring and milling machine<br />
at the Krefeld location is able to<br />
Figure 1: With a depth of 3.2 m and a length of 25 m the longest casting pit that<br />
was ever required for a project emerged in the Siempelkamp molding shop<br />
process components of up to 17 m in<br />
length. This large carousel machine<br />
made by Schiess, Aschersleben, Germany,<br />
with a 10 m faceplate and a<br />
16 m processing star has been a positive<br />
addition to the Siempelkamp<br />
machine park since 2012. Secondly,<br />
Siempelkamp in Krefeld operates two<br />
gantry-type CNC portal milling machines<br />
(Schiess VMG 6), which belong<br />
to the largest portal milling machines<br />
in the world.<br />
The large castings for these machines<br />
were cast at Siempelkamp Foundry –<br />
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Figure 2: Grinding and deburring of a casting in the fettl ing shop<br />
Figure 3: A cast with 140 t melt was required to realize this unique casting. Here it<br />
is raised in a hall with a crane, to lift it onto a waiting semi-trailer truck<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
a good argument in favor of the machines.<br />
Component length + component<br />
weight = trust in Siempel kamp<br />
expertise<br />
The company‘s experience with corresponding<br />
large dimensions was the deciding<br />
factor in issuing Siempelkamp<br />
with the contract for the record casting.<br />
”In this order of magnitude there<br />
is a lot that is uncharted territory. At<br />
first it was important to present the<br />
customer with what we considered to<br />
be the important specifications and<br />
recom mendations. This was followed<br />
by a lively dialog, ultimately the finalization<br />
process and therefore the okay<br />
from our customer to follow our recommendations,“<br />
reports Mathias Weil.<br />
Receipt of the order was followed by<br />
numerous working steps before it was<br />
time for the core tasks – molding and<br />
casting. The pattern was planned accurately<br />
down to the last detail – in this<br />
case a combination pattern, as TOS<br />
KUIM also intends to be able to mold<br />
an 18 m version. Here, the customer<br />
and foundry remained in close contact<br />
in accordance with the foundry‘s philosophy<br />
of ”Modern engineering technology<br />
meets experience with solid<br />
craftsmanship“. What are the specific<br />
requirements of the customer? How is<br />
the casting installed on the machine?<br />
What stresses does it have to be able to<br />
withstand in which areas? These were<br />
questions which were tabled in the dialog<br />
with the customer in order to implement<br />
the casting techniques and model<br />
concept in the best possible manner.<br />
At the same time as the model planning,<br />
the foundry team assessed the initial<br />
solidification simulation results so<br />
32 Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong>
that it could then optimize the model<br />
concept on this basis. With a component<br />
whose engineering technology is<br />
so complex, the residual stress is also<br />
analyzed and evaluated. The results<br />
of this calculation highlight any weak<br />
points and the caster can still carry out<br />
design optimizations in cooperation<br />
with the customer and patternmaker.<br />
An important requirement: The deformation<br />
of the cast part during the<br />
cooling process alone amounts to<br />
35 mm. This has to be taken into consideration<br />
during the patternmaking<br />
and mold making processes.<br />
Figure 4: 23.5 m long, 120 t weight –<br />
only a few foundries in Europe are able<br />
to produce such a large component.<br />
Largest component – largest pit<br />
If a casting is as large as this, the boundary<br />
conditions during production also<br />
have to be right. In the Siempelkamp<br />
molding shop this required the creation<br />
of a pit which was 3.2 m deep<br />
and 25 m long – the longest pit that<br />
was ever dug for a project! The sand bed<br />
alone on which the model is molded<br />
is 400 mm thick and extremely compacted<br />
in order to extensively avoid deformations<br />
during the cooling process.<br />
Such a molding process takes three<br />
weeks. Over 30 different core shapes<br />
have to be positioned with millimeter<br />
accuracy; only then is 140,000 kg<br />
of molten iron cast at 1350 °C. Within<br />
70 s the iron has to spread out from<br />
below in the long mold and rise uniformly<br />
so that the mold does not collapse<br />
before it is completely filled due<br />
to the heat produced. For two weeks<br />
the crossbeam then cooled down in<br />
the pit to 300 °C – only then was it<br />
possible to determine whether the<br />
casting process had been successful.<br />
The three-week long fettling and inspection<br />
process of the longest but<br />
also very delicate component was the<br />
next challenge. ”The tests showed that<br />
the quality required by our customer<br />
had been reached, so that the component<br />
could be primed before being<br />
sent on its way to the Czech Republic,“<br />
says Mathias Weil. Thanks to the outstanding<br />
cooperation of all of the departments<br />
involved and the customer<br />
this was a successful project!<br />
www.siempelkamp.com<br />
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Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong> 33
K CASTING TECHNOLOGY<br />
Ready for acceptance testing: the top and bottom section (right) of a compressor housing set (Photos: Siempelkamp)<br />
Author: Helmut Rieck, Siempelkamp Giesserei, Krefeld<br />
Energy conversion with<br />
Siempelkamp cast components<br />
What started 45 years ago with the production of compressor housings from gray cast iron has<br />
developed into a special range of products and services at Siempelkamp Giesserei GmbH: turbines<br />
and compressors with cast iron components made by Siempelkamp are a familiar brand in<br />
the energy industry, thanks to large casting competence, super-high precision and specialization.<br />
A new feature, however, is that for the first time the foundry is now supplying a product mix<br />
covering the entire spectrum of required components<br />
Housings for large continuous-flow<br />
machines by Siempelkamp, Krefeld,<br />
Germany, are currently in great demand.<br />
Even after the rapid development<br />
of the energy transition, it can be<br />
seen that fossil fuel-fired power plants<br />
will retain their central significance for<br />
global energy supplies. Industrial turbines<br />
are required here for steam and<br />
gas power plants, as well as for combined<br />
cycle power plants.<br />
Large-scale compressors for manufacturing<br />
synthetic fuels are playing an<br />
ever greater role in the energy industry.<br />
In rapidly growing national economies<br />
with rising energy requirements,<br />
the focus is on gaining independence<br />
from oil imports, e.g. with the aid of<br />
air separation and coal liquefaction. In<br />
Chinese “coal-to-liquid” (CTL) plants,<br />
synthetic fuels and other hydrocarbons<br />
are created from the extensive<br />
coal deposits present in many regions.<br />
The Siempelkamp Giesserei has also<br />
consistently accompanied the development<br />
of the largest steam turbines.<br />
Housing sets have been built with upper<br />
and lower sections weighing an<br />
enormous 120,000 kg per housing;<br />
those dimensions were achieved over<br />
five years ago in Krefeld, Germany, and<br />
have yet to be beaten.<br />
Modern combined cycle power<br />
plants likewise require relatively<br />
large components for gas turbines.<br />
For around a year now, the foundry<br />
has been supplying this rapidly developing<br />
market with new components,<br />
which are currently assuming starting<br />
34 Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong>
positions for series production. As a result<br />
of the design, the maximum unit<br />
weight is 25,000 kg.<br />
In the field of large-scale compressors<br />
for synthetic fuel extraction, a<br />
new demand arose two years ago for<br />
correspondingly large-scale systems.<br />
The foundry was able to meet this demand,<br />
manufacturing and delivering<br />
four housing sets (upper and lower sections),<br />
each weighing 70,000 kg.<br />
“Follow-up orders are in sight, and<br />
we are already working on plans to<br />
significantly exceed the current maximum<br />
weights for steam turbines, just<br />
in case demand becomes acute,” says<br />
Helmut Rieck, looking to the future. He<br />
is the one responsible at Siempelkamp<br />
Giesserei for component sales.<br />
Whether for electricity generation,<br />
locomotive manufacturing, shipbuilding,<br />
or aerospace, all the developments<br />
of industrialization went<br />
along with clever designs for steam or<br />
gas turbines (see box). Since the 1970s,<br />
Siempelkamp has been manufacturing<br />
large-scale components for the applications<br />
of today, and its ability to combine<br />
king-size casting capabilities with<br />
super-high precision has earned it pole<br />
position in the market.<br />
The very first models were the compressor<br />
housings for gas and steam turbines<br />
in gray cast iron, which Siempelkamp<br />
always supplied as individual<br />
components. Today, large-scale components<br />
for steam turbines occupy an<br />
important position in the portfolio of<br />
the foundry.<br />
Steam turbine components:<br />
high-performance and solid<br />
Modern steam turbines deliver an output<br />
of up to 1,600 MW, dividing the<br />
steam flow between separate subsidiary<br />
turbines that share a single shaft.<br />
The blade lengths in the low-pressure<br />
sections of such machines exceed<br />
2,000 mm, and during operation the<br />
blade tips can reach speeds of up to<br />
500 m/s. This is one and a half times<br />
the speed of sound!<br />
Figure 1: Cast components for continuous-flow<br />
machines today make up<br />
an important percentage of the<br />
Siempelkamp<br />
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K CASTING TECHNOLOGY<br />
Figure 3: Ready for transport: Large casting on a truck<br />
Figure 2: Fettling of a housing for an<br />
underwater turbine<br />
In order to cope with these high internal<br />
pressures, the steam turbines<br />
require solid housing sections. As the<br />
expert, this is where the Siempelkamp<br />
Giesserei comes into play. “We have recently<br />
realized housing set weights of<br />
120 metric tons, and thus support our<br />
customers with components that are<br />
ideally suited to their requirements for<br />
solidity,” explains Helmut Rieck.<br />
A magic word among the requirements<br />
is “efficiency”: particularly in<br />
steam and gas turbine power plants<br />
with outputs of over 100 MW, the operators<br />
aim to achieve efficiency levels<br />
of over 60 %. The higher this level, the<br />
lower the energy consumption and environmental<br />
pollution.<br />
The design of the inner and outer<br />
housings of the turbines makes a decisive<br />
contribution to optimizing the efficiency.<br />
This is where Siempelkamp‘s<br />
competence in designing super-heavy<br />
and large-scale cast components in<br />
nodular cast iron pays off. This is how<br />
the foundry has positioned itself at<br />
the front of the market. “Compared<br />
to welded designs, nodular cast iron<br />
is characterized by improved damping<br />
and exceptional mechanical properties<br />
during continuous operation. Nodular<br />
cast iron castings also display superior<br />
damping properties when compared to<br />
cast steel,” says Helmut Rieck.<br />
Compressor components: heavyweights<br />
for pressure generation<br />
Compressor components for centrifugal<br />
and screw compressors are<br />
also manufactured by Siempelkamp<br />
Giesserei. These are among the largest<br />
cast components, which can weigh<br />
from 10,000 to 25,000 kg.<br />
These components are required e.g.<br />
for axial compressors, continuous-flow<br />
machines in which the air flows in an<br />
axial direction (Figure 1), through an alternating<br />
series of rotating and stationary<br />
blades. The air is first accelerated and<br />
then compressed. The blade channels<br />
form diffusor-like extended channels.<br />
Here the kinetic energy generated by the<br />
rotational motion of the air is decelerated<br />
and converted into pressure energy.<br />
These axial compressors are continuously<br />
increasing in size for use in coal<br />
liquefaction. Systems with a throughput<br />
of 1.4 million m 3 /h of air have been<br />
built. Siempelkamp is keeping up with<br />
this development process. “In 2013<br />
alone, we were able to fulfill the requirements<br />
of our customers by manufacturing<br />
four housing sets with a total<br />
weight of 70,000 kg each. Further<br />
increases in performance are planned,”<br />
says Helmut Rieck.<br />
Gas turbine components: high<br />
performance, lower weight<br />
Siempelkamp is also staying on the ball<br />
when it comes to components for gas<br />
turbines. These turbines demand high<br />
machine performance, low weight and<br />
dimensions, and quick-starting capabilities.<br />
It is not least for these reasons<br />
that they are used in modern combined<br />
cycle power plants.<br />
Owing to the steadily increasing<br />
power plant sizes, corresponding stationary<br />
gas turbines have been developed.<br />
Siempelkamp has been active in<br />
this market for the last year with components<br />
of up to 25,000 kg. It is not<br />
currently anticipated that there will<br />
be demand for yet larger components<br />
in the near future. The most powerful<br />
stationary machine currently delivers<br />
an output of 375 MW.<br />
Three product facets – three<br />
examples of Siempelkamp commitment<br />
to continuous-flow<br />
machines<br />
Whether for gas and steam turbines or<br />
for compressors, when it comes to the<br />
requirements for and sustainability of<br />
its products, over the years the Siempelkamp<br />
Giesserei has remained up-todate<br />
at all times. The ompany has also<br />
kept in step with the changing focus<br />
of demand resulting from the special<br />
market situation (Figure 2).<br />
“In the 1980s the gas turbines were<br />
on top, and in the 1990s it was the<br />
36 Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong>
steam turbines. From 2007 to 2010,<br />
under conditions of booming demand,<br />
we seriesmanufactured large steam turbine<br />
housings for the first time,” describes<br />
Helmut Rieck. This demand<br />
has eased off substantially. In 2014, inquiries<br />
received by Siempelkamp have<br />
predominantly been for individual job<br />
manufacturing of compressor housings<br />
and compressor spirals, and for series<br />
manufacturing of components for<br />
screw compressors. Individual manufacturing<br />
jobs for steam turbines and<br />
series manufacturing for large-scale<br />
compressors are also taking on an important<br />
role among the incoming orders<br />
for the first half of the year.<br />
With all this changing demand, to<br />
this day there has always been one<br />
constant: the good reputation of the<br />
Siempelkamp Giesserei and its team<br />
when it comes to serving the complex<br />
requirement spectrum of the market<br />
Gas and steam turbines: Premieres<br />
1791: First patent registration for a gas turbine<br />
1883: Gustav de Laval invents the impulse steam turbine<br />
1884: Patent for the steam turbine of British inventor Charles Parsons. Parsons‘ turbine<br />
was more complex in design than that of Laval, but achieved better efficiency,<br />
and was more easily adapted to increasing steam pressure and output.<br />
It was used for electricity generation and in marine drive systems.<br />
1911: The first turbine with a noteworthy degree of efficiency is built<br />
1938: First stationary gas turbine<br />
1939: The first jet aircraft takes to the air<br />
2011: Irsching 4 combined cycle power plant: coupling of gas and steam turbines<br />
with an efficiency of 60.75%<br />
(Figure 3), e.g. high precision and tolerance<br />
requirements, in some cases<br />
with extreme surface requirements.<br />
The work of the molders, fettlers and<br />
inspection personnel is also subject to<br />
strict quality criteria.<br />
In general, demand is tending to<br />
move towards individual job manufacturing,<br />
while series production requirements<br />
are concentrated on centrifugal<br />
and screw compressors. “High<br />
requirements, less series production,”<br />
will be the motto with which Siempelkamp<br />
positions itself in this special<br />
market in future.<br />
www.siempelkamp.com<br />
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Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong> 37
K SOFTWARE<br />
Author: Matthias Holzapfel, Villingen-Schwenningen<br />
Additional performance through<br />
enhanced efficiency<br />
Implementation of the industry solution TimeLine at BUVO Castings BV<br />
The foundry manufactures products in large quantities on a production area<br />
of around 11,000 m 2 (Photos: BUVO Castings BV)<br />
The Aluminum high-pressure foundry<br />
BUVO Castings BV, Helmond, The<br />
Netherlands, has set itself the goal to<br />
permanent be one of the top foundries<br />
in Europe. For this, a fundamental<br />
prerequisite is the ongoing modernization<br />
and optimization of the manufacturing<br />
process. Within this framework,<br />
in order to improve the data processing<br />
system, the aged own-developed isolated-solution<br />
EDV has been replaced with<br />
the ERP/PPS-system TimeLine, “perfectly<br />
streamlined to the needs of a foundry.<br />
This way we managed not only to integrate<br />
business management, logistics<br />
and casting specific business processes<br />
inter-divisional into one system but<br />
also reduce the workflow and increase<br />
existing capacity through more transparency<br />
and efficiency“, so Twan van<br />
den Elzen, Financial Manager at BUVO<br />
Castings.<br />
BUVO Castings BV was founded 1980<br />
and is an aluminum high-pressure<br />
foundry specialized on casting and mechanical<br />
processing of products to be<br />
used in various domains. Furthermore,<br />
the company comes with its own tool<br />
manufacture.<br />
The foundry includes a 11,000 m 2<br />
production area, 250 employees and<br />
16 high-class casting machines (clamping<br />
forces of 250 to 1,000 t) in order to<br />
mass-produce lot sizes from 5,000 up<br />
to more than 5,000,000 products per<br />
year (unit weights between 10 g and<br />
15 kg). The international clientele includes<br />
renowned companies in the<br />
areas automotive, gas, office equipment,<br />
telecommunications and medicine.<br />
Redundancy through standalone-solutions<br />
for the own<br />
developed software system<br />
Since its founding, BUVO Castings BV<br />
has attached great importance to continuous<br />
investment in state-of-the-art technology<br />
and manufacturing processes.<br />
Managing Director Jos Smeets: “A<br />
high degree of automation is of major<br />
significance as to ensure a market-driven<br />
development and manufacturing of<br />
technically high-grade aluminum die<br />
cast parts. Thereby, commercial, manufacturing<br />
and logistics tasks, from<br />
the conception – including the tools<br />
– to the processed respectively assembled<br />
end product, represent an immense<br />
challenge“. Therefore, in order<br />
to support business processes, an<br />
own DOS-software system has been<br />
developed and maintained by a BUVO<br />
employee and „it has proven to work<br />
satisfactorily for years but then increasingly<br />
revealed weak points“, Financial<br />
Manager Twan van den Elzen added.<br />
First, the initially homogeneous EDV<br />
changed more and more to a heterogeneous<br />
system made of isolated solutions<br />
with detrimental consequences<br />
as interface problems or redundancies;<br />
on the other hand, due to the missing<br />
integration, important information<br />
were not available to all departments.<br />
Moreover, as a result of the respective<br />
employee having left the company,<br />
maintenance or further development<br />
were threatened by a complete standstill;<br />
over time, the more demanding<br />
requirements of customers such as EDI<br />
or delivery call-off sealed the final end<br />
of this solution.<br />
“TimeLine speaks our language!“<br />
In the spring of 2013 a shortlist of various<br />
ERP/PPS-Solutions providers has<br />
been processed – thereby some systems<br />
impressed with regard to their business<br />
functionality, others with regard<br />
to the mapping of process-related requirements.<br />
Twan van den Elzen: “With<br />
TimeLine we have certainly found a soft-<br />
38 Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong>
ware that convinced us both in terms of<br />
commercial department and manufacturing<br />
technology and particularly in<br />
terms of explicit oriented functionality<br />
on foundry specific requirements“.<br />
About ten years ago, out of a founder<br />
circle of seven foundries and the<br />
Gebauer GmbH in Solingen, Germany,<br />
emerged TimeLine, an industry solution<br />
for sand-, mold- and casting foundries,<br />
that also covers in addition to the business<br />
management respectively production<br />
related functions of an ERP/PPS<br />
system all casting specific requirements<br />
such as cast calculation (with metal<br />
prices calculation, melting costs and<br />
variant costing), graphical planning,<br />
co-product orders (for the proper management<br />
of mixed pattern plates), tool<br />
and pattern management, management<br />
of metal and energy price increase surcharge<br />
(MTZ/ETZ), external production,<br />
melting process management or quality<br />
assurance – “TimeLine consultants comprehend<br />
what pressure die-casting is<br />
about and simply speak our language”,<br />
continued the Financial Manager.<br />
The acquisition and in parallel running<br />
adjustments of the old master<br />
data including production-, customers-,<br />
suppliers-, items- or purchase<br />
items data, as well as the training of<br />
the key-users were followed by the going<br />
live of TimeLine on a total of 50<br />
TimeLine working stations according<br />
to plan and schedule in March 2014.<br />
Overview with responsibility<br />
“We used the great industry functionality<br />
of TimeLine already in the introduction<br />
phase as an occasion to analyze and<br />
study, eventually even modify numerous<br />
organizational procedures in our company<br />
“, explained Twan van den Elzen.<br />
The workflow at BUVO Castings is being<br />
dominated nowadays by a project plan,<br />
defined by diverse milestones that can<br />
be complemented with free text. These<br />
milestones are linked with all sorts of<br />
data, among others with toolmaking respectively<br />
with external suppliers.<br />
The degree of automation is an important factor in modern production<br />
Additional performance throu-<br />
<br />
TimeLine<br />
The implementation of TimeLine at<br />
BUVO Castings lead after a short runtime<br />
to noticeable improvements: processes<br />
can be integrated inter-divisional<br />
and hereby handled much more<br />
quickly with increased process and<br />
data security; the implementation of<br />
foundry specific requirements in Time-<br />
Line enables a more efficient work in<br />
the production area, liberating capacities.<br />
“Standstill means a step backwards.<br />
Therefore, our old EDV isolated-solution-software<br />
could nowadays<br />
no longer respond efficiently and effectively<br />
to the stringently demands<br />
of a fast, complex and global market.<br />
With TimeLine we do have found a stable<br />
solution, which permits demands<br />
to be fulfilled easily, transparent and effectively“,<br />
so Jos Smeets. Twan van den<br />
Elzen drawing positive conclusions:<br />
“Whether production planning, order<br />
tracking, costing depth or comprehensive<br />
results: today, TimeLine represents<br />
the administrative core of the entire<br />
company – consistently, transparent<br />
and integrated in one system. This way<br />
we can easily react promptly and flexibly<br />
to constantly changing customer<br />
requirements and price developments<br />
for raw materials and energy”<br />
www.timeline.info<br />
Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong> 39
After die casting, the magnesium components are rough- and precision-machined, undergo high-pressure deburring,<br />
are washed, checked for tightness and finally laser-marked (Photos: Andreas Bednareck)<br />
Author: Robert Piterek, German Foundry Association, Düsseldorf<br />
Shaping the future with die casting<br />
KSM Castings Group – with plants in Europe, the USA and China – has strengthened its competitive<br />
position as an automotive supplier with a major investment of 13 million euros at its<br />
Hildesheim site to increase the added value of its magnesium components. In recent years, the<br />
foundry group has repositioned itself with innovative material development, flexible recruiting<br />
methods, and consistent investments in modern light construction with a global reach<br />
The new machine park for machining<br />
magnesium components stretches out,<br />
bright and clean, across the 1,400 m²<br />
plant hall, whose walls are lined with<br />
long pipes. A model industrial scenario<br />
with the typical background noise<br />
of mechanical processing: screeching<br />
milling sounds, whirring robot joints,<br />
the humming of motors and the occasional<br />
wail of sirens. Busy KUKA robots<br />
get on with their work behind safety<br />
fences: the metal colleagues place<br />
transmission housings in twin-spindle<br />
turning machines that process two<br />
housings simultaneously, before the<br />
robots load them onto conveyor belts<br />
that take them to the blasting plant or<br />
the washing line.<br />
Large-scale production for<br />
Daimler<br />
The automotive foundry KSM Castings<br />
in Hildesheim, Germany, has expanded<br />
its machine park with three inspection<br />
plants and six robotic machining<br />
centers. The investments in the hall<br />
and equipment were spurred by KSM<br />
customer Daimler, which will in future<br />
be supplied annually with 340,000 finished<br />
9-gear automatic transmission<br />
housings made of magnesium. Does<br />
this major project represent a trend<br />
towards greater use of this light metal<br />
among automotive producers? “No,”<br />
states Dr. Klaus Greven, Manager of<br />
Technological Development at KSM<br />
Castings Group. “Only Daimler gets<br />
its transmission housings made from<br />
magnesium, our other large automotive<br />
customers such as ZF will continue<br />
to use aluminum. Dr. Greven<br />
adds: “The use of magnesium is ex-<br />
40 Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong>
tremely demanding. Firstly there is<br />
the very high level of contact corrosion<br />
when the material touches other<br />
metals, such as iron. Then there is<br />
the lower rigidity compared to aluminum,<br />
and the substantially lower creep<br />
resistance at high temperatures. In addition,<br />
there are increased risks at the<br />
foundry regarding safety at work and<br />
fire prevention.” And he continues:<br />
“This is all reflected in the costs!” The<br />
physicist is therefore convinced that<br />
magnesium components will remain a<br />
niche product. The magnesium transmission<br />
housings for Daimler are made<br />
from the alloy AS-31 with 3 % aluminum<br />
and 1 % silicon. “This enables us<br />
to improve the magnesium’s low level<br />
of creep resistance,” according to the<br />
head of development.<br />
An industrial robot places a finished magnesium housing on a conveyor belt<br />
to the washing line<br />
Unbroken trend towards light<br />
construction<br />
Despite all the disadvantages regarding<br />
the material and the process, in view<br />
of a weight advantage of 33 % compared<br />
to aluminum and an unbroken<br />
trend towards light construction,<br />
the material’s potential is attractive<br />
and KSM Castings has the appropriate<br />
process and material expertise: the<br />
Hildesheim team gained their first experience<br />
when they started low-pres-<br />
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K COMPANY<br />
Finished transmission housings: KSM Castings achieves maximum value creation with comprehensive post-processing<br />
sure sand casting with magnesium.<br />
About ten years ago, the then ThyssenKrupp<br />
Fahrzeugguss GmbH began<br />
die casting magnesium on a small machine.<br />
“These were magnesium steering<br />
parts for ThyssenKrupp Presta, and<br />
we were able to build up a lot of internal<br />
expertise and gain qualified personnel<br />
who were familiar with, among<br />
other things, the topics of magnesium<br />
melts and protective gas,” Dr. Greven<br />
remembers. The production process<br />
was further optimized in subsequent<br />
years. During this time, KSM Castings<br />
was first taken over by private equity<br />
company Cognetas and finally, in<br />
2011, by Chinese investor CITIC Dicastal<br />
Wheel Manufacturing Co. Ltd.,<br />
Qinhuangdao, China. With eight<br />
sites in Germany, the Czech Republic,<br />
China and the USA and 3,291 employees,<br />
the KSM Castings Group is<br />
now globally positioned and achieved<br />
sales of 520 million euros in 2015.<br />
Hildesheim, with 1,<strong>03</strong>0 employees<br />
and sales of 182 million euros, is the<br />
heavyweight of the Group. Its main<br />
customers are VW, Daimler, Audi, ZF<br />
Friedrichshafen, Magna, Great Wall<br />
and FAW.<br />
A financially strong investor<br />
CITIC Diecastal, the new owner of<br />
the Group, is the world’s largest aluminum<br />
wheel rim producer. Together<br />
with KSM Castings it is one of the<br />
world’s 100 largest automotive suppliers.<br />
30 to 40 million aluminum wheel<br />
rims leave CITIC Diecastal’s conveyor<br />
belts every year – more than at any other<br />
serial caster. To compare: the camshaft<br />
carrier line is one of the largest<br />
series at Hildesheim, with 1.3 million<br />
components a year. The involvement<br />
of this strategic investor has brought<br />
a variety of advantages: “This partnership<br />
offers great financial stability<br />
without the new owner interfering too<br />
much in our daily business,” explains<br />
Dr. Greven. “CITIC is not interested in<br />
the basics of the casting process, they<br />
already master these themselves. It is<br />
more about our production system and<br />
our way of producing components, in<br />
other words about quality,” Then he<br />
goes into more detail, continuing:<br />
“This is a win-win situation in my<br />
opinion. CITIC is interested in our expertise<br />
and we have the advantage of<br />
being able to offer our customers global<br />
solutions. It is thus possible to offer<br />
VW wheel carriers from China that are<br />
produced using the same processes and<br />
with the same alloys and properties as<br />
those produced in Germany. Not many<br />
foundries can offer that!”<br />
Dr. Greven, who has worked at KSM<br />
since 2005, believes that the greatest<br />
growth potential is anyway in China,<br />
though KSM Castings also built a new<br />
plant in Shelby in the US state of North<br />
Carolina in 2014 in order to profit from<br />
the light-construction potential on the<br />
American market. “This strategy also<br />
safeguards jobs here in Germany,” he<br />
stresses.<br />
A complicated process<br />
Change of scene to a magnesium melt<br />
operation: dressed in a matt silver protective<br />
suit, magnesium melter André<br />
Höltermann (who trained as a foundry<br />
mechanic at KSM Castings) opens a<br />
hatch on the melting furnace. He is illuminated<br />
by a cone of searing white<br />
light and, with practiced movements,<br />
he starts deslagging the 2.3 metric ton<br />
furnace. In order to prevent contamination<br />
of the melt through contact<br />
with air, a trough filled with argon protective<br />
gas runs from the melting plant<br />
42 Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong>
KSM has increased its manufacturing capacity among<br />
other things by six machining centers with robots<br />
chining<br />
cells
Metalworker Raphael Sanchez works on bearing frames<br />
for Volkswagen’s 1.6 and 2.0 liter diesel engines<br />
Melter André Höltermann deslags the magnesium melting<br />
furnace. Cleanliness and organization are top priorities when<br />
working with magnesium<br />
to a 440 kg dosing furnace on the 2,700<br />
metric ton cold-chamber die-casting<br />
machine. Long distances are avoided<br />
because of the risk of fire when the<br />
hot metal exits the melting plant – so<br />
the melting furnace and the die-casting<br />
plant are located near one another.<br />
Aluminum die-casting – with which<br />
KSM Castings in Hildesheim generates<br />
the lion’s share of its sales – involves<br />
considerably less trouble: a fork-lift<br />
truck is used to transport the melt from<br />
the melting furnace to the holding furnace<br />
at the die-casting plant, where the<br />
mold is shot. Contact with air and special<br />
safety measures play no major role<br />
with this comparatively straightforward<br />
material.<br />
“The casting processes for aluminum<br />
and magnesium are identical<br />
– simply die casting. On the technical<br />
side, however, one needs to know<br />
that the solidification morphology of<br />
magnesium is different to that of aluminum<br />
and this has to be taken into<br />
account during process development,”<br />
Dr. Greven describes process differences.<br />
Over the years, KSM Castings has<br />
worked out a production process for<br />
magnesium die casting that uses protective<br />
gas but no vacuum. “The devil,<br />
of course, is in the detail. Venting<br />
ducts are particularly important when<br />
die-casting without a vacuum. This<br />
is the only way to ensure that the air<br />
present in the mold can escape quickly<br />
enough,” reveals the graduate from<br />
RWTH Aachen. The aim of the degassing<br />
is magnesium die casting that is as<br />
free of pores as possible.<br />
Design freedom is trumps<br />
The proportion of magnesium components<br />
is comparatively low compared<br />
to the total capacity of the plant<br />
(30,000 metric tons in Hildesheim,<br />
70,000 m.t. throughout the entire<br />
Group), as can be seen from the number<br />
of magnesium die-casting machines:<br />
only two of the 28 machines<br />
from producers Idra, Italpresse and<br />
Bühler are designed for casting magnesium.<br />
One more has just gone into operation<br />
in exchange for an aluminum<br />
die-casting machine: an investment of<br />
6.5 million euros.<br />
Head of technolgy development,<br />
Dr. Greven, is convinced of the growth<br />
prospects of light construction, particularly<br />
with aluminum. He is also confident<br />
when it comes to casting as the<br />
production process: he expects growth<br />
regarding both body and chassis components.<br />
He therefore believes that<br />
casting is also a production process<br />
with a future, because of the increasing<br />
use of design software to optimize<br />
topologies: “The programs remove material<br />
from wherever it is not needed,<br />
resulting in so-called bionic structures<br />
that can often only be made by casting”<br />
– competitive advantage from design<br />
freedom!<br />
The components produced by aluminum<br />
die casting at KSM Castings<br />
can be assigned to four product families:<br />
»»<br />
Engine, i.e. components of the engine<br />
periphery such as cylinder head<br />
covers or camshaft carriers.<br />
»»<br />
Powertrain, including transmission<br />
housings as well as parts inside the<br />
gearbox.<br />
»»<br />
Chassis, bodywork – produced in<br />
both the gravity die casting process<br />
as well as using the die-casting process,<br />
and<br />
»»<br />
Steering, parts for the steering and<br />
pedal systems that include, for example,<br />
pedal bracket systems. Audi<br />
is the largest customer here. The Ingolstadt-based<br />
company has not,<br />
like many others, jumped on the<br />
train for hybrid or plastic parts but<br />
continues to use proven aluminum<br />
components.<br />
Aluminum castings also undergo<br />
wide-ranging machining in order to<br />
44 Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong>
The holding furnace of an aluminum die-casting cell is refilled: when different<br />
casting cells need the same alloy, several cells can be refilled with just one<br />
fork-lift truck journey<br />
The 20-year-old trainee tool mechanic<br />
Marcel Bodenburg milling a component<br />
in the training workshop<br />
We look forward<br />
to seeing you!<br />
<strong>03</strong>.10.-07.10.<strong>2016</strong><br />
Brünn<br />
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Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong> 45<br />
Anzeige_<strong>CPT</strong>_85x128mm_2C_L1.indd 1 26.07.<strong>2016</strong> 09:28:04
K COMPANY<br />
maximize value creation, for example<br />
on the camshaft carrier line through<br />
which 1.3 million aluminum parts pass<br />
every year. One special aspect there is<br />
a portal robot that – like the overhead<br />
railways in Wuppertal or at Düsseldorf<br />
Airport – travels backwards and<br />
forwards on both sides of a suspended<br />
track and fills the machines with components,<br />
like something straight out of<br />
a science fiction film!<br />
Versatile foundry processes –<br />
innovative alloys<br />
The variety of the global player’s casting<br />
processes – exploiting the potentials<br />
of the materials – is particularly attractive<br />
for automotive customers: heat<br />
treated and weldable castings are produced<br />
using its patented CVC die-casting<br />
vacuum process. During development<br />
work on a chassis frame for BMW,<br />
the casting process has developed in recent<br />
years in such a way that it is suitable<br />
for serial production and, simultaneously,<br />
delivers very high-quality<br />
castings. During vacuum die casting<br />
the air is almost entirely sucked out of<br />
the mold so that no more pores can be<br />
generated in the solidifying casting.<br />
The Counter Pressure Casting (CPC)<br />
process is used for highly stressed<br />
components, such as chassis parts.<br />
“This production process is similar to<br />
low-pressure casting. It is like a bottle<br />
of fizzy mineral water. When it is under<br />
pressure it does not lose any carbon<br />
dioxide, but it bubbles up when<br />
one opens the bottle. The air in the<br />
mold behaves similarly,” compares<br />
Dr. Greven. While this process offers<br />
very good mechanical properties with<br />
higher yield strengths of 260 megapascals<br />
and an elongation at fracture of<br />
more than 8 %, the developers at KSM<br />
in Dr. Klaus Greven’s team were not satisfied:<br />
at stake was, and is, competition<br />
with iron casting and aluminum forgings.<br />
“We wanted to get away from the<br />
all-singing, all-dancing, all-rounder<br />
AlSi7Mg and develop an alloy specially<br />
for this process”.<br />
They succeeded with the new alloy<br />
Tensal. Compared to AlSi7Mg it has<br />
slightly less silicon (3 %), a bit more<br />
magnesium and an additional bit<br />
of chromium for hardening. A yield<br />
A tree of hands with 952 hand imprints from KSM employees. Next to it,<br />
a robot sculpture made of aluminum castings produced at the works<br />
strength of 300 - 320 megapascals, tensile<br />
strength of 360 - 370 megapascals<br />
and an elongation at fracture of 6 %<br />
speaks for itself – and has not gone unnoticed<br />
by the big OEMs: “We were<br />
able to establish a new level and acquire<br />
new serial orders from Audi and<br />
another OEM,” the head of development<br />
says, not without pride.<br />
Whereby KSM Castings anyway cannot<br />
complain of insufficient capacity<br />
utilization: There were more than 40<br />
new starts at the site during the last<br />
36 months. Regular investments have<br />
been made for this purpose: 4 million<br />
euros for the new Tensal product for<br />
Audi and 4 million for a new secondary<br />
treatment line in the CPC foundry<br />
are the next ones on the agenda.<br />
Specialists sought!<br />
The numerous casting processes and<br />
different materials not only require a<br />
lot of expertise, but also qualified specialist<br />
personnel. “Despite an expected<br />
increase in productivity we may<br />
not be able to implement all our expansion<br />
plans. The limiting factor is a<br />
lack of specialists,” announced Franz<br />
Friedrich Butz, CEO of the KSM Castings<br />
Group, in a press release in late<br />
September 2015. “The shortage of specialists<br />
in the company involves metallurgists<br />
with foundry expertise, in<br />
particular, and extends throughout<br />
all the plants and up to Shelby in the<br />
USA,” emphasizes Lothar Mutzen, HR<br />
Manager at the Hildesheim site, who<br />
has been at KSM Castings for 14 years.<br />
Whereby, given demographic developments,<br />
long-term planning is particularly<br />
important. “Old hands must be replaced<br />
in good time,” he stresses. For<br />
this reason, Hildesheim collaborates<br />
particularly closely with the universities<br />
in Magdeburg, Hanover, Clausthal<br />
and Aachen. Newcomers can exploit<br />
the entire repertoire of career starts in<br />
cooperation with the universities: dual<br />
study programs, grants, as well as Bachelor<br />
and Master theses in companies.<br />
“We recently took over one employee,<br />
who studied in Magdeburg with a KSM<br />
grant,” Mutzen quotes an example.<br />
The company also places great value<br />
on developing management trainees:<br />
“We have employees who have started<br />
here as apprentices and ultimately become<br />
Managing Directors.” KSM Castings<br />
has come up with various ideas for<br />
training specialists: they thus offer further<br />
education to master craftsmen and<br />
-women and to technicians, as well as<br />
offering work for extra-occupational<br />
courses. The good company pension<br />
and the ‘support fund’ (which offers<br />
employees and their dependents financial<br />
assistance for medical expenses<br />
such as spectacles and dental prostheses<br />
for a low income-dependent<br />
monthly contribution) are particularly<br />
attractive. “One must, however, see<br />
46 Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong>
this on an individual level: money is<br />
important for one person while another<br />
appreciates flexible working hours,”<br />
reports the economist from his practical<br />
career experience. At present, the<br />
company is looking for about 20 trainees<br />
from all areas: foundry and industrial<br />
mechanics, industrial electricians,<br />
mechatronic engineers, tool mechanics,<br />
industrial clerks and IT specialists.<br />
Then there are the specialists who are<br />
prepared to undertake an overseas stay<br />
in the plants in the USA or China. Mutzen<br />
has already had an idea for China:<br />
KSM will train six to ten Chinese graduates<br />
with German university degrees<br />
and send them to China – in keeping<br />
with the Chinese-German partnership<br />
that now characterizes the company.<br />
Future-oriented products and<br />
processes for a globalized world<br />
Training Managers Jörg Gustke and<br />
Bernhard Twickler are in charge of the<br />
plants’ training workshop: the technical<br />
patternmakers Marya Schmidt<br />
and Melissa Wolpers are woodworking<br />
a model while, next to them, the<br />
20-year-old trainee tool mechanic<br />
Marcel Bodenburg machines a component<br />
with a universal milling machine<br />
and a group of trainees gets to<br />
work. The almost 70-year-old plant has<br />
a long training tradition of which the<br />
robot sculptures on the plants grounds<br />
– made of castings welded together<br />
(the final works of former trainees) –<br />
act as a reminder.<br />
The two full-time trainers currently<br />
have 50 trainees under their wings<br />
– every year another 12 - 14 new ones<br />
are added – as well as four foundry mechanics<br />
and two technical patternmakers.<br />
Twickler confirms that the<br />
number of applicants has fallen in recent<br />
years. “But we do a lot, with advertisements<br />
for specialists at GIFA and at<br />
the Ideas Expo in Hanover, as well as<br />
with invitations for school classes to<br />
visit the plants, and our participation<br />
in Applicants’ Night.” Bern hard Twickler<br />
has already worked at KSM Castings<br />
for 36 years, ten of them as a trainer.<br />
The trainees are satisfied with their<br />
work because they enjoy it and because<br />
of the company’s good reputation in<br />
and around Hildesheim, as well as because<br />
they have the feeling that they<br />
are needed here. A poster on one of<br />
the hall walls at the plant shows a cable<br />
railway supported by a KSM structural<br />
component, which also supports<br />
a man hanging above a precipice: advertising<br />
for the high quality of KSM<br />
products. The company’s trainees have<br />
no reason to fear the precipice: they are<br />
placing their futures in the hands of a<br />
company that exploits future-oriented<br />
products and processes for a globalized<br />
world – and appreciates the value<br />
of well-trained personnel!<br />
www.ksmcastings.com<br />
ONLINE AUCTION<br />
of GIETERIJ DRUNEN B.V.<br />
5151 RP Drunen (The Netherlands)<br />
Foundry Machines<br />
ALUMINIUM<br />
3 INDUCTION MELTING FURNACES “Inductotherm”<br />
VIP PT 250 CR Dual-Trak (2009), cap. 12,5 t and 2x “Junker”,<br />
cap. 25 t; casting ladles, cap. 1-10 ton; VIBRATORY SHAKE-<br />
OUT PLANT “Axmann”, cap 20 ton/h; 6 SAND MIXERS incl.<br />
“IMF” T36/20-S; sand regeneration plant “Stordy”; filter units;<br />
450 CASTING FORMS, size 800 x 800 mm up to 3600 x<br />
3600 mm; coquille forms, stackable bins, lifting chains, hoist<br />
beams, casting form inverters, counter weights, heater, sand<br />
dump silos; chip cleaning system “Mayfran”; metal working<br />
incl. milling machine, lathes, saws; laboratory/test equipment<br />
incl. spectrometer “Ametek” Spectromaxx, sanding machines,<br />
2 test melting ovens “Smit-A.C.E.C.”, “Westeneng”; tractor,<br />
heavy material transport trailers, skid steer loader “Bobcat”, etc.;<br />
CLOSING: Tuesday 20 SEPTEMBER<br />
Viewing: Friday 16 September from 10.00 till 16.00 hrs<br />
REGISTER AND BID NOW at<br />
www.TroostwijkAuctions.com<br />
GREY IRON<br />
LOST WAX<br />
ITALIAN SOLUTIONS<br />
FOR<br />
FOUNDRIES EVOLUTIONS<br />
O.M.LER 2000 s.r.l.<br />
Strada Montà della Radice, 15/A 12042 Bra (CN) ITALY<br />
www.omler2000.com<br />
Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong> 47
K NEWS<br />
YXLON<br />
Defect evaluation for<br />
die castings<br />
As a new option, Yxlon, Hamburg,<br />
Germany, now also provides the ASTM<br />
E2973 digital reference images for aluminum<br />
and magnesium die castings<br />
in its imaging software Image2500<br />
and Image3500 of X-ray inspection<br />
systems including Y.MU2000-D and<br />
MU60 AE. The reference images, which<br />
so far have only been available as an<br />
image catalog for radiographic inspections<br />
with film, can now be deployed<br />
in digital radioscopy for defect evaluation<br />
of aluminum and magnesium alloys<br />
in die castings via a second review<br />
monitor.<br />
Digital reference images ASTM<br />
E2422 (aluminum), ASTM E2660<br />
(steel), ASTM E2699 (titanium) and<br />
ASTM E2869 (magnesium) have already<br />
been available with Yxlon X-ray<br />
system since 2012, an important enhancement<br />
has now been realized with<br />
ASTM E2973 for aluminum and magnesium<br />
die castings in order to support<br />
flaw classifications for these parts and<br />
document inspection decisions according<br />
to industry specifications.<br />
Y.MU2000-D by Yxlon can now be used for defect evaluation of aluminum and<br />
magnesium alloys in die castings via a second review monitor (Photo: Yxlon)<br />
Although digital X-ray inspection is<br />
faster, more reliable, less expensive and<br />
more environmentally acceptable due<br />
to the elimination of chemicals compared<br />
with film, some industries still<br />
hesitate to embrace it. The digital<br />
ASTM reference images are an effective<br />
basis for film replacement, and users<br />
quickly appreciate the benefits of the<br />
easy and safe image storage as well as<br />
the simple digital data exchange.<br />
www.yxlon.com<br />
VOXELJET<br />
Latin American cooperation<br />
with OEM specialist for automotive<br />
cast parts<br />
After the joint venture in China and<br />
the establishment of subsidiaries in India,<br />
voxeljet, Friedberg, Germany, has<br />
now set its sights on the Mexican market.<br />
To this end, the leading provider<br />
of large-format 3-D printers and on-demand<br />
services has entered into a cooperation<br />
with ART in Mexico.<br />
Mexico, the world’s seventh-largest<br />
car manufacturer, is an important and<br />
growing OEM market for cast parts in<br />
the automotive industry. But in addition<br />
to automotive, global player<br />
voxel jet has also turned its focus on the<br />
Mexican machine building, transportation<br />
industry and energy industry. It<br />
is expected that these sectors will experience<br />
enormous growth in the Latin<br />
American market in the next few years.<br />
To secure market share in the automotive<br />
sector, 3-D print specialist<br />
voxel jet acquired a strong partner in<br />
Mexico, the automation company Art<br />
Abastecedora Industrial S. de R.L. de<br />
C.V. (ART). During the last few decades,<br />
ART successfully placed brands such as<br />
Automatic Feed Co. and Mayfran <strong>International</strong><br />
on the Mexican automation<br />
market. The company provides hightech<br />
solutions for automation companies,<br />
and counts the “Big Three” in the<br />
automotive industry (Ford, General<br />
Motors and Chrysler) as well the VW<br />
Group & Nissan, among its suppliers.<br />
“With its extensive experience in the<br />
automotive sector and its collaboration<br />
with global leaders, ART is the<br />
ideal business partner for the Latin<br />
American market. As an automation<br />
expert, the company contributes comprehensive<br />
competence for marketing<br />
our products in Mexico in the future,”<br />
is how Christian Träger, Sales Director<br />
at voxeljet, explains the idea behind<br />
the cooperation. “Our industrial 3-D<br />
printing systems are front and center<br />
in our collaboration with ART. By using<br />
3-D printers from voxeljet, large<br />
foundries can optimize their production<br />
processes for molds and models.”<br />
Foundries that produce for the automotive<br />
industry use these molds and<br />
models in the rapid prototyping process<br />
for prototype building and rapid<br />
manufacturing, hence in small series<br />
production. The advantage offered by<br />
3-D printing technology is obvious:<br />
Production processes become faster,<br />
more cost-effective and more precise.<br />
The Mexican foundries profit from<br />
voxeljet’s large-format industrial 3-D<br />
printers, since complex cast parts can<br />
now be acquired directly through ART.<br />
48 Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong>
With a continuous build volume of 4 x 2 x 1 m, the VX4000 from voxeljet is<br />
the world’s largest industrial printer. The huge build space provides sufficient<br />
room for the rapid production of very large individual molds, but can also be<br />
used for the efficient production of small series – also a promising feature for<br />
the Mexican market (Photo: voxeljet)<br />
Foundries and car makers around the<br />
world value the German quality standards<br />
of the voxeljet 3-D printers,<br />
which increase flexibility and efficiency,<br />
and accelerate production processes<br />
– a prerequisite for keeping up in a<br />
hotly contested global market.<br />
Through its cooperation with voxeljet,<br />
ART will add industrial 3-D printing<br />
to its product portfolio in the automotive<br />
segment. ART was founded in<br />
Mexico City in 1988, and initially<br />
made a name for itself by providing<br />
die-cutting and installation services<br />
for the automotive industry. Now the<br />
company offers an extensive product<br />
portfolio of machines, accessories and<br />
CRANFIELD FOUNDRY<br />
Europe’s newest iron foundry<br />
to be opened in 2017<br />
On the 26th of July <strong>2016</strong>, Cranfield<br />
Foundry held the Ground-breaking<br />
ceremony in Probishtip, Macedonia,<br />
to mark the start of the construction<br />
of a modern foundry. It is forecasted<br />
that the production will begin in 2017.<br />
In the presence of Macedonia’s<br />
Prime-Minister, Deputy Prime-Minister,<br />
Minister of Foreign Investment,<br />
the Mayor of the city of Probishtip<br />
and other distinguished guests, the<br />
automation systems for the automotive<br />
sector. The company covers Mexico,<br />
through the main four industrial<br />
regions with headquarters at México<br />
City. Effective immediately, the Mexican<br />
expert for automation solutions<br />
will also be in charge of marketing the<br />
voxeljet 3-D printing systems and associated<br />
services.<br />
“We are pleased to develop the market<br />
for industrial 3-D printing in Mexico<br />
together with voxeljet, while at the<br />
same time addressing the considerable<br />
market demand”, adds Rafael Martínez<br />
Velásquez, President of ART.<br />
www.voxeljet.de<br />
shareholders and the CEO of Cranfield<br />
Foundry have laid the first corner-stone<br />
of the 8,000 m 2 foundry.<br />
This project was initiated in 2014. The<br />
first steps were to build a team and find<br />
quality partners to ensure successful<br />
execution of this greenfield investment.<br />
Designed by Gemco Engineers B.V.,<br />
Eindhofen, The Netherlands, the turnkey<br />
solution provider for Cranfield<br />
Foundry with over 30 years of experience<br />
in the foundry industry, this factory will<br />
be able to produce grey iron castings of<br />
EN-GJL 150-350 and other related grades;<br />
as well as ductile iron castings of EN-GJS<br />
350-800 and other related grades.<br />
Pneumatic conveying<br />
technology<br />
For dry, free-flowing,<br />
abrasive and abrasion<br />
-sensitive material<br />
Core sand preparation<br />
technology<br />
For organic and inorganic<br />
processes, turn-key systems<br />
including sand, binder<br />
and additive dosing<br />
and core sand distribution<br />
Reclamation<br />
technology<br />
Reclamation systems for<br />
no-bake sand and core sand,<br />
CLUSTREG for inorganically<br />
bonded core sands<br />
KLEIN Anlagenbau AG<br />
Konrad-Adenauer-Straße 200<br />
57572 Niederfischbach<br />
Fon +49 2734 501 301<br />
Fax +49 2734 501 327<br />
info@klein-ag.de<br />
www.klein-ag.de<br />
Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong> 49
K NEWS<br />
The foundry equipment will come from<br />
some of the most well-known brands in<br />
the industry: DISA Industries A/S, Taastrup,<br />
Denmark, and ABP Inductions Systems<br />
GmbH, Dortmund, Germany, will<br />
provide the key components of the foundry<br />
which will be used to produce a wide<br />
range of products such as fittings, valves,<br />
decorative and other custom-made quality<br />
castings to serve customers in diverse<br />
industries such as automotive, agriculture,<br />
railway, construction, oil and refinery.<br />
Dariusz Dziuba, the CEO of Cranfield<br />
Foundry, in his speech during the<br />
ground-breaking ceremony said: “Today<br />
is a significant milestone towards<br />
achieving Cranfield Foundry’s aim and<br />
that is to service customers from<br />
high-volume businesses in the Middle<br />
East and Europe by delivering on time,<br />
competitively priced, quality castings.”<br />
www.cfoundry.com/eng<br />
Emil Dimitriev, Prime-Minister of<br />
Macedonia, at the ground-breaking<br />
ceremony (Photo: Cranfield Foundry)<br />
WHEELABRATOR<br />
New heavy-duty blast wheel<br />
cuts costs and blasts better<br />
Surface preparation expert Wheelabrator,<br />
who belongs to the Norican<br />
Group, Taastrup, Denmark, has officially<br />
launched its new blast wheel for<br />
heavy-duty applications: Comet HD.<br />
The new wheel achieves a clearly defined,<br />
even blast pattern and higher<br />
peak blast intensities at reduced abrasive<br />
flow rates, thereby reducing abrasive<br />
consumption while improving cycle<br />
times and first-time pass rates.<br />
With Comet HD, Wheelabrator has<br />
optimized the journey of the abrasive<br />
from the ground up, using advanced<br />
testing and imaging technology to<br />
identify and eliminate all instances of<br />
waste in the blast process.<br />
The R&D team deliberately chose a<br />
broad definition of “waste”, to include<br />
things like loss of energy of each abrasive<br />
particle, unnecessary wear, overconsumption<br />
of power or blast media,<br />
uneven hotspot or uncontrolled blast<br />
pattern, as well as time spent on overly<br />
complicated maintenance or time lost<br />
due to incorrect machine set-ups.<br />
The result is a blast wheel that<br />
achieves more with less, is easy to assemble,<br />
service and upgrade, is impossible<br />
to configure incorrectly on re-assembly,<br />
wears less, and blasts fast and<br />
with precision. All this adds up to measurable<br />
and considerable cost savings.<br />
Examples of savings:<br />
»»<br />
Comet HD achieves over 5 % higher<br />
peak blast intensities at 7 % less abrasive<br />
flow, when compared to a proven,<br />
current HD blast wheel design,<br />
resulting in at least a 7 % saving in<br />
abrasive (a typical foundry may use<br />
around 100t of abrasive per year);<br />
»»<br />
In the same set-up, the abrasive breakdown<br />
rate is reduced by up to 24 %;<br />
»»<br />
Tested against an existing wheel design<br />
on a foundry application,<br />
Comet HD<br />
achieved a similar blast<br />
result within a blast cycle<br />
time that was almost<br />
a fifth (17 %) shorter,<br />
and at an abrasive flow<br />
reduced by 8 %.<br />
»»<br />
Taken together, the<br />
above equates to a potential<br />
total abrasive<br />
saving of up to 29 %.<br />
» Comet HD’s semi-curved<br />
blades with special wear<br />
tip last around a third longer<br />
than previous blade<br />
types, reducing maintenance<br />
and part costs and<br />
increasing machine uptime;<br />
»»<br />
Thanks to its clever design,<br />
Comet HD is uniquely accessible<br />
for maintenance, reducing maintenance<br />
time by around 30 %, freeing up<br />
headroom for additional production.<br />
»»<br />
First shown as a prototype at GIFA<br />
2015, Comet HD is available globally,<br />
both in metric and imperial. It can<br />
be retrofitted on existing Wheelabrator<br />
or non-Wheelabrator equipment.<br />
Characteristics of Comet blast wheel:<br />
»»<br />
single-directional design for optimized<br />
performance<br />
»»<br />
asymmetrical housing for better<br />
blast pattern position<br />
»»<br />
smaller footprint to suit almost any<br />
existing wheelblast machine<br />
»»<br />
front-face access to wheel assembly<br />
and ‘hot parts’ via 4-point quick release<br />
»»<br />
precision bolted housing construction,<br />
for improved fit and alignment<br />
»»<br />
simplified, easy-to-change five-part<br />
Wheelabrator’s new heavy-duty blast wheel Comet<br />
HD (Photo: Wheelabrator)<br />
liner system – end liners ‘snap fit’<br />
without fasteners<br />
»»<br />
optimized control cage with machined<br />
areas, acceleration ramp and<br />
special wear tip<br />
»»<br />
self-securing double taper fit blade<br />
lock-up system<br />
»»<br />
blades optimized for best abrasive<br />
pick-up point, strategically strengthened<br />
to reduce wear<br />
»»<br />
“Precision Lok” and centring plate for<br />
repeatably correct blast wheel set-up<br />
Clifford Parr, President & COO at<br />
Wheelabrator Plus, said: “With Comet<br />
50 Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong>
HD, we are a redefining what constitutes<br />
a great blast wheel. It’s one that tackles<br />
all the concerns around blast machines<br />
that our customers have told us about:<br />
operational costs (how much abrasive is<br />
used and how often do I have to change<br />
wear parts?), machine and part durability<br />
(how often does a machine need<br />
maintenance or repairs, how long will<br />
it last?) and performance (how long<br />
does it take the machine to process a<br />
part, will it achieve the desired result in<br />
one go?). We’ve taken an R&D approach<br />
that results not just in a million precise<br />
impacts on a part surface, but in one big<br />
impact on our customers’ bottom line.”<br />
www.wheelabratorgroup.com<br />
CONVITEC<br />
Four furnace chargers and a<br />
fully automatic charging plant<br />
In the summer of 2015, ConviTec<br />
GmbH, Offenbach, Germany, delivered,<br />
installed and commissioned<br />
four furnace chargers, each equipped<br />
with weighing device, and a fully automatic<br />
charging plant, also including<br />
weighing device, for a Turkish customer.<br />
The four furnace chargers, having a<br />
capacity of 16 t each, are based on a<br />
drive frame each with 4 load cells.<br />
Their evaluation is carried out by Siemens<br />
control, incl. SIWAREX, which is<br />
integrated in the charging vehicle. Siemens<br />
IWLAN ensures signal exchange<br />
with the main control cabinet of the<br />
charging plant.<br />
The scope of delivery of the charging<br />
plant comprizes a group of 6 bunkers<br />
with ultrasound filling level sensors,<br />
having a magnetic feeder and discharge<br />
flap each. Underneath there<br />
are two mobile weighing devices with<br />
containers for the charging batch. Two<br />
precision laser distance sensors with<br />
The four furnace chargers, having a capacity of 16 t each, are based on a<br />
drive frame each with 4 load cells (Photo: Convitec)<br />
SSI interface ensure precise positioning<br />
under the bunkers.<br />
The scope of delivery also includes<br />
two charging cranes, which fill two<br />
charging troughs each and the 6 bunkers<br />
automatically. The drives of the<br />
cranes, not only for the stroke but also<br />
for longitudinal travel, are operated by<br />
means of a frequency converter. Two<br />
precision laser distance sensors with<br />
SSI interface ensure precise longitudinal<br />
positioning. An absolute encoder<br />
with SSI interface integrated in the<br />
crane control ensures the exact stroke.<br />
Three PCs for recipe preselection, incl.<br />
log printer, provide control, monitoring<br />
and documentation of the respective<br />
batch.<br />
The Turkish customer manufactured<br />
the steel construction incl. 6 bunkers<br />
for the charging plant according to<br />
ConviTec production drawings on his<br />
own account.<br />
The plant works fully automatically<br />
after preselection and start-up of the<br />
recipe.<br />
www.convitec.net<br />
Your partner for best cast-results.<br />
• Gießfilter<br />
• Casting filters<br />
• Filtres de coulée<br />
• Filtro Modelo<br />
Fon.+49-7261-9727-0<br />
Fax.+49-7261-9727-29<br />
info@asti-filter.de<br />
www.asti-filter.de<br />
Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong> 51
NEWS<br />
HERTWICH ENGINEERING<br />
Order for a single chamber<br />
melting and casting furnace<br />
Austria Metall AG (AMAG) has placed<br />
an order with Hertwich Engineering,<br />
both Braunau, Austria, to supply<br />
a melting/casting furnace with a capacity<br />
of 55,000 t of aluminum per<br />
year including a charging machine.<br />
Commissioning of the new furnace is<br />
scheduled for mid 2017.<br />
The aluminum industry assumes<br />
that worldwide consumption of rolled<br />
aluminum products will grow by 70 %<br />
over the next ten years. With this dynamic<br />
growth in demand, AMAG started<br />
an ambitious enlargement program<br />
in 2012 with an initial volume of 220<br />
million euros. In <strong>2016</strong>, the company is<br />
additionally starting a new rolling<br />
plant project (strategy project “AMAG<br />
2020”), with which the capacity should<br />
be boosted to more than 300,000 t per<br />
year by 2017. The furnace ordered is<br />
part of this enlargement program.<br />
With the increase of rolling production,<br />
the quantity of production scrap<br />
also rises, which needs to be remelted.<br />
The furnace is designed for this task.<br />
The tiltable melting and casting furnace<br />
is a joint development by AMAG<br />
and Hertwich. The first unit of this<br />
type has been taken into operation by<br />
AMAG in 2013. With a holding capacity<br />
of 70 t this furnace was already of<br />
impressive size. The current furnace<br />
unit now ordered, with a liquid metal<br />
volume of 110+ t, once again greatly<br />
exceeds the size of the existing unit.<br />
The single-chamber furnace used for<br />
melting is able to also take over the<br />
function of a casting furnace, if necessary.<br />
For heating, two pairs of regenerative<br />
burners are installed above the<br />
melting bath level. With a specific maximum<br />
gas consumption of 500 kWh for<br />
each ton of aluminum the plant satisfies<br />
the strictest requirements, both in<br />
economic terms and also in terms of<br />
environmental impact. To ensure clean<br />
Aluminum melting and casting furnace (70 t) at AMAG, Ranshofen<br />
(Photo: AMAG)<br />
combustion an oxygen regulation system<br />
and separate regulating systems for<br />
natural gas and combustion air are provided.<br />
An electromagnetic pump ensures<br />
thorough metal circulation, constantly<br />
high melting performance and<br />
homogeneous temperature distribution<br />
in the furnace.<br />
The scope of supply also includes a<br />
rail-guided, pusher-type charging machine<br />
(capacity: 25 t), with which the<br />
furnace can be charged efficiently in<br />
only a few charging cycles.<br />
www.amag.at<br />
GUESTRO<br />
SA-Foundry counts on<br />
German foundry technology<br />
Any foundry that has origins dating<br />
back to the 1940´s and is still operating<br />
under the same company name<br />
is a rare occurrence in South African<br />
(SA) foundry industry. Guestro Casting<br />
and Machining is one of a few.<br />
Guestro belongs to Naledi Inhlanganiso<br />
(Pty) Ltd and is a manufacturing<br />
group established in 2013 focusing its<br />
operations on iron and steel manufacturing<br />
for the rail, mining, energy and<br />
automotive market sectors. The main<br />
operations are located in Ekurhuleni,<br />
Gauteng Province, South Africa.<br />
Guestro Casting and Machining is a<br />
foundry casting 150 to 200 t of ferrous<br />
and non-ferrous metals daily.<br />
Continuous improvement and process<br />
optimization is also indispensable<br />
for Guestro in order to continue its<br />
successful company history. This is<br />
why they ordered two IFM 7<br />
multi-function furnaces with<br />
Twin-Power systems by ABP Induction<br />
Systems GmbH, headquartered in<br />
Dortmund, Germany, in 2014. This<br />
order also included two charging machines<br />
type FC 12 T by Cyrus GmbH<br />
Schwingtechnik, Recklinghausen,<br />
Germany, which serve to feed the furnace<br />
semi-automatically.<br />
The mobile chargers are fed by means<br />
of the existing charging bay crane with<br />
a charge make-up of black scrap or casting<br />
returns. The black scrap has a bulk<br />
density of 1.1 t/m³. The charging machine<br />
comes with a capacity of 11 m³,<br />
which corresponds to a load-carrying<br />
capacity of 12 t. The machinery supplied<br />
by Cyrus also stands out with its<br />
high user friendliness. The central control<br />
aisle allows both systems to be controlled<br />
by just one operator. This ensures<br />
maximum utilization.<br />
Guestro not only attaches importance<br />
to user friendliness but also to functional<br />
reliability. Here Cyrus has further optimized<br />
important safety-critical details<br />
with its latest generation of machines.<br />
52 Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong>
The operator-friendly machine array as well as system functions were simulated and<br />
tested during factory commissioning at Cyrus in Recklinghausen (Photo: Cyrus)<br />
Due to an even higher quality choice<br />
of material, the sandwich bottom floor<br />
of the charging bunker is substantially<br />
lower-noise when in operation than<br />
comparable machine generations before.<br />
Furthermore, a footswitch is employed.<br />
By activating this switch the<br />
machine travel is interrupted immediately<br />
in order to avoid any obstructions<br />
caused by foreign objects and to protect<br />
persons in the area of the charging<br />
floor. Moreover, a retainer flap prevents<br />
unintentional material leakage.<br />
This and other measures increase<br />
both ease of use and operating safety<br />
substantially. Commenting in this Holger<br />
Ververs, Head of Planning and Applications<br />
Technology at Cyrus GmbH<br />
Schwingtechnik, says: “The installation<br />
of two more of Cyrus’ charging machines<br />
in South Africa makes us proud<br />
and underscores that the added value<br />
our machines bring, our expert knowhow<br />
in this field and our quality are all<br />
appreciated.”<br />
www.cyrus-germany.com/en<br />
Technical Features:<br />
Charge material: Scrap / Grey Iron<br />
Charge volume: 11m³<br />
Charging output: 12 tons<br />
Max. piece weight: 100 kg<br />
Ambient temperature: -20 to +40°C<br />
Drive power: 2 x 2.7 kW (vibrating<br />
trough), 1 x 1.5 kW (travel drive)<br />
Temperature Control.<br />
Smart. Reliable.<br />
RESOURCE EFFICIENCY IN EUROPE<br />
<br />
less<br />
Many European countries are realizing<br />
the economic benefits of making<br />
more efficient use of material resources<br />
like metals, fossil fuels and<br />
minerals. But more action is needed<br />
to underpin this trend in resource efficiency<br />
with stronger policies on energy,<br />
material resources, waste management<br />
and on circular economy. These<br />
are the findings from a new European<br />
Environment Agency (EEA) assessment.<br />
The EEA report “More from less – material<br />
resource efficiency in Europe”,<br />
takes an in-depth look at national approaches<br />
and policies on resource efficiency<br />
and explores similarities and differences<br />
in related policies, strategies and<br />
targets. The report builds on a survey, in<br />
which 32 of the 39 EEA member and cooperating<br />
countries took part. Countries<br />
provided detailed information on their<br />
resource efficiency polices and examples<br />
of good practice initiatives.<br />
The main objective of the report is to<br />
encourage countries to share information<br />
Individual solution &<br />
optimised performance<br />
Get more out of your production<br />
facilities right from the start - with<br />
temperature control units from<br />
REGLOPLAS. They are matched<br />
to your requirements and compatible<br />
with your components and processes.<br />
Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong> 53<br />
www.regloplas.com
K NEWS<br />
Production of aluminum die-castings in the new Audi die-casting foundry in<br />
Münchsmünster, Germany. The new foundry for structural components is one<br />
of the world’s most advanced. Energy and resource efficiency played a major<br />
role in the planning stage of the foundry (Photo: Klaus Bolz)<br />
and their experiences in the development<br />
of resource efficiency policies. The work<br />
contributes to broadening know-how on<br />
resource efficiency and the circular economy<br />
and increases understanding of policy<br />
approaches in these areas.<br />
Between 2000 and 2014, resource use<br />
in the European Union as a whole fell<br />
both in absolute terms (down by 12 %)<br />
and per person (from 15.5 to 13.1 t per<br />
person), according to the survey. The<br />
economic benefit of improving resource<br />
efficiency is the most important<br />
driver in many countries, indicating<br />
that the logic of doing more with less<br />
has been widely embraced. The most<br />
recurrent drivers to improve efficiency<br />
were the desire to increase competitiveness,<br />
to secure the supply of raw<br />
materials and energy and reduce dependence<br />
on imports, and to lower<br />
pressures on the environment.<br />
The report stresses that the key challenge<br />
will be to ensure that the recent<br />
gains in efficiency are sustained, and<br />
that the situation does not revert to the<br />
long-term pattern of economic growth<br />
accompanied by increasing resource<br />
use. The survey also concludes that<br />
there is room for improvement in policy<br />
design and implementation, as well<br />
as significant potential benefit in the<br />
exchange of good practice, since big differences<br />
between countries still exist.<br />
The report and the accompanying 32<br />
individual country profiles were produced<br />
together with the Agency’s network<br />
of member and cooperating countries,<br />
known as Eionet and the European<br />
Topic Centre on Waste and Materials in<br />
a Green Economy (ETC/WMGE).<br />
Key Findings:<br />
»»<br />
Only three countries, Austria, Finland<br />
and Germany, adopted dedicated<br />
national strategies for material<br />
resource efficiency. Two further countries<br />
have dedicated strategies at a regional<br />
level, in Flanders (Belgium),<br />
and Scotland (United Kingdom).<br />
»»<br />
Most of the improvements in resource<br />
productivity occurred between<br />
2007 and 2014, although not<br />
necessarily as a result of a comprehensive<br />
policy intervention. The<br />
gains were mostly due to the sharp<br />
decline in construction activity as<br />
a result of the economic crisis that<br />
started in 2007-2008, which led to<br />
huge falls in material use, but had<br />
rather limited impact on gross domestic<br />
product.<br />
»»<br />
A majority of countries (26) identified<br />
certain waste streams and secondary<br />
materials as the most common<br />
group of priority materials. Key<br />
waste streams are plastic and packaging<br />
(17 countries), construction and<br />
demolition waste (16 countries), and<br />
food waste (15 countries). Energy<br />
sources, like fossil fuels and including<br />
renewables, were mentioned by<br />
18 countries as priority resources.<br />
»»<br />
Manufacturing was singled out most<br />
frequently as the key economic sector<br />
for improving material resource<br />
efficiency, followed by agriculture<br />
and forestry, construction, and waste<br />
management.<br />
»»<br />
The service sector – currently accounting<br />
for some 70-75 % of GDP in most<br />
European countries – is potentially<br />
significant with respect to material<br />
use and the resource efficiency of the<br />
economy. However, very few countries<br />
mentioned service-oriented sectors<br />
among their priorities for improving<br />
material resource efficiency.<br />
»»<br />
Nine countries have adopted targets<br />
for national material resource efficiency:<br />
Austria, Estonia, France, Germany,<br />
Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Portugal<br />
and Slovenia. In most cases, these targets<br />
are based on gross domestic product<br />
relative to domestic material consumption<br />
(GDP/DMC) – the EU’s lead<br />
resource productivity indicator.<br />
»»<br />
Germany, the Netherlands, and the<br />
region of Flanders (Belgium) reported<br />
having a dedicated circular economy<br />
strategy, which aims to create a production<br />
and consumption system that<br />
generates little waste and keeps materials<br />
in use for as long as possible. Several<br />
countries acknowledge the need<br />
to move away from the current linear<br />
economic model and stated that the<br />
circular economy and closing material<br />
loops are already policy priorities. The<br />
majority of reported policy initiatives<br />
related to the circular economy focus<br />
on waste management, with only a<br />
few examples going beyond increasing<br />
recycling rates and a higher use of<br />
secondary raw materials.<br />
www.eea.europa.eu<br />
54 Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong>
AGTOS<br />
Up to date blasting technique<br />
on Ankiros show<br />
AGTOS, Emsdetten, Germany, provides<br />
the foundry industry with surface<br />
technology. Besides manufacturing<br />
turbine wheel shot blasting plants<br />
for cleaning, derusting, descaling<br />
and shot peening the company also<br />
pro jects complete machining centers<br />
including the conveyer technology.<br />
At the exposition Ankiros from<br />
29 September to 1 October <strong>2016</strong><br />
AGTOS will be presented on<br />
the booth of its Turkish<br />
agent Teknometalurji. The<br />
visitor will see examples of<br />
projects that were carried<br />
out in Turkey and other<br />
countries. Inno vative turbine<br />
and filter technology as<br />
well as elaborated ways in<br />
maintenance ensure the<br />
economic treatment of surfaces<br />
of casted parts.<br />
The company provides shot<br />
blast ing solutions for roughen<br />
ing, derusting, de-scaling,<br />
and hardening of surfaces.<br />
With a wide range of<br />
applications, ranging from<br />
small chain components, to<br />
large steel constructions,<br />
the surface technology specialist<br />
has virtually no limits<br />
on providing blast cleaning<br />
solutions to meet the needs<br />
of many different industries.<br />
The company has the capability<br />
to offer refurbished<br />
shot blast machines, repairs,<br />
updating and modernization<br />
of machines from other shot<br />
blasting manufacturers.<br />
Special emphasis is put on<br />
an extensive service regarding<br />
the blasting technology.<br />
Therefore the company provides<br />
the suitable spear parts<br />
and carries out the repairs for<br />
machines out of the own and<br />
other productions.<br />
www.agtos.com<br />
Castings on a hanger on their way to the blasting machine (Photo: AGTOS)<br />
We are a medium-sized company that is expanding all over Europe, operating in the foundry<br />
and steel construction industry at two locations in Germany.<br />
We wish to strengthen our team, and we are looking for a sales agency for our location in<br />
Poland, i.e., a<br />
Self-employed Sales Agent (m/f) in<br />
Field Service / Sales and<br />
Customer Acquisition<br />
What you can expect:<br />
Your job will be professional telephone acquisition as well as local consulting and support<br />
for customers. You will work with various customer target groups in careful and systematic<br />
ways and perform exciting special activities, always using the right approach.<br />
What we expect from you:<br />
• Completed commercial training as well as knowledge of the foundry trade<br />
• A high capacity for team work and excellent communication skills<br />
• Convincing negotiation strengths and a talent for sales<br />
• Confident and reputable manners and an affinity for dealing with customers<br />
• An extensive knowledge of MS Office and an excellent use of „new media“<br />
• An excellent knowledge of German and Polish (spoken and written)<br />
We will offer you:<br />
• A responsible job with good prospects for the future<br />
• A diversified and challenging job<br />
• An attractive, performance-based compensation that you will essentially<br />
determine through your successful sales<br />
If you are interested in this job, we are looking forward to your complete application<br />
documents.<br />
Please send us your application (cover letter, resume, certificates in one PDF file)<br />
by mail to our “HR department” – info@foundry-service.de<br />
STA Foundry Service_128_174.indd 1 12.07.16 13:38<br />
Casting Plant & Technology 3 /<strong>2016</strong> 55
K BROCHURES<br />
Insulation technology<br />
4 pages, English, German<br />
A product brochure describing the key features of the Thermo-Protector insulation<br />
system offered by Lippmann. The product provides excellent insulation efficiency<br />
over a temperature range from -50 °C to +250 °C. It is self-adhesive, water-repellent,<br />
self-extinguishing and self-vulcanizing and ideally suited for convoluted or flexible<br />
piping systems.<br />
www.lippmann-gmbh.com<br />
Automatic water dosing for shake-out and cooling drums<br />
4 pages, English<br />
In this brochure, Sensor Control explains how water dosing in shake-out and cooling<br />
drums can be automated by using efficient instrumentation sensors. Sensors are<br />
applied to measure fresh air into the drum, the mold box temperature, the exhaust<br />
air leaving the drum, used sand temperature, moisture and height on the belt behind<br />
the drum, etc.<br />
Information: www.sensor-control.de<br />
Molding sand management system<br />
20 pages, English<br />
A brochure featuring FoMaSys, a modular sand management system, offered by<br />
Michenfelder Elektrotechnik. The system is composed of four interacting sand testing<br />
and moisture control modules. The brochure describes in great detail the functions,<br />
features and visualization options of the system.<br />
Information: www.michenfelder.com<br />
Magnesium and aluminium foundry and machining facility<br />
4 pages, English<br />
In this brochure, Explat presents its activities as experts in magnesium and aluminium<br />
alloy casting and as specialists in parts machining. The foundry has a capacity<br />
of 100 t. The weights of the aluminium and magnesium castings produced range<br />
between 200 g and 330 kg.<br />
Information: www.explat.cz<br />
56 Casting Plant & Technology 3/<strong>2016</strong>
Vibrating feeder<br />
4 pages, English<br />
This product brochure features vibrating feeders supplied by JML. It includes technical<br />
data and photos of two feeder models, one for large quantities of bulk materials<br />
and one for small to medium material flows. They are both designed for castings<br />
weighing up to 450 kg.<br />
Information: www.jml-industrie.com<br />
Foundry equipment<br />
5 pages, English, German<br />
In this brochure, Webac Gesellschaft für Maschinenbau summarizes their product<br />
and service range for the foundry industry. Specially featured are molding and core<br />
sand preparation plants, sand regeneration plants, sand coating plants as well as<br />
cold resin pattern plants.<br />
Information: www.webac-gmbh.de<br />
Melting and heating technology<br />
16 pages, English<br />
A comprehensive brochure setting out the expertise of Marx in melting, ladle and<br />
extrusion technology. Detailed descriptions are provided of channel and crucible<br />
furnace plants; induction furnace plants; insulation technology; casting, transport<br />
and treatment ladles; gearbox series, etc.<br />
Information: www.marx-gmbh.eu<br />
Chemical metallurgical products<br />
24 pages, English<br />
This brochure provides information about fluxes offered by Hüttenes-Albertus for<br />
ferrous and non-ferrous casting applications. Each flux series is described in great<br />
detail, including a listing of available products, the forms in which they come, a<br />
summary of their specific purposes, temperature ranges, etc.<br />
Information: www.huettenes-albertus.com<br />
Casting Plant & Technology 3/<strong>2016</strong> 57
K INTERNATIONAL FAIRS AND CONGRESSES<br />
Fairs and Congresses<br />
Fond-Ex<br />
September, 12-16, <strong>2016</strong>, Brno/Czech Republic<br />
www.bvv.cz/en/fond-ex<br />
56. <strong>International</strong> Foundry Conference<br />
September, 14-16, <strong>2016</strong>, Portorož/Slovenia<br />
http://www.drustvo-livarjev.si/index.php?lang=english<br />
Metal – 21. <strong>International</strong> Fair of Technologies<br />
for Foundry<br />
September, 20-22, <strong>2016</strong>, Kielce/Poland<br />
www.targikielce.pl/en<br />
Euromold <strong>2016</strong><br />
September, 20-23, <strong>2016</strong>, Düsseldorf/Germany<br />
http://euromold.com/en<br />
IFF – <strong>International</strong> Foundry Forum<br />
September, 23-24, <strong>2016</strong>, Dresden/Germany<br />
www.international-foundry-forum.org<br />
4. China Int’l Aluminum Industry Exhibition <strong>2016</strong><br />
September, 26-28, <strong>2016</strong>, Guangzhou/China<br />
www.chinaaluminum.net/en<br />
Ankiros Annofer Turkcast <strong>2016</strong><br />
September/October, 29-01, <strong>2016</strong>, Istanbul/Turkey<br />
www.ankiros.com/index.php?en<br />
<strong>2016</strong> China <strong>International</strong> Die Casting Congress &<br />
The First CEO Forum<br />
October, 18-21, <strong>2016</strong>, Jiaxing/China<br />
www.cfadcc.com/en-index.aspx<br />
Indometal <strong>2016</strong><br />
October, 25-27, <strong>2016</strong>, Jakarta/Indonesia<br />
www.indometal.net<br />
6. <strong>International</strong> Foundry Congress & Exhibition<br />
November, 23-24, <strong>2016</strong>, Lahore/Pakistan<br />
www.pfa.org.pk/info/6th-IFCE/21/0<br />
CastTec <strong>2016</strong><br />
November, 24-25, <strong>2016</strong>, Darmstadt/Germany<br />
www.casttec<strong>2016</strong>.de/en/home<br />
<strong>2016</strong> Japan Die Casting Congress & Exposition<br />
November, 24-26, <strong>2016</strong>, Yokohama/Japan<br />
www.diecasting.or.jp<br />
Aluminium<br />
November/December, 29-01, <strong>2016</strong>, Düsseldorf/Germany<br />
www.aluminium-messe.com<br />
Alucast <strong>2016</strong><br />
December, 1-3, <strong>2016</strong>, Bangalore/India<br />
www.alucast<strong>2016</strong>.com<br />
Fundiexpo <strong>2016</strong><br />
October, 5-7, <strong>2016</strong>, Queretaro City/Mexico<br />
www.fundiexpo.com<br />
Advertisers‘ Index<br />
AGTOS Ges. für technische<br />
Oberflächensysteme mbH 60<br />
ASK Chemicals GmbH 23<br />
ASTI Gießereigeräte GmbH 51<br />
Quarzwerke Baums GmbH & Co. KG 15<br />
voestalpine Böhler Welding GmbH 11<br />
Büro für angewandte Mineralogie 27<br />
ConviTec GmbH 33<br />
Gustav Eirich GmbH & Co. KG 2<br />
ExOne GmbH 35<br />
FAT Förder- und Anlagentechnik GmbH 41<br />
Filtech Exhibitions Germany 7<br />
Foundry-Service GmbH 55<br />
GTP Schäfer GmbH 43<br />
H20 GmbH 45<br />
Jasper Ges. für Energiewirtschaft &<br />
Kybernetik mbH 37<br />
JÖST GmbH & Co. KG 43<br />
Klein Anlagenbau AG 49<br />
O.M.LER 2000 S.R.L. 47<br />
Reed Exhibitions (Deutschland) GmbH 31<br />
Regloplas AG 53<br />
RÖSLER Oberflächentechnik GmbH 45<br />
RUMP Strahlanlagen GmbH & Co. KG 15<br />
Troostwijk Veilingen b.v. 47<br />
Heinrich Wagner Sinto<br />
Maschinenfabrik GmbH 19<br />
WOKO Magnet- und Anlagenbau GmbH 32<br />
58 Casting Plant & Technology 3 / <strong>2016</strong>
K IMPRINT<br />
PREVIEW / IMPRINT K<br />
Preview of the next issue<br />
Publication date: December <strong>2016</strong><br />
Vehicle of the Mercedes-Series BR 222 (S-Class) showing the position of the rear strut tower – an aluminium structural casting (Photo: Daimler)<br />
Selection of topics:<br />
K. Vollrath: Aluminium structural die cast components: More capacity for Europe’s premium vehicles<br />
With the delivery of large-scale structural castings for the hybrid body of the new C-Class Mercedes Swiss DGS Druckguss Systeme AG,<br />
St. Gallen, has proven its expertise as a development partner for the global large-scale production of such castings. The next step is now the<br />
development of production and logistics structures that are capable to satisfy the needs of the European premium manufacturers.<br />
P. Hofer et al: Tungsten-based composites as a die material in high-pressure die-casting<br />
Local microstructure improvement in high-pressure die-castings by influencing thermal and mechanical process parameters were examined.<br />
Within the examination of the cooling of hpdc-tools the process related properties of the tungsten-based composite Densimet 185 (D185)<br />
were tested. The material D185 is compared with iron-based die materials.<br />
H. Wang et al: Optimization of a brake caliper<br />
Due to safety reasons, brake calipers are produced to the highest quality requirements. The Shanghai Sandmann Foundry (SSF) developed,<br />
and is successfully producing a car caliper made of ductile iron which was acquired to be optimized in a DISAMATIC casting process.<br />
Imprint<br />
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Ger man Foundry As so ci a tion<br />
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Michael Franken M.A.<br />
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Casting Plant & Technology 3 / <strong>2016</strong> 59
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