CPT International 01/2019

EDITORIAL 

Foundry technology 

made in Germany! 

German foundries and their suppliers are resourceful when it comes 

to modernization. Evidently with success, because Germany is the 

world’s fifth-largest producer of castings – and has been the uncontested 

world champion in productivity for years. 

Robert Piterek 

e-mail: robert.piterek@bdguss.de 

This newly designed issue of CP+T 

shows particularly clearly the 

answers that German engineers 

and molding material developers have 

found for the daily challenges facing 

foundries. The vibration technology 

expert Joest, for example, manufactures 

casting coolers and sells them worldwide. 

The interview with Managing 

Director Dr. Marcus Wirtz reveals the 

strategic considerations of the company, 

but also deals with the consequences 

of e-mobility and Industry 4.0 

(more on this from P. 6). 

The topics covered in other engineering-related 

articles range from a new 

thermal regeneration plant, through a 

shredder solution for aluminum rejects 

at the BMW works in Landshut and a 

process-integrated blasting plant, to an 

intelligent coating unit for automating 

coating preparation and inspections. 

The company report from P. 12 

provides a concrete view of a German 

foundry. The iron foundry Dinklage 

produces counterweights for forklifts. 

Business is booming, but the workforce 

at the company is insufficient – a problem 

that is affecting many foundries 

worldwide. 

Countries’ increasingly stringent 

environmental legislation in response to 

climate change and international treaties 

such as the Paris Agreement is forcing 

foundries and molding material 

developers to find new solutions 

regarding the composition of sand 

cores and molds. Inorganic substances 

have long played a role here. Now a 

new process accelerates the hardening 

of inorganic sand cores by means of 

electricity (more on this from P. 20) 

To assist in your orientation at the 

GIFA (at which about 1,000 exhibitors 

and 80,000 visitors are again expected) 

this issue also includes a GIFA Special. 

An article deals with Industry 4.0, the 

focus topic area of the trade fair. As 

GIFA and the quartet of technology 

trade fairs called “Bright World of 

Metals“ will offer a special show on 

additive manufacturing this year the 

Special also includes an article on this 

“key issue for future production 

engineering“. Visit GIFA and gain an 

insight into the current state-of-the-art 

of foundry technology – I am looking 

forward meeting your there! 

Have a good read! 

CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2019 3

CONTENTS 

FEATURES 

6 INTERVIEW 

Successful, even in uncertain times 

Joest is a specialist for vibration technology and 

2019 becomes 100 years old – Interview with 

Managing Director Dr. Marcus Wirtz 

Michael Vehreschild 

12 COMPANY 

Full order books – 

but shortage of personnel 

The iron foundry Dinklage in the German federal 

state of Lower Saxony uses hand molding processes 

to cast counterweights for the forklift sector. 

Robert Piterek 

17 CLEANING, FETTLING & FINISHING 

Process-integrated 

blast cleaning of die castings 

Die casting of aluminium is an extremely productive 

method for the manufacture of large-series 

parts which can be controlled at a high level. 

Klaus Vollrath 

INTERVIEW 

Dr. Marcus Wirtz in 

conversation with 

CP+T reporter 

Vehreschild. 

COMPANY 

A foundry in Lower 

Saxony casts counterweights 

for the booming 

forklift sector. 

20 MOLD AND COREMAKING 

Development of a new process for fast 

electrical hardening of inorganic sand cores 

The development of a new process for the hardening 

of inorganic sand cores aims at the faster and 

more cost-effective production of inorganic sand 

cores, Wolfram Bach, Eric Riedel 

Cover-Photo: 

Fritz Winter Eisengießerei GmbH & Co. KG, 

Albert-Schweitzer-Straße 15, 35260 Stadtallendorf, 

Germany info@fritzwinter.de 

www.fritzwinter.de/en 

CORE COATING 

The ICU is the next 

step in simplifying 

the coating application 

in the foundry 

industry. 

Fritz Winter is supplier of the global auto mo tive, commercial 

vehicle and hydraulic industry with sites in Germany, 

USA and China. The company develops and manufactures 

castings as well as complex system components. 

4

CONTENTS 

CLEANING, FETT- 

LING & FINISHING 

Blast cleaning of 

die castings. 

26 MOLD AND COREMAKING 

From waste to molding material 

Optimization of circulation for organically bound 

no-bake sands, Marco Cassens 

28 3-D-PRINTING 

Additive manufacturing – 

a plus for modern metal casting 

Many industrial manufacturers claim to be excited 

about metal additive manufacturing – a process that 

makes possible previously unmakeable shapes – but 

how many are actually doing anything about it? 

Andreas Bastian 

31 SPECIAL: GIFA 2019 

GIFA 2019 – the future is digital 

“The Bright World of Metals” is focusing on digitalization 

and Industry 4.0 in 2019, Gerd Krause 

Additive manufacturing: the key issue for 

production engineering in future 

“The Bright World of Metals“ is devoting a special 

show to the subject of additive manufacturing. 

Gerd Krause 

44 CORE COATING 

ICU – Intelligent Coating Unit 

By intelligent coating control, a great number of 

new automation applications become possible. 

Christoph Genzler 

48 RECYCLING 

RECYCLING 

Production of cylinder 

crankcases at the 

BMW Lightmetal 

foundry in Landshut. 

A new pre-shredder 

reduces srap. 

Pre-shredder in aluminium foundry reduces 

scrap 

Implementation of a sophisticated safety concept 

for the monitoring of container filling levels. 

Sophie Kesy 

COLUMNS 

3 EDITORIAL 

40 GIFA NEWS 

50 NEWS IN BRIEF 

54 FAIRS AND KONGRESSES/AD INDEX 

55 PREVIEW/IMPRINT 


INTERVIEW 

6

“Naturally, our employees are central to our 

success. Everyone carries the foundry DNA in 

themselves.“ 

Joest is a successful specialist in the field of vibration 

technology. The picture shows Dr. Marcus Wirtz in front 

of a dryer manufactured by Joest 

Successful, even in 

uncertain times 

100 years of Joest this year – Interview with Managing Director, Dr. Marcus Wirtz 

These are turbulent times – the Diesel 

emmission scandal, political shocks, 

e-mobility and Industry 4.0 challenge 

the foundries. Nevertheless, Joest continues 

to write its success story unabashed. 

Rising sales and employee 

figures show that the company is 

doing a lot right. Joest can confidently 

look forward to its 100th anniversary 

next year. How did the company from 

Duelmen achieve this? CP+T spoke to 

Joests Managing Director, Dr. Marcus 

Wirtz. 

Photo: Jöst 

Your company is successful in the market 

and boasts increasing sales and 

employee figures. You obviously did a 

lot of things right. In your opinion, 

what was decisive for this development? 

One of the key aspects of our success 

story is the history of the company. 

Joest celebrates its 100th anniversary 

next year. We have remained true to 

ourselves throughout the years. We 

have been manufacturing vibratory 

machines for a long time, but have 

remained open-minded and have added 

additional technologies to our portfolio. 

We have developed these consistently 

and made it possible for the company 

to continue to grow in a generic 

and organic way with new applications 

and technologies. Today we offer everything 

the market asks for – from small 

individual machines to large solutions. 

We fulfill the wishes of many foundries 

with complete solutions. We have 

developed ourselves in line with the 

customers and their needs. Listening 

On the road to success with Jöst: Managing Director Marcus Wirtz looks to the future with 

confidence 

and counseling is essential – and of 

course experience. 

What were the milestones in the 

development of Joest? 

To steadily strengthen its growth, Joest 

has made acquisitions that are optimally 

suited. In 1995, we acquired the 

Uhde-Schwingungstechnik. Herweg 

joined in 2002: In addition to the vibration 

technology, Joest now also offers 

weighing technology and special solutions. 

The conveying in vacuum was 

made possible. In 2006, Joest took over 

DIETERLE, a manufacturer of lifting and 

tipping equipment that transports, lifts, 

tilts, doses or decants bulk materials. 

DIETERLE GmbH & Co. KG merged with 

Joest GmbH + Co. KG early 2018 and is 

no longer an independent company, 

but another strong Joest group brand. 

In this way, we have expanded and supplemented 

our portfolio, and now offer 

an even wider range of products. 

A company is only successful in a team. 

What is the role of your employees in 

the growth? 

Naturally, our employees are central to 

our success. We attach great importance 

to employing primarily foundry 

engineers in our foundry division or 

Photo: Michael Vehreschild 


INTERVIEW 

employees from the foundry sector. 

Everyone carries the foundry DNA in 

themselves. This allows for a completely 

different access to customers. Furthermore, 

Joest has a very good staff structure 

of older and younger employees, 

from experienced and talented employees. 

Today, having on-site contact is 

more important than ever in international 

business. We have a total of ten 

subsidiaries. At least one on each continent, 

where we also manufacture, have 

spare parts ready and employ 

engineers. A key success of the Joest 

group lies in the successful internationalization 

strategy of the last 20 years. 

Now we are present in different countries 

and keep a close eye on what each 

country needs. This global presence also 

makes it possible to balance a weakening 

market with a stronger one. 

Photo: Michael Vehreschild 

How does success translate into 

numbers? 

The success can be seen in the development 

of sales and employee figures. 

They rose by 10 to 15 % respectively in 

the past three years. Today, Joest has 

365 employees in Germany – 15 more 

than a year and a half ago. Sales worldwide 

rose to more than 90 million 

euros. 

On the 1st of November 

2018 Joests new 

tech nical center started 

operation. 

Good numbers despite adversity – the 

Diesel emmission scandal also had an 

impact on the suppliers to the automotive 

industry. How did it impact Joest? 

Of course, the exhaust gas scandal has 

damaged the image of German mechanical 

engineering. At first there were 

irritations, projects were sometimes 

postponed. But there were reinvestments, 

the irritations are only insignificant. 

The scandal was so far not as significant 

as expected. We were able to 

balance the dent with other applications. 

Especially since the European 

foundries are becoming more and more 

international. 

Photo: Jöst 

What impact do growing expectations 

for efficiency and sustainability have 

on your business? 

We pay attention, for example, to efficiency 

in drive technology, which has 

always been one of our core competencies. 

An example: We have produced a 

large cast iron cooler – the largest vibrating 

machine in Europe – which is only 

powered by a 15 KW motor. We lower 

the energy consumption, even as the 

cast coolers get larger and larger. In 

addition, we at Joest naturally optimize 

our own production processes and production 

halls. The conversion to stateof-the-art 

technology, such as LED lighting 

and cold-beam heating systems, 

significantly saves on energy. 

How did you manage to meet the 

increasing demands? 

In fact, the requirements are becoming 

more and more complex – but we enjoy 

tackling them. To do this, we develop 

new processes and optimize machines, 

controls and plant technology. This 

applies for example to the core sand 

crushing. In order to meet high requirements, 

we have also steadily increased 

our development staff. We also offer a 

dual degree program, which we are significantly 

expanding for the different 

areas. In addition, we are preparing 

ourselves as a strong training company 

for the future. We currently have 35 

trainees – from the commercial sector 

to production. As customers increasingly 

demand a local presence, Joest 

founded another new company in 

Korea in 2017. In China and Korea, 

there is a clear demand to produce 

locally, which we also live up to. We are 

well informed about different countries 

and we have a combination of local and 

international staff here. 

Business units usually do not all 

develop at the same pace. Which 

product portfolio for foundries shows 

a particularly strong growth at your 

company? What are the reasons? 

A current trend is that due to increasing 

demand, several brake disk foundries 

are investing in box form plants with 

horizontal division in order to produce 

the castings with a structure which is 

point symmetrical to its axis of rotation. 

The configuration of the molding boxes 

8

“The share of hybrid drives will rise significantly 

in the coming years. This requires 

about 25 to 30 % more weight in castings. “ 

Investments are essential - 

that‘s what Jöst stands for. 

Michael Vehreschild (right) 

interviewed Dr.-Ing. Marcus 

Wirtz on the question of what 

makes Jöst so successful. 

Photo: Jöst 

is maximized; the performance of 

modern molding equipment is significant. 

This requires casting/sand separation 

plants in appropriate dimensions. 

In the production of engine blocks 

made of cast iron materials increasingly 

methods are used in which the casting 

has no direct contact with the wet casting 

sand, but rather is enclosed by an 

outer contour core structure to meet 

the accuracy and reproducibility, 

demanded by the required thin casting 

wall thicknesses of up to 2.5 mm. Such 

filigree castings require special unpacking 

procedures. This can not be managed 

with conventional separation channels. 

In the production of aluminum 

cylinder heads and several components 

for electric cars in gravity die casting, 

the cavities of the castings are mapped 

by built cores. For reasons of emission 

protection, increasingly inorganic binders 

are used for the production of 

these cores, replacing the traditional 

organic cold box process. It has been 

found, however, that the dust produced 

during the various post-coring process 

steps is significantly finer and partially 

respirable, i.e., penetrates into the 

alveoli. This considerably raises the 

demands placed on the plant technology 

with regard to dust-proofness and 

wear resistance. Since our concepts consistently 

reflect the indispensable feedback 

of customer experience, we have 

suitable solutions that meet these 

requirements. 

Which markets may come to the fore? 

We can see expansions in Mexico and 

Turkey. The automotive industry is growing, 

increasing the need for foundries. 

Especially since end users expect the 

foundry to be located nearby. In addition, 

there is an investment backlog in 

North America. Much of the production 

was shifted especially to China. Now a 

lot can come back. The political and 

financial problems and conflicts – 

recently in Turkey – as well as tweets 

from the US, however, can stop such 

developments overnight and lead to 

shifts to other countries. Therefore, our 

international presence is essential. 

E-mobility is thus coming increasingly 

into the spotlight. How do you rate this 

market? 

It will be a long time before there are 

no more combustion engines left. The 

demand for trucks is very high. 

Truck transport is increasing enormously 

and e-mobility is less important here 

and will not represent a solution for the 

foreseeable future. I consider the goals 

of e-mobility announced by politicians 

in Germany to be unrealistic. But I have 

the impression that this will calm down 

and they will come to their senses, to 

more realistic assessments and time frames. 

(Including combustion engine). 

This includes hydrogen propulsion and 

the classic internal combustion engine 

in other regions, where these are constantly 

optimized. To meet future requirements 

for fleet consumption 

The share of hybrid drives will rise 

significantly in the coming years. This 

requires about 25 to 30 % more weight 

in castings. According to expert estimates, 

this trend will continue until at least 

2035. If the share of pure electric 

vehicles increases gradually, the proportion 

of castings will decrease significantly, 

but many castings will be required 

for the charging infrastructure and 

the growing number of wind turbines. 

Could markets develop differently? 

In China, North America – and Africa in 

the long term – the demand for engines 

is immense, and the distances to be 

covered are even greater. The internal 

combustion engines will continue to 

play their part in this. But one thing is 

clear: E-mobility is a trend, the share of 

E-mobility will continue to grow. There 

will be a mix: in the urban area rather 

electric motors and hybrid technology 

(with internal combustion engine). This 

includes hydrogen propulsion and the 


INTERVIEW 

classic internal combustion engine in 

other regions, where these are constantly 

optimized. In order to meet 

future requirements for fleet consumption, 

the share of hybrid drives will 

increase significantly in the coming 

years. This requires about 25 to 30 % 

more weight in castings. According to 

expert estimates, this trend will continue 

until at least 2035. If the share of 

pure electric vehicles increases gradually, 

the proportion of castings will 

decrease significantly, but many castings 

will be required for the charging 

infrastructure and the growing number 

of wind turbines. 

Industry 4.0 is the future. How do you 

position yourself here? 

Industry 4.0 is a special opportunity, we 

are working intensively with it. We 

have already developed some solutions: 

Thus, we provide a clear allocation of 

data on the castings, bring together 

numerous parameters and allow tracing 

of data. For example, the customer 

knows where things are. The goal is to 

detect mistakes earlier and avoid them. 

It’s all about reporting of faults, avoidance 

of failures and preventive maintenance. 

Our vision is that you can tell 

why a casting error occurred. All data 

– such as temperature, speed, humidity, 

inventory and noise level – should be 

merged. An important example: The 

controllers we develop should not just 

control. We already have intelligent 

controls – the platform is there, so the 

hardware is there. Now let’s see how 

we use them, so that these controls can 

unfold their full potential. For this purpose, 

the controllers are additionally 

equipped with intelligent software. We 

want to offer both: normal and intelligent 

controls. 

Without innovations there is no further 

development of the company. With 

what strategy do you proceed here? 

The field of research and development 

is essential for us. That is why we work 

together with various universities, for 

example with the Technical University 

of Aachen and the University of Applied 

Sciences of Münster, Steinfurt department. 

We award master’s and doctoral 

theses. Furthermore, I am a member of 

the board of the VDMA trade association 

Metallurgy and Chairman of the 

Department of Mineral Processing. 

Here, global strategic issues are discussed. 

What investments did you use to accelerate 

the development of your company? 

We have been here in Dülmen since 

1990 and have since been constantly 

expanding by investing in new plants 

and production capacities such as halls. 

The floor area increased from 40,000 to 

approximately 65,000 square meters. An 

example: Eight years ago, we built a 

completely new blasting and painting 

plant using state-of-the-art technology. 

Since then we can perform all paint specifications 

up to the highest quality 

requirements in a flexible and timely 

manner. This is especially important 

when offering premium quality with 

JOEST – EXPERTS IN BULK MATERIALS 

The foundry business field at Joest offers machines and systems for green and 

no-bake sand molding systems. Companies in the steel and metallurgical 

industries are supplied with, among other things, hopper discharge chutes for 

supplement management, and alloying plants for the various melting processes 

in steelworks. In addition to metallurgy, the main business fields are primary 

raw materials, secondary raw materials/recycling, as well as chemistry 

and food. 

Vibration machines and systems for almost all industrial sectors are conceived, 

designed, produced and tested at the headquarters in Dülmen on a total 

surface area of about 65,000 m². The company, which considers itself an 

expert in bulk materials, has undergone strong growth in recent years. Several 

subsidiaries have been founded abroad: in South Korea (since 2017), India, 

China, Australia, Brazil, South Africa, France, and in the USA. So, according to 

Joest, customers all over the world can exploit the company’s expertise with 

local support, production and service. Sales volumes and the number of 

employees are constantly rising. Joest has 365 employees in Germany, and 

more than 700 worldwide. Worldwide sales total more than 90 million euros. 

Joest will celebrate its 100-year history next year. The Managing Directors 

include Dr. Hans Moormann (also Managing Partner), Dr. Marcus Wirtz and Dr. 

Christoph Stephany. 

short delivery times. On November 1, 

the new technical center went into operation. 

We built this even larger. Here 

we can run tests with customers for all 

solutions as well as machines and prototypes 

offered by Joest. Over the past 

few years, we have invested a total of 

more than 10 million euros in our main 

site in Dülmen. 

Are there plans for further investment 

in the next few years? 

Yes, this includes, for example, the new 

machine technology of the flame cutting 

machine with integrated machining 

centers. We also employ welding 

robots to achieve productivity at a consistently 

high level of quality. As the 

world leader in vibration technology 

with manufacturing facilities on every 

continent, quality is our top priority, no 

matter where in the world customers 

buy from us. Therefore, we continue to 

focus on Germany and plan further 

expansions, especially for quality-critical 

parts and components. 

Investments are important, but also 

require qualified employees. How do 

you deal with the shortage of skilled 

workers? 

We must note that it is becoming more 

difficult to find trainees. This applies 

especially to the field of electrical 

engineering. Basically, we are working 

very actively to avoid a shortage of 

skilled workers. Thus, for example, we 

have a good network with associations 

and universities. And we can offer 

employees many benefits. We have 

very good transport connections. We 

are in close proximity to Münster as 

well as Duisburg, Dortmund and Dusseldorf 

– without having to renounce 

the advantages of inexpensive rural 

living. A great location advantage. The 

dual course of study that we offer is 

also very attractive. Young employees 

have many and good international 

opportunities for development. Out of 

consideration for the families, the fitters 

are still working in the factory. 

The employees assemble the machines 

here, but then accompany them to the 

construction site for final assembly. It 

is important for us not only to keep 

our employees, but to offer an attractive, 

motivating work environment 

with prospects. And this is confirmed 

by the fact that they want to stay 

here! 

The interview was conducted by 

Michael Vehreschild, Kleve. 

10

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Full order books – 

but shortage of personnel 

Melt on the march! Cupola 

furnaces replenish the molten 

iron in the iron foundry 

The iron foundry Dinklage in the German federal state of Lower Saxony uses hand molding 

processes to cast counterweights for the forklift sector. Business is booming, but the 

necessary capacity expansion is at risk because of a lack of personnel. Managing Director 

Björn Ploch wants to modernize and expand the works – with Swabian industriousness 

and good ideas. 

by Robert Piterek, Düsseldorf 

Photos: Andreas Bednareck 

Drive past special steel producer 

Stallkamp and axle manufacturer 

Gigant and you reach the Dinklage 

iron foundry in the industrial park 

of the small town of Dinklage (population 

12,800) in the Vechta district of 

Lower Saxony. The production hall, 

about 70 meters long, stands at right 

angles to the administration building, 

in front of which employees and visitors 

can park their cars. The works, which 

looks fairly inconspicuous from the outside, 

is an essential element in the production 

chain of a type of vehicle 

which, although an everyday sight in 

industry, is only ever seen on Germany’s 

roads firmly strapped to the back of a 

truck. The iron foundry is owned by the 

Frankfurt-based KION GROUP which 

also controls, among other companies, 

the major forklift producers Linde 

Material Handling and STILL. Components 

for excavators and mobile cranes 

are also produced here for Switzerland’s 

Liebherr group of companies. The 

owners of the iron foundry should be 

pleased about the extremely good 

orders situation. Managing Director 

Björn Ploch puts it succinctly: “The 

forklift market is booming!” Whereby 

his task is the foundry-based production 

of the counterweights – necessary for 

balancing the loads that the forklifts 

busily transport around the factories of 

the world – annual sales of which are in 

the high double-digit millions of euros. 

12

COMPANY 

Managing Director 

Björn Ploch (left) ex 

plains the charging of 

the furnace to CP+T- 

Edi tor Robert Piterek 

– reasonably priced 

input material is becoming 

increasingly rare. 

Work is now in full 

swing in the foundry. 

Here, on the semi-automatic 

molding line. 

An older caster treats a mold with an 

alcohol-based coating. Almost 40 % 

of the workforce is over 55 years old. 

The workforce is too old 

The hand molding foundry is located in 

a region that has no foundry tradition 

and where the unemployment rate of 

2 % is nearing full employment. A poor 

starting point for a works that employs 

167 personnel (including agency workers 

and trainees) and whose workforce 

is gradually ageing too much. “The proportion 

of 55-year-olds in the workforce 

is currently 38 %,” according to Ploch. 

“This will catch us out badly in two or 

three years,” the Swabian adds gloomily. 

He comes from Königsbronn in the 

Swabian Alb region and started working 

at the Dinklage iron foundry in 

2016. 

Ploch’s fascination regarding 

foundry work started at SHW in Königsbronn. 

Here he developed from a skilled 

worker to a master, before taking a 

commercial Chamber of Industry and 

Commerce course and then moving to 

Hasloch to be Works Manager for Kurtz, 

where he helped Managing Director 

Graziano Sammati expand the smart 

foundry. Ploch’s eyes light up when 

asked whether he would also set up 

Industry 4.0-based production in Dinklage 

if it were possible, though he 

avoids the comparison. “The technology 

and design at Kurtz were brilliant, but I 

think that the automated transport systems 

there are too susceptible to 

faults,” he recalls, and then ventures to 

transfer the vision of a smart foundry to 

his works: “I see what they have at 

Kurtz on rails here – and there would 

also have to be a manipulator.” But the 

necessary manpower would have to be 

recruited here before he could approach 

these tasks in concrete terms. 

Automatic preparation 

of coatings 

Some new developments, however, 

have been completed and are already 

improving the quality and expanding 

the capacity of the current 36,000 tonnes 

per year of production – because 

the order books for 2018 and 2019 are 

full to the brim. And the restless Swabian 

does not lack plans. Ploch and his 

team recently invested in an automatic 

coating preparation system from 

foundry supplier Foseco, Borken, to 

meet customers’ quality demands. 

“There was often a lot of mineralization 

in the shaft area. When we took 

measurements, we found that there 

was insufficient viscosity in our old coating 

tank. Our water-based dip therefore 

failed to provide the desired 

effect,” the Managing Director ex 

plains. “Our flood basin used to be 

manually mixed every morning,” he 

recalls. Ploch got the idea for the 

Foseco coating preparation system 

during a visit to the sister foundry run 

by Linde Material Handling in Weilbach, 

where an almost identical plant was 

already in operation. After a few modifications, 

the pool has also been providing 

optimally mixed coatings in Dinklage 

since January 2018. 

Human sources of error are ruled 

out by the computer-controlled 

movement of the reddish brown liquid, 

which is gently stirred in the pool by a 

current and then applied to the core. 

The mineralization problem at Dinklage 

is now a thing of the past, and Ploch is 

happy to have a German partner for the 

coating. “The advantage of Foseco is its 

closeness. Other producers are located 

in Italy, and the reaction time is not 

quick enough. We have had two problems 

since the plant was installed. 

Foseco was here in four hours and provided 

immediate help, while also offe 


COMPANY 

ring service,” stresses Ploch. According 

to Foseco, the advantage of the plant is 

cost reduction – thanks to a lower reject 

rate and less extra work – as well as 

increased productivity and optimized 

drying, with positive effects on the quality 

of the castings. 

An alcohol-based coating is not an 

alternative solution for Ploch. “On our 

casting line we still use alcohol coatings 

for the cope and drag boxes, but 

water-based for the cores. The disadvantage 

of the alcohol coating is that 

the surface of the binder bridges can be 

destroyed by the heat, resulting in loss 

of mold strength. Water-based coating 

is gentler, it does its job, evaporates and 

I can work on the core again after eight 

hours. There is also less smell.” The iron 

foundry uses no-bake furan resin sands 

with 20 % of new sand and 80 % of old 

sand for the cores. 

Ploch is a pragmatist through and 

through, and is totally involved with his 

job. He is prepared to put up with various 

hardships: he lives in Dinklage 

during the week, commuting to his wife 

and children in Heidenheim, 600 kilometers 

away, on weekends and for 

family celebrations. In addition to his 

profession and family, Ploch has two 

other passions: the German Premier 

League football club VfB Stuttgart and 

Thai boxing. He is also working on professionally 

rounding out his rise from 

foundry mechanic to Managing Director 

with an additional course he is taking in 

foundry technology at the German 

Foundrymen’s Association (VDG) Academy 

in Düsseldorf. 

The cope and drag boxes are 

put together on the closing 

machine, then the casting boxes 

are transported to the molding 

line opposite, where they are 

shot. 

The molding boxes are prepared 

for casting by workers with respirators. 

No-bake furan resin 

sand is used. 

Induction furnace tandem to 

replace cupola furnaces 

The replacement of the two cupola furnaces 

with induction furnaces is fully 

planned, but has not yet received final 

approval. Every hour, the cupola furnaces 

currently supply ten tonnes of melt 

of the alloy GJL 250, the only metal 

used at Dinklage. While one furnace is 

actively melting, the other receives 

maintenance – requiring manpower for 

which Ploch must maintain 3-shift operation. 

This melting system, especially 

suitable for serial casting, is now rarely 

found in Germany. Only about 60 

cupola furnaces are still operating in 

German foundries. 

The two cupola furnaces have a 

central position in the production hall 

in Dinklage. Water constantly flows 

over the outer shell and the refractory 

material of the melting furnaces to 

cool them. Ploch and his team have calculated 

that 2-shift operation could be 

reintroduced with induction furnaces. 

At the same time, although the overall 

electricity price is rising, the basic price 

for the iron foundry would actually fall 

as a result of the higher purchase 

quantity: 15 instead of 1.6 MW of electricity 

a month. There are, however, 

numerous other reasons for changing 

the melting technology. For one thing, 

there is the problem of the smell 

(which annoys residents in the immediate 

vicinity of the foundry), as well as 

difficulty procuring input material. As 

flexible as cupola furnaces are, reasonably 

priced input material – Grade 3a 

commercial casting scrap, consisting of 

old radiators and water pipes, up to 

now obtained from Poland, the former 

East German states and the Czech 

Republic – is becoming increasingly 

rare, leading to rising prices. A new 

induction furnace tandem would double 

melt performance while reducing 

the workload and eliminating the 

smell problem – arguments for the 

change that Ploch considers unbeatable. 

He estimates the costs for the furnaces, 

the periphery and installation at 

5 million euros. 

In order to equip the foundry for 

the future, Ploch also wants to install a 

sixth processing center with a 5-axis milling 

machine in the machining shop, as 

well as buy a molding sand mixer and a 

casting cooler. There should also be a 

cooling section for the castings, and 

drying furnaces for the cores. Solution 

14

The iron foundry was able to 

ensure mold stability with the 

fully automatic coating pools 

from Foseco. 

of the personnel shortage, however, is 

of fundamental importance for increasing 

yield with the help of the new 

technical equipment in the machining 

shop: “I currently have five machines 

but only four operators,” the Managing 

Director points out. 

Five processing centers 

are currently in operation 

– and there is 

already one operator 

too few. Machining is 

nevertheless to be 

expanded. 

A forklift counterweight 

with sprues and 

burrs in the fettling 

shop. Most of the work 

here is done by agency 

staff. 

The casters from the Swabian Alb 

Work in the production hall is now in 

full swing. Most of the space in the hall 

is taken up with the semi-automatic 

molding plant. Finished drag boxes containing 

cores for STILL counterweights 

are currently being transported to the 

closing machine, where the cope and 

drag boxes are automatically put 

together. The boxes are perfectly flush 

with one another and are then transported 

to the casting line opposite, 

where they are shot. 65 to 80 molds are 

thus filled with red-hot melt every day 

– the largest counterweights weigh six 

tonnes. 

To the left of the molding plant the 

drag boxes are prepared for casting, 

coated, provided with cores, and secured 

against the lifting force. An older 

employee is currently hooking a bulky 

core to a hall crane and can thus effortlessly 

transport it to the waiting drag 

box. Elsewhere in the foundry it also 

becomes clear that most of the workforce 

have already passed the height of 

their productive capacity. 

In order to get to grips with the personnel 

problem, Ploch first got in touch 

with his own contacts in the Swabian 

Alb. As in the case of his 56-year-old 

pattern constructor, who originally 

managed a family-run company in 

Aalen but had to give it up because he 

could not find a successor. Thanks to 

Ploch’s persuasive power, the man now 

works here in Dinklage. 

Trainee Mario Faiss also came to the 

small Lower Saxony town from the Swabian 

Alb to start his career. He is in his 

second year of training to become a 

foundry mechanic, and is being introduced 

to the profession in the works by 

trainer Fred Säwert. He completed his 

vocational college work in block lessons 

at the Wilhelm Maybach College (WMS) 

570 kilometers away in Stuttgart, 

although there is also a foundry academy 

in nearby Varel. “They do not, 

however, have a training foundry of 

their own, and that is important for 

me,” stresses Ploch, who also learned 

his trade at the WMS. “The Maybach 

College also explicitly trains casters – 

training is divided into pattern constructors 

and casters. That is different 

from a general vocational school, where 

the subject is only available as an elective,” 

he adds. 

The iron foundry pays for Mario’s 

apartment, in addition to his normal 

pay packet, in order to make his training 

more palatable. Ploch also sent the 

21-year-old to the STILL works in Ham 


COMPANY 

Painted and unpainted 

counterweights 

are stored on the 

foundry grounds. 

burg shortly after he had signed his 

contract. “I wanted to show him that 

no forklifts can exist without counterweights,” 

says Ploch. The visit made an 

impression on Mario: “I was able to 

experience how the forklift is constructed 

around the counterweight in the 

factory,” he remembers. He was also 

impressed by the machines used. Marco 

now feels more at home in the north 

than in the south. He enjoys hanging 

out with friends, for whom he designed 

a very special present: a cast iron backside 

with ears! Trainer Säwert is already 

preparing himself to receive more 

trainees: he has been undergoing 

further education as a trainer at the 

German Foundrymen’s Association Academy 

since September. 

Trainer Fred Säwert (left) and trainee Mario Faiss. Faiss comes from the Swabian Alb, 

Säwert from East Frisia. More trainees are to be recruited to ensure sufficient personnel 

cover. 

The e-forklift is on the way 

The necessary generational change at 

the works comes at a time when the 

forklift sector is also in transition. 

e-forklifts are increasingly asserting 

themselves in factories all over the 

world. This also affects the design of 

the counterweights. “The weights are 

becoming lighter because the battery of 

the e-forklift also adds weight,” explains 

Ploch. The battery is located in the 

middle of the forklift, while the counterweight 

is at the back. Ribs have been 

integrated into the structure of the 

counterweight in order to reduce its 

weight. 

Crossing the yard, in which two-anda-half 

thousand tonnes of charging 

material is stored, one reaches the paint 

shop, which rounds out the value-creation 

of the counterweights and turns 

the iron foundry into a ‘system supplier’. 

This is where the finished red and 

orange counterweights are arranged in 

rows, ready for dispatch to Linde and 

STILL, where they are installed on diesel 

or e-forklifts that will continue to be 

required in factory and dispatch logistics 

for the foreseeable future. The 

struggle to fill vacancies in the region 

will remain challenging. Bonus payments 

have already been made for procuring 

new personnel. The companies 

neighboring the iron foundry, Stallkamp 

and Gigant, have also poached 

one or other urgently required worker 

from Ploch. Trainee Mario Faiss will, in 

future, help Björn Ploch by recruiting 

secondary school-leavers starting their 

professional lives, and perhaps the iron 

foundry will also succeed in getting an 

agency worker to commit themselves 

with a fixed contract. There is certainly 

enough work in Dinklage – three people 

could immediately start work at the 

machining shop, and another two or 

three for the melting operation in the 

foundry. And in order not to lose sight 

of Industry 4.0, Ploch also needs IT 

experts with foundry knowledge to set 

up an ERP system in the medium term 

– so that the future also comes to Dinklage 

soon! 

www.eisengiesserei-dinklage.de 

16

CLEANING; FETTLING & FINISHING 

Process-integrated 

blast cleaning of die castings 

At ae group shift housings for 

automatic transmissions are cast 

on casting line 2 and then blasted. 

Die casting of aluminium is an extremely productive method for the manufacture of 

large-series components which can be controlled at a high level. In order to achieve 

a maximum degree of reliability and quality, casting lines at the ae group in Gerstungen 

are laid out to ensure that as many process steps as possible are linked and fully automated, 

thus dispensing with manual interventions. A blasting concept was therefore 

realized with parts lying flat on conveyor belts and being treated in a continuous process. 

This eliminates the unavoidable manual suspension and removal tasks associated 

with hanger-type blast machines. 

Klaus Vollrath, Aarwangen, Switzerland 

Photos: Klaus Vollrath 

We supply the automotive 

industry with our die-cast 

aluminium parts and face the 

toughest international competition in 

this respect”, says Tino Kunkel, manager 

of one of the production lines at the ae 

foundry in Gerstungen. Automation of 

as many processes as possible is the 

recipe employed here for lowering costs 

and, simultaneously, enhancing quality. 

The fundamental maxim governing the 

complete process chain is that castings 

should only be physically touched by 

hand where absolutely necessary. Operation 

of die-casting machinery 

(cold-chamber machines with die clamping 

forces ranging from 12,500 to 

14,000 kN) and its peripheral units is 

completely automated. Castings which 

have already been deburred on the 

die-casting machines are fed onto a 


CLEANING; FETTLING & FINISHING 

Discharge side of one 

of the shot blast 

machines installed at 

ae in Gerstungen. 

Casting line 2 encompasses 

seven 

cold-chamber die-casting 

machines for aluminium 

in the final 

expansion stage. 

Castings which have already been deburred on the 

die-casting machines are fed onto a common conveyor 

route at half the height of the facility where 

they are forwarded to fine blanking. 

common conveyor route at half the 

height of the facility where they then 

travel on for fine blanking. The process 

continues into the next hall where the 

parts are first blasted for cleaning and 

surface pretreatment before being forwarded 

to laser systems by conveyor 

belt where they each receive an individual 

QR code and are packaged. Very 

strict quality criteria apply along the 

entire process chain, which is why every 

step is carefully monitored and documented. 

Similarly strict criteria apply to the 

machines employed. These must be 

designed or modified and installed so 

that they correspond to the process 

management and quality philosophy of 

the company. In addition to reliable 

engineering, human dependability and 

the support and service of manufacturers 

also play a significant role. Immediate 

assistance is expected where problems 

arise. 

Fully automated continuous 

shot blast machines 

The ae group opted for AGTOS Type BS 

08-05-3.6-08-11.0 machines for cleaning 

and surface preparation of castings 

from casting line 2 in Gerstungen. Use 

of a hanger-type blast machine was 

dispensed with, given that relatively 

flat, strongly structured parts with a 

large surface (but not bulky geometries) 

are mainly involved, such as shift 

housings for automatic transmissions. 

This also had the advantage of permitting 

selection of a direct continuous 

process without manual interventions. 

The solution chosen involves the continuous 

transportation of the parts 

through the plant with the aid of a 

wide-meshed wire conveyor belt. They 

are blasted with special abrasive from 

above and below during this with the 

aid of a total of eight shot blasting turbines, 

ensuring all-round cleaning and 

surface treatment. 

The belt is divided into two tracks 

through a central “guide rail” consisting 

of plates, meaning that two different, 

but typical components (e.g. the 

upper and lower parts of a shift 

housing) can be processed simultaneously. 

As the parts only have minor 

indentations, residual abrasive material 

can be removed with comparative ease 

through a blower unit in the blast 

machine outlet. 

Treatment of abrasive ensures 

stable process parameters 

When it comes to treatment of castings 

through shot blasting, the condition of 

the abrasive employed plays a significant 

role. This moves continually in a 

cycle, whereby its consistency and composition 

are altered during use through 

two main interfering factors. These are 

soiling of the abrasive through fine 

non-metallic and metallic dust and dirt 

particles and contamination through 

flash and flakes parted during the blasting 

process. The abrasive moving in 

the cycle therefore needs to be carefully 

treated during each passage to 

maintain the consistency of its composition 

with regard to granular size and 

impurities within narrow limits. This 

occurs during the return of the abrasive 

from the machine abrasive collection 

hopper trough to the storage bunker 

located on top. Transportation is realized 

via a bucket elevator. On reaching 

the top, the abrasive passes through a 

screening section to remove coarse 

impurities such as flash and flakes. This 

is followed by wind sifting which sorts 

out dirt and dust particles and the 

finest abrasive fragments (so-called 

18

The castings receive an individual 

laser marking following the shot blasting 

process. 

fines). The abrasive cleaned in this manner 

is conveyed to the storage bunker 

for the blasting turbines. 

Support from the machine 

manufacturer 

As aluminium is a comparatively soft 

material, it can be damaged by excessively 

hard blasting. It was therefore 

important to evaluate the effect of the 

machines prior to deciding on their 

purchase. AGTOS was more than willing 

to conduct these preliminary trials 

on its own machinery. Initial blasting 

trials were first conducted on an 

AGTOS machine in Emsdetten with 

four turbines. Following the positive 

results of these tests, further trials 

were conducted on a large machine 

with eight turbines at the AGTOS plant 

in Konin, Poland. This machine was of 

the same design as the model being 

offered. Notable features here were a 

modification of the blasting turbine 

layout to optimize the effect of the 

blasting abrasive. A special abrasive 

consisting of non-ferrous metals which 

wide-meshed wire conveyor also facilitates 

blasting of the castings from below. 

was recommended by AGTOS was also 

used during the trials. Flakes from 

burrs were removed with this and the 

surface of the components roughened 

slightly while maintaining the smoothness 

of the bore holes which had been 

already punched. 

Engineering, consulting and 

service satisfaction 

In addition to the quality of the machines 

themselves, consultation and service 

competence proved significant criteria 

in the decision to purchase the 

machinery. The former was favourably 

evaluated during the prior test phase, 

and the ae group had already gained 

positive experience at an earlier stage 

of the reliability of AGTOS engineering 

and service. Shot blast machines are 

exposed to extremely severe stress 

during use, meaning that breakdowns 

are practically unavoidable. Fortunately, 

the response speed of the manufacturer‘s 

service department and proactive 

maintenance realized in advance 

mean that extremely few faults have 

been encountered during machine 

operation. Following an initial procurement 

in 2013 and in the following 

years, this operating record now led to 

the installation of two further systems. 

www.agtos.de 

www.ae-group.de 


MOLD AND COREMAKING 

Photo: Soplain 

Inorganically bound sand cores with different graphite contents, which influences the thermal conductivity of the sand binder mixture and 

thus the hardening times. 

Development of a new process 

for fast electrical hardening of 

inorganic sand cores 

Inorganics are becoming increasingly important for the production of sand cores. The 

development of a new process for the hardening of inorganic sand cores by means of 

electricity aims at the faster and more cost-effective production of inorganic sand cores. 

Further advantages such as low energy consumption and homogeneous hardening are 

promising. 

Wolfram Bach, Welsleben, and Eric Riedel, Magdeburg 

Introduction 

The use of cores is indispensable for the 

foundry industry. Complex, internal and 

thin-walled geometries as well as indentations 

are not possible without lost 

cores. Thus, they pave the way for innovative 

casting technology solutions in 

order to meet the high demands placed 

on modern castings today and in the 

future. Core production is therefore of 

great importance in terms of variety, 

complexity and surface quality. Core 

shooting in cold box or hot box processes 

has been established for many 

years. The cold box process, on one 

hand, is characterized by the fact that 

the sand cores are hardened in nonheated 

boxes by a compressed air amine 

mist gassing. The required binder for 

cold box usually consists of a two-component 

system consisting of phenolic 

resin and polyisocyanate. The hot box 

process, on the other hand, usually uses 

moist bound molding materials, which 

are completely hardened in the core box 

by absorbing the stored heat energy. 

Despite the extensive use and high 

productivity of core shooting, many 

companies are working on further and 

new developments in the field of core 

production. One of the most important 

developments at present is certainly the 

additive manufacturing or the colloquial 

3-D printing of lost cores. A development, 

which is advanced among others 

by ExOne, Voxeljet, the BMW AG or 

Bosch Rexroth, in order to name only 

some companies, and which shows 

again that the Additive Manufacturing 

procedures are versatile applicable and 

are becoming increasingly important. 

The motivation behind this develop- 

20

3 

1 

5 

6 

4 

7 

7 

12 

6 

11 

10 

9 

8 

5 

4 

2 

4 

3 

1 Upper mould box half 

2 Lower mould box half 

3 Mounting plate (electrically isolated) 

4 Isolation plate 

9 

5 Electrodes (arranged parallel) 

6 Mould material (electrically conductive) 

7 Mould cacity 

8 Sand-binder mixture / Core 

9 Control of voltage 

10 Square 

11 Isolation screw 

12 Alignment bolt 

3 

Graphics: University of Magdeburg 

Figure 1: Schematic illustration of the core box design (left) with detailed illustration of the fastening of the mold material in the mold box. 

ment is a reduction in fixed costs, since, 

e.g., the production of the necessary 

core boxes and tools, the purchase of 

which usually only pays off with large 

quantities, is no longer necessary or the 

production of small batch sizes at large 

series costs. Thus, 3-D printing of lost 

cores opens up new possibilities with 

regard to complexity, individuality and 

quality of the models in small and 

medium series production, e.g. for manufacturing 

of prototypes. 

Nevertheless, the manufacturing 

processes are too time-consuming for 

mass production, especially for larger 

geometries, and will remain so for the 

foreseeable future. In addition to Additive 

Manufacturing, sustainable manufacturing 

is at the top of the agenda of 

the local and global foundries, not least 

due to increasingly stringent political 

restrictions on behalf of the EU and the 

federal government(s). 

The introduction of inorganic binder 

systems, such as the Inotec binder system 

developed by ASK Chemicals, Hilden, or 

the Cordis binder system developed by 

Hüttenes Albertus, Düsseldorf, has 

already led to great success in reducing 

pollutant emissions in recent years. However, 

ongoing cost pressure and the 

ongoing need for new innovations are 

constantly prompting the industry to 

make further developments in this area 

so that foundries can remain competitive 

in the future. 

With „Advanced Core Solutions“ 

(ACS) project, Soplain GmbH, Welsleben, 

aims to meet this demand and further 

increase the importance of inorganic 

binder systems. With the 

implementation of a new patent 

(DE102017217098) for the production 

of lost cores and molds, a process is 

under development that adheres to the 

basic principle of core shooting and 

builds on the existing inorganic binders, 

but pursues a new approach to hardening 

inorganic sand cores. That way, the 

new process strives to be both more 

efficient and more environmentally 

friendly than previous processes. 

Process description 

The new process is based on the consideration 

that the permanent mold and 

sand-binder mixture should have 



Graphics: Soplain 

Electrical resistance [kΩ] 

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 

120 

100 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

Electrical resistance [kΩ] 

approximately the same electrical conductivity 

at optimum working temperature. 

Thus, by applying an electrical 

voltage, the same level of electrical current 

is able to flow in each area of the 

tool and the sand-binder mixture. The 

result is a homogeneous electrical 

energy distribution. The heating resulting 

from the electrical power finally 

hardens the sand-binder mixture homogeneous. 

As with conventional core shooting 

methods, this requires a permanent 

mold or core box consisting of several 

components. As shown in Figure 1, at 

least a two-part mold initially consists 

of just as many electrically isolated 

plates which serve to accommodate the 

individual components. On each mounting 

plate is the isolation plate mounted 

which then contains the electrodes. The 

electrodes will provide the electric current 

into the actual, electrically conductive 

mold. 

The individual components of the 

core boxes are connected to the mounting 

plate by means of electrically 

non-conductive screws and brackets. 

Power [W] 

Figure 2: Qualitative curve shape for the determination of the characteristic curves of mold/ 

binder power and electrical resistance. 

hot 

hot 

cold 

does not harden 

Without adjustment of the specific 

electrical resistance 

hot 

hot 

hot 

hardens 

With adjustment of the specific 

electrical resistance 

Figure 3: Impact of the electrical properties of the permanent mold and sand-binder mixture 

on the hardening process. 

t [s] 

The individual molds for the sand cores 

are assembled by means of a quick-release 

system, which enables the permanent 

molds to be changed quickly. For 

process monitoring, the mold boxes are 

equipped with temperature sensors in 

order to prevent possible overheating 

above the intended temperature range 

as specified for the binder. For industrial 

use, holes for non-conductive ejection 

bolts are provided in the entire tool 

(mounting and isolation plate, permanent 

mold) to remove the hardened 

cores quickly. The selection of a suitable 

electrically conductive material for the 

permanent mold is made taking the 

optimum working temperature of the 

sand-binder mixture into account. 

Experimental procedure 

The efficiency of the processes is highly 

depending on the alignment of the 

conductivity of the mold material to the 

sand-binder mixture. A series of measurements 

were carried out to determine 

the electrical conductivity of sandbinder 

mixtures and various mold 

materials to identify the specific temperature 

and electrical conductivity 

behavior. 

In order to determine different 

sand-binder mixtures, the different mixtures 

where filled into a sample mold, 

which was compacted according to real 

application conditions. Measuring 

devices were attached to the electrical 

components of the core boxes to measure 

the current and voltage as well as 

the temperatures generated at the electrodes. 

A constant voltage was then 

applied to the electrodes, causing the 

specific electrical resistance of the mixture 

to change as a function of temperature. 

By doing so, the optimal electrical 

conductivity could be determined 

per material. The optimal electrical conductivity 

is defined by allowing the 

maximum energy to be conveyed into 

the sand-binder mixture per second. 

This point is defined by the lowest electrical 

resistance. Figure 2 shows the typical 

course of both characteristic values 

of such a series of measurements. 

The typical course can be divided 

into three characteristic phases: The 

first phase is the formation of charge 

carriers, in which the resistance drops 

steeply within a very short time (1 to 

2 s) after the voltage has been applied. 

In the second phase, a distinctly flattened 

electrical resistance is now apparent, 

accompanied by a continuous 

increase in the electrical power present 

in the sample. The electrical power is 

transformed into heat inside the 

sample. Above 100 °C (212 °F) the 

evaporation of water begins and charge 

carriers from the binder system are 

removed from sample. The consequence 

is a significant decline in performance 

and thus an increase in electrical 

resistance follows in phase 3. The optimal 

choice of electrical conductivity is 

defined by the minimum resistance, as 

the maximum power can be applied 

(shown in Figure 2 by the red circle). 

The specific electrical conductivity of 

the sample depends on the desired 

sand-binder mixture and can be influenced 

by the variation of the additives 

and/or the change of the percentage 

components. During the trials, the tested 

binders required temperatures between 

150 °C (302 °F) and 200 °C 

(392 °F) to harden. A specific tested 

sand-binder mixture had a specific electrical 

resistance of approx. 25 Ωm at a 

temperature of ~100 °C (212 °F) 

-130 °C(266 °F). 

Based on the temperature-resistance 

curves and the specific electrical resistance 

of the sand-binder mixture, a suit- 

22

able material for the permanent mold 

of the cores to be produced could be 

determined. Based on the optimal specific 

resistance of the selected sandbinder 

mixture, the mold-material 

should have a specific resistance of 

approx. 25 Ωm at approx. 170 °C 

(338 °F) and follow the temperatureresistance 

curve of the mixture as far as 

possible. Otherwise, if the resistivity of 

the permanent mold is too low, the 

mold may heat up but the molding 

material/binder mixture does not 

harden efficiently, as Figure 3 illustrates. 

Within the framework of the test 

series, various silicon carbide compositions 

with a variation of additives of the 

ceramic mixtures proved to be suitable; 

the final selected ceramic has a specific 

electrical resistance of approx. 30 Ωm at 

a temperature of 180 °C and is suitable 

as a material for permanent molds 

under consideration of all necessary prerequisites. 

The use of less compatible 

materials can lead to longer hardening 

times. For possible industrial use in 

foundries, criteria for the robustness of 

the material were defined in addition to 

the aspects of electrical compatibility. A 

suitable material must also have good 

long-term properties with regard to 

breaking strength, surface roughness, 

thermal expansion and thermal conductivity. 

Depending on the final process also 

optimal temperature ranges below the 

150-200 °C are possible as sufficient 

heat energy can be generated already 

as of 100 °C. In this case the electrical 

conductivity can be chosen based on a 

temperature range between 100 °C to 

105 °C. 

Integration into the production 

process 

In a production environment for sand 

core manufacturing, the process can be 

divided into three basic phases: 

warm-up (A), operation (B) and cooling 

phases (C). During warm-up phase (A), 

the two halves (or more parts) of the 

molding box are brought together to 

form a closed circuit. The amount of 

energy required for the heating process 

is supplied by the electrical current. 

During the warm-up phase the sandbinder 

mixture can be shot into the 

mold to validate that sufficient heat is 

available and that uniform curing of 

the core is possible. 

Once the molding material has 

reached the required operating temperature 

for hardening the binder then 

the optimum specific resistance of the 

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Reports and 

product news on 

GIFA 2019 

in CASTING PLANT & 

TECHNOLOGY (CP+T) 

Free-of-charge! 

It’s time again in Düsseldorf, 

from 25 - 29 June 2019: the foundry 

sector once more presents itself as 

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We look forward to your press releases and 

specialist reports for GIFA 2019! 

PHOTO: FOTOLIA 

e-mail address: redaktion@bdguss.de 

We would be pleased to receive 

questions by phone: 

Contact: Robert Piterek 

e-mail: robert.piterek@bdguss.de 

Tel.: +49 (0)211 6871-358 

More than 2,000 exhibitors from over 30 countries are expected 

at the 14th GIFA international foundry trade fair with 

WFO Technical Forum. In the News section, among other places, 

the editorial staff at CP+T will report on innovations, new products 

and new technical processes in advance of GIFA. Please 

send press releases and specialist reports for GIFA 2019 to the 

editorial office via e-mail under the heading “GIFA 2019”.

sand-binder mixture is achieved and the 

operation phase (B) can begin. After 

emptying the test material from the 

permanent mold cavity(s), the two 

halves (or more parts) of the core box 

are closed again and the sand-binder 

mixture is shot into the mold, as in conventional 

processes. Once the shooting 

process is finished the curing/hardening 

process can start. Due to the almost 

equally specific resistances, the electrical 

current flows homogeneously 

through the sand core. The sand-binder 

mixture thus quickly reaches a temperature 

of between 100 and 130 °C. The 

evaporation of the water during the 

hardening process leads, as described 

above, to a reduction of the free charge 

carriers, which in turn leads to an 

increase in the specific resistance in the 

mixture and a decrease in the electrical 

current flow within the sand core. Any 

potentially required residual heat for 

complete hardening of the core can be 

supplied to the sand-binder mixture via 

the mold, as in previous processes. 

In concrete terms: If a sand-binder 

mixture with a required operating temperature 

of 170 °C is shot into the mold 

at a temperature of 20 °C, approx. 2/3 

of the required 150 °C is achieved by 

resistance-induced heating and the 

remaining part is supplied from the 

mold via heat transfer to the sand core. 

After hardening, the molding boxes are 

opened as in existing processes, the 

sand core removed and the next cycle 

initiated. For cooling phase (C), the 

empty core box halves are then simply 

moved apart and remain in this position 

to cool down. 

Advantages of the new method 

Multiple advantages have been identified 

during the course of the preliminary 

investigations. The potential for the new 

technology is expected to reduce cost 

and energy consumption by 33 % while 

increasing the speed to manufacturer 

the sand cores. Additional quality benefits 

are expected from the fact of the 

homogeneous sand core hardening/curing 

that prevents a shell formation. Furthermore 

can the new process improve 

the quality defect cost as each individual 

sand core can be analyses based on temperature 

increase, energy consumption 

and time. The application of six sigma 

approach then allows to provide a quality 

assessment during the curing process 

with the possibilities to mark or remove 

sand cores that deviate the from the 

standard process. New sand core applications 

are possible as much bigger sand 


cores could be formed efficiently as the 

center of the cores are also cured fully. 

Various inorganic binders typically used 

in industry have also been successfully 

tested so that completely new formulations 

are not necessary and existing 

binder systems can be used. 

The core box molds can use various 

materials such as silicon carbide ceramics. 

Ceramic molds offer a longer life 

cycle due to reduced wear and tear 

driven. Furthermore could external heat 

generators be eliminated as the heat is 

generated directly inside the sand core. 

A side benefits will be that family core 

boxes with multiple cavities would 

allow the replacement of individual 

defect cavity molds in less then 3 minutes 

by using quick change system. 

The strongest benefits versus conventional 

processes are foreseen for 

large sand cores and sand cores with a 

high annual volume. 

In direct comparison with conventional 

processes, the new process is all 

in all showing significant cost saving 

potentials. The savings are essentially 

the result of two circumstances: Firstly, 

the direct use of electrical current, 

which does not have to be converted 

into heat externally, results in up to 

33 % higher energy efficiency compared 

with conventional processes. On 

the other hand, cycle time savings of up 

to 30 % of the time are expected, 

whereby the annual operating costs can 

be massively reduced. 

Outlook 

There is a high potential for this new 

process to sustainably increase efficiency 

in the production of lost cores. 

The basic feasibility studies as well as 

the testing on a prototype scale have 

been completed and preparations are 

completed for testing under near-series 

conditions with real-cast sand cores. The 

aim of the qualifications are to demonstrate 

the benefits at mass production 

scale and to allow a meaningful comparison 

with current processes. In this 

context new foundry partners are constantly 

wanted to assess the benefits of 

the new process. 

www.advanced-core-solutions.com 

Wolfram Bach, inventor of the process, 

“Advanced Core Solutions”(ACS) , 

Soplain GmbH, Welsleben, Germany, 

and Eric Riedel, University Magdeburg, 

Institute of Process Technology and 

Quality Management, Department of 

Casting and Forming, Germany 

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Thermal regeneration plant in operation in a German foundry. 

From waste to molding material 

Optimization of circulation for organically bound no-bake sands 

Marco Cassens, Niederfischbach 

Photos: FAT 

Is used sand a questionable hazardous 

waste or a usable raw material? How 

do new sand and landfill costs 

develop? Are there ways to regenerate 

used sand and how much waste can be 

expected? Is there a gentle regeneration 

process that hardly changes the 

molding material properties? And can 

such a process become a worthwhile 

investment for foundries through good 

results and moderate energy consumption? 

Foundry operators will have to deal 

with these questions more intensively in 

the future. 

FAT‘s thermal reclamation plant 

– a solution approach 

After mechanical reclamation, the molding 

material must be recycled with as 

consistent a quality as possible. For this 

purpose, it is often necessary to dispose 

of a part of the sand, at a high price and 

enrich the resulting „gap“ with new 

sand. If the internal sand circulation is 

now supplemented by the thermal 

regeneration plants „own new sand”, 

the disposal costs for used sand, as well 

as procurement costs for new sand, can 

be reduced by up to 95 %. Due to its 

compact and modular design, the thermal 

regeneration plant can be integrated 

into any existing plant concept 

and is designed for continuous operation 

without additional operating personnel. 

In recent years, concepts for 

used sand based on organic binding 

agents such as furan, cold box, pep set, 

croning or alpha set have been implemented. 

For test purposes, FAT has installed a 

thermal regeneration plant with a capacity 

of 0,5 t/h at their headquarters in Niederfischbach. 

Here, cold resin sands can 

be thermally regenerated by the customer 

on a trial basis and then analyzed. 

26


Focal point furnace bottom 

The quality of the sand is heavily reliant 

on the air-gas mixture. The pore burner 

system developed by FAT, Niederfischbach, 

Germany, ensures an even and 

continuous thin layer of sand to flow on 

the fluidization bottom of the combustion 

chamber. 

In the furnace, each individual grain 

of sand is continually in the flame and 

therefore treated optimally. A „flame 

carpet“ on the furnace floor ensures 

particularly good combustion of the 

binding agents and constant quality of 

the sand batches. This means that even 

finer grains can be regenerated very 

well. In a following unit, the hot sand is 

simultaneously cooled and dedusted. In 

order to reduce gas consumption, the 

thermal energy of the hot sand is partially 

recovered during cooling and 

returned to the process. 

Thermal reclaimed sand 

After thermal treatment, the organic 

binder shells are nearly completely 

burnt. In addition, there is the geometric 

change of the individual grains 

after the thermal treatment. Above a 

temperature of 573 °C, the quartz leap 

ensures a reversible change in volume. 

Not only residual binders but also corners 

and edges flake off the grain. As a 

result, thermal reclaimed quartz grains 

have a specifically smaller surface area 

than many new sands and thus have a 

reducing effect on binder consumption. 

The thermal reclamation plant leads 

to effective waste reduction with moderate 

energy consumption and can 

therefore be regarded as a contribution 

to environmental protection and 

resource conservation. 

Especially viewed against the background 

of economic considerations, 

this solution is becoming more and 

more interesting for operators. Payback 

times of 1.5 to 2.5 years are realistic. 

With increasing plant size and sand 

throughput, this value decreases 

accordingly. 

An outlook on future 

application possibilities 

In addition to the recycling of used 

sand, the disposal of filter dusts is also 

becoming more and more important in 

many companies. The reasons are the 

same as for the problem of used sand. 

FAT‘s thermal reclamation plant is 

also a solution here. Filter dust from 

Thermal reclamation plant in France. 

no-bake plants can be used as an energy 

source for combustion in the furnace. 

To analyze the behaviour of the dust 

during operation of the reclamation 

plant, the FAT test plant was extended 

by a dosing unit. A defined amount of 

dust was added to the used sand in the 

combustion chamber. 

Results are promising, because 

during the thermal treatment in the 

furnace, the loss on ignition of the 

dust could be reduced by ~50 % and 

the gas consumption could also be 

reduced because of the energy of the 

residual binder in the dust. Due to the 

fine sand content in the dust, which 

leaves the plant with the thermal 

reclaim, the amount of dust could also 

be halved. 

Advantage over mechanical 

reclamation 

The organic load in the resulting filter 

dust of the thermal regeneration plant 

is as follows: ~1 to 2 % of the sand circulation 

volume and therefore explicitly 

below the high loaded dust content of 

approx. 5 to 15 %, which occurs during 

purely mechanical regeneration. 

www.f-a-t.de/en 


This aircraft seat frame made of magnesium, which author 

Andreas Bastian is balancing on a finger, weighs 56 % less than 

the predecessor model made of aluminum. It was realized in 

collaboration with the US investment casting foundry Aristo Cast. 

Additive manufacturing – 

a plus for modern metal casting 

Many industrial manufacturers claim to be excited about metal additive manufacturing 

– a process that makes possible previously unmakeable shapes – but how many are 

actually doing anything about it? 

by Andreas Bastian, San Rafael, USA 

Photo: Autodesk 

Aside from some early adopters, 

many industrial manufacturers 

are simply waiting, watching to 

see if or when additive-manufacturing 

technology matures. You might be one 

of them. To be fair, there are several 

reasons why manufacturers are sticking 

with traditional manufacturing techniques, 

such as metal casting, rather 

than diving into metal additive manufacturing. 

First, there are typically fewer than a 

dozen widely available materials in use 

for metal additive whereas metal casting 

can use hundreds of different alloys 

– and it’s really easy to use new custom 

materials, even for a single part in a 

high-volume project. Second, casting 

works for enormous parts while metal 

printers generally restrict you to breadbox-size 

objects or smaller. Expense and 

time are the third factor: Direct metal 

laser sintering (DMLS) machines cost a 

great deal, and they require a lot of 

steps postprocessing, usually including 

some sort of hot isostatic pressing and 

removal of support structures from the 

build plate. 

Finally, casting is a well-understood, 

qualified process that’s been around for 

millennia. You don’t have to recertify 

the process, which is extremely time 

consuming and expensive. 

28

3-D-PRINTING 

Fortunately, relying on casting does 

not have to preclude any manufacturer 

from using the advanced geometries of 

generative design or from getting 

started with additive manufacturing. In 

fact, modern metal-casting techniques 

can provide a pathway to those technologies. 

Unlike typical metal-3-D-printing 

processes, in which shape and material 

are defined at the same time, metal 

casting separates defining shape and 

material into two discrete steps. 

Building on this idea lets you benefit 

from a trifecta of technology: Using 

generative design and digital optimization 

can generate high-performance 

geometries in the computer realm; nonmetal 

additive manufacturing brings 

that shape into the physical space as a 

mold; and modern casting methods 

finalize that shape using the right metal 

for the job. 

This approach gives industrial manufacturers 

an entry point into both generative 

design and additive manufacturing, 

which will only become bigger 

players in the future. And in the present, 

manufacturers can benefit from casting 

metal pieces from the 3-D-printed molds 

– shapes previously unachievable. 

Such a process can (and already does 

in some cases) benefit businesses for 

which lightweighting is concern, such as 

in the automotive and aerospace industries. 

It’s also great for creating custom 

objects, like new knees and replacement 

hips for medical-implant companies. 

As an example of this tritechnology 

production, earlier this year, my colleague 

Andy Harris from Autodesk, San 

Raphael, USA, and I made an ultralightweight 

aircraft seat frame using lattice 

optimization, 3-D printing, and investment 

casting. We chose to make the seat 

Figure 1: The pattern 

produced in the 

3-D printer has an 

extremely filigree 

structure. To obtain 

the mold, the pattern 

is coated with 

ceramic and is melted 

away afterwards. 

frame out of magnesium because it 

weighs 35 % less than conventional aluminum 

for seat frames, and it has a 

higher strength-to-weight ratio. Current 

metal-additive printers cannot print 

magnesium, so we turned to one of the 

few foundries in North America that 

pours magnesium, Michigan’s Aristo Cast. 

The Aristo Cast team printed the seat 

frame in plastic, made the pattern, covered 

the pattern in ceramic (Figure 1), 

melted away the plastic, and poured 

magnesium into the ceramic mold to 

make the final seat frame (Figure 2). 

Benefit from your molding material preparation. 

Take new opportunities and gain both greater flexibility and benchmark-setting quality for your cast parts. 

Increase energy efficiency while conserving resources. Perfect your processes and be ready for automated molding material preparation. 

EIRICH makes all this possible. Take the next step and visit us at GIFA 2019 in hall 17 / A38. 

www.eirich.com

3-D-PRINTING 

Figure 2: Casting of 

investment casting 

molds at Aristo Cast 

in Almont, Michigan, 

USA. Via inter locking 

of casting and 

3-D-printing the 

manufacturing process 

took only two 

days. 

Figure 3: An aircraft 

seat frame made by a 

combination of generative 

design, additive 

manufacturing and 

metal casting. 

Due to its material and latticed 

design, the resulting seat frame weighs 

56 % less than typical current models 

(Figure 3). That weight reduction could 

save 100,000 US dollars (around 

87,000 euros) in fuel for a single year of 

615-seat Airbus A380 flights or 200 million 

US dollars (174 million euros) over 

the 20-year life of a fleet of 100 A380s. 

It would also translate to a footprint-reducing 

140,000-plus fewer tons of carbon 

in the atmosphere. 

It’s true that many foundries don’t 

want anything to do with shapes that 

look too foreign or too complicated, 

because production work – versus lower-margin 

prototyping work – is what 

keeps the lights on at their facilities. 

Forward-thinking Aristo Cast, however, 

has used 3-D-printing technology for at 

least 20 years and tests every new technology 

that comes online. 

Dispelling the casting myth that you 

have to wait 18 months for parts, Aristo 

Cast can turn parts around in as little as 

two days – which is even faster than 

metal printing in many cases. Aristo Cast 

specializes in investment casting, in 

which you make the object you want in 

one material, and then through a sacrificial 

molding process, you end up with 

the object in a material of your choice. 

Investment casting can produce 

extremely high-fidelity details, down to 

submillimeter features. If you leave a 

thumbprint on your pattern, that thumbprint 

will show up in your final piece. 

Another casting technology, sand 

casting, produces metal parts from sand 

molds, which can be 3-D printed. Sand 

casting doesn’t produce as fine of features, 

but it can make much larger parts 

than metal additive or investment casting: 

parts that can weigh tens of thousands 

of pounds and measure tens of 

feet. 

Many foundries are finding that into 

high quantities of production, additive 

is more cost-effective than tooling for 

some complex geometries, particularly 

in sand casting. But at the end of the 

day, once the industry gets over the 

hype of using additive for additive’s 

sake, it has to be cheaper or somehow 

provide more value than traditional 

manufacturing technologies if it’s to see 

widespread adoption. 

Taking one step toward making that 

a reality, 3-D Hubs just launched a service 

that makes it really easy to get 

metal parts quickly and cheaply by combining 

additive manufacturing and 

metal casting. 3-D Hubs manages the 

entire process of printing the mold, 

transferring it to the foundry, and getting 

it cast. It’s printing on extrusion-based 

FDM printers, but with a 

material developed specifically for the 

casting process that can be vaporsmoothed 

to eliminate layer lines (a lingering 

concern). 

Services like 3-D Hubs are a great 

way to introduce design engineers to 

designing for additive. But whether you 

go with a third party or do your own 

experimentation, the important thing is 

to just give the technology a shot. With 

casting, the benefits of additive manufacturing, 

generative design, and shape 

optimization are all within reach. 

Andreas Bastian is an engineer and 

designer interested in the blurring line 

between materiality and design by developing 

and applying cutting-edge additive-manufacturing 

technologies. Currently 

a principal research scientist at Autodesk, 

he studies both novel and established additive-manufacturing 

technologies and their 

role in the near future. 

First publication on www.autodesk.com/ 

redshift on December 5, 2017 

 

www.autodesk.com 

30

CASTING 

Special 


Part 1: Opportunities provided by new 

technologies 

GIFA 

FOTO: C. TILLMANN 

Special

32

SPECIAL: GIFA 2019 

International meeting place for the foundry industry: 

Around 2,000 exhibitors will be present at the GIFA, 

METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST trade fairs this 

June. The number of visitors could exceed the 80,000 

mark in 2019 (Photo: Messe Düsseldorf). 

GIFA 2019 – The 

future is digital 

First-hand experience of the digital future no longer 

requires a visit to Silicon Valley. More and more companies 

are realizing that within the quartet of technology 

trade fairs GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST 

new and exciting topics are being addressed! “The Bright 

World of Metals” is focusing on digitalization and Industry 

4.0 in 2019. 

Gerd Krause, Düsseldorf 

Photo: Andreas Bednareck 

Heinz Nelissen, GIFA and NEWCAST President and Managing Director of Vesuvius GmbH, 

Foseco Foundry Division, Borken, is confident about the digitization in the foundry industry: 

„Foundries are well-versed in dealing with data-driven business models,“ he says. 

Photo: Messe Düsseldorf 

Digital transformation and Industry 

4.0 are among the major topics 

of the future in the metallurgy 

industries. Increasingly 

sophisticated sensor technology is providing 

more and more data from the 

production process in foundries and 

steel mills. Every cast slab and every 

rolled steel strip requires thousands of 

items of data. Even a comparatively 

smaller steel mill like Saarstahl’s at the 

Völklingen site produces more than 100 

terabytes of process data a year with 

around two and a half million tons of 

steel products – a data volume corresponding 

to the contents of around 30 

million telephone directories. 

It is no longer simply the accuracy of 

the data that is the basis for information 

but the sheer volume as well. Evaluating 

data, recognizing patterns and 

obtaining information is no longer pos- 




sible with conventional IT methods. As 

big data analysis, artificial intelligence 

and networked cloud systems are 

replacing the data centres and relational 

databases of the past, the digital 

monitoring of machines and systems 

reduces maintenance costs, increases 

efficiency and has the potential to optimize 

products. Cloud technologies, with 

their storage volumes that are subject 

to hardly any limits, can serve to make 

it possible to generate more revenue 

from operational product and machine 

data with new services. 

Metallurgical plant manufacturers 

such as the SMS group, Düsseldorf, 

hope that digital services will compensate 

them for the weakening of their 

core business due to worldwide overcapacities 

in steel. Steel manufacturers 

and foundries link purchasing, sales, 

production and logistics in a cost-saving 

manner with hardware-based IT application 

of Industry 4.0. The development 

of digital channels puts the customer at 

the heart of the business. 

For Essen-based steel and industrial 

group ThyssenKrupp, the interlinked 

steel factory with a digital channel to 

the customer has already been 

achieved. The Industry 4.0 hot rolling 

mill Hoesch Hohenlimburg in Hagen is 

interlinked with the precursor material 

supplier Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann 

(HKM) in Duisburg. The steel 

slabs are cast in Duisburg, then rolled 

in Hagen into medium-wide strip, 

which is then processed by sheet metal 

processors into components for the 

automotive industry. Even during the 

process, customers can use a PC, smartphone 

or tablet PC to determine when 

his steel strip goes into production and 

make changes to material properties 

such as sheet thickness and width at 

short notice. 

Impression of GIFA 

2015, which had 

excellent exhibitor 

and visitor numbers. 

In addition, the 

internationality of 

the metal fairs quartet 

„Bright World of 

Metals“ was larger 

than ever with 56% 

of visitors and 51% 

of exhibitors. 

Casters in the data stream 

Generating process knowledge from 

data with the support of Big Data and 

implementing solutions in Industry 4.0 is 

also on the agenda of aluminium and 

iron casters. Solutions such as process 

optimization through coupling of the 

casting process simulation with datadriven 

process models are in demand – a 

research approach that Magma of 

Aachen, a company specializing in simulation 

software, is pursuing in the IProguss 

research project. Intelligent energy 

and resource efficiency is always an 

issue, especially for a process-related 

energy-intensive company such as an 

iron foundry. Professor Dierk Hartmann, 

Kempten University is working on an 

optimized solution for the Adam Hönig 

iron foundry. The foundry uses barcodes 

that are scanned by employees on their 

smartphones and transferred to a database. 

In this way, new process parameters 

can be added to the production 

areas and the production process can be 

tracked. The aim is to improve energy 

and resource efficiency by reducing 

overproduction of liquid metal 

“Foundries are experienced in dealing 

with data-driven business models”, 

says Heinz Nelissen, President of GIFA 

2019 and NEWCAST as well as Managing 

Director of Vesuvius GmbH, Foseco 

Foundry Division in Borken. Approaches 

related to machine-to-machine communication, 

automation and robot use, 

computer-aided technologies, and 

product and process development will 

therefore also be a focus at GIFA 2019. 

How Industry 4.0 can look in practice 

can be seen at Karl Casper Guss in Pforzheim. 

The foundry produces a wide 

range of hand-molded parts with unit 

weights from 100 kg up to 9.5 t. In 

order to be able to react quickly to 

changing customer requirements while 

guaranteeing high production reliability 

and quality at the same time, Casper 

Guss relies on an integrated Industry 4.0 

solution with three pillars: 

1. Interlinking of all operating equipment 

2. Planning and control of processes 

with 100 % traceability through the 

ERP system 

3. As an interface to the extranet, a 

web portal that gives customers 

access to production information. 

Linking of all systems from end to end 

makes it possible to plan individual 

orders directly, as Managing Director 

Felix Casper describes. The ERP system 

automatically checks feasibility upon 

receipt of the order, thus ensuring a high 

level of adherence to delivery dates. 

Feedback from all production steps 

improves throughput and increases quality. 

Using the web portal, customers can 

call up production information on their 

orders from the extranet and directly 

enter additions as well as changes to 

dates or quantities. “Interlinking of the 

customer systems with our own systems 

leads to faster and more reliable processing 

of orders”, summarizes Casper. 

Opportunity of digitalization – 

danger of disruption 

The digitalization of production creates 

a dynamic ecosystem. The potential 

opens up opportunities for new competitors 

from the start-up scene to offer 

new services in order to make estab- 

Prof. Dierk Hartmann from HS Kempten supported 

the foundry Adam Hönig in digitization. 

Barcodes are in use there, which are 

scanned from employees by smartphone and 

transmitted to a database. 


34

lished companies vulnerable – even to 

the point of disrupting existing customer-supplier 

relationships. 

“Digitalization and disruption are 

affecting every company and every 

industry”, says Philipp Depiereux, 

founder and CEO of Etventure from 

Berlin. The only difference is the speed 

of change. “What the publishing and 

music industries have already painfully 

experienced may also affect steel mills 

and foundries in the future.” This was 

also demonstrated by examples from 

other rather traditional sectors such as 

the heating industry. In this case, 

start-up Thermondo used a good, digital 

offer to insert itself between the 

end user and established providers in a 

very brief time and is today the largest 

installer of heating systems in Germany. 

Depiereux, who together with Etventure 

advised not only plant manufacturer 

SMS but also steel trader Klöckner 

and assisted in establishing a digital 

business model with a start-up in Berlin, 

is certain of the following: “Steel mills 

and foundries need to be aware of one 

thing: Everything that can be digitalized 

will eventually be digitalized. They have 

to ask themselves whether they want to 

Karl Casper Guss data 

protection coordinator 

Jens Trentini in the 

server room of the 

iron foundry. The 

foundry focuses on 

the networking of all 

facilities, 100 % 

tracea bility via ERP 

system and a web 

portal as an interface 

to the extranet, which 

gives customers access 

to manufacturing 

information. 

stand by and watch this change or 

whether they would rather take action 

themselves before a digital player 

attacks their core business”, warns 

Depiereux. The digital expert also has 

good advice for established companies: 

“Above all, they need to understand 

what these large digital players and 

start-ups do differently and make these 

success factors their own.” 

It is not convincing to Depiereux 

that steel manufacturers and foundries, 

forges and rolling mills, as classic representatives 

of the old economy with 

their heavy and bulky products, appear 

at first glance to be less willing to 

embrace the new business models of 

digital transformation. “Selling a steel 

slab digitally is of course more complex 

than doing the same with a book. But 

that doesn’t mean that it can’t succeed 

and that someone will inevitably do it 

at some point.” 

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36

The possibilities offered by 3-D printing for production technology 

are demonstrated by the complexity of this art print. It was printed 

by the foundry Christenguss from the Swiss town of Bergdietikon, 

where a 3-D printer is in operation since two years. The print has 

1.35 billion individual surfaces and was temporarily exhibited in the 

Centre Pompidou in Paris 

Additive manufacturing: the key 

issue for production engineering 

in future 

Additive manufacturing is the key issue for production engineering in future. Conventional 

manufacturing technologies are being supplemented to an ever increasing extent 

by three-dimensional printing, which is already in successful operation in many sophisticated 

fields like the medical engineering, automotive and aerospace industries. The 

foundry, steel and aluminium industries have also recognized the potential of 3-D printing. 

For this reason, the four Düsseldorf trade fairs GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS, 

NEWCAST 2019 (25. to 29. June 2019) are devoting a special show of its own to the subject 

of “additive manufacturing”. 

Gerd Krause, Düsseldorf 

Photos: Christenguss 

A 

look under the bonnet of the 

demonstration vehicle shows 

the potential that industrial 3-D 

printing has for the automotive industry: 

few components but with more 

functions and considerably less weight. 

The new crash-proof front end structure 

of the old VW Caddy, which 

weighs 34 kg, is made from the 

extremely strong and tough high-performance 

alloy Scalmalloy from the Airbus 

subsidiary APWorks using a 3-D 

printer supplied by the German company 

EOS. The 3iprint project that was 

carried out under the leadership of the 

development service provider csi won 

the “German Innovation Award 2018” 

in mid-June. The aim of the Caddy concept 

is to indicate what is technologically 

possible in automotive production 

using new design methods and new 

materials with the help of additive 

manufacturing. Three-dimensional 

manufacturing processes, which is the 

general term used for the various additive 

production technologies with all 

the different kinds of 3-D printing systems, 

are where the future lies. Additive 

manufacturing with plastics, metals 

and ceramics is already an essential feature 

of industrial production today. 

Almost 40 % of the German companies 

surveyed in 2016 already used 3-D 

printing, as the consulting firm Ernst & 

Young determined. The potential in all 

the different fields is tremendous. 3-D 

printing with concrete could revolutionize 

the construction industry, while 

the bioprinting of living tissue is 

already possible – and even the printing 

of human organs is an issue that is 

the subject of serious research. 3-D 

printing is creating new opportunities 

for the metal industries from aluminium 

and steel to titanium and special 

materials – whether foundries and steel 

mills or forging and sheet processing 

companies are involved. With 3-D printers, 

structures are produced layer by 

layer on the basis of digital design 

data. Material is only used where it is 

needed. Additive technologies have 

their strengths where conventional 

manufacturing processes like casting, 

milling or forging reach their limits. 3-D 

printing gives designers unlimited geometric 

freedom. Complex components 

with a bionic structure and integrated 

functions can, for example, be produced 

with varying wall thicknesses, 

cavities and honeycomb structures – 

like the heavy-duty, lightweight metal, 

automotive structure from the 3iprint 

project. The production of small 

batches and even of individual components 

is economically viable with 3-D 

printing too. Die casting molds or forming 

tools are not needed, which can 

quickly lead to tool cost savings of sev- 



Complex sand mold from the 3-D printer. 

eral tens of thousands of euros. Individualized 

components, prototypes and 

spare parts that are rarely needed are 

therefore considered to be the domains 

of additive manufacturing. 3-D printing 

is not, however, the universal “assault 

weapon” for attacking the bastions of 

established production engineering. 

The manufacturing expert Franz-Josef 

Wöstmann from the Fraunhofer Institute 

IFAM in Bremen says: “Additive 

manufacturing is a supplement not a 

substitute.” 3-D printing reaches its limits 

at the latest where large product 

quantities can be made economically 

with conventional manufacturing processes. 

This is primarily the case in the 

high-volume segment of the automotive 

industry. Additive manufacturing 

with metal is not productive enough 

for mass production in series at the 

present time. Dr. Stefan Geisler, former 

Innovation Manager at KSM Casting 

Group in Hildesheim, is certain: “3-D 

printing will be increasing for premium 

vehicles and for a limited number of 

components, but it will not succeed in 

replacing foundries.” He is convinced 

that the quantities needed in the volume 

market cannot be reached even 

with the faster layering speeds possible, 

for example, using additive manufacturing 

with wire. Geisler points out: 

“What is often forgotten is that additive 

manufacturing cannot overcome 

the laws of physics either. In the final 

analysis, all that are involved there too 

are processes: melting and cooling. 

There are limits to the speed at which 

this is possible.” In addition to this, the 

printed articles need to be machined 

into finished functional components. 

Another definite disadvantage of additive 

manufacturing with metal is the 

high energy consumption involved. 

Dr Wolfram Volk, Professor of Metal 

Forming and Casting at Munich Technical 

University, calculates that about 

twice as much energy as in conventional 

casting is required for the laser 

melting of metal, from powder production 

to the finished component. Additive 

processes are becoming an increasingly 

common element of existing 

process chains. How additive manufacturing 

and machining can be combined 

to carry out comprehensive, hybrid processing 

in a single machining centre is 

demonstrated by, for example, the 

machine tool manufacturers DMG Mori 

and Hermle. World market leader DMG 

Mori supplements laser metal deposition 

by subsequent machining in the 

form of turning and milling. Its competitor 

Hermle extends a multiaxis 

machining centre by a thermal spraying 

process using its MPA (metal powder 

application) technology, in which metal 

powder is applied in layers to produce 

a soundly built component. The Berlin 

Printed sand mold 

for a cylinder head 

from MAN. 

company Gefertec is looking to increase 

manufacturing speed in the additive 

processing of metals. The 5-axis lines 

produced by the expert for additive 

manufacturing technologies weld wire 

in layers by the electric arc process. The 

workpieces produced in this way have 

outlines that are very close to the final 

shape, which reduces the time and 

tooling operations required for subsequent 

machining. 

Foundry: direct and indirect additive 

manufacturing processes 

The foundry industry can benefit from 

additive processes in several different 

ways. Direct additive manufacturing 

processes give foundries the opportunity 

to include individual parts or parts 

that are needed in small quantities in 

their product portfolio too. In the case 

of indirect processes, on the other 

hand, they use additive technologies to 

produce molds and cores out of sand as 

well as models out of plastic. Hybrid 

technologies involving a combination 

of conventional casting and additive 

manufacturing processes have further 

potential. In order to take greater 

advantage of the potential that aluminium 

has to produce lightweight 

structures in automotive manufacturing, 

the aluminium producer Trimet 

from Essen is working on the development 

of a hybrid process chain to link 

die casting and additive manufacturing. 

The approach adopted in the context 

of the joint “CastAutoGen” project specifically 

involves the incorporation of 

3-D printed structures in a die cast component. 

German industry holds a prominent 

position among the producers of additive 

manufacturing systems, as the BDI 

(Federation of German Industries) concludes 

in a position paper. The country’s 

market share is about 70 % with powder 

bed systems. The world leaders 

Photo: Messe Düsseldorf 

38

among 3-D printing manufacturers 

include Concept Laser (metal), EOS 

(metal and plastic), SLM Solutions 

(metal) and Voxeljet. Voxeljet has specialized 

in foundries and markets 3-D 

printers for the production of sand 

molds and cores as well as of plastic 

models for investment casting by the 

lostwax process. In order to produce a 

casting, what are needed are a mold 

and the appropriate cores to form the 

cavities in the component that is being 

cast. In classic sand casting, the molds 

and cores are made from quartz sand, 

which is strengthened by a special 

bonding agent. While fully automatic 

molding machines and automatic core 

shooting machines are standard features 

at modern foundries for the mass 

production of car engines, for example, 

it is rarely an economic solution to use 

automatic equipment for prototypes 

and small batches. 3-D printing is an 

increasingly common alternative here. 

Sand molds and cores of any complexity 

are manufactured from the CAD dataset 

via a layering process. Toolless manufacturing 

of this kind provides high 

flexibility as regards numbers, design 

and versions and permits the production 

in exactly reproducible quality of 

complex molds and cores with practically 

any geometry. Voxeljet talks about 

cost savings of up to 75 % in the 3-D 

printing of molds and cores made from 

sand for small batches. The printing of 

sand molds and cores is a highly suitable 

option for development operations. 

The iron foundry Düker with locations 

in Karlstadt and Laufach, for 

example, does not use models any more 

in the casting it carries out for customers. 

The CAD dataset is all that is 

needed to produce the sand molds that 

are manufactured additively. As a 

result, new products can be implemented 

in castings from computer files 

within a short time and can then be 

machined for trial purposes. Geometric 

adaptations are simple to carry out and 

recasting is then possible once the 

design data have been changed and 

another mold has been printed. Düker 

reports that development time is 

reduced significantly by this process. It 

is apparently standard procedure to 

produce initial samples within a few 

weeks, for which months are needed in 

the series process. Die casting with reusable 

molds made from tool steel benefit 

from 3-D printing too. “Additive manufacturing 

is creating tremendous opportunities 

for die casting companies”, as 

Dr. Ioannis Ioannides, CEO of die casting 

METAL POWDER: A STRENGTH OF LONG-ESTABLISHED 

EUROPEAN COMPANIES 

With annual production of 550,000 t, the Swedish company Häganäs considers 

itself to be the biggest manufacturer of metal powder in the world. Metal 

powders made from stainless and tool steel, nickel and cobalt alloys are produced 

for use in the standard metallic additive manufacturing processes, such 

as binder jetting, laser deposition welding and selective laser melting. Since 

the additive manufacturing operations of the German powder manufacturer 

H.C. Starck were taken over, the product portfolio has also included such technology 

metals as molybdenum, tantalum, niobium and tungsten. Market 

researchers like the 3-D printing experts at SmarTech Publishing are certain 

that aluminium alloys have a successful future ahead of them. AlSi10Mg is 

considered to be one of the materials that is used most frequently for additive 

manufacturing today – from prototypes to series production. Special aluminium 

alloys for additive manufacturing, like the scandium-aluminium alloy 

Scalmalloy, are very strong and as light as aluminium, while they match the 

stretch properties of titanium – although they are very expensive. 

Aluminium manufacturers like the Russian company Rosal, the main producer 

of the precious alloy element scandium, are therefore working on new 

materials for 3-D printing involving a less expensive alloy formulation. Traditional 

names from the German and European metals industry can be found on 

the powder metals market. The Austrian company voestalpine produces the 

necessary powder metals at its stainless steel subsidiaries Böhler in Austria and 

Uddeholm in Sweden. Companies like Deutsche Edelstahlwerke, which claims 

to be world market leader for high-alloy stainless steel and nickel-based alloys, 

and the long-established stainless steel and special metals company Heraeus 

also manufacture metal powders. The steel forging company Rosswag discovered 

the market for itself four years ago and produces its steel powders itself 

from forging residue of its 400 different alloys. Last year, Rosswag also 

announced that it was co-operating with the 3-D printer manufacturer SLM 

Solutions and the stainless steel recycling company Cronimet on the development 

of special and high-performance alloys for additive manufacturing applications. 

machine manufacturer Oskar Frech, 

Schorndorf, who is both Board Chairman 

of the VDMA foundry machine 

trade association and a member of the 

board of the VDMA additive manufacturing 

task force, stresses in an interview 

with the foundry magazine 

GIESSEREI, sister magazine of CP+T. For 

example, Frech uses 3-D printing to produce 

a complex key component for its 

low-sprue FGS tool technology that 

economizes on recycled material (e.g. 

aluminium or magnesium). The mold 

plays a key role in the die casting process. 

It is important that the castings 

solidify as quickly as possible. The process 

time for a component can be shortened 

by faster cooling, while the quality 

of the casting is improved at the 

same time too. This depends on adequate 

heat removal in the casting mold, 

which is traditionally achieved via cooling 

holes. Due to process constraints, 

however, there are limits to how close 

to the shaping surface that cooling 

holes can be produced. Additive manufacturing 

can help here, because cooling 

close to the surface is possible even 

in critical areas of the mold thanks to 

the tremendous amount of design freedom 

the process provides. 

Special additive manufacturing 

show at GMTN 2019 

Messe Düsseldorf is supplementing the 

metallurgical trade fairs GIFA, METEC, 

THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST, which 

are being held from 25. to 29. June 

2019, by a special additive manufacturing 

show. Exhibitors from all over the 

world will be presenting new developments 

about additive processes on the 

GIFA site. Other participants are software 

companies, which will be highlighting 

solutions from 3-D visualization 

and modelling to data processing, as 

well as metal powder suppliers and producers 

of machines, equipment and 

processes for additive processing and 

subsequent machining. 

www.tbwom.com 



ASK CHEMICALS 

Exactpore 3-D filter generation 

With its innovative 

Exactpore 3-D filters, 

ASK Chemicals, Hilden, 

offers investment casters 

as well as iron and 

steel foundries new 

and more efficient filtration options for 

the highest casting quality. Thanks to 

their particularly sophisticated and well 

thought-through design, Exactpore 3-D 

filters provide the highest structural 

integrity and thus safety and efficiency 

in use. 

Metal purity is one of the most 

important requirements in the foundry 

industry. Best practice in the field of 

molten metal filtration is the use of sintered 

ceramic foam filters. But the 

structure of the filter foams in particular 

means that this form of filtration 

also has its limits. During the ceramic 

coating and sintering process, tiny particles 

may form inside the filter structure, 

which are only slightly sintered with the 

base material. Flow through the filter 

can cause these particles to detach, 

which impairs the purity of the melt 

and can lead to inclusions in the casting. 

The superior structural integrity of 

Exactpore 3-D filters ensures the 

absence of loose particles and thus prevents 

the contamination of the melt by 

so-called filter bits and time-consuming 

reworking. 

A further key advantage of the new 

filter generation is its higher flow 

capacity. Due to the uniformity of the 

pore design and the structurally consistent 

geometry, the flow capacity of the 

Exactpore 3-D filters is significantly 

higher than sintered ceramic foam filters 

with the same filter and pore size 

and thus offers foundries an opportunity 

to further increase manufacturing 

productivity. 

The uniformity of the pore design 

and the structural integrity of the new 

filters also significantly reduces turbulence 

compared to conventional solutions 

and greatly protects against reoxidation 

caused by entrained air. In fact, 

hardly any impurities get into the mold, 

which leads to less reworking, improved 

surface quality and lower rejection rates 

and ultimately increases profitability. 

„Finally, our new filters are manufactured 

in such a way that the design 

possibilities are virtually limitless,“ adds 

Bob Gage, Market Manager Filters at 

ASK Chemicals, as a further advantage 

of the new Exactpore 3-D filter generation. 

„With our new filters there are 

almost no limitations as to what we can 

offer our customers in terms of pore 

design: We can produce almost any 

pore size – even unconventional ones 

– in order to guarantee the best possible 

filter quality with constant flow 

properties“. 

Hall 12, Stand A22 

www.ask-chemicals.com 

FOSECO 

Feeding and Filtration for Aluminium Foundries 

The methoding area 

will highlight the optimal 

use of foam filters, 

die coating and feeding 

systems in sand and 

gravity die casting 

applications. Applications will be 

shown for aluminium and copper base 

castings demonstrating excellent yield 

combined with improved casting quality. 

Foseco, Borken, will launch the Feedex 

NF1 range of exothermic feeders 

designed for aluminium applications. 

The sleeve material is highly exothermic, 

provides a quick ignition and has a 

high strength and due to its excellent 

feeding performance, manual application 

of exothermic powders is avoided 

thereby reducing emissions. 

The new range of Dycote Safeguard 

products are nano-ceramic top coatings 

to be applied on top of the existing 

insulating Dycote base coating to 

increase the lifetime up to 300 % 

(depending on application). 

The longevity of a die coating is 

essential for the die casting process. 

Foseco’s latest Feedex NF1 feeding technology for aluminium foundries. 

The longer lifetime leads to reduced 

interruptions for touch-up and therefore 

increased productivity. Finally, new 

case studies of a filter and sleeve combination 

with conventional running 

and gating systems used in high quality, 

technically demanding applications will 

be displayed. 

All relevant exhibits will feature simulations 

using the most recent version 

of the Foseco Pro Module for Magmasoft. 

Hall 12, Stand A01 + A02 

www.foseco.com 

Photo: Foseco 

40

NORICAN GROUP 

Demonstration of “Complete Connected Foundry” 

Photo: Norican Group 

“GIFA provides the opportunity to interact, 

share latest technical thinking and discuss 

emerging needs”, stresses Peter Holm Larson, 

President Parts Formation, Norican Group. 

Delegates attending 

GIFA 2019 will, for the 

first time in the show’s 

history, find Norican 

Group, Herlev, Denmark, 

and its 4 technologies: 

DISA, Italpresse Gauss, StrikoWestofen 

and Wheelabrator, 

exhibiting the “Complete Connected 

Foundry” powered by Norican Digital 

– for both die casting and green sand 

foundries. 

The range of innovation, technology 

and expertise across Norican covers 

every aspect of foundry operations, 

from melting, dosing and green sand 

molding, through to die casting, surface 

preparation and finishing. 

With a complete focus on metal 

forming and preparation technologies, 

and with the additional proposition of 

being able to connect machinery, services 

and processes using dedicated data 

gathering hardware, and sophisticated 

IoT software solutions – powered by 

Norican Digital, Peter Holm Larson – 

President, Parts Formation, Norican 

Group – believes this will be an incredibly 

important show for the organisation. 

“GIFA provides the perfect opportunity 

for our industry to interact, share 

latest technical thinking and discuss 

emerging needs – for example around 

aluminium and new materials. We will 

be displaying innovation to deliver 

results addressing three fundamental 

themes; how to boost foundry productivity, 

optimize quality and control 

resources in line with current manufacturing 

demands”, commented Larson. 

“As Norican these are conversations 

we can have, and customer needs we 

can meet, as a single provider with a 

unique end-to-end knowledge of 

foundry processes and deeper insight 

into the market forces impacting on our 

customer base. Our presence at GIFA 

2019, even down to a new stand location, 

is geared towards demonstrating 

this capability mix and our commitment 

to using that platform to deliver practical 

solutions that make a real difference.” 

Larson continued: “DISA, Italpresse 

Gauss, StrikoWestofen and Wheelabrator 

have successfully built long-standing, 

trusted partnerships with foundry 

customers based on answering needs 

efficiently, innovatively and effectively. 

Many of those customers will be attending 

GIFA expecting to hear about the 

latest ways their specific solution provider 

can help tackle an individual challenge 

or attain a particular production 

goal. And they will.” 

“But what they will also receive is 

additional value that can only come 

from a complete foundry picture – from 

seeing how all parts of the puzzle fit 

together to offer maximum benefit. In 

that respect what Norican provides is a 

joined-up offering that is greater than 

the sum of its parts, borne of our focus 

on metal forming and enhancement. To 

be able to take this proposition to GIFA 

for the first time is a hugely exciting 

prospect.” 

In addition to showcasing innovations 

in metal casting, green sand molding, 

die casting, shot blasting/peening 

equipment and services – both physically 

on stand and using state-of-the-art 

displays - Norican will be delivering a 

range of technical lectures and workshops 

geared at helping customers 

address challenges and maximize 

opportunities at every point of their 

foundry process. 

Subjects to be covered during on-stand 

sessions and as part of the official GIFA 

lecture programme, can be summarized 

under the following categories: 

> Data-driven foundries – how to 

acquire, monitor, analyse data from 

every point in the foundry process to 

boost productivity and quality now, 

and capitalise on IIoT solutions in 

the future as part of Industry 4.0. 

> Achieving productivity, quality and 

resource improvements – how 

foundries of all sizes and types can 

use new innovation and/or upgrade 

existing solutions to be more sustainable, 

energy efficient, productive 

and profitable. 

Hall11, stand A74 – A78 

www.noricangroup.com. 



FOSECO 

Crucibles for Non-Ferrous Foundries 

Foseco, Borken, offers a 

complete range of silicon 

carbide and clay 

graphite crucibles, 

retorts and other specialized 

shapes for use 

in fuel fired, induction and electric resistance 

furnaces and new crucibles with a 

Thermacoat external coating layer 

offering enhanced insulation and 

reduced power consumption in induction 

furnace applications. 

In the Non Ferrous metal transfer 

area Enertek ZnO will be featured highlighting 

the energy and cost saving 

potential in melting and metal processing 

furnace applications. 

Hall 12, Stand A01 + A02 


Enertek ZnO Crucibles. 

Photo: Foseco 

ASK CHEMICALS 

Miratec-Technology for Turbocharger Casting 

To meet increasingly 

stringent carbon regulations, 

a rethinking of 

drive concepts is 

required for the longterm. 

Until e-mobility 

can be used across the board, however, 

“conventional“ drive technology will be 

further downsized in conjunction with 

ever more powerful turbocharger technology 

in order to be able to satisfy the 

aforementioned requirements. To withstand 

higher exhaust gas temperatures, 

f. e., turbocharger components are now 

cast in steel, a process which places new 

demands on coating technology. 

In steel casting, it is state-of-the-art to 

use zirconium-containing coatings, due 

mainly to the good refractory properties 

of zirconium. However, against the background 

of the rising zirconium prices, it 

makes sense to consider new solutions. 

ASK Chemicals Research & Development, 

Hilden, has developed a new coating 

technology for turbocharger series 

casting, not only to meet the new 

requirement profile for turbocharger 

component casting, but also as a 

response to rising zirconium prices. 

Miratec TC is a zirconium-free coating 

technology, which nevertheless performs 

with excellent thermal stability. The technology 

gives the user more independence 

from rising raw material prices 

while benefiting from a product that is 

in no way inferior to the performance of 

zirconium coatings. Due to the significantly 

lower density of the zirconium-free 

coating compared to zirconium-containing 

products, the Miratec TC 

series has a wider range. In other words, 

in addition to independence from high 

raw material prices, Miratec TC technology 

also provides the user with an 

extremely efficient coating solution. The 

new technology shows good suspension 

behavior in the dipping plant and 

adapted (short) cycle times in the application. 

Relatively short drying times are 

typical for the products. Thanks to consistent 

further development, series applications 

show a significant reduction in gas 

and surface defects as well as safety in 

achieving the required surface values. 

„It is our task as a partner and supplier 

to offer our customers sustainable 

solutions. This includes solutions for new 

materials, but also products that are viable 

against the background of constantly 

rising raw material prices. Of course, ASK 

Chemicals always keeps an eye on the 

efficiency of the solution,“ sums up 

Christian Koch, Technical Product Manager 

for coatings. Hall 12, Stand A22 

www.ask-chemicals.com 

Graphics: ASK 

42

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CORE COATING 

Photo: Foseco 

An Intelligent Coating Unit is the next step in simplifying the coating application in the foundry industry and automating the application 

almost maintenance-free. 

ICU – Intelligent Coating Unit 

Today, automation of coating control and preparation is an established process in 

many foundries. Since the introduction of density measurement and automatic 

online-monitoring by Foseco, Borken, in 2008 substantial developments have taken 

place leading to significant improvements of the measurement method and equipment 

functionality. By intelligent control, a great number of new automation applications 

become possible. 

Christoph Genzler, Hengel, the Netherlands 

Automated Coating Control 

There are two widely adopted techniques 

for measuring coating density; 

by a pressure differential or by volume/ 

mass determination. The current methods 

of achieving this have some disadvantages, 

e.g. the use of measuring sensors 

with moving parts that require 

thorough and regular cleaning to 

ensure consistency of operation or to 

accept delays/ inaccuracies in density 

measurement due to external influences 

such as machine vibration 

To overcome these issues a new 

design philosophy has been adopted: 

There should be as few moving parts 

installed as possible, the unit’s components 

should be designed as maintenance-free 

wherever possible, the 

achieved measuring accuracy and speed 

should surpass current technology, it 

should be possible to integrate the 

measuring ‘intelligence’ directly into 

other applications, e.g. dip tanks, flooding 

or spraying units without having to 

invest in a centralized preparation unit. 

Furthermore, the unit should be compact 

and sturdy in order to withstand 

the rough foundry environment. 

44

Figure 1: The pressure 

sensors are designed 

for a long service life. 

Over 170 installed machines 

Implementation: 

When considering the equation for the pressure in a liquid: 

p=ρgh 

Where: 

p = pressure in a liquid ρ = density of the liquid 

g = gravity at surface of liquid h = column height of liquid 

It follows that if you measure the pressure at two different 

heights, the formula can be rearranged for density, so that: 

ρ=Δp/g*Δh 

One can recognize that the density is related in a linear way 

to the measured pressure difference [5]. 

Example: The pressures in a tank of coating are measured at 

two fixed depths, and a difference be-tween the two pressures 

is recorded at 0.50 bar. After adding 100 litres of water 

to the tank the pressure difference decreases to 0.25 bar. It 

follows that since all other factors have remained con-stant, a 

halving of the pressure difference is due to the overall density 

of the liquid in the tank reduc-ing by 50 %. Note that the 

coating and water will need to be mixed to achieve a homogenous 

density. 

The ICU consists of a coating homogenisation tank, in 

which the pressure probes (Figure 1) are incorporated into 

the surface of the tank and do not limit the effectiveness of 

the mixing unit. The PLC control (Programmable Logic Controller) 

continuously monitors the density of the coating, 

automatically adding water or undiluted coating to maintain 

the required density at all times. The control unit also controls 

the mixer timing and speed to ensure homogeneity of 

the coating. From this tank coating is supplied to one or more 

coating application stations for use, excess coating is returned 

to the tank via a filter configuration for re-checking and 

homogenization. 

The pressure probes are extremely robust with a guaranteed 

life time/ warranty of up to 10 years. They also allow the 

ICU to monitor each measurement automatically and provide 

the possibility to determine any sedimentation tendency of 

the coating. Until today this has not been possible with other 

units and provides significant benefit. When considering a 

possible contamination by bacteria in a water coating it is 

important to understand that this will not result in any 

change of the density. The coating will change, however, 

regarding its properties like matt time, flow length and sedimenta-tion 

tendency which will affect indirectly the structure 

of the layer - a parameter which must be kept constant 

unconditionally [1]. By measuring sedimentation rate it is possible 

to monitor rheological changes in the coating and affect 

appropriate action. 

Welcome to the market leader 

of 3D core & mold printing 

Visit us at GIFA 2019 

from 25-29 June in Duesseldorf 

15/A11 • gifa.de 

ExOne GmbH 

Daimlerstr. 22 • 86368 Gersthofen 

+49 821 650 630 • europe@exone.com

CORE COATING 

Figure 3: 

Integrated timer for 

container connection. 

Figure 2: Optionally, the system is equipped with a 

UV water treatment. 

Figure 4: The density measurement technology 

of the ICU can be integrated directly 

into the dip tank. 

It is also advisable and possible to 

integrate within a pressure sensor a 

coating temperature monitor-ing programme 

for registering at least critical 

product temperatures and fluctuations 

that may cause concern [3]. 

The advantages are: Optimized 

processing of diluted coating, continuous 

monitoring and recording of coating 

density, automatic dosage of coating 

or dilutant to maintain density, 

coating application (applied layer 

thickness) is more consistent and predictable 

and reduction of maintenance 

down-time 

Measurement accuracy 

The self-control and calibration is 

affected by means of a third sensor 

enabling comparison of three separate 

differential pressures (top-bottom; 

top-middle; middle-bottom) and which 

thereby not only monitors the homogeneity 

in the vessel but also displays 

simultaneously a possible increased sedimentation 

tendency. 

The pressure sensors which are used are 

also employed, for example, in sludge 

conveyance and fracking. This means 

that they are very robust and designed 

for long service life. There is no need 

for moving the sensors for cleaning as 

they are maintenance-free. It is now 

possible to achieve a measurement 

accuracy enabling a max. tolerance of 

0.1 % of the desired value. For example, 

a range from 1.1498 to 1.522, when the 

desired density value is 1.1510. 

Operation 

During filling or returning of the coating, 

turbulence may introduce air inclusions 

and, thereby, undesirable foaming. 

In the ICU this is prevented by a 

novel filling technique. 

Another weak point of existing 

plants the shear forces, which due to 

stirring or pumping act negatively on 

the coating by effecting the balanced 

rheological properties of the product. A 

shear force, which is too high (for 

example due to circulation in a measuring 

tank) can change the character and 

behaviour of the coating completely. 

The newly developed propeller 

geometry enables the ICU, to minimize 

this shear load by employing extremely 

low revolutions (10 - 30 rpm), whilst still 

ensuring a homogeneous product. 

46

By means of UV disinfection treatment 

(Figure 2) the water used for dilution 

can be disinfected without using 

any chemicals. This results in longer service 

life of the coating and, simultaneously, 

less waste. 

Historically, additions of undiluted 

coating have been left to the user and 

it could happen that non-homogeneous 

coating additions have a negative influence 

on the automatic preparation process. 

This was taken in consideration 

when the ICU was designed: By means 

of an integrated timer control (Figure 3) 

the supply containers can be connected 

directly to the ICU, homogenised and 

used, thereby preventing any overmixing. 

Subsequent to the container 

change homogenisation of raw coating 

is started automatically. 

Coating Cleanliness 

Molding/core sand is a significant 

source of contamination. Sand inclusions 

in the coating layer can cause 

inclusions in the casting surface, which 

quite often can result in a scrap casting. 

To avoid this, the ICU is fitted with a 

double-filter system which not only 

removes these contaminants, but which 

also can be exchanged without interruption 

to production. 

Integrated Application Systems 

Many users do not need a central 

preparation plant but are employing 

stationary units like dipping tanks or 

flow coat stations. In such a case, as per 

example at Eisengießerei Dinklage, Dinklage, 

Germany, the intelligence of the 

ICU can be integrated directly within 

the dip tank (Figure 4, read company 

report from page 12). 

Coating monitoring by means of ICU 

intelligence is influencing the coating 

directly in the combined dipping/ flooding 

basin. The consumed volume is 

filled up automatically from a connected 

coating container. The accurate 

and fast determination of the density 

enables the ICU to quantify the 

required volumes of raw coating or 

respectively dilution medium in advance 

and replenishment can take place without 

delay. 

Profitability analysis 

Profitability analysis for an exemplary 

foundry: 

> In the core shop there are 5 dipping 

tanks of which 3 are by manual 

operation and 2 are fitted with 

robots. 

> Historically a dipping tank cleaning 

cycle of 2 times per month is undertaken, 

giving rise to a coating waste 

amount of 86.4 t/year (24 cleaning 

operations per year). 

> By employing the ICU, it became 

possible to reduce the cleaning cycle 

to once per quarter, resulting in a 

saving of 64.8 tonnes of coating. 

> With waste disposal costs of 0.8 

euros/kg, it is possible to save 

directly 51,840 euros/year. 

> The diluted coating has a cost of 

0.30 euros/kg. Therefore, in this case 

(64,800kg times 0.3) 19,440 euros/ 

year less coating costs occur. 

In addition to the direct coating costs, 

the foundry benefitted from improved 

casting quality. The foundry has a 

capacity of 54,000 tonnes per year and 

produces 16,000 t of a component having 

a defect rate of +- 5 %. The costs for 

removing this defect are 0.15 euros/kg. 

By using the ICU, it was possible to 

reduce coating-related defects by 

2.5 %. This equates to a quality related 

saving of (16million kg times 2.5 % 

times 0.15) 60,000 euros per year. 

The use of the ICU was thus paid off 

in the first year with 131,280 euros. 

Summary 

An Intelligent Coating Unit is the next 

step to streamline coating handling in 

the foundry industry and for nearly 

maintenance-free automation. 

In view of the increasing demands in 

foundries regarding process-reliability 

also process-reliable coating handling is 

needed, as this has a substantial influence 

on casting quality. 

The authors would like to thank the 

iron foundry Dinklage, in particular 

Björn Ploch, for the valuable and trustful 

cooperation. Thanks are also due to 

the firm of Schipper/STS at Almelo, particularly 

Messrs. B. Jannink, K. Smidt 

and M. Wolters, for the joint development 

of the ICU. Further thanks go to 

the Foseco team for their great support. 

References: 

www.cpt-international.com 


Christoph Genzler on 

the Intelligent Coating 

Unit 

https://t1p.de/i22e 

NEW 

multiPulse 

160 °C. 

Hall 11 / H73

Pre-shredder in aluminium 

foundry reduces scrap 

Implementation of a sophisticated safety concept for the monitoring of 

container filling levels in the light alloy foundry of BMW. 

Production of cylinder crankcases in Landshut. 

Sophie Kesy, Munich 

Photo: BMW 

At the BMW Group‘s plant in 

Landshut all scrap products such 

as punching waste and sprue systems 

are recycled and then remelted 

(Figure 1). For this purpose, the die-cast 

parts were previously collected in containers 

without being shredded and 

were removed from the basement of 

the foundry with considerable use of 

manpower. In the course of a renewal of 

the casting cells in the foundry hall, the 

work processes were optimized and 

more efficient processes set up. Erdwich 

Zerkleinerungs-Systeme GmbH, Igling, 

was awarded the contract to design a 

plant that enabled the collection and 

shredding of the foundry‘s aluminium 

waste directly from the press. For this 

task, the recycling expert adapted the 

RM 1350 pre-shredder to the local conditions. 

Onsite shredding means that 

the containers with scrap parts and 

punching waste have to be transported 

far less frequently to a large container, 

which contributes to a significant 

increase in operating efficiency. In cooperation 

with the technical department 

of the BMW Group, Erdwich also developed 

a sophisticated safety system for 

monitoring the condition of the 

machine. 

The light alloy foundry at the BMW 

Group plant in Landshut is one of the 

most modern foundries in the world. 

Every year, around five million aluminium 

casting components, such as engine 

components or structural components 

for the vehicle body, are produced here 

using five different casting processes, 

with a total weight of 84,000 tons. As in 

all areas of the company, the aluminium 

foundry works with maximum efficiency 

in order to keep the scrap rate as low as 

possible. In the past, the regularly occurring 

scrap was collected in containers 

without being shredded, removed from 

the basement and then returned to the 

melting process. The cast aluminium 

parts had dimensions of up to 2,000 x 

1,400 mm and therefore took up a lot of 

space in the collection containers. This, 

in turn, meant that the containers had 

to be emptied frequently, which 

required a great deal of time and man- 

48

RECYCLING 

Figure 1: During the production 

of cast aluminium parts, 

scrap is produced which is 

melted down again. Previously, 

these parts were collected 

in containers without 

being shredded and required 

so much space that the containers 

had to be emptied 

constantly. 

Photos: Erdwich Zerkleinerungs-Systeme 

Figure 2: The scrap parts such 

as punching waste and sprue 

systems fall directly from the 

press into the hopper of the 

shredding plant and then into 

containers. These are regularly 

emptied into a large container 

and then transported to the 

smelter. 

Figure 3: The intermediate shredding systems 

allowed the volume of die-cast 

parts to be reduced by some 50 to 60 %. 

As a result, the containers have to be 

emptied far less frequently, which results 

in significantly lower time and manpower 

requirements. 

power. In the course of reconstruction 

measures in the foundry hall, during 

which the casting cells were replaced 

one after the other, it was planned to 

optimize the recycling process. 

New plant achieves significant 

increase in efficiency 

Erdwich Zerkleinerungs-Systeme GmbH 

from Igling in Upper Bavaria, which has 

decades of experience in the construction 

of recycling plants, got the order to 

plan and commission the metal shredder. 

This was particularly beneficial for 

the project in Landshut, as Richard 

Adelwarth, project manager at Erdwich 

Zerkleinerungs-Systeme GmbH, reports: 

„When we visited the site, it quickly 

became clear that the solution required 

in the tender would not have the 

desired effect. We therefore carried out 

many trials and consulted another company 

in the industry, with whom we 

regularly work on larger projects in 

order to be able to offer an optimum 

solution.” Erdwich finally made a 

machine available with which a typical 

production process was executed. 

The recycling experts designed a 

machine based on the RM 1350 

pre-shredder. This machine is characterized 

by fast and easy maintenance, long 

service life, optimum shredding and 

high throughput. To date, seven systems 

with soundproof enclosures have 

been installed for the eight casting cells 

and punch presses in the plant. „Loading 

takes place in free fall, that means 

the molds, which are to be returned to 

the melting process, now fall from the 

pressing plant directly into the hopper 

of the pre-shredder and then into a 

container measuring 1,400 x 1,400 x 

900 mm,“ explains Adelwarth 

(Figure 2). When the container is full, it 

is transported outside, emptied into a 

large container; and this in turn is 

brought to the smelter. The shredding 

process has reduced the volume of cast 

parts by 50 to 60 %, which means that 

the disposal containers have to be emptied 

far less frequently and thus require 

less time and manpower. 

Sophisticated safety system 

developed together with BMW 

The pre-shredders were adapted to the 

special conditions prevailing on site. 

The drives of the machines, for example, 

had to be mounted on one side 

instead of the usual two. The reason for 

this was the columns of the building, 

which were located in the area of the 

installation site and therefore required 

a narrower design. In addition, the 

crushing tools themselves and their 

arrangement within the cutting chamber 

were adapted to the local conditions. 

Over and above this, the standard 

version of the RM 1350 already has a 

safety system. This includes a PLC control 

system (Programmable Logic Controller) 

with automatic reverse and cutout 

control, so that the machine is 

protected from damage in the event of 

overload or bulky solid parts. In addition, 

each shaft is equipped with an 

energy-optimized frequency converter, 

which ensures that the two cutting gear 

shafts are driven separately. This 

enables optimum adaptation to the 

shredding process. Together with the 

technical department of the BMW 

Group, the safety system was extended 

by new features. „Both the filling level 

of the removal box located in the basement 

and the monitoring of the shredder 

itself are now displayed transparently, 

so that a quick response can be 

made if necessary,“ explains Adelwarth. 

Further optimization potential 

available 

As soon as all casting cells have been 

replaced, a conveyor belt system could 

be installed in a further expansion stage 

in order to further optimize the disposal 

process. Thereby, the shredded rejects 

would no longer to be collected in containers 

that have to be removed and 

emptied by hand – instead, the rejects 

would be transported directly into the 

large container via a conveyor belt. In 

this way, scrap products and punching 

waste from all casting cells can be disposed 

of simultaneously and without 

additional logistical effort (Figure 3). For 

the current expansion stage, all necessary 

alterations were quickly implemented 

so that Erdwich was able to 

meet the requirements placed on the 

machines. As a result, the work processes 

were considerably accelerated. 

www.erdwich.com 

www.bmwgroup-werke.com/ 

landshut/en 


NEWS 

ASK CHEMICALS 

10th anniversary of foundry pilot plant 

ASK Chemicals celebrated the 10th anniversary of its foundry pilot plant together with customers, 

partners and employees. 

Together with customers, partners and 

employees ASK Chemicals, Hilden, celebrated 

the 10th anniversary of its 

foundry pilot plant at the company 

headquarters on the 14th and 15th February 

2019. The festivities were rounded 

off by a lecture colloquium held the following 

day, at which representatives 

from the academic world as well as customers, 

partners and employees of ASK 

Chemicals gave lectures that focused on 

the importance of networking for innovation 

and success. 

As the first foundry supplier, ASK 

Chemicals opened an efficient pilot 

plant in Hilden more than 10 years ago, 

which today is an essential part of the 

company‘s product development activities. 

From the outset, ASK Chemicals‘ 

management placed great emphasis on 

technical services and continuously pursued 

the development and expansion of 

its pilot plant at the company‘s headquarters. 

The establishment of the 

foundry pilot plant enables ASK Chemicals 

to close the gap between product 

development and customer application 

quickly and efficiently. By simulating 

the customer process in the pilot plant, 

the Hilden-based company is able to 

implement the right solution for the 

customer with only a few iteration 

loops. Over the past 10 years, ASK 

Chemicals has continuously invested to 

provide its customers with value-added 

products and solutions. The most recent 

investment is the 3-D printing laboratory 

set up two years ago for the application-oriented 

development of inorganic 

and organic binders for 3-D sand 

printing. 

In addition to its core functions, the 

pilot plant also plays a central role in 

the development of prototypes for 

innovation projects – such as the further 

development of Inotec technology 

– on which ASK Chemicals works 

together with selected customers. In 

this way, the performance spectrum of 

current developments can flow directly 

into the customer process without customers 

having to take on a high investment 

risk with regard to machine technology. 

The celebrations at ASK Chemicals 

were held under the motto „Networking, 

Innovation, Passion“ – key ingredients 

for being successful according to 

Jörg Brotzki, Executive Vice President. 

„The network concept, the qualification 

of our teams and their passion for the 

field of casting are key success factors 

when it comes to developing innovative 

and value-adding solutions for our customers. 

We recognized this early on 

and have been relying on this recipe for 

success for more than ten years, in 

which the pilot plant plays a central 

role.“ www.ask-chemicals.com 

Photo: Vogt/BDG 

ACS CORE SOLUTIONS 

High quality sand core curing 

Sand cores are building the backbone 

of the foundry business to deliver constantly 

improving foundry products. The 

sand core requirements stretch from 

high dimensional accuracy to easy core 

removal while at the same time demanding 

the lowest possible cost. Sand core 

quality plays an important role as quality 

defects of sand cores usually results 

in defects of final foundry products. 

All these requirements are driven to 

ensure the highest possible quality for 

the final foundry product at the lowest 

price. All inorganic sand core manufacturing 

processes offer various parameters 

to adjust the sand core quality. 

The parameters can be grouped into 5 

main critical steps during the manufacturing 

process: 

1. Sand core & core box design 

2. shooting process 

3. Curing process 

4. Handling & Storage 

5. Application 

All processes have a direct impact on 

the quality of the sand cores. The key 

difference is that the curing process 

(Step 3.) has the biggest operational 

impact on the individual sand core quality 

while all other process parameters 

are designed upfront and to ensure reliable 

quality. 

The main reason why the curing process 

is so critical is that it requires heat 

application to the individual sand core 

to ensure sufficient sand core strength. 

Heat application processes are difficult 

to control, especially if heat is generated 

externally and conveyed into the 

core box. 

50

The common heat applications in 

the core box are the use of thermo oil 

and heating rod while additional heat 

energy is applied to the core via heated 

air while removing humidity. 

The key problem remains: sand 

(cores) heat conductivity is terrible. As 

a consequence the core box is operated 

with excessive heat to increase the 

heat transfer into the sand core with 

the aim to reduce the cycle time. This 

approach has limitations as the sand 

binders have a maximum temperature 

to avoid damaging the chemical binder. 

The „Advanced Core Solutions 

“(ACS) project has patented a new process 

that generates the heat directly 

inside the sand core. This process uses 

the electrical conductivity of the inorganic 

binders. Heat is generated by 

applying electrical current to the sand 

core. 

The core box design is very simple 

as it mainly contains the core box, electrodes 

and isolation layer as visible on 

the picture below. The obvious benefits 

of reduced energy consumption 

Individual measurement of energy consumption 

with ACS technology. 

and better sand core quality due to 

homogeneous curing of the full sand 

core are enriched by the underlying 

possibilities to control the quality per 

individual sand core. 

The flow of electrical current 

through the sand core is at ever millisecond 

controlled and documented. This 

allows to measure the energy 

consumption, temperature and time 

per individual sand core even in larger 

core boxes with multiple cavities. 

Furthermore can the quality data 

be linked to each sand core and used 

Photo: ACS 

for life cycle tracking. This enables 

future insights by applying big data 

analysis by connecting the results to 

final foundry product quality. 

The true potential comes in play if 

the individual sand core results are 

compared to all previously manufactured 

sand cores. 

Using the Six Sigma concepts allows 

now to detect any major variation versus 

previous results and sand cores can 

be marked for additional inspections 

or removal. This decreases quality 

defects early in the manufacturing process 

to reduce additional losses later in 

the manufacturing steps and at the 

same time increasing the output capacity. 

The technology especially becomes 

interesting for large sand cores or sand 

cores with high annual volume. The 

estimated benefits reach up to 30% 

faster curing processes without shell 

formation and at the same time reduce 

33% energy consumption due to elimination 

of external heat generation. 

https://advanced-core-solutions.de 

KNOW 

YOUR 

SAND. 

EFFICIENT FOUNDRIES 

KNOW THAT WHAT GETS 

MEASURED GETS 

CONTROLLED. 

More foundries around the world 

choose Simpson Analytics for their 

sand lab than any other 

technology. Consisting of over 85 

instruments, 

Simpson Analytics is: 

• More flexible to different 

standards 

• More accurate 

• More repeatable 

• Easier to use 

• More durable 

• Easier to calibrate 

Simpson Analytics, including all 

of the former +GF+ products, is 

supported by our global service 

network, based in the USA, 

Germany and India, for spare 

parts, repair and calibration. 

VISIT OUR ONLINE RESOURCE CENTER TO IDENTIFY THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY FOR YOUR 

FOUNDRY AT WWW.SIMPSONGROUP.COM/SAND 

HALL 17 

STAND B60 

Simpson Technologies (Deutschland) GmbH 

Roitzheimer Strasse 180, 53879, Euskirchen, Germany

NEWS 

THE EUROPEAN FOUNDRY ASSOCIATION 

Heiko Lickfett elected Secretary General 

Heiko Lickfett succeeds Max Schumacher 

as Secretary General of CAEF, The 

European Foundry Association, as of 

01.01.2019. The CAEF is the umbrella 

organization of the national European 

foundry associations. The organization, 

founded in 1953, has 22 European 

member states and works to promote 

the economic, technical, legal and social 

interests of the European foundry 

industry. 

Heiko Lickfett and Max Schumacher 

are from the German Foundry Association 

(BDG) based in Düsseldorf. Lickfett 

is also head of the Economics Department 

of BDG, while Schumacher is the 

association’s Managing Director. Heiko 

Lickfett studied economics and political 

science, starting his career as an economic 

advisor at the German Steel Federation 

followed by his position as economist 

at the Association of German 

Foundries (DGV) in 1991 – which was 

later to become BDG. He has also been 

active in CAEF in various functions for 

more than a decade. 

The start of the year was also marked 

by the relaunch of the CAEF’s internet 

presence. The umbrella organization’s 

completely redesigned website at 

www.caef.eu offers comprehensive 

information in English on the Association 

and its organizational structure as 

well as on foundry technology and its 

applications, statistical data, a dedicated 

members’ access page, and a download 

area (e. g. for general contractual conditions). 

A picture database for media 

representatives is also in preparation. 

www.caef.eu 

Heiko Lickfett (left) succeeds Max Schumacher as Secretary General of CAEF. 

Photo: BDG 

RHEINMETALL AUTOMOTIVE 

New casting process developed 

The joint venture between Rheinmetall 

Automotive, Düsseldorf, and China‘s 

HUAYU Automotive Systems has developed 

a production process that is particularly 

suitable for highly complex 

engine block geometries and electric 

motor housings. 

The joint venture between Rheinmetall 

Automotive and Huayu from 

China has developed a process for production 

at the new Chinese plant in 

Guangde that is particularly suitable 

for complex engine block designs and 

electric motor housings. At KS Hyayu‘s 

test foundry in Neckarsulm, the process 

was brought to series production. 

According to their own statements, the 

specialists are combining the advantages 

of different casting processes. 

With the new low-pressure sand 

casting, weight savings of around 3-5 

% could be achieved with less material 

input. In addition, casting can be carried 

out in comparatively short cycle 

times. The new process is initially to be 

used for a four-cylinder in-line engine 

with an overmolded cast iron liner. The 

liners used are cast a few millimeters 

over the cylinder head to avoid the 

milling cutter having to move through 

different materials during subsequent 

machining. This design would not be 

possible in classic low-pressure gravity 

die casting. 

For Head of Development, Dr. Christian 

Klimesch, the process is no longer 

52

completely new territory, „since the 

same process is already being used at 

the Chinese plant in Guangde to manufacture 

the electric motor housings of a 

battery-powered car for the Chinese 

market.“ This development also originated 

at Neckarsulm and was subsequently 

transferred to the site located 

some 300 km west of Shanghai. 

The exacting tolerances placed on 

the positioning of the liners in the sand 

proved to be one of the challenges in 

the progressing of the process for 

engine block manufacture. They need 

to be heated in the fully assembled 

core package after they have been centered 

exactly between the some 22 

sand cores of the package when cold. 

Chill castings are likewise required 

in the area of the bearing bulkhead 

most stressed during subsequent 

engine operation. Since cooling is not 

active as in permanent-mold casting, 

the required heat extraction must be 

controlled by the mass of the chill castings. 

In this way, very high material 

properties (tensile strength and yield 

Rheinmetall and Huayu have developed a 

new low-pressure sand casting process. 

strength) are achieved with simultaneously 

increased elongation. This is 

exactly what engine builders want for 

today‘s highly stressed engine generations. 

The great advantage of this process 

is to allow the design engineer maximum 

design flexibility with undercut 

geometries and all shapes of channels. 

Photo: Rheinmetall Automotive 

In addition, less material has to be used 

and weight savings of between 3 and 

5 % can be achieved. Due to the 

extremely low heat conduction of sand, 

lower wall thicknesses can also be 

obtained with the same filling speed 

and melt temperature compared to 

permanent-mold casting. 

Another advantage is that low-pressure 

sand casting is a very robust process 

with comparatively few variables 

providing matters such as the connection 

of the core package to the filling 

are under control. Klimesch quotes: 

„This is where our many years of experience 

and our leading position in 

low-pressure casting come into play. 

Once you‘ve set the appropriate parameters, 

it‘s like pretzel baking.“ And as 

the clock shows, it is also similarly productive, 

because instead of a cycle time 

of up to eight minutes as with 

low-pressure permanent-mold casting, 

for example, the new process requires a 

maximum of a quarter of this time. 

www.rheinmetall-automotive.com 

HA GROUP 

Strengthening of market position in India 

Hüttenes-Albertus Chemische Werke 

GmbH (HA), Düsseldorf, announced it 

has increased its stake in its longstanding 

Indian joint venture Gargi Hüttenes-Albertus 

Private Limited (Gargi HA) 

from 40 % to 74 %. HA´s co-shareholder 

in Gargi HA, the Kapur family, will 

remain a strong minority shareholder 

with 26%. The Kapur family will continue 

to be active in the management of 

Gargi HA. 

Gargi HA has been a joint venture 

between the Kapur family and HA since 

1988. The partnership of Gargi HA and 

HA has set itself the goal of being the 

most reliable and inventive partner to 

all foundries in the Indian Subcontinent 

with all products and services that are 

required for advanced and efficient casting 

processes. 

Gargi HA serves the Indian foundry 

industry with tailor made resins and 

coatings. The state-of-the art manufacturing 

plants are located at Nerul and 

Khopoli in Western India. The highly 

skilled technical team of the company 

continues to improve products and services 

in order to meet increasing quality 

requirements of their customers. 

With the increase in share the 

General Management of HA Group 

implements an important strategic step 

since India is the world´s second biggest 

foundry market with more than 

50 % growth in the past ten years. 

“Our strategy is to strengthen our presence 

in India in order to further 

expand our group‘s market share in 

the region”, says Dr. Carsten Kuhlgatz. 

Christoph Koch comments: “We 

strongly expect further growth for our 

company, especially by fully integrating 

Gargi HA into the HA Group, which is 

known globally for its state-of-the-art 

technology.” 

The combination of Gargi HA’s excellent 

network and knowledge of the 

local market on the one side and the 

backing by leading technologies of the 

global player HA on the other side, 

makes the company the most competent 

partner of foundries in India. Supported 

by the HA Group’s modern R&D 

centers and the recently built HA Center 

of Competence the company is ready 

for the future - with advanced foundry 

chemical products and services for every 

stage of the casting process. 

“We have always highly respected 

our partners of HA in Germany for their 

values, their technological competency 

and their vision to help foundries all 

over the world to be successful and 

competitive”, says Vinod Kapur, Executive 

Chairman of Gargi HA. Vinod Kapur 

as well as Managing Director Vicky 

Kapur are now to handing over the leadership 

of Gargi HA to the new generation: 

Both Gaurav Kapur as well as 

Varun Kapur are assuming broader 

management responsibilities, whereas 

Vinod und Vicky Kapur will further provide 

their experience and advice in the 

Gargi HA Board. 

Gaurav Kapur is looking forward to 

the strengthened partnership with HA 

and to assuming new responsibilities: 

“The friendship and togetherness with 

our partners of HA has been determining 

my whole life”, he says. “Although 

we have different cultures, we share 

same values and objectives and a sincere 

mutual trust. I am proud to be part 

of the HA family and I am eager to do 

my best to successfully shape our common 

future.” 

www.gargi-india.com 


INTERNATIONAL FAIRS AND CONGRESSES 

Fairs and Congresses 

Aluminium Two Thousand 

April, 9-13, 2019, Treviso, Italy 

www.aluminium2000.com 

Castexpo 2019 

April, 27-30, 2019, Atlanta, USA 

www.afsinc.org/tradeshows/castexpo-2019 

Hannover Messe 

May, 1-5, 2019, Hanover, Germany 

www.hannovermesse.de 

Innovations in Die Casting 

May, 13-15, 2019, Nowy Adamów, Lodz, Poland 

https://diecasting.foundry-conferece.com/en 

Litmash 2019 

May, 14-17, 2019, Moscow, Russia 

www.litmash-russia.com 

18th International Foundrymen Conference 

May, 15-17, 2019, Sisak, Croatia 

www.simet.hr/~foundry 

20th International Die Casting, Foundry & 

Industrial Furnace Exhibition 

June, 13-15, 2019, Pazhou, Guangzhou, China 

www.julang.com.cn/english/yazhu/index.asp 

Advertisers‘ Index 

Admar Group Ocala, FL/USA 23 

AGTOS Gesellschaft für technische Oberflächensysteme 

mbH, Emsdetten/Germany 35 

ASK Chemicals GmbH, Hilden/Germany 11 

DVS Media GmbH, Düsseldorf/Germany 43 

ExOne GmbH, Gersthofen/Germany 45 

Hüttenes-Albertus Chemische Werke GmbH 

Düsseldorf/GermanyBC 

Kjellberg Vertrieb GmbH, 

Finsterwalde/Germany21 

Maschinenfabrik Gustav Eirich GmbH & Co KG 

Hardheim/Germany29 

Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, Düsseldorf/Germany 

IFC 

O.M.LER S.r.l., Bra (CN)/Italy 41 

Optris GmbH, Berlin/Germany 25 

Regloplas AG, St. Gallen/Switzerland 47 

Simpson Technologies GmbH, 

Euskirchen/Germany51 


June, 25-29, 2019, Düsseldorf, Germany 

www.gifa.com 

54

CPT International 01/2019

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