CPT International 01/2021

EDITORIAL
Taking chances in multidimensional
fields of tension
The new vaccines are gradually illuminating the light at the end of
the tunnel in this coronavirus pandemic. Reason enough to think about
what will come after it, as Johannes Messer does in our Interview. He
believes that European foundries are currently experiencing a period
of historical significance, characterized by multidimensional fields of
tension – some of which are discussed in this issue.
Robert Piterek
e-mail: robert.piterek@bdguss.de
Artificial intelligence (AI) has
become a magical phrase that
mostly brings to mind self-driving
vehicles, and many carmakers are
currently working on its breakthrough.
Smart houses, apartments and devices,
as well as virtual assistants such as Apple’s
Siri and Amazon’s Alexa, however,
are already part of the modern everyday
life of many people in large parts of
the world. Artificial intelligence is now
also unstoppable in the foundry sector
– in the form of ‘intelligent’ automation.
Whether in automated casting
control (more from P. 24), or even for
the substantial reduction in the number
of rejects (from P. 34): the combination
of algorithms that simulate intelligent
behavior with modern foundry technology
will be reflected in many more
applications during the coming years
and decades, contributing towards
more efficient, more economical, and
higher-quality production.
Light construction and e-mobility
already characterize modern foundry
development – as is increasingly the
case for AI. e-mobility contributes
towards those tensions mentioned by
Messer. There is currently a trend in
die-casting towards using ever larger
machines to cast structural components
that integrate functional aspects. This
has advanced so far that carmaker Tesla
wants to cast the complete tailpiece of
its Model Y as a single part with a giant
casting cell. Also large are the two
structural casting cells from German
plant manufacturer Oskar Frech, which
are now going into operation in the
USA (from p. 38). While the trend
towards structural casting requires new
machines, new testing methods are also
necessary for e-mobility components,
such as the cast rotors in the new Audi
e-tron (more on this from P. 31).
Efficiency measures in foundries
mostly involve the melting operation.
This is because most of the energy is
used here. Whereby the second-largest
energy consumer is often overlooked:
sand preparation – where a reduction
of energy input of a good ten percent is
already possible at a reasonable cost, as
our author Wolfgang Ernst points out.
Ernst is an acknowledged expert when
it comes to foundry sand and sand preparation
technology (from P. 10).
Have a good read!
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 3

CONTENTS
FEATURES
6 INTERVIEW
Transformation in the multidimensional
field of tension
Interview with Foundry Consultant Johannes Messer
on chances for aluminium foundries in times of
the pandemic and ongoing changes of the branch.
10 SAND PREPARATION
It‘s about time to switch off...
In most foundries the sand preparation is the
second most energy-intensive area. 10 per cent can
be saved with reasonable effort. Wolfgang Ernst
18 MOLDMAKING
With simulation to substitution as cast part
Agricultural machinery producer Amazone used
simulation by Altair and 3-D print ing from voxeljet
to optimize a chassis. Frederick von Saldern
SAND PREPARATION
Exploiting new
energy savings
potentials.
AUTOMATIC
POURING
Fully automated pouring
control is possible
with the help of lasers
and cameras.
21 CORE COATING
Ensuring quality by utilizing efficient
process technology
New dip tanks at German foundry group SLR have
optimized the core coating process. Gianni Segreto
24 AUTOMATIC POURING
Once a vision, now reality
Swedish Pour-Tech AB has imple mented Artificial
Intelligence in the pouring process, Michael Colditz
TRACEABILITY
DGS Druckguss labels
its die castings with
a new software
solution.
Cover-Photo:
Andreas Bednareck Photography
The photo shows giant casting molds in a foundry hall
at Gontermann-Peipers roll foundry in Siegen, Germany,
which CP+T International reported on in issue 3, 2019.
Please also read our report on the Walzen Irle roll
foundry on page 48 in this issue.
4

CONTENTS
MOLDMAKING
A bogey chassis was
optimized with simulation
and 3-D-printing.
31 CASTING INSPECTION
Cast rotors in electric asynchronous motors
A joint project has succeeded for the first time in
taking a look into the inside of cast rotors with a
new computed tomography system.
Christoph Pille, Gabriele Mäurer
34 DIGITALIZATION
Reducing rejects with Artificial Intelligence
With the digital solution of molding machine
manufacturer Disa Spanish foundry group Condals
significantly improved the casting process.
Kasper Paw Madsen
38 DIE CASTING
Producing structural parts with the new
GDK model series
To produce structural castings and castings for
e-mobility two extralarge die casting cells by
Oskar Frech were sold to a US light metal foundry.
Philip Wiederhold
44 TRACEABILITY
“We can uniquely identify every casting
we produce”
DGS Druckguss Systeme AG has optimized its
production with a efficent new software solution
Tino Böhler
48 COMPANY
Pouring off melt for industrialization
Walzen Irle has been casting rolls for more than
200 years and has thus decisively driven industrialization
forward. Robert Piterek
COMPANY
Casting rolls is a
profession that
Walzen Irle masters
since 200 years.
COLUMNS
3 EDITORIAL
54 NEWS IN BRIEF
61 SUPPLIERS GUIDE
78 FAIRS AND KONGRESSES/AD INDEX
79 PREVIEW/IMPRINT
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 5

Lightweight construction
is a trend in the automotive industry that continues
unabated. This opens enormous opportunities
for aluminium foundries Europe wide – says
Johannes Messer.
6

INTERVIEW
Aluminium Casting
Transformation in the multidimensional
field of tension
In the context of the multidimensional challenges and the corona pandemic, the
foundry industry is currently in a situation of historic significance. Regardless of all the
changes, the trend towards lightweight construction in the automotive industry continues
unabated. Even in competition with other applications/processes and materials, this
opens enormous opportunities for aluminium foundries. The concept paper „Aluminium
casting: Success story part 2“ by foundry consultant Johannes Messer describes the past,
comments on the present and motivates for the future. We spoke to the author about
the content, findings, and recommendations of the concept paper.
Photo: Andreas Bednareck
When I read your study, I have the feeling
that the foundry industry, more
than other automotive suppliers, has
been affected by the transformation in
the automotive industry and the effects
of the current pandemic. Or do the
foundries like to complain at a high
level?
Most of the foundries in Germany
already had a „previous illness“. Despite
know-how and productivity advantages
in international comparison, the foundries
have not been able to keep up economically
in the international
benchmark for several years. The foundries,
with their high personnel and
energy requirements, are not able to
compensate for the disadvantages of
the location (taxes, energy, and wage
costs) here in Germany, despite their
technological lead and highest productivity.
Transformation and Corona have
made the overall situation even worse.
You have been talking about the situation
for German foundries. How do you
see the impact of the transforming
automotive industry and the pandemic
on a European scale? Which countries
are affected, which less?
In Spain, France, Italy, Austria, and Sweden
the overall situation is very similar
to the situation in Germany. In Eastern
Europe, the general conditions (taxes,
energy, and wage costs) for foundries
are significantly better. This has a direct
influence on the company‘s results,
which are better than e.g., in Germany,
although there are some productivity
disadvantages there. Regarding the
upcoming transformation in the automotive
industry, foundries with technological
know-how (development of new
parts) have a clear advantage.
In the interview, Johannes Messer, Business
Owner of Johannes Messer Consulting, talks
about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
and the transformation of the automotive
industry on foundries in Europe.
In comparison to other automotive suppliers,
the foundries are currently particularly
affected by insolvencies. Doesn‘t
it make sense then that a “market shakeout”
should take place now?
The foundry industry has been fighting
for years against unequal conditions of
Photo: Johannes Messer Consulting
competition because of the aforementioned
locational disadvantages. The conditions
of competition are not the only
reason for the financial imbalances, but
they are the most important. However,
the possibilities of companies to compensate
for these disadvantages are
limited. Many foundries have therefore
moved parts of their production to
neighbouring European countries in
recent years. The main motivation was
and is to participate from the low-cost
advantages. Proximity to customer markets,
which is often used as an argument
in such relocations, is often of
minor importance.
If you say that the location disadvantages
are not the only reason for the current
problems, what are the others?
To answer the question in detail at this
point will certainly lead too far. You can
find detailed answers to this in the
study. In principle, however, it can be
said that foundries in Germany have
developed more slowly in terms of technology
and economy in recent years
than in the past.
I currently see the main need for action
in the following areas:
> Alignment of the product portfolio
> Economically focused technology
orientation
> Managing investments
> Merging the value chain
> „Preserving and shaping“ liquidity
> Find partners
> Understand CIP as a lever for success
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 7

INTERVIEW
> Accept and implement the new normality
> Changes in line with the key success
criteria’s
> Look beyond the box
To be successful again in the short term
and to remain successful in the long
term, these issues must be dealt with
now. The complexity of the topics and
their importance for the company‘s success
require individual a detailed revision
of the corporate strategy.
Basically, you assume that the German
foundries are competitive. Will there
still be the necessary market for this in
a few years? In the long term, the
transformation will make today‘s
power train “superfluous”.
Foundries will inevitably lose volume
with today‘s bread and butter parts. The
foundries will lose cash flow due to the
volume losses from the powertrain.
These losses can only be compensated
for with new parts after a time delay
due to corresponding start-up costs. The
resulting risk is to be assessed as particularly
high in view of the current liquidity
situation and the upcoming investments
in connection with the transformation.
The transformation will open opportunities
for foundries. The trend towards
lightweight construction, as one of the
essential levers for increasing the range
of the Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV), will
continue to increase. Casting as a process
and aluminium as a material are the
guarantees of success at this point. There
are opportunities for new cast parts in
the field of e-mobility, autonomous driving
and chassis and structural parts.
You consider the foundries competitive
and see the necessary market in the
long term. These are the essential
requirements for all companies to operate
successfully. In your opinion, what
needs to be done to take advantage of
the opportunities available and to
make the foundries more successful
again?
Yes, I think that foundries in Germany
are largely competitive. However, I also
say that the foundries must work harder
on the success levers of technology
and productivity in order to at least partially
compensate for location disadvantages
and to secure their competitiveness
in the long term.
Politicians, trade unions and foundry
associations must also contribute their
part and bringing taxes, energy and
labour costs close to the international
level of competition, so that the foundries
can return to the economic track of
success.
As far as the market volume is concerned,
there are opportunities to
generate further growth. The extraordinary
foundry network (metal suppliers,
tool makers, foundries, machine manufacturers,
research workers, ...) in Germany/Europe
can exploit these opportunities.
Together we can and will
succeed in making lightweight construction
technologically and economically
possible “everywhere” in the automobile
through aluminium casting.
In my opinion, success depends on
the foundries doing their homework
successfully on an individual basis and
all those involved working together on
the following topics:
> Reduction of the location disadvantages
(taxes, energy and wage costs)
> 100 % lightweight automobile construction
= 100 % cast aluminium
Can your recipes for becoming more
successful again and taking chances be
applied also on the European foundry
industry as a whole? Are there regional
differences?
Yes, the “recipes” apply to the entire
European foundry industry. The most
important point is that in competition
with other materials and processes we
offer our customers the technologically
and economically best solutions. To be
successful, the entire value-added network
in Europe must work together.
Last but not least - now that Brexit is
accomplished. Does the new reality of a
EU without Britain affect the European
foundries? After all some automaker
produce on the British isles who need
light metal castings.
I cannot see any significant changes at
the moment. I expect that British car
manufacturers will continue to source
most of their castings in the EU. I rule
out a relocation of production to British
foundries. For new products, the British
car manufacturers will use the development
know-how in the EU. The German
foundries are very well positioned here.
Naturally in cooperation with the outstanding
foundry network in Europe.
The interview with Johannes Messer
was conducted by Nicole Kareta from
spotlightmetal.com
Read the concept paper at
https://t1p.de/dx8t
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SAND PREPARATION
Exploiting new energy savings potentials
Aerator for loosening the prepared sand. The sum of
energy consumed by the various machines and equipment
in a sand preparation facility makes sand preparation the
number 2 energy-intensive area in a foundry – after the
melting shop
It’s about time to switch off …
In foundries, the meltshop is the most energy-intensive area, immediately followed by
sand preparation in most cases. With a reasonable effort up to 10 percent of energy can
be saved in the sand preparation area.
by Wolfgang Ernst, Braunschweig, Germany
Photos: Eirich
There are several reasons for
foundries to implement energy-saving
measures. They may
want to improve their image by reducing
their ecological footprint, or they
may have committed themselves to continuous
optimization as part of a certification
to an ISO 50000 standard. But
ultimately, the most important drivers
for reducing energy consumption are
cost reasons. Numerous foundries have
already achieved significant savings in
their meltshop, have replaced old air
compressors and have changed all
lamps to LED. With all this done, other
areas of the foundry are now moving
into the focus. In many green-sand
foundries, the meltshop is the most
energy-intensive area, immediately followed
by sand preparation. Exemplary
studies have identified an energy
savings potential of up to 10 % in this
area, achievable with a reasonable
effort.
There are two areas of interest that
avail themselves as a starting point for
the reduction of power consumption in
sand preparation: on the one hand,
the electric equipment, i.e. the motors
and their power consumption at full
load operation, and, on the other
hand, the mode of operation, especially
the idle mode, i.e. when all motors
are on but no sand is being transported
or processed. Below, we take a
look at both areas. While we will only
briefly explain the option of replacing
existing motors with new-generation
energy-saving motors, we will go more
into detail describing the strategy of
saving energy by temporarily switching
off equipment when in idle mode,
including the example of two foundries
that have implemented this concept
in practice.
10

emergency stop – the machine can
immediately resume full-load operation,
minimizing the need for
time-consuming manual emptying and
the downtimes associated with it. This is
a situation where the intention to save
energy by using a smaller motor collides
with the wish to be up and running as
fast as possible after a failure.
Figure 1: Intensive-mixing
unit with energy-saving torque motors
Use of energy-saving motors
Typically, in the sand preparation area
there are but a few energy-intensive
systems: mixers (Figure 1), used-sand
coolers (Figure 2), bucket conveyors and
fans, for example. At full load, they use
between 50 and 500 kW. Other systems,
such as conveyor belts, worm conveyors
and vibrators, operate with much less
energy - starting at 1 kW and usually
not exceeding a wattage rating of 5
kW. Therefore, with a view to energy
saving, they are only of little relevance:
one mixer, for example, uses about the
same energy as 20 belt conveyors. The
technological fields of dedusting, compressed-air
generation and hydraulics
are not covered in this article.
The last few years have seen intensive
and successful efforts to make
motors generally more energy-efficient.
Meanwhile, there are already motors of
Class 4 efficiency rating. The selection
of the right motor deserves special
attention. It is not as simple as replacing
a 100-kW motor of the old design with
a new-generation 100-kW motor. When
selecting a new motor, an important
aspect is efficiency. In order to achieve
high efficiency, the electric power input
should only be slightly higher than the
mechanical power output. Efficiency
(eta or ƞ) is defined as useful power
output divided by the total electrical
power consumed. The closer this quotient
is to 1, the better (Figure 3).
Getting the motor size right
While the above in itself is not an easy
task – because it is difficult to determine
what amount of mechanical
energy is actually needed –, there is
another issue to be taken into account.
This task is of a more conceptual
nature, but not less challenging. Especially
for production-critical high-power
assets, such as mixers or coolers, there
has always been a trend to use motors
with a much higher power rating than
needed for regular operation. The idea
behind this is to ensure that – after an
Figure 2: Intensive cooler with high-efficiency cooling system
Purchase costs are almost negligible
The idea of having to replace all motors
in a sand preparation facility may scare
foundry owners off due to the costs
involved. Nevertheless, it may be
worthwhile taking a closer look at the
figures. Although the actual consumption
of a motor depends on its age and
design, manufacturers of energy-efficient
motors see savings potentials of
up to 40 %. If in doubt, have an electrician
measure the consumption values
for the various load cases for all three
phases. Based on these measurements,
you should discuss with a trustful motor
supplier what savings may be realistically
achievable. Also worthy of note is
a cost analysis that breaks down the
actual costs arising during the entire
motor life. Figure 4 clearly shows that,
when looking at the complete lifetime
of a motor, the purchase price becomes
virtually negligible, as it accounts for
just about 1% of the total costs. The
bulk of the expenses is accounted for by
operational costs, in other words by the
power input.
Prioritizing the replacement
of the motors
Still, the capital investment involved
may be deterring. However, if distribu-
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 11

SAND PREPARATION
Figure 3: Motor efficiency
Figure 4: Cost breakdown of a motor life
ted over a longer period, the investment
is easier to bear. The question is
where to start. A suitable strategy for
prioritization is to categorize the
motors into four groups according to
their age and their annual electricity
consumption. Figure 5 illustrates this
strategy: as an example, each one of
the motors under discussion has been
assigned to a position within one of the
four quadrants of a coordinate system
for better visualization. It is recommended
to start with the older, high-power
motors because their replacement will
achieve the biggest individual savings.
The most counter-productive
cost drivers
However, we do not want to leave
unmentioned that the installation of an
energy-efficient motor is not everything
you need. A number of other investments
may result, as for the frequency
converter, for example. This instrument
is needed to reduce the mechanical
power output by reducing the electric
power input via frequency variations.
Quite often, grant and funding programs
will only be approved if a frequency
converter is installed. In literature,
supply pumps are frequently
mentioned as an example in this context.
In the course of the day, these
pumps supply varying flow rates and a
frequency converter can continuously
adjust the power of the pump to the
capacity needed. However, this example
is not generally transferrable to other
machines and components. Conveyor
belts and feeding screws, for example,
have basically only two operating
modes: “filled” or “empty”. Frequency-converter
controlled operation does
not really make sense here, especially,
with a view to the follow-up costs. Frequency
converters are quite big instruments,
usually too big to be accommodated
in existing control cabinets.
Investments in new cabinets and major
rebuilding efforts will be unavoidable.
All motors of the conveying systems are
equipped with an external cooling fan
that is mechanically coupled with the
drive shaft. This means that as soon as
the rpm of the motor is reduced the fan
will also run at lower power. To avoid
this effect, the fan will have to be
equipped with an additional, separate
motor, requiring quite some installation
effort. And, last but not least, the cabling
will have to be renewed. As a result
of the varying frequency, the power
input of frequency-converter controlled
motors causes the unwanted effect of
electromagnetic interference (EMI) with
the highly sensitive electronics. Usually,
the only remedy against this is the installation
of shielded cables. One last
aspect shall be considered now: frequency
converters, especially larger
ones, release considerable heat. This
may raise the temperature in the control
cabinet to such an extent that the
cabinets have to be fitted with cooling
systems. These additional costs also
need to be taken into account when
considering the replacement of the
motors. Therefore it is doubtful
whether the sum of all these measures
can still be considered energy-efficient.
Reducing power input
during idle runs
While in the above described approach
the idea is to install energy-efficient
motors in order to achieve - with a
smaller energy input - the same conveying
and preparation rates, we are
now going to explain an approach
intended to avoid, wherever possible,
power input during idle runs. A sand
preparation plant will always be dimensioned
allowing for extra capacity. In
other words, it will be laid out to be
able to process more sand than speci-
12

fied to avoid downtimes in the foundry
due to a lack of sand. Consequently
there will be idle run phases in the sand
preparation shop, particularly, in jobbing
foundries where the sand requirements
and the cycle times vary from casting
to casting. However, this is not
necessarily the biggest potential source
for wasted energy. A central area of
interest is the power consumption while
the sand preparation equipment is
being idled, during stoppages or other
interruptions of production, for
example. It may be a misconception,
but the common practice in foundries is
obviously to not switch the equipment
off in such situations. Here, clarity can
only be achieved by evaluating the
savings potential based on the batch
protocols. Given fixed cycle times, the
distribution of idle times can be derived
from the starting times of production
for the individual batches (down to
seconds). Figure 6 shows the results of
an analysis covering almost a complete
year. 72,182 charges were analyzed
during that time – during 268 work
days and 5,487 hours of operation. As
the consumption of electric power per
cycle was not documented, average
values were assumed for the power
Figure 5: Modernization strategy: upgrade to state-of-the-art high-efficiency
motors
consumed per cycle and during idle run
phases. The chart shows the shares of
energy consumption for idle times longer
than five minutes and idle times
longer than ten minutes. Just as remarkable
is the relationship between
energy consumption at full load and
that during idle mode. Almost one third
of the energy is consumed during
idling. This analysis considers only the
mixer, not the other sand preparation
equipment.
Power off saves energy
The most obvious and simple measure
therefore is: switch off whenever no
sand is being conveyed or processed.
But what about the justified concern
that motors may suffer damage when
being switched on and off too often.
your Partner
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Smooth pneumatic conveying system for:
• sand • bentonite • carbon • filter dust
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SAND PREPARATION
Company Mixer No. of batches 72,182
Data from to Average batch weight 2,200 kg
02.01.2018 14.12.2018 Working days 268
Filter: nicht > 07:00 hh:mm Operating hours 5,465
kWh per year
750,000 kWh
725,000 kWh
700,000 kWh
675,000 kWh
650,000 kWh
625,000 kWh
600,000 kWh
575,000 kWh
550,000 kWh
525,000 kWh
500,000 kWh
475,000 kWh
450.000 kWh
Figure 6: Total energy consumption
Unfortunately, there are no reliable and
comprehensive empirical values available
to verify this. However, there is no
arguing about the fact that when a frequency
converter or soft starter is used
the frequency of switching on and off is
hardly an issue. On the other hand,
even when switching a motor on and
off via circuit breakers in the classical
mode, the mechanical parts of the
motor and the unit it propels are also
subjected to stresses and wear. Therefore
we have limited our examination
to the two power-off periods compared
in Figure 7: five minutes and more, and
ten minutes and more. Not switching
off the equipment during idle runs that
are longer than five minutes would
mean that 11.8 % - corresponding to an
assumed 84,557 kWh – are wasted. For
idle runs of ten minutes and more these
Potential reduction in kWh per year by
power-off of mixer
> 1:00 and < 7:00 h:mm; 71.866
> 0:30 and < 1:00 h:mm; 13.105
> 20 and < 30 min. ; 5.527
> 10 and < 20 min. ; 13.952
> 08 and < 10 min.; 7.520
> 06 and < 08 min. ; 14.173
> 05 and < 06 min. ; 13.344
> 04 and < 05 min. ; 14.251
> 03 and < 04 min.; 14.199
> 02 and < 03 min.; 10.197
> 00 and < 02 min.; 45.906
figures would even increase to 16.7 %,
or 119,591 kWh. The essential results
from this analysis are summarized in
Figure 8. The most salient result is the
potential savings of 15 % of the total
energy consumption. Other key information
can be derived from the parameter
kWh per t of molding sand. This
ratio should stay – given an intelligently
programmed sand preparation process
- more or less the same independent of
the throughput rate. Two foundries
have already implemented this concept
of switching equipment off when in
idle mode, while achieving the same
throughput. In one case, the concept
was practiced in a larger-scale sand preparation
shop using two mixers. The bar
chart in Figure 9 represents as an
example a 24-hour period. The facility is
operated for 18 hours, the mixer can
handle a maximum batch size of 2,200
kg. Over the period shown, the hourly
sand rate varied between 42.6 and
97.3 t. The black curve plotted over the
blue “sand columns” represents the –
naturally varying – electric power
consumed by the complete dosing and
mixing line. The turquoise straight line
represents the parameter kWh/t, which
is slightly below 5.5 kWh in this case.
This parameter is a simple means to
visually verify the efficiency of operation.
The actual energy consumption in
kWh per tonne of molding sand is plotted
as the dark green curve. Even in the
case of a smaller aluminium foundry
with a mixer capacity of only 250 kg this
parameter is at approx. 3.5 kWh per
tonne of sand.
Implementation strategy
Unlike the strategy of installing new
energy-efficient motors, the strategy
“power off during idle runs” requires
minimum hardware. It is rather a new
approach to control. This involves the
development of algorithms that avoid
constant switching of the motors. The
aim is to be able to anticipate when the
mixer is going to discharge a batch,
whether it is going to need additional
sand or whether there may be a waiting
period of a few minutes. This requires
very close communication with the molding
line, which determines how much
sand is actually needed. For the sand
preparation shop it is essential to receive
as soon as possible all relevant information
about a stop or failure of the molding
line, whether it is running smoothly
and when it may be needing new sand.
As a further area of modification, the
filling control of the sand hoppers was
adapted. Conventional control systems
work on the principle that new sand is
immediately supplied as the filling level
comes below a defined “full” limit. It
often turns out that sand is being supplied
sooner than actually necessary. This
can be avoided by a hysteretic control, in
other words a delayed effect based on
variable full-level signals. Therefore, the
existing limit-value controllers were
replaced with analogue fill-level signals
(0 – 100 %). They enable fine-tuned setting
of the switching thresholds via a
menu with the aim to achieve longer
non-active times and longer, cohering
filling times. In the case of the aluminium
foundry with a total of seven sand
hoppers, an even more sophisticated filling
scheme was implemented by designing
a hysteretic control that provides
even more flexibility. There are situa-
14

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SAND PREPARATION
No. of power-offs: 5792 No. of power-offs: 1543
Power-offs/shi:
8,5 Power-offs/shi:
2,3
kWh per year
750,000 kWh
725,000 kWh
Potenal reducon in kWh per year by power-off
of mixer 1 during all idle runs > 5 minutes,
based on an idle-me predicon model
kWh per year
750,000 kWh
725,000 kWh
Potenal reducon in kWh per year by power-off
of mixer 1 during all idle runs > 10 minutes,
based on an idle-me predicon model
700,000 kWh
700,000 kWh
675,000 kWh
650,000 kWh
625,000 kWh
Idle mes > 5 min
139.488 kWh
19,5%
675,000 kWh
650,000 kWh
625,000 kWh
Idle mes > 10 min
104.450 kWh
14,6%
600,000 kWh
600,000 kWh
575,000 kWh
575,000 kWh
550,000 kWh
525,000 kWh
Sum of other idle mes
84.554 kWh
11,8%
550,000 kWh
525,000 kWh
Sum of other idle mes
119.591 kWh
16,8%
500,000 kWh
500,000 kWh
475,000 kWh
475,000 kWh
Figure 7: Decrease in kWh/year achieved by power-off times of 5 minutes and more versus power-off times of 10 minutes and more
tions in the foundry where a hopper is
being filled and the mixer is stopped
immediately after completion of the
batch, just to be switched on again a
few seconds later when the next hopper
signals that it needs sand. To avoid this
constant switching, the following control
scheme has been implemented:
When a new batch is started, the system
triggers a response from all the hoppers
as to their sand requirements. The trigger
level of all hoppers has been raised
in order to know not only the current
but also the imminent sand requirements.
Thus the mixer will not be switched
off immediately as the current
demand has been fulfilled but will continue
producing in advance for the other
hoppers. The next step towards an even
more sophisticated control will be to
derive the switching thresholds from the
order data. This would enable the control
system to adjust even more precisely
to varying cycle times and sand requirements
of the molding boxes. This will
make it possible to plan the sand requirements
and the mixer throughput in
such a way that power-off times are
maximized. Thus, control algorithms that
would hold the complete sand preparation
facilities in stand-by, waiting to
immediately restart when the filling
level drops below the “full” limit, have
become a thing of the past.
Company
Date
Date
Working days
Weeks
1st batch
last batch
(actual)
(period)
Summary
We have introduced two strategies to
achieve energy-efficient sand preparation:
on the one hand, a hardware
upgrade by replacing older motors with
02.01.2018 Batches total 72,183
14.12.2018 Shi 06:00 - 14:00 31,632
268 Shi 14:00 - 22:00 29,017
49 Shi 22:00 - 06:00 11,534
Moulding sand producon
Average batch size 2,200 Kg per day per year
During period considered 158,803 t 593 t 158,803 t
Energy consumpon
Per year
715,469 kWh
Thereof for producon 489,782 kWh
Thereof for idle mode
225,688 kWh
Idle mes not longer than: > 08:00 hh:mm resulng power-offs
Savings potenal 2 106,097 kWh Total number No./shi
(all idle mes > 10 minutes) 14.8% 1,546 2.3
Savings potenal 1
141.134 kWh
(all idle mes > 5 minutes) 19.7% 5,795 8.4
Parameters
kWh per tonne of sand
Mixer 1
4.51 kWh/t Current situaon
kWh per tonne of sand 3.84 kWh/t for savings potenal 2
Savings potenal (per year)
106,097 kWh
Savings pot. (with 0.14 € per kWh) 14,854 €
Figure 8: Summary of analysis of potentials
new energy-efficient motors and, on
the other hand, modification of the
motor control with the aim to switch
the sand preparation equipment as
often as possible into power-off during
16

Figure 9: Implementation of an energy-efficiency enhancing strategy in a larger-scale sand preparation facility using two mixers
idle runs. The parameter kWh/t can
serve as a measure of the consistency of
operation. Ideally, this value will not
change even if the hourly throughput
rate varies. Whether in full-load operation
or in slow “stop-and-go” operation
– the energy consumption for one
tonne of sand remains the same
because during idle run the sand preparation
equipment will be in power-off
mode. The main objective – and the
main challenge – here is to coordinate
and adjust the operation of the mixer
to the hopper filling requirements,
taking into consideration not just the
immediate demand but also the next
following molding jobs. To achieve this,
it is essential that the operating status
of the molding line be signalled to the
mixers without delay and that the sand
hoppers be equipped with analogue
fill-level measuring devices. The latter
are needed to be able to implement a
flexible hysteresis-based sand requesting
scheme. While some experience
gained during practical operation may
help in the set-up, there is yet no standard
solution available that would fit
every sand preparation scenario. It is
recommended to determine the to be
expected savings by means of an analysis
of potentials prior to the implementation.
However, care should be taken
when financial jugglers try to create the
illusionary prospects of ROI-periods of
less than one year. Such short pay-back
periods are only feasible in situations
where no investments have been made
for many years and the machines would
be good for exhibits in a museum.
www.datecgmbh.de
Wolfgang Ernst, Managing Director of
datec GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany
ONLINE AUCTION
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machines such as milling machines and lathes, bridge cranes, molding boxes, substations and much more.
WWW.TROOSTWIJKAUCTIONS.COM
CLOSING: Tuesday 30 March - VIEWING: Wednesday 24 March by appointment
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 17

MOLDMAKING
Photos: Voxeljet
3-D-printing
With simulation to
substitution as cast part
During mechanical reworking
the optimized bogey chassis
slowly takes on its final shape
Agricultural machinery manufacturer Amazone uses simulation software
by Altair and 3-D printing from voxeljet to optimize a bogey chassis.
By Frederick von Saldern, Friedberg
The German agricultural machinery
manufacturer Amazone was able
to save 18 percent in weight
when producing a prototype for a new
bogey chassis. This was possible because
the family business from Hasbergen,
near Osnabrück in Germany, was able
to print the sand-casting molds and
cores for the casting without special
tools and using just a CAD file. The
company used the world’s largest industrial
3-D printer for sand-casting molds,
the VX4000 by voxeljet from Augsburg,
Germany.
There is unrelenting progress in the
evolution of harrows, which farmers
drag along the ground with a tractor to
break up the soil and prepare it for
sowing seeds. Manufacturers are constantly
striving to make the equipment
more stable, durable and also lighter in
order to, for example, adhere to the
permitted axle loads when driving on
the road. Among them is the family
business Amazone, which produces the
Catros compact disc harrow with a
bogey chassis. This is a towed device
which is fixed to a tractor and can be
used in different configurations. The
compact disc harrow is used for shallow
and intensive soil cultivation for a working
depth of up to 15 centimeters.
The CAD software creates a cast
design according to a lightweight
construction
The bogey chassis connects the device
to the axle to enable the device to be
transported from the farm to the field.
The original welded construction had a
weight of 245 kilograms and a welding
seam length of 16.5 metres, making it
18

A part of the
3-D-printed casting
mold made of
quartz sand, is cleaned
and inspected
after printing.
RESOURCE-FRIENDLY INTO
THE FUTURE –
HWS systems for sand reclamation.
• Highly efficient, flexible process
• Customized concepts
• Automated solutions
• No environmental requirements for the
reclamation unit
• Own reclamation test center available
very complex and production-intensive. In order to reduce
costs and make the component more stable and lighter,
Amazone decided to replace the bogey chassis with a cast
component. Using the topology optimisation software
“Inspire” by Altair, the Amazone development team was
able to create a design that was suitable for the load and
could also be cast.
Considerably lighter, more
stable and more durable
Due to the materials being distributed in a manner suitable
for the amount of force, the cast bogey chassis is over
45 kilograms lighter than the welded component. With
this saving in weight, the shape is reminiscent of tree
structure or bird bones. At the same time, the new design
ensures a 272 percent longer service life, because the
design avoids the variations in rigidity in the cast component
compared to the welding component. In order to
guarantee the material quality, the ex-perts at Altair have
also simulated the flow of metal during the casting process
with the Inspire software. In this way, they were able
to reduce the risk of internal defects caused by trapped
gases before the actual casting process, and therefore
optimize the quality of cast parts. Sebastian Kluge from
Amazone says: “Thanks to the optimized design of the
cast construction which is suitable for the load, for the
third evolution stage of the rear swing arm, it was possible
to increase the service life by 2.5 times whilst also
reducing the weight by approx. 18 % compared to the
welding component. The creation of the sand-casting
mold using 3-D printing makes it possible to quickly
source prototype components and therefore significantly
reduce development times.
Saving time with 3-D printing
Before sand reclamation
After sand reclamation
www.sinto.com
Manufacturing casting molds for such a complex component
is generally time-consuming – partly because complex
specialist tools are required. For this reason, Altair
re-thought the options and decided to use the VX4000 by
voxeljet – a 3-D printing system with an installation space
of 4000 x 2000 x 1000 millimetres. “This is the largest
HEINRICH WAGNER SINTO
Maschinenfabrik GmbH
SINTOKOGIO GROUP
Bahnhofstr.101 · 57334 Bad Laasphe, Germany
Phone +49 2752 / 907 0 · Fax +49 2752 / 907 280
www.wagner-sinto.de
HWS Anz 85x260 USR-II GB_2021_RZ.indd 1 01.03.2021 17:31:35
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 19

MOLDMAKING
industrial 3-D printer in the world for
sand-casting molds”, says Tobias King,
Director Marketing & Application at
voxeljet. “Because the complexity of the
component does not affect the cost of
the 3-D printing, even difficult geometric
shapes can be created at a low cost.”
For complex structures: Design
freedom and 300 dpi resolution
with the 3-D printer
First of all, voxeljet converted the CAD
file of the component into a negative
CAD file to digitally represent the fourpart
casting mold. The workers then fed
this data into the 3-D system. Then the
printing began. Here, a so-called coater
spreads the printing material (quartz
sand) onto the construction platform.
Then the print head moves over the
platform and binds the grains of sand
together with a binding agent – depending
on the geometry of the object in
the CAD file. For this, the print head
works with a resolution of 300 dpi.
While the construction platform itself
remains static, the coater and print
head move their working height gradually
upwards by 300 micrometres until
the casting mold is complete.
Once the printing procedure has
finished, the workers remove the side
walls of the construction platform that
were printed with the component and
remove any misprinted quartz sand. This
leaves the casting mold, which can be
used straight away. The foundry (Pro
The completed casting mold made from
quartz sand appears at Pro Cast Guss.
The foundry in Gütersloh is responsible
for casting the bogey chassis.
After the workers have removed the
casting mold, the bogey chassis emerges,
including risers.
Cast Guss from Gütersloh) gives the casting
mold just one coating – the barrier
layer between sand and metal, which
protects the casting mold from thermal
stress. Despite all of this, the shape is lost
after the casting – just as with traditional
casting molds (sand-casting molds). It
is destroyed after the core of the cast
bogey chassis is removed. Thanks to the
previous Click2Cast computer simulation
for casting, the cast material flows perfectly
into the original size the first time.
Frederick von Saldern,
voxeljet AG, Friedberg
www.voxeljet.de
20

CORE COATING
Quality Assurance
Coating a core at SLR in one of the new
modernized coating dip tanks.
Ensuring quality by utilizing
­efficient process technology
The SLR Group is investing with the aim to optimize its cold box core coating process.
Utilizing the „Arena All-in-One“ dip tanks from the Italian company Proservice s.r.l.,
repeatability, cleanliness, safety, maintenance frequency and power consumption have
all been improved. Thereby, contributing to improving the core quality within a reasonable
payback period for the investment.
by Gianni Segreto, Borgoricco, Italiy
Photo: SLR Group
The SLR Group in Germany produces
over 130,000 tons of
machine parts from high-quality
nodular cast iron (GJS). The foundry in
St. Leon-Rot (parent plant and
headquarters of the SLR group) was
founded in 1981. One production site is
located at St. Leon-Rot near Heidelberg.
Another foundry location is Elsterheide
near Dresden. There is a machining/
assembly shop in Hungary, while the
pattern shop is located at the company
site Eging near Passau.
Process optimization, costs reduction
and research for innovative solutions
have always been the basis of the philosophy
for the SLR group. The two
foundries in the group have therefore
invested in equipment for the control
of coating filtration as well as the control
and application of alcohol-based
coating of cold box cores.
As with many other foundries, this
part of the foundry process has not
been automated.
The application of core coating is a
delicate part of the process and has
been associated with defects in the
final castings which create hidden
costs.
The cores are finished by immersion
with lifting gear or manually by the
operator working at each core shooter,
where the cores from 0.5 to 80 kg (for
Leon Rot) and from 0.5 to 300 kg (for
Elsterheide) are produced.
Very ambitious goals were set from
the beginning of the project. On the
one hand, it was a matter of controlling
the varying wet layer thickness of the
core coating, as well as controlling the
problems associated with the core dipping
duration. In addition, the cleaning
and filtration costs of the core coating
were to be reduced, as well as reducing
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 21

Dense coating and
alcohol storage area,
separated from the
work area.
the alcohol emissions into the environment.
The design and installation was to
be a turnkey supply, performed by a
single supplier, with a storage area for
the undiluted coating and the alcohol
supply to be separated from the actual
work area, as per instructions from Martin
Scherz, the managing director of SLR
foundry St. Leon-Rot.
From the goals to the solutions
ProserviceTech of Borgoricco Italy, had
taken on this challenge. The company
analyzed the process in every single
step to understand how to punctually
achieve the targets set by the customer.
Thus, together with the customer it
identified some safe areas where to
install a plant for the storage of the
dense coating and alcohol containers,
this plant was to feed to each individual
core coating tank. In this phase every
detail was considered, from the safety
(being an Atex area) to the automatic
pre-mixing and pre-dilution of the
dense core coating. The reason was to
make it easier mixing and pumping
through the piping (including the supply
pipe), and to manage the mixers for
the containers of dense core coating as
well as the control of the alcohol and
dense core coating levels.
The following pictures show the storage
area, the pipelines where the alcohol
and the dense coating intermittently
circulate safely, and the various coating
tanks positioned in the foundry on two
floors in St. Leon Rot and on only on
one floor for the Elsterheide line.
Goal: constant quality advance
Once that the storage and the supply of
the dense coating and the alcohol were
Vibro-filter, which
filters the coating
through a sieve
which removes sand
particles.
stabilized and optimized, the focus was
placed on each individual coating dipping
tank. Means of choice in this case
and at this time was the Arena All-in-
One series advanced dipping tanks,
which collect from a centralized unit,
the automatically controlled mixed and
prepared coating and kept the coating
at a constant level. In fact, each coating
tank is equipped with a storage tank,
where the coating is continuously controlled
by means of the Density Sentinel.
The automatic supply of dense coating
and alcohol, as well as the ability to set
fixed density targets for each unit in
which the coating density needs to be
maintained. Each coating tank is interconnected
through its own network
with the other units, but also with the
storage area. The advantages of the
Arena All-in-One solution is that the
coating does not settle and the power
consumption is thereby optimized.
Mr. Christian Zouplna, Foundry
manager: “After approximately a year
of use, we already are able to measure
the achieved benefits. Before installing
Arena All-in-One, even if we manually
controlled the coating up to 10 times
per day, for each coating tank with the
related corrections, the wet layer thickness
of the coating before drying still
had a deviation of +/- 25 µm almost
daily. With the “Arena All-in-One” we
were able to reduce the deviation by
approx. 70 %, even if there was still a
residual deviation, which is mainly due
to the manual operation of core dipping.
The current tolerance range is
from -10 µm to + 5 µm. The resulted in
more consistent repeatability and a considerable
reduction in quality control
problems of the cores in the
downstream processing area with the
associated rejects or corrective measures
on the cores.
22

CORE COATING
Another coating dip
tank. In St. Leon-Rot
the dip tanks are
located on two floors,
while in Elsterheide
on one floor.
Minimized maintenance.
Where the coatings are used, usually
there are three words: cleanliness, manpower
and spare parts. The cleanliness
seems to be a condition accepted as a
divine punishment universally associated
with the use of refractory core coatings.
For example, every week SLR had to
drain all the coating tanks and manually
removal the residual coating sediment
and core sand. These operations required
a lot of manpower (up to one hour
for each coating tank every week) and a
consequential waste of coating and solvent
due to the inefficient mixing. (to
reject sedimented coating means to pay
the coating twice: once when purchased
and again for the special disposal as a
dangerous material).
In all the coating tanks at SLR, ProserviceTech
has introduced solutions
that have almost canceled all of these
costs. Thanks to the use of a system
with static filters on each tank and of
the innovative Arena Vibro-filter, a portable
vibrating unit which allows for
the filtration of the sand from the coating
in few minutes without interrupting
the production. The operations of
the weekly process of emptying and cleaning
are something of the past. They
are now performed in the two annual
stoppages. Arena Vibro-filter is moved
from one tank to the other only as and
when required, almost completely eliminating
the presence of sand and
dried coating pieces in the core coating.
Consequently, eliminating the common
defects of sand inclusions and coating
lumps in the castings.
A diaphragm pump is usually required
to achieve a constant level within
the dipping tank. The installation of a
diaphragm pump is usually fraught with
many problems: noise, considerable
consumption of spare parts, energy
usage (compressed air) and manpower
for its maintenance.
The Arena E-pump has consistently
maintained a constant coating level for
more than two years, (the original
pump is still working) with an operational
life that has already exceeded 8,200
hours. Without requiring any maintenance
or any spare parts. With a noise
level of 55 dB while the pump is working,
is like a quiet conversation and
with huge energy savings. Therefore, it
is not a surprise that in similar conditions
and when only considering the
energy costs, the E-pump allows a payback
period of less than a year, when
compared to a traditional diaphragm
pump.
Safety first.
The use of alcohol based coatings imposes
some very strict safety procedures,
related to and governed by the relevant
ATEX certification. To design and to certify
with ATEX is not simple, especially
in foundries with existing equipment.
After the implementation of the system,
the alcohol consumption has been
reduced by up to 3 %. This is thanks to
the system‘s new circulation/mixing
technology.
Moreover, by eliminating the cleaning
operations (the removal of the
coating sediment and the sand), the
new system of coating mixing and circulation,
as well as the installation of alcohol
fume detection, has resulted to a
remarkable reduction of the alcohol dispersion
within the work environment.
Which has considerably improved the
MAK (Maximum Workplace Concentration)
index.
Now, operators who came into contact
with the coating are no longer
required for the manual dipping, including
the cleaning as well as the dilution
and control of the coating. Regarding
this, Mr. Zouplna (Foundry manager,
SLR St. Leon-Rot) has commented: “The
preparation, the density control, the
dense coating dilution with alcohol and
the transportation of the alcohol and
coating containers to each individual
tank introduced some safety problems
(which were related to the logistics and
contact with the coating that is no longer
required for the coating operation)
and also a manpower cost saving. We
had one person dedicated for 3 to 4
hours/day for these operations, who can
now be employed for other activities”.
Mr. Scherz ends: “The low payback
time allowed us to purchase two additional
All-in-One units. Installation was
done in July 2020 for a different area in
the core shop, with the aim to replace
all the other existing coating tanks in
the group’s two foundries, in the next
few years”.
www.slr-gruppe.de
Eng. Gianni Segreto, Proservice Technology,
Borgoricco, Italy, assisted by Birgit
Wagner, James Durrans GmbH, Willich
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 23

AUTOMATIC POURING
24

Unheated pouring ladle
„The new application improves working
conditions, reduces production costs and
paves the way for further AI applications“
AI-operator in foundries
Once a vision, now reality
In the past years many articles have been published about “The Internet of Things” (IoT),
Foundry 4.0, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the potential of its use in foundries. Interesting
R&D strategies have been explained but results about the implementation in foundries
have seldom been presented. The article describes the development and experiences
with Artificial Intelligence at pour-tech AB, a specialist in automatic pouring and software
solutions. The company develops new integrated systems with fully automated
pouring controls based on a combination of laser and camera technology.
By Michael Colditz, Sävedalen, Sweden
Every day, foundries are faced with
loss of knowledge due to the
retirement of experienced operators
and the difficulty of replacing them
with new talent, An automated pouring
system – requiring very little operator
intervention – is needed now more than
ever.
Based on the experiences with automation
and the active use of the collected
information in its data base Pourtech
AB, Sävedalen, Sweden, has
created a solution for artificial intelligence
called EASYpour.
Photo: Pour-tech AB
At first a number of challenges were
identified by the development team, as
the process conditions are continuously
changing due to, among other things:
> Imperfect molds
> Slag in the liquid iron
> Bath level variations
> Temperature changes.
While aiming for minimal operator
interference, the team was also focusing
on improving the casting quality
and increasing the line productivity. In
this context it had the values for its customers
in focus, so for example:
> Less manual work
Figure 1: Bottom stopper laser pouring at a vertical molding line
> Allowing the operator to focus more
on quality checks, preparation of
further batches, taking samples etc.
> Increased product quality due to
continuous improvements by the
developed algorithm
> Shorter line cycle times
> Less production costs
> Continuous logging of the pouring
quality, evaluated in real time and
associated with each individual castings
in order to ensure traceability.
The development of the algorithm was
one part of the task, the other part was
finding the right selection of processes
needed for the reliable operation of
EASYpour (Figure 1).
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 25

AUTOMATIC POURING
Figure 2: Channel type furnace
Figure 3: Coreless press pour furnace
Suitable foundry systems
The following vessels and devices, in
combination with stopper and nozzles
are state of the art pouring units:
> Unheated pouring ladles (see page
24) are, because of their flexibility and
many other advantages, used in a great
number of foundries worldwide.
> Channel type furnaces (Figure 2) for
the production with single grades of
iron – with only small chemistry variations.
A complete change of iron grade
is of course possible, but laborious and
time consuming. If covered with inert
gas, fading of Magnesia will be reduced.
> Coreless press pour systems (Figure 3)
known for high flexibility and less
time-consuming iron grade changes,
exact control of pouring temperature
and the resistance to thermal shocks. If
covered with inert gas, fading of Magnesia
will be reduced.
> Foundry specific pouring units
designed in-house using stopper rods
and nozzles (Figure 4).
Unheated pouring vessels
Compared to pouring furnaces,
unheated pouring systems (Figure 5) are
lower in weight and can therefore be
equipped with pancake load cells to
monitor the liquid iron content inside
the ladle. Unheated bottom pour solutions
are common for continuous and
steady production where stable refilling
of the vessel is possible.
A constant flow rate of iron is provided
thanks to a special software,
which compensates for the changing
ferrostatic pressure by adjusting the
pouring parameters, also in the case of
a fast-ris ing iron level during refill.
A slag dam in the center of the
pouring vessel is separating the filling
from the pouring section. Because of its
lower specific density, the slag will float
up and the dam keeps it in the filling
section, while the clean melt flows
under the dam into the pouring section,
reducing filling turbulence.
Compared to pouring with a hand
ladle, which is still very common, the
risk of slag entering the mold is very
much reduced. At the same time, the
yield can be improved, since the
required pour cup is only 2.5 times the
size of the pouring nozzle and all metal
that is transferred to the vessel can be
poured (no remaining heel as in a hand
ladle).
The system is designed for a short
residence time of the liquid iron in the
vessel. This has a very beneficial effect
on iron alloy changes and the production
of nodular iron castings.
The pouring vessel is designed so
that 70 % of the content is poured off
within seven to ten minutes. Conversely,
the tub is refilled six to eight times an
hour. This allows the temperature loss
and the Mg fading to be controlled in a
targeted manner.
The pouring vessel can be refilled
manually or automatically with a
skip-system (Figure 6).
An order is currently being processed
on an automatic tight flask line.
A transport ladle hangs on an automatic
crane and transports the ladle,
filled at the melt shop, to the treatment
and later to the de-slagging station.
The transfer ladle is then placed on such
a skip and locked in. One operator per
shift is expected for the entire process,
including pouring.
FORCEpour system
Especially with vertically parted molding
lines, the cycle time is mainly determined
by the pour time, even with
moderate pour weights. In order to
fully utilize the stoppage time of the
mold string for the pouring process, the
26

Figure 4: Tailormade system
optimization by FORCEpour was developed.
With FORCEpour, the stopper starts
to open while the mold string is still in
motion, as soon as the pouring cup
reaches the pouring zone and the outermost
edge of the cup is recognized by
the upstream positioning laser. The
pour is therefore started before the end
of the index, and timed such that the
first iron just hits the pour cup.
This allows a few tenths of a second
to be saved with every single cycle. For
a molding line operating at 500 molds
per hour, each 0.1 second of pre-start
generates 7 more molds per hour. A
vertical molding line at a French
foundry is currently producing 580
molds per hour with a laser based pouring
system featuring FORCEpour.
FORCEpour is an addition tool for
optimizing the process, especially in
connection with artificial intelligence.
Pouring temperature
The verifiable pouring temperature for
each individual mold is important for
quality control. This is why the temperature
is measured with a pyrometer as it
Figure 5: Unheated pouring vessel
exits the pouring nozzle and is recorded
in the data base.
To calibrate the pyrometer, it is necessary
to measure the iron temperature in
the furnace spout or ladle from time to
time with a dip lance. With the dip
lance reading directly integrated into
the database, the pyrometer can be
automatically calibrated. If the dip
lance is not integrated into the system,
the measured temperature can be
Usable capacity
Nutzvolumen
Remaining heel
Sumpf
entered into the system via the Operator’s
Panel.
InoTECH inoculation system
For EASYpour the in-stream inoculation
is not primary necessary, but for the
cast ing quality it is a significant requirement.
Like the pouring process, the
in-stream inoculation is part of the
quality control measures. Therefore, all
relevant inoculation information for
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 27

AUTOMATIC POURING
Figure 6: Automatic refilling by a skip-system
Figure 7: HMI screen for inoTECH inoculation
each mold is stored in the data base.
The inoTECH inoculation unit is known
for:
> High Uptime
> Multiple sensors for reliable operation
> Easy installation
> Easy and fast calibration
> The possibility to operate with
double feeder systems
The InoTECH inoculation unit is working
with removable hoppers for capacities
of 25 or 50 kg, a powder grain size of
up to 0.8 mm and a density of approx.
1.7 kg/dm 3 . Feeding rates between 1-60
gram/sec are available. The amount of
inoculant delivered is recorded in the
database. But does this amount really
correspond to the amount that hits the
iron stream - considering that often,
there is a significant layer of inoculant
in the surface of the mold?
This material is wasted, as it doesn‘t
enter the casting, and if this inoculant is
not removed from the mold, it will also
compromize the quality of the green
sand and the surface finish of the casting.
The newly developed system uses a
laser to provide a light curtain between
the inoculation feed tube and the iron
stream and enables a camera to detect
the individual inoculant grains that hits
vs. misses the iron stream counting
them in real time to determine a hit
rate. The hit rate of the inoculation is
further optimized by the feed tube
which automatically corrects its aim, in
the event of a fluctuating iron stream.
The HMI screen (Figure 7) shows all
the significant information, including
the distribution curve of the inoculant
vs. the pouring stream. In addition, the
inoculation hit rate is shown. These values
are also documented in the database
and made available for the quality
management.
At this point a few words about the
iron stream exiting the nozzle: This
stream is not always compact and sometimes
breaks up into several streams,
which makes it difficult to control the
level in the pouring cup pure vision and
single point observations. The line laser
used as standard for measuring the
level of iron in the pouring cup consists
of the equivalent of one million laser
points, which are viewed by a pouring
camera. However, only one thousand
“laser points“ are sufficient for a stable
pouring process. There is no doubt that
the 0.1% of all laser points required for
the process will capture the filling level
in the cup.
Artificial Intelligence
Data base
Ever since pour-tech was founded back
in 2011, the databases have been an
important part of the companys knowhow.
As mentioned in a previous chapter,
one of the necessary accessories for
a powerful artificial intelligence was
the integration with a powerful database.
The pourTECH Data Base (PTDB)
has the following functions:
> Storage of all available pouring and
production data in a secure database
> Dual raided HD
> SQL data base
> Basic report tool via a standard web
browser such as Google Chrome
> No extra programs are needed
> PTDB keeps data for >5 years of production
> Possibility to import data from other
foundry equipment - to be stored in the
PTDB
A selection of standard production
reports are available, and reports tailored
to specific customer needs are
easy to create. The data presented are
certainly not new and have been part
of the applications of IoT for a long
time, but all this data also forms the
basis for the next logical steps to
develop the next level – to create artificial
intelligence.
28

System modules
Figure 8 shows the summary of all tools
and devices described so far, these are:
(1) spot laser for positioning and line
laser for constant filling process
(2) inoTECH inoculation device with
self-adjustable feeding tube
(3) inoTECH-camera and light-curtain
laser for counting inoculation grains
(4) spout level laser, providing level
feedback to the furnace pressure system
(5) pyrometer to provide pouring temperature
for each pour
(6) final level laser for optimizing the
final iron level, checked at a position
down-stream from the pouring station
(7) safety electrodes for emergency
depressurization
(8) optimized pouring spout; the distance
to upper edge of the mold is
approx. 165 mm
The complete integrated package is
available for both heated and unheated
pouring systems. EASYpour can be
retro fitted to existing systems from
pour-tech by installing a final level laser
and the PTDB.
Production with EASYpour
The internet of things collects the data
and the artificial intelligence evaluates
the context and gives recommendations
for actions with EASYpour. At an
advanced level, the AI executes its calculated
recommendations autonomously.
Figure 9 shows the line laser that
monitors the filling of the mold.
Together with the spot laser for positioning,
this laser combination has been
in use in this foundry for over a decade.
A final level laser monitors the poured
level of iron two molds downstream
from the pouring. The final level laser
(features blue light) represents the next
generation in laser technology and was
installed together with the EASYpour
solution. The blue laser technology is
less sensitive to high temperature and
has a longer lifetime than older (green)
lasers.
In the upper area of figure 9 the
spout level laser in the siphon of the
furnace is seen. To the left of it is the
plunger system used to clean the stopper
and nozzle from slag during the
production of CGI and Nodular iron.
4
7
6
8
Figure 8: Summary of basic devices to create an AI system
1
2
5
3
If pouring must take place automatically
with the laser control, but without
EASYpour, thirteen numerical parameters
must be entered and saved in the
PLC for each new set of patterns.
Figure 9: Fully equipped stopper pouring system
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 29

AUTOMATIC POURING
direct use as an advanced level of AI.
The concept was started to list all
the challenges. Work such as de-slagging,
preparation for refilling, changing
stoppers, taking samples, etc. must still
be carried out by the operator, but no
longer the time-consuming monitoring
of the pouring process itself.
Figure 10: HMI screen for EASYpour
Figure 10 shows the HMI screen for the
EASYpour-solution. Only three numerical
parameters need to be entered at
the beginning of the first production
cycle of a new pattern. These parameters
are shown in the centre of the
image:
> Stopper offset
> TT( Total Time / Pouring time)
> Desired metal level in the cup
Every time the system learns independently
of the operator in order to
optimize itself, the green Learning bar
in the top right of the picture moves
up. After the first pouring cycle of a
new pattern has been completed, the
Stopper offset and TT are included in
the optimization together with the
other parameters.
The green bars above and below the
two parameters light up during optimization
and show the direction and
intensity of the action. Two graphs are
placed on the left of the screen. The
upper graph shows the (green) calculated
iron level, which is necessary for a
clean filling of the pouring cup. The
actual filling level, which results from
the reaction of the stopper, is shown by
the yellow line. The two thicker red
lines at 66 and 100 represent the lower
and upper boundaries of the pouring
cup. The “Level” parameter was set 96.
This means the desired fill level is 4 mm
below the top of the mold (as the top
of mold is defined as 100).
The opening of the stopper is shown
in the lower graph. In this case, the
stopper opens up to the selected maximum
distance of 12 mm between the
nozzle and the tip of the stopper. At
the beginning the pouring, the stopper
is opened up at maximum speed up to
the limit, for the fastest possible filling
of the pouring cup. This is intended to
prevent ambient air from being sucked
into the gating system, causing oxide
formation.
The maximum speed of the stopper
movement is about 100 mm per second.
The maximum flow rate of iron is
reached when the stopper is lifted
about 30 millimeters from the nozzle.
Thus, the stopper reacts very quickly,
opening in a few tenths of a second.
The pouring time and the flow rate
are adapted to provide a smooth and
repeatable mold filling thanks to the
precise laser measurement. Videos
showing the filling process can be
accessed via internet link at the end of
the article.
Summary
Experiences gained over several decades
of pouring ferrous materials, automation
and the intensive development and
use of the components of IoT laid the
foundation for taking the next automation
step.
Algorithms for artificial intelligence
were developed, necessary accessories
were put together and intensively
tested together with interested foundries.
With each phase of this development
it has become clear that this special
application has the potential for
At the beginning of the development
the challenges were compiled. The
focus was on the benefits for the
foundries, such as:
> Less workload for employees
> The operators should be able to
spend more time on quality controls,
preparing the next batches, taking samples
etc.
> Quality of the production should be
increased through the continuous
improvement of the processes through
developed algorithm
> The cycle times of the molding systems
should be reduced by optimizing
the pouring time
> The production costs are to be
reduced
> All process data are to be continuous
logged, evaluated and assigned to
each individual casting so that traceability
is guaranteed
After completion of the development
and intensive tests in several foundries,
these partners are convinced: A new
application has been created that further
improves the working conditions
for the employees in the foundries,
reduces production costs and represents
a good basis, paving the way for further
applications of artificial intelligence in
the foundry industry.
Michael Colditz, Sales, pour-tech AB,
Sävedalen, Sweden
www.pour-tech.com
Videos showing EASYpour in use:
https://bit.ly/3nnNM3S
https://bit.ly/34kSN5K
https://bit.ly/3p0CaEn
30

CASTING INSPECTION
Graphics: Fraunhofer IFAM/Yxlon
Full component inspection
promises an enormous
increase in performance
for electric motors
Computed Tomography
Cast rotors in electric
asynchronous motors
Electromobility confronts the automotive industry with many new challenges. New
components sometimes require new test methods to ensure functionality and safety.
Research and development are running at full blast and partnerships find solutions that
clearly push the current boundaries of what is possible. A joint project has succeeded
for the first time in taking a look into the inside of cast rotors.
by Christoph Pille, Bremen, and Gabriele Mäurer, Hamburg
The knowledge that cast rotors for
electric asynchronous motors
often suffer from casting defects
like cavities and porosity is as old as the
technology for casting rotors itself. In a
so-called asynchronous machine
(Figure 1), such as the one used in the
AUDI e-tron, the rotor is powered by
the electromagnetic field of the coils
and transmits the power generated in
the electric motor via the shaft to the
wheels.
Assured material- and product quality
is important for the electric car’s
maximum performance and thus, the
driving pleasure. In the field of industrial
drives, knowledge of casting defects
in rotors was accepted for decades and
minor losses in performance could be
neglected. But since the rapid growth in
electromobility, the automotive sector
has been placing significantly higher
demands on quality and ensured performance.
Manufacturing process of cast
rotors for asynchronous motors
Cast rotors are preferably manufactured
by aluminum high-pressure die-casting.
A cylindrical laminated steel sheet
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 31

CASTING INSPECTION
Graphics: Audi AG
Figure 1: Schematic representation
of an electric motor with
cast rotor
package with axially continuous recesses
(the electrical conductor slots) is stacked
from single, usually 0.3 - 0.8 mm
thick punched electrical sheets. This
stack is placed into the casting mold
and during the casting process, a
short-circuit ring is firstly cast onto the
front side of the lamination stack.
Almost simultaneously, all the conductor
slots get flowed and filled with melt
coming from this front ring. Finally, the
second short-circuit ring on the opposite
side is filled with the melt running
out of the conductor slots.
Due to their high wall thickness,
these short-circuit rings tend to a lot of
cavities caused by solidification - especially
the short-circuit ring opposite the
sprue, which can hardly become re-densified
via the gating system. Due to the
high thermal losses when flowing
through the comparatively thin conductor
slots, the molten aluminum quickly
loses temperature and pre-solidifications
can affect in the conductor slot
area within the lamination stack.
Moreover, casting with ultrapure „rotor
aluminum“ in the 99.5-99.7 quality prevents
a generous solidification interval,
which can usually be used for re-densification
and the avoidance of cavities
caused by solidification.
Figure 2: High-resolution line detector array Yxlon CTScan 3
Quality inspection of cast rotors
So far, non-destructive quality testing
of rotors has been limited to two
methods: the experimental test stand
and radioscopy. Although electrical performance
testing on special test stands
provides information about the effective
performance, it does not provide
any direct conclusions to be drawn
about casting quality and casting
defects. The relevant imaging inspection
method of computed tomography
(CT) however was limited to the externally
exposed short-circuit rings made
of cast aluminum, whose material density
of 2.7 g/cm³ is comparatively low
compared to the thick-walled steel
sheet package (density ~ 7.6 g/cm³).
However, these short-circuit rings are of
secondary interest from an electrical
point of view.
Much more important and more critical
is the detection of casting defects
in the rotor conductor bars made of
cast aluminum. These are “hidden”
inside the lamination stack and electrically
connect the two outer short-circuit
rings with each other. Casting defects in
these areas would lead to a reduction
of the effective conductor cross-section
or even interrupted rotor conductor
bars due to cold runs or enclosed flow
front oxide layers. Consequently, the
electrical performance of the entire
motor, including thermal problems, suffers
directly. This means that casting
defects and inhomogeneities in these
areas lead to performance losses as well
as one-sided magnetic pull and thus can
take effect to an uneven rotation of the
rotor, which can result in increased bearing
loads and damage to the electrical
machine, especially at high speeds.
A complete CT scan of a rotor is therefore
desirable but was previously not
feasible due to the unfavorable material
pairing of a high-density steel-based
lamination stack and low-density cast
aluminum rotor conductor bars.
Computed tomography system
Yxlon-FF85-CT
The Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing
Technology and Advanced Materials
IFAM has been engaged in the cas-
Photo: Yxlon
32

ting processes and quality improvement
of rotors for many years. In cooperation
with Yxlon International, for the first
time, rotors of the size of electric car
traction drives were successfully
scanned in the new Yxlon FF85 CT computed
tomography system at 600 kV
and the high-resolution Yxlon CTScan 3
line detector, providing insights into the
internal details of a high-pressure diecast
rotor which were previously not
possible.
The line detector CTScan 3 (Figure
2) developed and manufactured by
Yxlon International was introduced in
2018 and used for the first time in the
computed tomography system CT
Compact. Thanks to machine-supported
cutting of the crystals, their uniformity
has been improved by a factor of
5. This leads to reduced ring artifacts,
and the high repeatability of the signal
allows optimal calibration. Due to
the higher dynamic range and better
signal stability, greater material thicknesses
can be tested with the same
x-ray energy. The solid housing is particularly
resistant to temperature fluctuations,
ensuring optimized cooling of
the electronics. At the same time, this
material combination leads to very
little scatter within the detector, resulting
in sharper images, cleaner edges
and an improved detail detectability
(Figure 3).
a
b
Figure 3: a) Conventional CT scan of a cast rotor with insufficient resolution of the rotor conductor
bars; b) CT scan with Yxlon FF85 CT system, 600 kV and CTScan 3, showing axially continuous
cavities in the rotor conductor bars.
a
b
Figure 4: a) Three-dimensional representation of the casting defects and defect distribution
from the high-resolution CT; b) photo of the cast rotor which externally appears free from
defects.
Photos: Yxlon
Quality prediction and
adjustment
This new success in imaging quality
inspection with the high-resolution
Yxlon CTScan 3 opens up new paths in
the development and series production
of cast rotors, and also first scans at 450
kV brought excellent results. Until now,
the design of casting tools has been
limited to classical simulations of mold
filling and solidification. In the future,
samples cast in the early prototype
phase can already provide information
on whether casting concepts are leading
to the desired goal and whether changed
process parameters influence the
reduction of casting defects (Figure 4).
Likewise, trapped gas porosity can be
detected, which has arisen due to burnoff
or thermal outgassing of the electrical
sheet insulation coating during casting.
Accompanying the series
production, it is possible to control the
quality by random sampling and to
detect changes due to tool wear or
changes in the delivered quality of the
electrical lamination sheets at an early
stage.
The three-dimensional display of
casting defects now allows the next
step for rotor inspection. The Fraunhofer
IFAM is working on the computer-based
prediction of the real performance
of rotors in consideration of
casting defects. For this purpose, the
previously scanned porosity model of
the rotor is imported into special software
which examines the effects of the
reduced electrical conductor cross-sections
in the rotor conductor bars due to
cavities, entrapped air or other casting
defects in a simulation model. The calculated
reduced performance values are
compared with those of an ideal rotor.
This way, the determination of a „scrap
factor“ should be possible specifying
the degree of casting defects possible
for the rotor to still provide the required
performance values.
Differences in defect distribution
(„homogeneous fine distribution“ vs.
„locally inhomogeneous accumulation“)
do not only affect the electrical performance,
torque, and heat dissipation.
The so-called magnetic eccentricity is a
result of unequally distributed porosity
in the rotor, too. From a mechanical
point of view, these resulting imbalances
are currently eliminated in a simple
way by individually measuring and
balancing the rotors analogous to
„wheel balancing“. From an electrical
point of view, however, the problem
has not yet been solved because inhomogeneous
rotor conductor bars lead
to a one-sided „magnetic pull“ and the
rotor rotates unevenly during operation.
Waviness in torque, uneven and
acoustically noticeable running, especially
at high speeds, and increased bearing
load on the rotor shaft are the
result.
Christoph Pille, Head of “casting technology”,
Group manager “castings for
e-drives”, Fraunhofer Institute for
Manufacturing Technology and Advanced
Materials IFAM, Bremen, Germany,
and Gabriele Mäurer, Regional Sales
Manager & Key Accounts, Yxlon International,
Hamburg, Germany
www.ifam.fraunhofer.de/casting
www.yxlon.com
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 33

Foundry workers
in the control room of Foneria Condals
in Spain. Access to data now is easy and
instant. Monitizer Global f. i. automatically
calculates and displays the derived variables
of important metrics like cumulative
totals of iron poured in real time.
Scrap cut by 45%
Reducing rejects with
Artificial Intelligence
Spanish foundry group Condals transformed its access to – and application of – foundry
data with Disa’s Monitizer digital solutions. Customized dashboards deliver a unified,
real-time view of process information while Artificial Intelligence-driven recommendations
have posted initial results for scrap reduction.
by Kasper Paw Madsen, Taastrup, Denmark.
Photo: Norican
At its Spanish and Slovakian locations,
Condals Group’s three
molding lines produce over
43,000 tons of iron castings each year.
Constantly seeking to improve casting
quality, efficiency and productivity, the
company employs traditional good
foundry practice like modifying patterns
or varying mold density.
But these days, much of its insight
arrives through collecting, visualizing,
and analyzing process data. Condals has
already invested in numerous digital
aids so, when long-term supplier Disa,
Taastrup, Denmark, added an Artificial
Intelligence (AI) product to its Monitizer
suite of Industry 4.0 solutions, it was
naturally curious.
“Our goal is to be a data-driven
company,” says David de la Cruz, CIO at
Condals Group. “In 2020, we were interested
in finding an AI solution that
would help us lower our scrap rate as
much as possible. Which is why we
spoke to Disa.”
The Monitizer Suite supports any
foundry at any stage of its digital journey,
whether they are novices or
experts. Using Monitizer CIM with Disa
machines, individual foundries can collect
data, implement automatic process
control and perfectly synchronize their
Disa equipment – cutting out the need
for manual intervention.
Monitizer Global collects data from
any vendor’s equipment across multiple
foundries, lines or sites, and presents it
in real time to users who can monitor
and analyze it, then use the learnings to
inform improvements. Monitizer Prescribe,
powered by AI partner DataProphet,
a South African IT company, speci-
34

DIGITALIZATION
alized in industrial AI solultions, takes
an even bigger leap forward, with automated
AI-driven analytics that deliver
dynamic, real-time process analysis
across an entire production line to significantly
reduce scrap and improve profitability.
“We had initially only focused on AI
but Disa offered a complete solution
with Monitizer,” explains de la Cruz.
“We already had Monitizer CIM installed
and that had worked well for us.
Our business case was based on reducing
the scrap rate; Monitizer Global is
a really powerful tool for putting all
our data in one central place and
making it easily available, but reducing
scrap was always the main goal.”
In November 2019, Condals decided
to implement the entire Monitizer
Suite. It was time to create a next-generation
digital foundry.
Building on a long-term
relationship
Condals has two Disamatic molding
lines at its main Spanish plant: one
installed over a decade ago and another
with a state-of-the-art Disamatic
D3 vertical molding machine. There’s a
Disamix S100 sand mixer and another
D3 in the single line in the company’s
Slovakia foundry which opened in
2016. Condals has invested in Disa’s
accessories too, such as the Mold
Accuracy Controller (MAC) which arrived
in 2020.
“We have been working with Disa
since the beginning of our company
and their equipment has helped us to
be successful,” says de la Cruz. “We
already have a lot of data and we wanted
to get more value out of it and for
our people to have one single source of
information.”
The project team’s first action was to
upgrade Condals’ existing Monitizer
CIM installation. CIM already supported
tasks like recipe management, in-mold
Automatic casting on the molding line.
cooling time control, automatic pouring
and automatic casting sorting. The
latest version would make reliable
time-stamped, structured data available
from all the Disa equipment, improve
machine automation and recipe
management, and support modern
communication standards plus a wider
range of languages.
Monitizer Global came next, bringing
all Condals’ data together in a
unified cloud-based database. The company
previously had to dig into each
system separately, then merge data sets
and calculate derived variables
manually; Global’s automated variable
calculations and data integration
would make most of this processing
unnecessary.
“Because we have multiple different
systems with different databases, our
data was split into silos,” explains de la
Cruz. “Though there was some automatic
processing for our data
warehouse, we mostly had to aggregate
and integrate it manually. Merging
data sources this way was a problem. To
gain a view of the whole process, we
would have to spend days combining
and analysing data sets.”
Information is power
Condals wanted access to real-time
foundry data so it could respond immediately
to any line issues and it also
wanted that data stored in its data
warehouse. “Monitizer Global will give
us both solutions,” says de la Cruz.
“Real-time data to work with right now
that is also stored so we can work with
it afterwards. We also wanted a single
standard source that everyone could
trust and access. Before, the same analysis
could give different answers
Aerial view of Fonderia Conals near
Barcelona. Two molding lines are installed
here.
depending on how the data set was
brought together and the time period
under consideration.”
The Disa team first audited all the
available data, identifying sources and
running workshops, then worked out
how to extract and push the data to the
central Monitizer database. Next came
the installation of NoriGate hardware
to securely collect and transport data to
the Cloud database from both Spanish
lines as well as sand mixing and molding
data from Slovakia.
Seamless remote access – one of the
Monitizer Suite’s main strengths – was
even more vital than usual because all
deployment, configuration and testing
took place during the Covid pandemic.
“We were only able to meet face to
face with Disa and DataProphet twice,”
explains de la Cruz. “We consulted
remotely with Disa’s engineers who
were able to configure the system and
we fitted the NoriGates in Slovakia ourselves
which was very easy. Considering
the global situation, the whole installation
went amazingly smoothly.”
Making sense of complexity
Previously, Condals had to tap into each
machine’s control system to gather
data. Now access is easy and instant.
Instead of struggling in Excel to compute
important metrics like cumulative
totals of iron poured, Monitizer Global
automatically calculates and displays
these derived variables in real time.
As of November 2020, Condals had
12 systems connected to Monitizer Global
in Spain, with almost 2000 different
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 35

DIGITALIZATION
One of the two molding lines in Spain. Spanish foundry group Condals produces 43,000
tons of iron castings per year with three molding lines in Spain and Slovakia.
data points available through over 40
different dashboards. In Slovakia, there’s
currently two systems connected
supplying over 500 data points to six
dashboards.
Dashboards and their real-time metrics
can be customized for each user. For
example, line speed is an important KPI
for measuring productivity. But while a
machine operator is mainly concerned
with the current value, managers want
to know how their lines functioned
during the last hour, the last shift or the
previous day to find ways to improve
performance.
“Now anyone can connect and see
the data from anywhere,” enthuses de
la Cruz. “Managers, supervisors and
operators, many now have their own
personalized, role-based dashboard
view and can find all the information
they need in the same place. We can
collect and combine the data much faster
than before and that makes historical
analysis faster too.”
Data access and visualization work
continues to evolve, with new data
sources and new or revised dashboards.
One popular dashboard option combines
diverse machine data to display all
the important process data related to
castings created from a single pattern,
with an “end of batch” report summarizing
each run.
“We’re now asking everyone how
we can support them with a unified
view of their data,” de la Cruz says.
“We can configure dashboards and KPIs
on our own most of the time, with Disa
ready to support us remotely if we need
them.”
One of the two molding lines in Spain
is a state-of-the-art Disamatic D3 vertical
molding machine.
Towards zero scrap
With Monitizer CIM and Global up and
running by Spring 2020, it was time for
the AI phase of the project. Testing
started with a single Spanish line and
one main objective: to reduce Condals’
scrap rate.
“Monitizer Prescribe relates all the
process parameters from the entire production
line to one output – casting
quality – and we found it was a very
easy solution to understand and use,”
says de la Cruz. “Other competing solutions
only look at parts of the process in
detail and only optimize certain parameters
– mold alignment, temperature,
porosity – whereas Monitizer Prescribe
optimizes the entire process to reduce
scrap. That was exactly what we were
looking for.”
Jointly supported by Disa and data
science partner DataProphet, Monitizer
Prescribe employs automated AI-driven
analytics and cloud computing’s horsepower
to tackle large sets of data and
extremely complex analyses head on.
Where traditional manual statistical
methods struggle with the volume and
complexity of foundry data, the AI
automatically examines historical data
to learn how parameters like sand grain
size and moisture content, melt pouring
speed or inoculation rate influence each
other – and affect final casting quality.
Based on this model, it calculates
which combination of machine and
material settings will produce the best
results for each individual pattern.
During production, instead of simply
reacting – too late – to quality issues,
Prescribe functions as an Expert Execution
System (EES), looking into the
future and updating its recommendations
for the control plan every 30
minutes based on real-time data from
the line. That’s how it keeps the
foundry in the optimized “sweet spot”
of maximum quality production, even
as factors like air temperature or sand
moisture content vary.
Operators and managers receive
advice through a user-friendly, web-based
front end. Because Prescribe is, like
Global, a cloud-hosted, Software-as-a-
Service application that integrates easily
with existing infrastructure, there is no
need for any new IT investment.
“Disa were able to show us an
example of another foundry where Prescribe
had been used successfully,”
notes de la Cruz. “The data from that
reference site proved they had been
able to find optimum operating parameters
that gave stable, high quality
production.”
Need AI? Just plug it in and
put it to work
The Prescribe project team made its
only site visit in March 2020, running
workshops and helping to set up the
data feeds. All subsequent work was
carried out remotely due to Covid but
close, constant discussions between all
three implementation partners – Condals,
DataProphet and Disa – continued.
Initial work involved extracting,
transforming and then loading Condals’
abundant historical production data
into the Monitizer Prescribe platform.
Over 700 parameters were collected to
describe the processes for the initial five
test patterns. DataProphet easily extracted
process data from the Global database
as well as pulling casting quality
and metallurgy data directly from the
source systems.
36

Time-synchronizing the different
data feeds is often challenging, with
multiple methods employed to track
molten metal and individual molds and
castings, such as mold numbers and pattern
keys. Where no tracking method
exists, DataProphet introduces software
tracing techniques that can detect process
events like molten metal leaving
the holding furnace and being poured,
then calculate the time taken to move
between them. For example, a spike in
pouring ladle temperature and weight
would mark exactly when the ladle was
filled with metal.
“The standardized, reliable data
from Monitizer CIM and Global made it
much easier for us to align the sensor
data,” notes Leonard. “We moved
quickly to sense checking results with
Disa’s Application consultant and
educating the Condals team in what we
were doing with their data.”
By mid-May, a unified, time-synchronized
data set was ready to support
model creation and training. Through
advanced, unsupervised machine learning,
the AI’s neural network model calculated
and established the correlation
and interaction between the hundreds
of input process and machine variables,
and final casting quality data.
This procedure produced two initial
models that would automatically specify
the optimal operating regime for
two of the five patterns under test.
Each pattern has its own dedicated
model that generates custom prescriptions
to optimize each pattern’s process.
After rigorous checking with test data
to confirm the models’ predictive
accuracy, real-life commissioning started
in October 2020.
Inspiring improvements
in casting quality
As the prescriptions went into operation,
improvements arrived quickly. One
test pattern already had very low scrap
rates but that was reduced by a further
39 %. The other pattern had a high
existing scrap rate which the prescriptions
helped cut by 45 %.
“These initial commissioning results
are very encouraging,” states de la
Cruz. “Though we are still at an early
stage with results for only two patterns,
I think this is the right approach and we
are going in the right direction. We
definitely expect further improvements
in future.”
Not only did Condals see impressive
results rapidly but the improvement has
since been maintained. “The scrap rate
is staying at the lower level and actually
still dropping slowly, so we have seen a
reduction and then a stabilization –
which is good but it’s still early days,”
explains de la Cruz. “The prescriptions
are pointing us in the right direction,
for example, in showing us which variables
have the most influence on our
process and so what our priorities
should be.”
The focus is now on fine-tuning
model performance and implementing
the advice in the prescriptions to move
the process parameters into the desired
optimum operating range. Sometimes
that simply means turning a dial but
other adjustments are more challenging.
One example is controlling the
cooling rate of poured molds; this cannot
be changed directly but has to be
influenced by adjusting numerous other
parameters.
These include holding furnace temperature,
the percentage of scrap and
other metals like copper initially added
to the iron mix, and how much of the
previous batch of iron remains in the
melting furnace. To help with fine
adjustments, Monitizer Prescribe gives
Condals an “ideal” iron recipe to aim
for while a real-time model predicts
how changing the metal composition
will produce the desired adjustment in
the metal cooling curve.
Prescriptions are currently delivered,
reviewed and implemented weekly by a
dedicated in-house team, but the aim is
to move to real-time working as soon as
possible. When that happens, machine
operators will see recommended
machine settings pop up in their dashboards.
“One of the goals is to bring the prescriptions
from Prescribe back onto the
factory floor so operators can use them
immediately,” explains de la Cruz. “We
don’t want to change everything we
have been doing for the last 20 years
immediately but will gradually make the
prescriptions part of our process.”
Monitizer Global’s recipe settings
tracker feature will help foundry
managers monitor and report on
actual machine settings as operated
and compare them to those specified
by Monitizer CIM’s recipe management
tool. This gives additional insight –
“why did they change this setting and
what did it influence?” – and will be
vital in ensuring that operators follow
advice rather than constantly
modifying settings on their own initiative,
which would make a data-driven
approach impossible.
Accelerating into a digital future
Condals has already seen major improvements
in its digital capabilities. Critical
information is now instantly available
and the AI-driven prescriptions are
teaching staff which parameters have
the most influence on each part of their
process.
“We can now access data and KPIs
much faster and it’s a real-time view
that’s easily accessible through a browser,”
says de la Cruz. “Though we are
still learning how to implement the prescriptions,
we have certainly been able
to find things that make us more profitable
and our process more understandable.”
“The links between data points are
not obvious and the great thing about
Prescribe is that it brings everything
together to predict its influence on
scrap and gives you a clearer picture of
what is really happening – that is one of
its biggest attractions. So it’s not just
been about looking for a great final
result, the journey is really important
too – what we learn along the way to
gain greater understanding of what
affects scrap.”
The models that have been successfully
tested are now in live production
and the next phase of testing has
already begun. Data is now being collected
for 38 patterns and model creation
is underway, so the next set of
improvements should make a serious
dent in the foundry’s overall scrap rate.
Condals will also add further data
sources to make the predictive modelling
and prescriptions more accurate
and present an even richer real-time
view of the entire line. Once Prescribe is
fully proven on the first test line, Condals
will extend it to its other Spanish
line.
“We have still not added the sand
data to the model and that could a
make a major difference,” explains de
la Cruz. “We know we can gain a lot of
benefit from Prescribe – our team has
no doubts that this is how we will do
things in future – but we still have to
put things in place to make it happen in
normal production. We will know we
have succeeded when we permanently
reduce our overall scrap rate.”
Kasper Paw Madsen is the Global Product
Manager for Digital Solutions at
Disa
www.disagroup.com
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 37

DIE CASTING
38

Tank area of the machine, which is
particularly suitable for the production
of structural cast parts.
„The collaboration between Spartan Light
Metal Products and Oskar Frech traces its
roots to the 1970s“
XXL Casting Machines
Producing structural parts with
the new GDK model series
The US light metal foundry Spartan Light Metal Products produces cast parts for the
automotive and consumer goods industries in Missouri and Illinois and has been using
Oskar Frech die casting machines for this purpose since the 1970s. In a new plant in
Missouri, a new machine with a clamping force of more than 4000 tons went into operation
last autumn, and another identical system is currently being installed. Goal: The
production of structural castings and castings for e-mobility. What can the new GDK
model series do?
By Philip Wiederhold, Schorndorf, Germany
Photo: Oskar Frech
Spartan Light Metal Products,
headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri,
USA is one of the world‘s
leading manufacturers of aluminum
and magnesium components for diecasting.
The company‘s three production
plants in the USA (Hannibal, Mexico in
Missouri, and Sparta in Illinois) demonstrate
exceptional expertise when it
comes to conventional diecasting and
mechanical processing lines, assembly
and dies for producing products for the
automobile industry and consumer
goods. Some of the company‘s
renowned customers from the automobile
industry include Toyota, GM, Ford
and Honda.
The collaboration between Spartan
Light Metal Products and Oskar Frech
traces its roots to the 1970‘s. A number
of hot chamber machines for magnesium
components was delivered in 1979.
In recent years, Spartan has been equipped
with various products and technologies
from the Frech Group, such as
temperature control technology from
the Austrian Oskar Frech subsidiary
Robamat.
Spartan‘s expansion into
structural parts
In order to ensure future competitiveness
and the further strategic development
of the company‘s product/application
portfolio, investment in structural
Function test of a GDK4100S die casting
machine at Oskar Frech in Germany.
A total of two of these systems will go
to Spartan Light Metal Products
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 39

DIE CASTING
part production was seen as having
great potential for growth.
Construction of the 4th plant in
Mexico, Missouri, USA was officially
announced in January of 2018.
Ground-breaking for a new 135,000
square meter building with its own production
facilities for multiple, fully-automated
diecasting cells, including processing
and logistics, for the production
of ready-to-install structural cast components
followed in August of 2018.
This new, highly modern infrastructure
will help to fulfill the requirements
of OEMs for CO 2
reduction through
lightweight construction using diecasting
applications in Al/Mg structural
parts. The goal is to actively engage in
the growing market for new components
of electric drives.
In the first expansion stage, complex
aluminum structural parts will be produced
for the vehicle manufacturers.
The first GDK4100S diecasting cell
with 44,000 kN locking force was successfully
commissioned in October of
2020, following a construction period of
only 8 weeks to start of production in
the plant. Challenges and travel restrictions
due to the corona virus had no
effect on the construction time. Integrated
worldwide with highly qualified
on-site personnel and online remote
support for global assistance, Frech USA
Service enabled smooth construction of
the GDK4100S.
The second GDK4100S diecasting cell
is currently being delivered; SOP is scheduled
for early 2021.
Convincing Frech performance
The casting unit was given high priority
in the machine selection process. The
performance of the 2100 kN, real-time
controlled casting unit from Oskar Frech
provides maximum flexibility for structural,
chassis and engine components.
Its properties make it particularly well
suited for thin-walled and thick-walled
components. Chief among these convincing
dynamic properties are the acceleration
of ≥650 m/s² for magnesium and
a maximum velocity (V2) without metal
of up to 11 m/s.
Low accelerated masses allow hardly
any pressure peaks as well as short pressure
rise times of 20 ms at maximum
specific die pressure, as a result of the
interior intensifier through which flow
occurs. These technical properties,
among others, were crucial decision-making
criteria in favor of Frech.
A patented and optimized hydraulics
concept, which reduces the number
of
40

The first model GDK4100S diecasting machine was commissioned
At the top: Successful machine
acceptance on site
Above: New productionhall in
Mexico, Missouri, USA
Left: Fully automated casting cell
valves in the new machine generation
of the GDK series by up to 30 % and
also has a very quiet FC drive, enables
easy maintenance with the best possible
accessibility and energy savings of
up to 50 % compared to the previous
series.
The combination of a high-resolution
position sensor system and rapid
processing of the high-end real-time
control with the fastest runtimes enables
the GDK machine to have unparalleled
and high repetition accuracy as
well as process stability at a machine
capability of cm k
≥1.33.
The locking unit of the 3-plate GDK
series, known around the world as especially
robust and reliable, also ensures
low Total Costs of Ownership (TCO)
over the long term.
Efficiency with high system
availability
In addition to quality and process stability,
powerful productivity of every system
component with a high degree of
availability in continuous operation is
required for economic success. This prerequisite
is particularly fulfilled by the
robust heart of the system. The optimized
kinetics/kinematics of the locking
unit‘s 3-plate design allows for shorter
overall lengths than in the case of
2-plate machines already on the market,
despite the knee joint. Among
other things, the tank volume required
for operating resources could be halved
as a result of innovations in hydraulics.
Opening and closing times of less than
13 sec as well as permanently high availability
are achieved, even in machines
used over many years.
Variables influencing casting parameters
are compensated with repeatable
accuracy via the controlled casting
unit. The tolerances of the casting process
and all quality-related process parameters
are permanently monitored.
With state-of-the-art equipment, the
installed systems fulfill the necessary
prerequisites for the future successful
growth of Spartan Light Metal Products
with challenging new applications from
the fields of e-mobility and structural
casting.
As a result of the close collaboration
by Spartan with its partners, the customer‘s
requirements for the complex casting
cell concept were able to be met in
nearly turnkey fashion. Open communication
combined with trust and a high
level of engineering expertise were the
success factors here.
Wirtsch.-Ing. (M.Eng.) Philip Wiederhold,
Oskar Frech GmbH + Co. KG,
Schorndorf
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 41

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Media
Information

TRACEABILITY
In a first step, Schmid Engineering connected DGS’s casting cells so that data
and information from a variety of sources were combined and transferred to
the MES. The production path of each casting is thus traceable
Product Labeling
“We can uniquely identify
every casting we produce”
The Swiss automotive supplier DGS Druckguss Systeme AG has further optimized
its production with a software solution from service provider Schmid Engineering
for tracing individual parts.
by Tino Böhler, Dresden
Photo: DGS Druckguss Systeme
DGS Druckguss Systeme AG (DGS)
is a developer and producer of
complex light-metal cast components
active worldwide, with more
than 1,240 employees at its sites in St.
Gallen (Switzerland), Liberec (Czech
Republic) and Nansha (China). With
automated plants and processes for
medium to high volumes, DGS serves
companies wherever light-metal components
with maximum demands
regarding dimensional accuracy, surface
quality and special physical properties
are required. The Swiss automotive
supplier decided on
engineering service provider Schmid
Engineering (Freudenstadt, Germany)
to further optimize its production. The
requirements of DGS focused on the
tracing of individual parts. “DGS had
no OPC UA server and was looking for
a product that could fulfil all requirements
regarding machine networking
for tracing purposes,” Olivier Bloch,
Corporate Development Manager at
DGS, describes the initial situation.
The specific reason was an automotive
customer’s demand for the introduction
of component-specific traceability
by means of DataMatrix codes,
including logging of all relevant process
data. This was also to involve a central
and standardized solution for all existing
and future plants. “Thanks to
Schmid Engineering we now have a
standardized connection to all cells and
44

DGS is a developer and producer of complex light-metal cast components
active worldwide with more than 1,240 employees
CNC plants with a single type of software,” according to
Bloch. Schmid Engineering’s close interaction with the cronetwork
Manufacturing Execution System (MES) from
Austrian software provider Industrie Informatik was also
decisive in selecting this specialist for production data
management, connection to MES systems, and automation
plants. “This interaction was an ideal basis for smooth
introduction with as few interfaces as possible. No previous
systems were being used at St. Gallen, and our sister
works in Liberec only uses freeware products,” Olivier
Bloch describes the implementation phase.
Traceability, evaluations
and dashboards possible
Following a two-phase project, the automotive supplier
and casting producer can now “uniquely identify every
casting we produce” (Bloch) in interaction with Schmid
Engineering’s DataSErver and on the basis of the data
from the cronetwork MES. DGS thus meets the automotive
sector’s high demands regarding the quality and traceability
of products. Implementation, however, continues
unabated because new machines and new sites are constantly
being added. More than 80 percent of machines are
now connected. “In addition to the customer’s demand
for component-specific traceability, we now also generate
evaluations and dashboards based on the machine data,”
reports the Corporate Development Manager.
The modern casting cells, regulated in real-time, are
fully automatic and enable high unit numbers in the production
of complex thin-walled castings for light construction.
In a first step, Schmid Engineering connected these
casting cells to the DataSErver, which reliably combines the
data and information from a variety of sources at DGS and
transfers them to the MES. Thus each casting produced is
uniquely identifiable within the framework of single-part
tracing. All process and machine data are also stored.
Interactions between MES,
DataSErver and AGVs
In a second step, Schmid Engineering connected the AGV
system from EK Automation (Rosengarten) to the Data-
SErver. Whereby the DataSErver communicates with the
AGV system, the productive machinery, and the cronetwork
MES.
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 45

TRACEABILITY
The car
manufacturers
are the main customers of
DGS castings. The company
has specialized in the body,
interior, steering, front and
rear end, engine and transmission
parts, and electromobility
segments.
46

A DGS employee at
the melting furnace.
The aggregate supplies
liquid metal to
the numerous casting
cells at the St.
Gallen works
The plant places the produced and
fully processed castings in a rack, and
transmits a signal to the Data-SErver
when the rack is full. This sends a query
to the MES in order to obtain a rack
number. All racks are administrated in
the cronetwork MES. These racks are
prepared at a set-up station and are
given an inlet that must match the
material produced. Whereby differing
inlets can be mounted on any particular
rack. The rack is thus reused with differing
setups. Only the cronetwork
‘knows’ how the rack is currently set up,
i.e. the MES reports a free rack with a
suitable inlet for the material currently
being produced on the plant.
The DataSErver from Schmid
Engineering then transmits a transport
order to an AGV based on the data
from the MES, and the AGV immediately
drives to where the rack is parked
and picks it up. The destination is the
particular production plant. The rack is
exchanged when it arrives: the full one
out and the empty one in. The AGV
receives its next order from the Data-
SErver so that the full rack is transported
for further treatment.
Continuous and future-oriented
solution development
“Interactions between the cronetwork,
DataSErver and AGV system work well
because we can now carry out most of
the parameterization in the MES and
DataSErver ourselves, ensuring rapid
assistance and problem-solving,” points
out Olivier Bloch. The AGV interface is
just at the beginning at present but will
be further expanded in the coming
months. “An expansion for an additional
fleet of AGVs with five vehicles and
a variety of plant interfaces for a fully
automated production area for large
parts is already in the planning phase,”
adds Bloch.
DGS can now cover all the original
requirements of the solution with the
DataSErver. Olivier Bloch sees the greatest
benefit of the DataSErver for DGS
in that “we thus have a standardized
and central instrument which we can
adapt and with which we can implement
new actions ourselves.”
http://schmid-engineering.com
Tool production is decisive in a diecasting
foundry. Here, casting molds
are being produced and optimized
INTERFACES
The DataSErver sends the orders to
the AGV and provides the appropriate
feedback from the individual
transport to the cronetwork MES. A
variety of interfaces was used for this
purpose:
> Communication with the plant via
Profinet (Siemens 840D controller)
> Communication with the transport
system via TCP/IP
> Communication with the MES via
OPC-UA, web services and ASCII files
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 47

COMPANY
Foundry Manager
Torsten Locker
has already been at Walzen Irle
for 30 years. Here he is standing
in a 12-meter-deep casting pit in
front of a 10-meter roll, to which
the runners are still attached.
48

“125 years ago, the omnibus with enormous
spoked wheels, that appeared to be moving
as if by magic, was a symbol of innovative
and progressive Siegerland.”
200 years of Walzen Irle
Pouring off melt for
industrialization
In the western German region of Siegerland, casting rolls has a tradition lasting hundreds
of years. This is also the case at Walzen Irle, which has been casting these essential
industrial tools (which go back to the time of Leonardo da Vinci) for more than 200
years and has thus decisively driven industrialization forward. In the coronavirus-influenced
year of 2020, this family-run company did relatively well with its diversified range of
products – and is building upon its progress-orientation and high-end production as a
recipe for success.
By Robert Piterek, Düsseldorf
Photo: Warren Richardson
In 1895, progress and casting were
already indivisibly connected with one
another for Walzen Irle. This is when
the company brought the world’s first
internal combustion omnibus to Siegerland.
With six indoor and two outdoor
spaces, the new-fangled vehicle transported
passengers from Siegen to Netphen-Deuz,
located 15 kilometers away.
Instead of riding to work on a horse or
taking the coach, foundry workers also
used the strange vehicle that looked like
a stagecoach but was powered by an
early Mercedes engine. Thus, 125 years
ago, the omnibus with enormous spoked
wheels, that appeared to be moving
as if by magic, was a symbol of innovative
and progressive Siegerland – with
its industrial core in the iron and steel
industry, mining, smelting, and iron ore
production.
Innovative family clan
At the time, Walzen Irle was also
already a cornerstone of progress and
an important link in the industry of the
region. Ultimately, rolls were and are a
fundamental tool for producing sheet
metals, profiles of all sorts, and paper,
among other things – basic components
for automotive and machine construction,
railways, education and administration
in an industrialized society. At
Siegen and Netphen-Deuz were already connected with one another in 1895 via the world’s
first internal combustion omnibus
the end of the 19th century, the company
had already been producing rolls
for three-quarters of a century – initially
for the steel industry, and later for the
paper and plastics sectors. The name Irle
was not only connected with iron in Siegerland.
The local art of beer brewing
can also be traced back to an offshoot
of the entrepreneurial family whose
family tree goes back at least as far as
the 15th century – with its origin in ‘Hof
von den Erlen’ (The Alder Estate) a bit
further north of Netphen. The Irles have
been producing iron castings since the
end of the 17th century. First attempts
to cast rolls from iron were then performed
200 years ago by Hermann and his
son Johannes Irle.
Photo: SIEGENER ZEITUNG
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 49

COMPANY
Celebrations canceled
due to Covid-19
A welcome occasion for today’s sons
and heirs – Managing Partner Dr.
Petrico von Schweinichen and Commercial
Director Thomas Fink – to prepare
for a jubilee originally intended to be
celebrated in the summer of 2020. But
the coronavirus pandemic forced the
managers to put an end to it. “We cancelled
the jubilee with a heavy heart.
The pandemic doesn’t simply come to a
stop for celebrations,” Fink recalls. Roll
production, however, was not cancelled,
and continued with little impairment
– instead of the sales results of 55 million
euros achieved in 2019, the company
will probably still earn more than
50 million euros in 2020. Some customers
have temporarily cancelled orders
so the casters are only working in threeshift
operation on four days of the
week in Works I and II – in Netphen and
in the Deuz suburb one-and-a-half kilometers
away. The company, however,
does not have any financial loss due to
short-time work. The fewer hours worked
now will be compensated for via
working time accounts.
Enormous energy consumption
“24 new coronavirus cases in Netphen.”
This was the news when the working
day started in early October 2020 at the
foundry in Works II. It was mainly
schoolchildren who had got ill, the
report continued. Someone swears
about the schools, although nobody
here wants to imagine a new lockdown
and another period of school closure.
Worries about the coronavirus evaporate
in the works itself, though, with its
skylights a good ten meters above the
floor, the brick walls, and the hall of
heavy machinery in the distance. Rolls
up to 17 meters in length and with 1.7
meter bale diameters are cast here
using centrifugal casting or statically.
Deep casting pits for static casting, as
well as horizontal and vertical spin-casting
plants, are ready and waiting in
several halls.
A lot of energy is required to complete
production of such enormous
rolls, from their casting to their finishing.
Every year, about 60 GWh of
energy flows through the electricity
cables and gas pipes of the melting furnaces,
lathes, honing machines, grinders,
centrifugal casting plants, roll
saws, heating systems, annealing furnaces,
and much else besides – equivalent
to the energy required by about 15,000
family households. “We can prepare 90
A well-aimed throw into the
casting mold. The powder in the
plastic bag inserts seeds into the
melt to influence the structural
formation of the hardening roll.
Below: As if in a firestorm, this
caster is standing on a gallery
from which he keeps an eye on
the melt’s state in the mold. A
profile roll for a Spanish steelworks
is being cast here.
tonnes of liquid iron ad hoc. In order to
cast our heaviest 130-tonne rolls we
prepare the melt with appropriate storage
technology,” explains Torsten
Locker, Foundry Manager and a graduate
of TU Bergakademie Freiberg in
Saxony, who can already look back on
30 years of professional experience. His
team of masters and specialists is well
organized and work well together.
Many are like him, have been here
more than 30 years and are accordingly
well-practiced in their profession whilst
being well aware of the everyday risks
involved.
The best of tradition
and the modern
“You can start the algorithms,” Locker
tells the melt foreman Wagener. The
melting and casting technology, based
on experience gathered over two hundred
years, is now coupled with modern
technology. With the instruction, Locker
sets a mechanism going which, right
from the start, should ensure that
today’s casting successfully results in a
section roller for a Spanish steelworks.
It will roll tracks for the railways and is
made of a steel-like iron with just 1.3
percent carbon. First there is an evaluation
of a sample of the melt using computer
algorithms. This determines its
liquidus and solidus values, the tapping
and casting temperatures, and its quality
values. The reason for the analysis is
simple: if the casting process fails, rolls
worth between 25,000 and 850,000
euros (depending on their size and
complexity) could be ruined. In order to
50

Mold elements of a wide
variety of sizes are stored
in the halls.
90-tonne melting capacity and distribute
it in all directions in the works.
Finally, two 20-tonne ladles hover along
one after the other on the hall crane,
accompanied by a worker in a silvery
protective suit, who controls the crane
remotely by radio. A little later, an
orange-yellow flow of melt gushes into
the ladle, spraying sparks. The flow
dries up when the furnace has been tilted
all the way to the end stop. Ladle 2
follows, while the heat-protected worker
deslags the first melting vessel.
Small color-coded piles of chips lie on
the floor between the ladles, ready to
be added to the melt according to the
alloy composition.
prevent this, or at least to limit the costs
and effort involved, a comprehensive
quality management system is used
both before and after casting, e.g. with
ultrasonic measurements.
The analysis is being carried out as
the group of visitors surrounding Works
Above: Hardening centrifugal
casting rolls in
a casting pit. While
Walzen Irle produces
the molds for static casting
itself, the company
buys centrifugal casting
molds made of forged
steel from elsewhere.
left: The casters use a
demolition robot to
secure a riser before
the 100-tonne roll is
lifted out of the pit.
Manager Locker climbs a metal ladder
onto the stage of the melting operation
and finally arrives above the five melting
furnaces. A gap opens and the tilting
furnaces, arranged in a row next to
one another, release searing light and
heat. They can prepare 66 of the
Countdown to the casting
When the extremely heavy roll melt is
ready for casting, workers use a crane
to lift the two-meter-tall ladles onto railed
vehicles and transport them into the
adjacent hall. Smoky orange auras radiate
the melt energy away from the top
of the crucibles and are reflected in the
workers’ heat protection visors. Their
expressions also reflect focused attention,
because time is of the essence. The
time window with the necessary casting
temperature of about 1,480°C is only
about 20 minutes long.
Today’s casting is static. A mold
stands ready in a deep casting pit protected
by railings. The mold has two
long vertical casting inlets. The ladles
are now brought into position above
the inlets, on the left and right. The air
crackles with tension in the hall, the
size of a football pitch, where giant
upright molds beside the casting pit
reflect the enormous effort of the task,
as well as its dimensions, in the flaring
light of the blazing melt. Then the time
comes, and from both sides the melt
flows into the inlets with the wide funnels
and falls to the lowest end of the
casting pit through the drag box made
of sand, rotating back up to the top
through the mold. A technology intended
to prevent impurities and the formation
of cavities. Meanwhile, a caster
monitors the state of the melt from the
gallery. It soon seems as if he is standing
at the center of a roaring sea of fire
between the ladles that are descending
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 51

COMPANY
farther and farther. The flow diminishes
after about one-and-a-half minutes –
the spectacle is at an end. The roll
enclosed in the mold will now need
seven days to solidify fully.
Diversification brings economic
stability
The idea of rolling as a transmission of
power originates from the universal
genius Leonardo da Vinci in the 15th
century. Its industrial application started
in the 19th century. Now rolling is used
to produce numerous products, such as
metal sheets, profiles, foils and paper.
The customer spectrum and product
range of Walzen Irle is just as varied,
ranging from the steel, flat and profile
industries, through the food industry, to
the paper and foil industries. A small
proportion of the roll foundry’s sales
also involves abrasive wear castings
such as grinding bowls for mills, or extremely
wear-resistant pump rotors used
in machines with which, for example,
artificial islands in Dubai are heaped up.
“Our varied product range is a blessing
in times such as these, when the steel
industry is faltering,” explains Commercial
Director Fink. Then booming industrial
sectors can compensate for collapsing
sales elsewhere. The packaging
sector is currently thriving as a result of
the coronavirus pandemic, which can be
seen, for example, from the orders for
foil rolls. The paper sector is also strong
at the moment, as observed by von
Schweinichen and Fink. During the
good times, on the other hand, the Netphen-based
company considers diversification
to be a curse, because then they
have to measure themselves against
specialists from all over the world,
whose business strategy is frequently
only based on a single rolling group.
And Foundry Manager Locker is aware
that “the operating costs of such specialists
are lower, and we also have the
costs of our rail operation between
Works II and Works I.”
Works railway connects the
foundry with the processing
works
The railway line between the foundry
and the processing works is a curiosity
that goes back to the start of the 20th
century. Netphen-Deuz obtained its rail
link in 1906 and Walzen Irle in turn laid
down its own feeder tracks in both
works. Regular rail operation has meanwhile
stopped. Only the rail section between
the two works remains – and is
used under the company’s own control
for the daily transports of extremely
heavy rolls from the foundry in Works II
Managing Directors Dr. Petrico von
Schweinichen (right) and Thomas Fink in
a roll processing hall. Here, the anniversary
celebration was to take place in the
summer of 2020. It has now been postponed
until June of this year.
for processing in Works I. In the other
direction, the chips arising from processing
are returned to the foundry, where
they are re-used in the melt.
A 100-tonne calender roller, still in
its twelve-meter-deep casting pit, will
also soon take the familiar path along
the rails between the two works. The
Netphen casters must attach a bracket
for the riser that is still in the roll before
The enormous roll slowly rises from the pit.
Numerous extensive processing steps follow
that can take a whole week to complete.
52

emoving the colossus from the pit.
They use a demolition robot for this – it
is a bit like a Mars Rover. The machine
carefully mounts a long rod to the
upper end of the pipe. Whereby the
robot arm slowly crosses the gaping gap
of the casting pit. Then the job is completed
and the second part of the complicated
removal process can begin. Creaking
loudly, the elbow-thick steel cable
takes hold as the crane lifts the roll and
raises it in the vastness of the hall. As
was the case for the casting process,
molds again hem the casting pit like
enormous visitors. The men with their
blue helmets, on the other hand, look
like children with a toy.
The term ‘calender roll’ comes from
paper production. Calender describes a
system of several heated and polished
rolls that are arranged upon one another.
After delivery to Works I, numerous
holes are therefore drilled into the
calender rolls, through which a fluid
will eventually flow to heat the surface
of the roll to more than 200°C, making
it into a huge iron for paper.
“Anyone can do the easy things”
Walzen Irle’s competitors are mainly
located in Asia. The recipe for not losing
any market share to them is to produce
high-alloy, geometrically demanding
rolls of extremely high quality. “Anyone
can do the easy things,” is the motto at
Netphen. ‘Together we are stronger’ –
the principle of the European Union –
seems to have become a template for
the roll casters from Siegerland for their
own collaborations. Because, since mid-
2020, Walzen Irle has been cooperating
with their competitor Gontermann Peipers
from Siegen, which also has a minority
holding in the Netphen company.
The aim is to ensure the survival of the
area as a foundry location. The two
companies are now collaborating on
four joint projects. Ultimately, both
firms are highly dependent on exports
and will thus continue to contribute
towards industrialization worldwide.
After all, ploughing the same field twice
does not make much sense.
The progress that has characterized
the company right from the start is still
important for it to remain a technology
leader. Irle works with the Fraunhofer
Institutes, with universities in Siegen
and Bochum, and with RWTH Aachen to
ensure continuous improvement. Trials
are underway, for example, to see
whether wear layers can be applied to
the roll surface using additive manufacturing
techniques. Digitalization
Roll processing in Works I. About 70 rolls for numerous industrial sectors are processed
here every month and transported worldwide.
methods and artificial intelligence are
also in use or being tested. The company
has also been using its own cogeneration
plant for some time now in
order to reduce its operating costs in
the long term. “After all, we use it to
generate one GWh of electricity per
year. And a home for senior citizens in
Netphen is being heated with the waste
process heat from the works,” adds Dr.
Petrico von Schweinichen. At the same
time, the management team is keeping
close eye on developments in the use of
hydrogen as a fuel of the future.
This mix of progress-orientation and
social responsibility, which can also be
seen from the good mood and high
motivation among the casters at the
works, is still the key for Walzen Irle’s
successful continued existence – and is,
at the same time, an unmistakable feature
of SMEs as the backbone of Germany’s
economy.
www.walzenirle.com
WALZEN IRLE
Employees: 300, 103 in the foundry.
Alloys: 600 alloys on offer, including those with vanadium, molybdenum, niobium,
tungsten, nickel and chromium.
Carbon content in iron: 0.8 - 3.9 percent.
Annealing furnace for heat treatment: 17 units in Works II.
Processes: static roll casting and, since the turn of the millennium, vertical and
horizontal centrifugal casting. Two different iron layers can be combined here
by means of composite casting – a hard outer layer and a ductile inner one.
There are centrifugal casting plants for 80- and 100-tonne rolls that rotate at
about 600 rpm. Centrifugal casting and static casting are each responsible for
50% of production.
Proportion exported: about 70%, with buyers from North America and Russia,
through Asia and South America, to Europe and North Africa.
Customers (selected): Salzgitter, Tata, thyssenkrupp, Saarstahl and ArcelorMittal
in the steel industry. Valmet, Voith and Exalt in mechanical engineering.
Roll service life: some calender rolls that are now being replaced were produced
in 1969. The service life of a highly abrasive roll for steelworks sheet is
only 6 - 12 months.
Annual capacity: 14,000 tonnes. Finished weight: 12,000 tonnes.
Roll dispatch per month: about 4 - 6 plate rolls, 45 - 50 hot-strip rolls, as well
as 2 paper and 8 - 10 plastic calender rolls.
Energy: Walzen Irle is partially exempt from the Renewable Energy Sources
Act (EEG) due to energy costs representing more than 17% of total costs.
Energy management takes place, for example, via a load management system
for the flexible billing of electricity.
Refractory technology: Safeway System to monitor the refractory state of the
furnaces.
Special aspects: inductive hardening, production of hydraulically loaded rolls
for the aluminum industry, restoration of worn rolls.
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 53

NEWS
BUSH-HUNGARIA
Investments instead of crisis mood
Despite the challenges of 2020,
Busch-Hungária Kft. in Győr, Hungary,
sister foundry of M.Busch in Bestwig,
Germany, is investing millions in improving
productivity, optimizing the value
chain and other measures.
“With investments of 5 million
euros to raise productivity in 2020,
combined with a comprehensive package
of measures, the foundry has prepared
itself for the challenges of the
future,” says Managing Director István
Kaiser. The lean management
approach was used to optimize processes
along the entire value chain,
resulting in cost-optimized production,
improved organizational structures
and increased transparency in internal
processes.
Extensive investments will also be
arranged at Busch-Hungária in the
coming years. Already in the coming
months, further investments will be
made in the areas of melting operations
and infrastructure to expand
capacities with the aim of increasing
casting capacity to 26 tons/hour.
Busch-Hungária Kft. employs
around 315 people. German and Hungarian
specialists make up the management
team. So far, there has been no
production downtime in the Corona
pandemic. Thus, the company proved
to be a reliable supplier, which further
increased customer satisfaction.
www.busch-hungaria.hu
Busch-Hungária Kft. has developed into
one of the technologically leading foundries
of components for the commercial
vehicle industry, which, in addition to
production for the trailer sector, now also
counts major OEMs from the truck sector
among its customers.
Photo: BUSCH-HUNGARIA
FOSECO
Solution to rapid changes of nozzle
size in bottom pour applications
Photo: FOSECO
The Vapex Fosflow concept employs specific
stopper and nozzle technologies for bottom
pouring applications.
Foseco Vapex Fosflow is a new system
that allows for changes in nozzle diameter,
even in a full ladle. Vapex Fosflow
alumina graphite nozzles use both
carbon and ceramic bond technology.
The combination of the two bonding
systems provides unique beneficial properties
for steel foundry ladle applications.
When using stopper and nozzle
technologies for bottom pouring applications
it may be desirable to change
nozzle diameters between fills of the
ladle or even between castings. In normal
circumstances this would not be
possible as it would require removing
and replacing the nozzle and stopper.
The system contains a base nozzle
which remains in the refractory bottom
of the ladle and an interchangeable
pouring nozzle with possible different
inner diameters. This pouring nozzle
can be replaced quickly even within a
ladle cycle. Foseco provides 4 different
Vapex Fosflow series: 45, 65, 100 and
100 extended for large ladles.
The Vapex Fosflow nozzle should be
used in conjunction with Viso monobloc
stopper technology that also allows
multiple uses of the stopper.
Benefits are mostly found in steel
foundry applications:
> The pouring nozzle can be changed
quickly
> Multiple use of the stopper & nozzle
system resulting in labour cost
reduction
> No cooldown of the ladle resulting
in energy savings and increased
ladle lining performance
Application for use of the Vapex Fosflow
concept, the nozzle needs to have
a different fixing system (see illustration).
Foseco can provide all the necessary
metal parts which makes it easy to
modify the nozzle ladle mechanism.
www.vesuvius.com
Video about the use of
Vapex Fosflow
https://bit.ly/3uTwzUa
54

AZTERLAN METALLURGY RESEARCH CENTER
New technology could stabilize
CGI component manufacturing
Photo: AZTERLAN
Thermolan thermal analysis system takes into account the metallurgical properties from
liquid metal by the control of its solidification curve and the geometric characteristics of the
part, to extrapolate the results.
A new development from Azterlan
Metallurgy Research Center, Durango,
Spain, correlates the various factors
involved in the formation of compact
graphite iron (CGI) and could provide a
significant boost to the industrial production
of CGI components. The
methodology allows to predict in real
time the index of nodularity and the
proper formation of compact graphite.
This could enable new applications
and developments with the material.
Compact graphite iron (CGI), also
known as vermicular graphite iron, displays
outstanding mechanical properties
such as high thermal conductivity
and vibration damping, comprised between
those of lamellar and spheroidal
cast iron. These qualities make this
material notably attractive for applications
that require high thermal conductivity,
which are currently manufactured
in grey cast iron. Due to its higher
mechanical properties, the use of CGI
allows to implement design optimization
and weight reduction strategies,
which are a key factor for diverse applications,
like in the automotive sector.
Nevertheless, despite of the great
features and performance of this material,
the complicated and not quite stable
production process impedes CGI to
jump into industrial manufacturing.
With the aim of building a robust process,
researchers from Azterlan Metallurgy
Research Centre have developed
a methodology that, based on thermal
analysis, allows to predict in real time
the index of nodularity and the proper
formation of compact graphite. This
new method makes it possible to
ensure in less than 3 minutes that the
graphite formed owns the desired
shape. To achieve that, the Thermolan
thermal analysis system is necessary.
The system takes into account the
metallurgical properties from liquid
metal by the control of its solidification
curve and the geometric characteristics
of the part, to extrapolate the
results according to the specific reference
being manufactured at the
moment. With the new and affordable
control system a stable manufacturing
process assuring the required characteristics
for a proper solidification
scheme can be assured. If not, the
foundry has the capacity to react at
the right time during the manufacturing
process. According to Azterlan the
doors now are wide open “for this promising
material to reach new applications
and developments”.
www.azterlan.es
Pneumatic conveying
technology
For dry, free-flowing, abrasive and
abrasion-sensitive material
Core sand preparation
technology
For organic and inorganic processes,
turn-key systems including sand,
binder and additive dosing and
core sand distribution
Reclamation technology
Reclamation systems for
no-bake sand and core sand,
CLUSTREG® for inorganically
bonded core sands
Shock wave technology
CERABITE ®
clean castings
The reliable solution for the
removal of residual sand
and coatings of
demanding castings
KLEIN Anlagenbau AG
KLEIN Stoßwellentechnik GmbH
a subsidiary of KLEIN Anlagenbau AG
Obere Hommeswiese 53-57
57258 Freudenberg | Germany
Phone +49 27 34 | 501 301
info@klein-group.eu
www.klein-ag.de
www.stosswellentechnik.de
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 55

NEWS
Photo: AVM SOLUTIONS
AMV SOLUTIONS
New digital platform for efficient
melting management
BeyondAlea should be able to
fully manage the melting and
alloying process in foundries.
AMV Solutions, Vigo, GHI Smart Furnaces,
Galdakao, and GECSA, Loiu, (all
Spain) take a step forward to bring 4.0
technology closer to foundries, creating
an innovative product that fully manages
the melting and alloying process in
steelworks, aluminium recycling plants
as well as in casting plants for iron and
other metals.
The alliance of these three firms, with
extensive experience in the 4.0 industry
and in the metal sector, results in a new
digital platform for the foundry industry.
The so called BeyondAlea platform
applies Machine Learning and Artificial
Intelligence techniques in order to
achieve a Digital Twin of any melting
plant.
BeyondAlea is a modular platform
that covers the entire production cycle
of any type of foundry. The platform
covers and monitors the entire process,
from the raw materials purchasing and
equipment management up to the final
product quality control.
It allows to achieve complete traceability
and reduce the risk of defects,
since it can correct anomalies in real
time.
The Beyond Alea platform allows the
companies to have:
> Advanced sensorization: Specifically
designed sensors along the whole
process that automatically report
data to the information systems.
> Monitoring: Monitoring of the production
process and detection and
correction of anomalies in real time.
> Charges optimization: Lower cost
charges, considering the variability
(composition, availability, cost) of
the raw material and the final specification
of the alloy.
> Scheduling: Process planning adapted
to the plant’s workflow.
Accurate control of capacities,
equipment availability and operation
times.
> Quality improvement: Reduction of
faults, real time corrections and consistent
final product thanks to the
continuous improvement of the chemical
precision and complete traceability.
> Machine learning: Beyond Alea
learns from production data to predict
the behavior of raw materials
and power profile to reach the full
potential of the plant.
Beyond Alea, applies 4.0 technologies in
sensoring, capturing and analyzing data
in real time to maximize metal yield,
minimize costs and process times on a
single platform.
The use of data analysis and
machine learning techniques allows the
users in the metal sector, to ease the
decision making as the system can automatically
learn and correct itself with
the generated data of the casting process.
This continuous improvement allows
to have a total process control, thus
obtaining a more consistent and homogeneous
final product with a stable chemistry
and an evident reduction in the
use of raw materials, energy and melting
times, resulting in a significant economic
savings for the customers.
Beyond Alea, the new 4.0 platform
for the foundry industry is the result of
experience and research work carried
out by the three companies, with the
objective to achieve an intelligent and
efficient foundry that aligns and anticipates
market demands with available
technology.
www.beyondalea.com
56

NORICAN GROUP
New Americas headquarters in 2022
Norican Group, parent company to
industry leading brands DISA, Wheelabrator,
StrikoWestofen and Italpresse
Gauss, announced plans to build and
move to new facilities for its Americas
headquarters in 2022.
The move follows the consolidation
in 2020 of all manufacturing and operations
for the four brands into the
LaGrange Technology hub, to fully leverage
the strengths of the group, standardize
business processes and optimize
service levels to all customers. The existing
LaGrange facility has been home to
Norican brands for 33 years and the
group remains committed to the local
area, choosing a local greenfield site in
LaGrange, Georgia, USA, for its new state-of-the-art
operations and assembly
facility, to be built and completed in
2022.
The new development will give the
group a platform for accelerated
growth and enable it to further ramp
up technology development, assembly
and testing.
Current facility of
Norican Group in
LaGrange, Georgia.
The company keeps
its headquarters,
which will open in
2022, in the local
area.
Kim Tjerrild, General Manager at
Norican Group Americas, explained the
move: “(…) The new facility allows us to
truly transform the way we deliver
equipment, parts and services for our
customers. We will develop new technology
faster, get it to our customers
more quickly and better respond to
their fast-evolving needs.” Norican
Group serves a wide range of industries,
including the global automotive,
aerospace, foundry and aluminium sectors,
through a global network of
engineering expertise, manufacturing
capacity and local service support.
www.noricangroup.com
Photo: NORICAN GROUP
Media Kit 2021
Give your marketing
the significant boost!
+49 211 1591 142
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 57

NEWS
FOSECO
Change in management and leadership
On 30 June 2021, Heinz Nelissen will
retire after 31 years of successful service
to the Foseco and Vesuvius group
of companies. His successor as managing
director of Vesuvius GmbH for the
foundry division is Rafael Carbonell,
who is European Vice President EMEA
Foundry and will now also become
Managing Director. Furthermore, Hannes
Erger, Business Unit Manager for
the iron and steel foundry business, has
been appointed to the management
team in Borken. Erger remains the contact
person for all matters concerning
customers and sales and will support
the management in sales decisions.
Heinz Nelissen held his position as
Managing Director of Vesuvius GmbH
for 18 years, additionally he was appointed
Managing Director of Foseco GmbH
in 2003. His successor as managing director
of Vesuvius GmbH for the foundry
division is Rafael Carbonell. Rafael Carbonell
holds a master’s degree in
Mathematics and Theoretical Physics
from Cambridge University and an MBA
from London Business School. After graduating,
he spent 10 years in various
management positions in the aluminum
industry. For more than two years, he
has been responsible for the strategic
growth of the European foundry business
at the Vesuvius Group as European
Vice President EMEA Foundry.
In Hannes Erger, Foseco has found a
committed and competent successor for
the management. Hannes Erger has
been with Foseco for over 21 years and
can look back on many years of experience
in various areas of activity in the
foundry industry. He is very familiar
with the special requirements that
customers place on foundry solutions
and has been with the company since
1999. 2003 he was appointed Sales
Manager for iron and steel foundries.
Since 2014, he has had overall responsibility
for the iron and steel foundries
business unit as Business Unit Manager.
In recent years, Vesuvius has invested
Heinz Nelissen (left), Managing Director
of Vesuvius GmbH, goes into well-deserved
retirement after 31 years, while Hannes
Erger takes over responsibility for all
matters relating to customers and sales
for iron and steel foundries as well as
public relations and association work.
heavily in the development of new product
ideas for its foundry customers.
Hannes Erger sees the successful marketing
of these products as a focal point
and opportunities to further expand the
business.
www.vesuvius.com
Photo: Foseco
GRIEVE
Jumbo walk-in oven
Photo: Grieve
No. 1019 is a 260 ºC electrically heated walk-in batch oven from
Grieve, Round Lake, USA, currently used for curing coatings onto
large discs at the customer’s facility. 260 kW are installed in
Incoloy-sheathed tubular elements to heat the oven chamber, while
a total of 1,869 m 3 per min generated by two 30-HP recirculating
blow ers provides combination airflow to the workload.
This Grieve walk-in oven features insulated walls, aluminized
steel exterior and interior, thick insulated flooring with built-in oven
truck wheel guide tracks and motorized dampers on the intake and
exhaust for accelerated cooling of the oven chamber. The oven was
sectioned into four pieces for shipping convenience.
All safety equipment required for handling flammable solvents,
including explosion-venting door hardware, is provided on No. 1019.
Controls on this jumbo walk-in oven include an SCR power controller.
www.grievecorp.com
58

EFFICIENT CUPOLAS
Waupaca foundry wins
Better Project Award
The U.S. Department of Energy has
recognized the Waupaca Foundry in
Waupaca, Wisconsin, with the Better
Project Award for 2020. The Waupaca
plant in Tell City, Indiana, designed and
installed a system to remove moisture
from the air around the foundry‘s
cupola furnace.
The award is part of the Better
Plants program, which recognizes
manufacturers for developing and
implementing industrial energy and
water efficiency projects, as well as
renewable energy and energy resilience
projects. Tell City plant engineers installed
a drying system that removes water
vapor from the ambient air of the
cupola furnace before it is preheated.
Removing moisture from the air stabilizes
operations and reduces energy
consumption by using less coke and
improving melting efficiency. This is
intended to offset rising material costs.
www.waupacafoundry.com
A worker at the Waupaca
plant in Tell City,
Indiana, USA,
inspects the new
drying system that
removes water vapor
from the air around
the cupola.
Photo: Michael Schultz
TRIMET
New alloy for crash-loaded components
Trimet Aluminium, Essen, Germany, has
developed trimal-53, a new alloy for
crash applications. According to the
supplier, the wrought alloy is suitable
for structural parts with high strength
and excellent deformation capacity and
meets the requirements of all wellknown
automotive manufacturers for
light metal materials for corresponding
safety-relevant vehicle components.
According to the company, the
wrought alloy trimal-53 (AlMgSi) achieves
strengths in the range of more than
270 MPa. With an elongation at break
of 10 % and more, the new material
also meets the high requirements for
compression behavior at this level. In
this way, the new material is said to
achieve higher component strengths
with the same wall thickness compared
with conventional alloys. In addition,
the wall thickness can be reduced while
maintaining the strength. This allows
the weight of the component to be
reduced without compromising safety
standards. The alloy can thus be used
Left: Intact structural casting; right: Structural
casting after crash test.
for different dimensioning targets and
enables the cost-effective production of
structural components. Components
made from the material can also be
joined thermally or mechanically with
other materials such as cast nodes in a
production-safe manner. If necessary,
Photo: Trimet
Trimet adapts the alloy to the specific
requirements of the application.
The Research & Development
department of the family-owned company
developed the new alloy from the
so-called 6xxx series. Wrought aluminum
alloys of this series are established
materials in automotive engineering.
They have good strength and
formability and are also corrosion
resistant. The alloy group is used in
many areas and promises problem-free
recycling. In the new material, too, the
main alloying elements magnesium and
silicon provide the basic strength. Other
elements make the material finegrained
and resistant to quenching.
Homogenization produces a microstructure
with predominantly round structured
phases. This has a positive effect on
the subsequent forming process. According
to the supplier, the new wrought
alloy is particularly suitable for extruded
profiles according to BMW‘s delivery
specification as well as for other
applications.
www.trimet.eu
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 59

NEWS
Mohammed Bin
Rashid Al Maktoum
Solar Park outside
of Dubai, UAE.
Photo: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority.
BMW GROUP
Carmaker relies on aluminum production
from solar power
The BMW Group will begin sourcing
aluminium produced using solar electricity
with immediate effect. This marks
an important milestone of lowering
CO 2
emissions in BMW’s supplier network
by 20 %, enabling it to avoid
approx. 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 emissions
until 2030. The aluminium is processed
in the light metal foundry at
BMW Group Plant Landshut. Sourcing
43,000 tonnes of solar aluminium
valued in the three-digit million euros
will supply nearly half the annual
requirements of the Landshut plant.
Since producing aluminium is highly
energy-intensive, the use of green
power – such as solar electricity – offers
considerable potential for reducing CO 2
emissions. That is why the BMW Group
also plans to source aluminium produced
with green power in the long
term. This is equivalent to about three
percent of the CO 2
targets the company
has set for its supplier network. The aluminium
produced using solar power is
processed in the light metal foundry at
BMW Group Plant Landshut to manufacture
body and drive train components,
including those needed for electric
drive trains, for instance.
The trend towards e-mobility means
that without corrective measures, CO 2
emissions per vehicle in the BMW Group
supply chain would increase by more
than a third by 2030. The company not
only wants to stop this trend, but also
reverse it – and even lower CO 2
emissions
per vehicle by 20 % from 2019
levels.
The BMW Group has therefore
already agreed with suppliers for its
current fifth-generation battery cells
that they will only use green power for
producing battery cells. The BMW
Group is now taking the next logical
step by sourcing aluminium produced
with green power. Because, as e-mobility
takes off, aluminium will become
increasingly important as a lightweight
material that can partially offset the
heavy weight of the batteries in electrified
vehicles. However, producing aluminium
is extremely energy-intensive.
The BMW Group already has a
long-standing supply relationship for
primary aluminium with Emirates Global
Aluminium (EGA). EGA has now
become the first company in the world
to also use solar electricity for commercial
production of aluminium, which it
will initially supply exclusively to the
BMW Group. EGA sources the electricity
used to produce the aluminium destined
for the BMW Group from the
Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Solar Park in the desert outside of
Dubai, which, in the final stage of
development, is set to become the world’s
largest solar park. It is operated by
the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority,
which has the electricity it produces
sustainably certified by third parties,
ensuring that it can supply EGA with
power that is traceable and transparent.
Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive
Officer of EGA, said: “(…) Solar
aluminium is a step in the right direction
– it uses a natural and abundant
source of energy in our desert environment
to produce a metal that is vital to
the future of our planet.”
The light metal foundry is the largest
production unit at BMW Group
Plant Landshut and the company’s only
European manufacturing facility for
light metal casting. Last year, the more
than 1,600 employees at the light metal
foundry at BMW Group Plant Landshut
produced a total of 2.9 million cast
components. The scope of production
includes engine components such as
cylinder heads and crankcases, components
for electric drive trains and large-scale
structural components for
vehicle bodies. The foundry also works
with shaping sand cores, among other
methods, to manufacture cast parts.
The sand cores are produced using inorganic
binders – making the casting process
virtually emission-free. Five different
casting methods are used for
standard production of cast components.
The most suitable casting
method is selected, depending on the
component concept, technological
requirements and production volume.
www.bmwgroup.com
60

SUPPLIERS GUIDE
SUPPLIERS GUIDE
CASTING
PLANT AND TECHNOLOGY
INTERNATIONAL
© DVS Media GmbH
Contact person: Vanessa Wollstein
Aachener Straße 172 Phone: +49 211 1591-152
40223 Düsseldorf Fax: +49 211 1591-150
E-Mail: vanessa.wollstein@dvs-media.info
1 Foundry Plants and Equipment
17 Surface Treatment and Drying
2
Melting Plants and Equipment for Iron and
Steel Castings and for Malleable Cast Iron
18
Plant, Transport, Stock, and Handling
Engineering
3 Melting Plants and Equipment for NFM
4 Refractories Technology
19 Pattern- and Diemaking
20 Control Systems and Automation
5
6
7
8
Non-metal Raw Materials and Auxiliaries for
Melting Shop
Metallic Charge Materials for Iron and Steel
Castings and for Malleable Cast Iron
Metallic Charge and Treatment Materials for
Light and Heavy Metal Castings
Plants and Machines for Moulding and
Coremaking Processes
21 Testing of Materials
22 Analysis Technique and Laboratory
23 Air Technique and Equipment
24 Environmental Protection and Disposal
9 Moulding Sands
10 Sand Conditioning and Reclamation
11 Moulding Auxiliaries
12 Gating and Feeding
13 Casting Machines and Equipment
25 Accident Prevention and Ergonomics
26 Other Products for Casting Industry
27 Consulting and Service
28 Castings
29 By-Products
14
Discharging, Cleaning, Finishing of Raw
Castings
30 Data Processing Technology
15 Surface Treatment
16 Welding and Cutting
31 Foundries
32 Additive manufacturing / 3-D printing
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 61

SUPPLIERS GUIDE
03 Melting Plants and Equipment for NFM
03.02 Melting and Holding Furnaces, Electrically
Heated
▼ Aluminium Melting Furnaces 630
Refratechnik Steel GmbH
Refratechnik Casting GmbH
Am Seestern 5, 40547 Düsseldorf, Germany
( +49 211 5858-0
E-Mail:
steel@refra.com
Internet:
www.refra.com
▼ Insulating Products 1130
08 Plants and Machines for Moulding and
Coremaking Processes
08.02 Moulding and Coremaking Machines
▼ Multi-Stage Vacuum Process 3223
LOI Thermoprocess GmbH
45141 Essen/Germany
( +49 201 1891-1
E-Mail:
service-loi@tenova.com
Internet:
www.loi.tenova.com
▼ Remelting Furnaces 700
EIKA, S.COOP
Urresolo 47, 48277 Etxebarria
( +34 946 16 77 32
Internet:
Spain
E-Mail:
aagirregomezkorta@isoleika.es
Internet:
www.isoleika.es
▼ Micro Porous Insulating Materials 1220
Pfeiffer Vacuum GmbH
35614 Asslar, Germany
( +49 6441 802-1190 7 +49 6441 802-1199
E-Mail:
andreas.wuerz@pfeiffer-vacuum.de
Internet:
www.pfeiffer-vacuum.de
09 Moulding Sands
09.01 Basic Moulding Sands
▼ Chromite Sands 3630
LOI Thermoprocess GmbH
45141 Essen/Germany
( +49 201 1891-1
E-Mail:
service-loi@tenova.com
Internet:
www.loi.tenova.com
04 Refractories Technology
04.01 Plants, Equipment and Tools for Lining in Melting
and Casting
▼ Mixers and Chargers for Refractory Mixes 930
EIKA, S.COOP
Urresolo 47, 48277 Etxebarria
( +34 946 16 77 32
Internet:
Spain
E-Mail:
aagirregomezkorta@isoleika.es
Internet:
www.isoleika.es
▼ Ladle Refractory Mixes 1240
GTP Schäfer GmbH
41515 Grevenbroich, Germany
( +49 2181 23394-0 7 +49 2181 23394-55
E-Mail:
info@gtp-schaefer.de
Internet:
www.gtp-schaefer.com
▼ Ceramic Sands/Chamotte Sands 3645
UELZENER Maschinen GmbH
Stahlstr. 26-28, 65428 Rüsselsheim, Germany
( +49 6142 177 68 0
E-Mail:
contact@uelzener-ums.de
Internet:
www.uelzener-ums.de
▼ Gunning for Relining of Cupolas 950
UELZENER Maschinen GmbH
Stahlstr. 26-28, 65428 Rüsselsheim, Germany
( +49 6142 177 68 0
E-Mail:
contact@uelzener-ums.de
Internet:
www.uelzener-ums.de
04.04 Refractory Building
▼ Maintenance of Refractory Linings 1462
GTP Schäfer GmbH
41515 Grevenbroich, Germany
( +49 2181 23394-0 7 +49 2181 23394-55
E-Mail:
info@gtp-schaefer.de
Internet:
www.gtp-schaefer.com
▼ Silica Sands 3720
UELZENER Maschinen GmbH
Stahlstr. 26-28, 65428 Rüsselsheim, Germany
( +49 6142 177 68 0
E-Mail:
contact@uelzener-ums.de
Internet:
www.uelzener-ums.de
04.02 Refractory Materials (Shaped and Non Shaped)
▼ Refractories, in general 1040
UELZENER Maschinen GmbH
Stahlstr. 26-28, 65428 Rüsselsheim, Germany
( +49 6142 177 68 0
E-Mail:
contact@uelzener-ums.de
Internet:
www.uelzener-ums.de
05 Non-metal Raw Materials and Auxiliaries for
Melting Shop
05.04 Carburization Agents
▼ Coke Breeze, Coke-Dust 1680
STROBEL QUARZSAND GmbH
Freihungsand, 92271 Freihung, Germany
( +49 9646 9201-0 7 +49 9646 9201-701
E-Mail:
info@strobel-quarzsand.de
Internet:
www.strobel-quarzsand.de
09.04 Mould and Core Coating
▼ Blackings, in general 4270
ARISTON Formstaub-Werke GmbH & Co. KG
Worringerstr. 255, 45289 Essen, Germany
( +49 201 57761 7 +49 201 570648
Internet:
www.ariston-essen.de
EIKA, S.COOP
Urresolo 47, 48277 Etxebarria
( +34 946 16 77 32
Internet:
Spain
E-Mail:
aagirregomezkorta@isoleika.es
Internet:
www.isoleika.es
ARISTON Formstaub-Werke GmbH & Co. KG
Worringerstr. 255, 45289 Essen, Germany
( +49 201 57761 7 +49 201 570648
Internet:
www.ariston-essen.de
62

09.06 Moulding Sands Testing
▼ Moisture Testing Equipment for Moulding Sand 4410
▼ Aerators 4560
▼ Insulating Sleeves 5375
Maschinenfabrik Gustav Eirich GmbH & Co KG
Walldürner Str. 50, 74736 Hardheim, Germany
Internet:
www.eirich.de
▼ Moulding Sand Testing Equipment, in general 4420
Maschinenfabrik Gustav Eirich GmbH & Co KG
Walldürner Str. 50, 74736 Hardheim, Germany
Internet:
www.eirich.de
▼ Scales and Weighing Control 4590
GTP Schäfer GmbH
41515 Grevenbroich, Germany
( +49 2181 23394-0 7 +49 2181 23394-55
E-Mail:
info@gtp-schaefer.de
Internet:
www.gtp-schaefer.com
▼ Exothermic Mini-Feeders 5400
Maschinenfabrik Gustav Eirich GmbH & Co KG
Walldürner Str. 50, 74736 Hardheim, Germany
Internet:
www.eirich.de
10 Sand Conditioning and Reclamation
Maschinenfabrik Gustav Eirich GmbH & Co KG
Walldürner Str. 50, 74736 Hardheim, Germany
Internet:
www.eirich.de
10.04 Sand Reconditioning
▼ Sand Coolers 4720
GTP Schäfer GmbH
41515 Grevenbroich, Germany
( +49 2181 23394-0 7 +49 2181 23394-55
E-Mail:
info@gtp-schaefer.de
Internet:
www.gtp-schaefer.com
▼ Exothermic Feeder Sleeves 5420
10.01 Moulding Sand Conditioning
▼ Aerators for Moulding Sand Ready-to-Use 4470
Maschinenfabrik Gustav Eirich GmbH & Co KG
Walldürner Str. 50, 74736 Hardheim, Germany
Internet:
www.eirich.de
▼ Sand Preparation Plants and Machines 4480
Maschinenfabrik Gustav Eirich GmbH & Co KG
Walldürner Str. 50, 74736 Hardheim, Germany
Internet:
www.eirich.de
12 Gating and Feeding
▼ Covering Agents 5320
GTP Schäfer GmbH
41515 Grevenbroich, Germany
( +49 2181 23394-0 7 +49 2181 23394-55
E-Mail:
info@gtp-schaefer.de
Internet:
www.gtp-schaefer.com
▼ Exothermic Feeding Compounds 5430
Maschinenfabrik Gustav Eirich GmbH & Co KG
Walldürner Str. 50, 74736 Hardheim, Germany
Internet:
www.eirich.de
▼ Mixers 4520
Refratechnik Steel GmbH
Refratechnik Casting GmbH
Am Seestern 5, 40547 Düsseldorf, Germany
( +49 211 5858-0
E-Mail:
steel@refra.com
Internet:
www.refra.com
▼ Breaker Cores 5340
GTP Schäfer GmbH
41515 Grevenbroich, Germany
( +49 2181 23394-0 7 +49 2181 23394-55
E-Mail:
info@gtp-schaefer.de
Internet:
www.gtp-schaefer.com
13 Casting Machines and Equipment
Maschinenfabrik Gustav Eirich GmbH & Co KG
Walldürner Str. 50, 74736 Hardheim, Germany
Internet:
www.eirich.de
▼ Sand Mixers 4550
Maschinenfabrik Gustav Eirich GmbH & Co KG
Walldürner Str. 50, 74736 Hardheim, Germany
Internet:
www.eirich.de
GTP Schäfer GmbH
41515 Grevenbroich, Germany
( +49 2181 23394-0 7 +49 2181 23394-55
E-Mail:
info@gtp-schaefer.de
Internet:
www.gtp-schaefer.com
▼ Exothermic Products 5360
GTP Schäfer GmbH
41515 Grevenbroich, Germany
( +49 2181 23394-0 7 +49 2181 23394-55
E-Mail:
info@gtp-schaefer.de
Internet:
www.gtp-schaefer.com
13.02 Die Casting and Accessories
▼ Diecasting Lubricants 5670
Chem-Trend (Deutschland) GmbH
Robert-Koch-Str. 27, 22851 Norderstedt, Germany
( +49 40 52955-0 7 +49 40 52955-2111
E-Mail:
service@chemtrend.de
Internet:
www.chemtrend.com
▼ Diecasting Parting Agents 5680
Chem-Trend (Deutschland) GmbH
Robert-Koch-Str. 27, 22851 Norderstedt, Germany
( +49 40 52955-0 7 +49 40 52955-2111
E-Mail:
service@chemtrend.de
Internet:
www.chemtrend.com
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 63

SUPPLIERS GUIDE
▼ Hydraulic Cylinders 5750
17.01 Plants and Furnaces
▼ Tempering Furnaces 7400
▼ Heat Treating Furnaces 7520
HYDROPNEU GmbH
Sudetenstr. , 73760 Ostfildern, Germany
( +49 711 342999-0 7 +49 711 342999-1
E-Mail:
info@hydropneu.de
Internet:
www.hydropneu.de
▼ Piston Lubricants 5790
LOI Thermoprocess GmbH
45141 Essen/Germany
( +49 201 1891-1
E-Mail:
service-loi@tenova.com
Internet:
www.loi.tenova.com
▼ Ageing Furnaces 7401
LOI Thermoprocess GmbH
45141 Essen/Germany
( +49 201 1891-1
E-Mail:
service-loi@tenova.com
Internet:
www.loi.tenova.com
▼ Hearth Bogie Type Furnaces 7525
Chem-Trend (Deutschland) GmbH
Robert-Koch-Str. 27, 22851 Norderstedt, Germany
( +49 40 52955-0 7 +49 40 52955-2111
E-Mail:
service@chemtrend.de
Internet:
www.chemtrend.com
▼ Parting Agents for Dies 5850
LOI Thermoprocess GmbH
45141 Essen/Germany
( +49 201 1891-1
E-Mail:
service-loi@tenova.com
Internet:
www.loi.tenova.com
▼ Annealing and Hardening Furnaces 7430
LOI Thermoprocess GmbH
45141 Essen/Germany
( +49 201 1891-1
E-Mail:
service-loi@tenova.com
Internet:
www.loi.tenova.com
18 Plant, Transport, Stock, and Handling
Engineering
Chem-Trend (Deutschland) GmbH
Robert-Koch-Str. 27, 22851 Norderstedt, Germany
( +49 40 52955-0 7 +49 40 52955-2111
E-Mail:
service@chemtrend.de
Internet:
www.chemtrend.com
▼ Dry Lubricants (Beads) 5865
LOI Thermoprocess GmbH
45141 Essen/Germany
( +49 201 1891-1
E-Mail:
service-loi@tenova.com
Internet:
www.loi.tenova.com
▼ Solution Annealing Furnaces 7455
18.01 Continuous Conveyors and Accessories
▼ Vibratory Motors 7980
FRIEDRICH Schwingtechnik GmbH
Am Höfgen 24, 42781 Haan, Germany
( +49 2129 3790-0 7 +49 2129 3790-37
E-Mail:
info@friedrich-schwingtechnik.de
Internet:
www.friedrich-schwingtechnik.de
Chem-Trend (Deutschland) GmbH
Robert-Koch-Str. 27, 22851 Norderstedt, Germany
( +49 40 52955-0 7 +49 40 52955-2111
E-Mail:
service@chemtrend.de
Internet:
www.chemtrend.com
▼ Multi-Stage Vacuum Process 5876
LOI Thermoprocess GmbH
45141 Essen/Germany
( +49 201 1891-1
E-Mail:
service-loi@tenova.com
Internet:
www.loi.tenova.com
▼ Annealing Furnaces 7490
20 Control Systems and Automation
20.01 Control and Adjustment Systems
▼ Automation and Control for Sand Preparation 9030
Pfeiffer Vacuum GmbH
35614 Asslar, Germany
( +49 6441 802-1190 7 +49 6441 802-1199
E-Mail:
andreas.wuerz@pfeiffer-vacuum.de
Internet:
www.pfeiffer-vacuum.de
17 Surface Treatment and Drying
▼ Heat Treatment and Drying 7398
LOI Thermoprocess GmbH
45141 Essen/Germany
( +49 201 1891-1
E-Mail:
service-loi@tenova.com
Internet:
www.loi.tenova.com
▼ Quenching and Tempering Furnaces 7510
Maschinenfabrik Gustav Eirich GmbH & Co KG
Walldürner Str. 50, 74736 Hardheim, Germany
Internet:
www.eirich.de
20.02 Measuring and Control Instruments
▼ Immersion Thermo Couples 9230
Gebr. Löcher Glüherei GmbH
Mühlenseifen 2, 57271 Hilchenbach, Germany
( +49 2733 8968-0 7 +49 2733 8968-10
Internet:
www.loecher-glueherei.de
LOI Thermoprocess GmbH
45141 Essen/Germany
( +49 201 1891-1
E-Mail:
service-loi@tenova.com
Internet:
www.loi.tenova.com
MINKON GmbH
Heinrich-Hertz-Str. 30-32, 40699 Erkrath, Germany
( +49 211 209908-0 7 +49 211 209908-90
E-Mail:
info@minkon.de
Internet:
www.minkon.de
64

▼ Laser Measurement Techniques 9310
▼ Numerical Solidification Simulation
and Process Optimization 9502
▼ Sealing and Insulating Products up to 1260 øC 11125
POLYTEC GmbH
76337 Waldbronn, Germany
( +49 7243 604-0 7 +49 7243 69944
E-Mail:
Lm@polytec.de
Internet:
www.polytec.de
▼ Positioning Control 9345
MAGMA Giessereitechnologie GmbH
Kackertstr. 11, 52072 Aachen, Germany
( +49 241 88901-0 7 +49 241 88901-60
E-Mail:
info@magmasoft.de
Internet:
www.magmasoft.com
▼ Simulation Software 9522
MINKON GmbH
Heinrich-Hertz-Str. 30-32, 40699 Erkrath, Germany
( +49 211 209908-0 7 +49 211 209908-90
E-Mail:
info@minkon.de
Internet:
www.minkon.de
27 Consulting and Service
▼ Machining 11292
POLYTEC GmbH
76337 Waldbronn, Germany
( +49 7243 604-0 7 +49 7243 69944
E-Mail:
Lm@polytec.de
Internet:
www.polytec.de
▼ Temperature Measurement 9380
MAGMA Giessereitechnologie GmbH
Kackertstr. 11, 52072 Aachen, Germany
( +49 241 88901-0 7 +49 241 88901-60
E-Mail:
info@magmasoft.de
Internet:
www.magmasoft.com
22 Analysis Technique and Laboratory Equipment
▼ Sampling Systems 9970
Behringer GmbH
Maschinenfabrik und Eisengiesserei
Postfach:
1153, 74910 Kirchardt, Germany
( +49 7266 207-0 7 +49 7266 207-500
Internet:
www.behringer.net
▼ Simulation Services 11310
MINKON GmbH
Heinrich-Hertz-Str. 30-32, 40699 Erkrath, Germany
( +49 211 209908-0 7 +49 211 209908-90
E-Mail:
info@minkon.de
Internet:
www.minkon.de
▼ Thermal Analysis Equipment 9400
MINKON GmbH
Heinrich-Hertz-Str. 30-32, 40699 Erkrath, Germany
( +49 211 209908-0 7 +49 211 209908-90
E-Mail:
info@minkon.de
Internet:
www.minkon.de
24 Environmental Protection and Disposal
MAGMA Giessereitechnologie GmbH
Kackertstr. 11, 52072 Aachen, Germany
( +49 241 88901-0 7 +49 241 88901-60
E-Mail:
info@magmasoft.de
Internet:
www.magmasoft.com
▼ Heat Treatment 11345
MINKON GmbH
Heinrich-Hertz-Str. 30-32, 40699 Erkrath, Germany
( +49 211 209908-0 7 +49 211 209908-90
E-Mail:
info@minkon.de
Internet:
www.minkon.de
▼ Thermo Couples 9410
▼ Waste Disposal, Repreparation, and Utilization 24.03
Remondis Production GmbH - LEGRAN
Brunnenstraße 138 , 44536 Lünen, Germany
( +49 2306 106 8831
E-Mail:
yannik.droste@remondis.de
Internet:
www.legran.de
Gebr. Löcher Glüherei GmbH
Mühlenseifen 2, 57271 Hilchenbach, Germany
( +49 2733 8968-0 7 +49 2733 8968-10
Internet:
www.loecher-glueherei.de
28 Castings
MINKON GmbH
Heinrich-Hertz-Str. 30-32, 40699 Erkrath, Germany
( +49 211 209908-0 7 +49 211 209908-90
E-Mail:
info@minkon.de
Internet:
www.minkon.de
20.03 Data Acquisition and Processing
▼ Numerical Solidification Analysis
and Process Simulation 9500
26 Other Products for Casting Industry
26.02 Industrial Commodities
▼ Joints, Asbestos-free 11120
▼ Aluminium Pressure Diecasting 11390
Schött Druckguß GmbH
Aluminium Die Casting
Postfach:
27 66, 58687 Menden, Germany
( +49 2373 1608-0 7 +49 2373 1608-110
E-Mail:
vertrieb@schoett-druckguss.de
Internet:
www.schoett-druckguss.de
MAGMA Giessereitechnologie GmbH
Kackertstr. 11, 52072 Aachen, Germany
( +49 241 88901-0 7 +49 241 88901-60
E-Mail:
info@magmasoft.de
Internet:
www.magmasoft.com
MINKON GmbH
Heinrich-Hertz-Str. 30-32, 40699 Erkrath, Germany
( +49 211 209908-0 7 +49 211 209908-90
E-Mail:
info@minkon.de
Internet:
www.minkon.de
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 65

SUPPLIERS GUIDE
▼ Rolled Wire 11489
30 Data Processing Technology
31 Foundries
Behringer GmbH
Maschinenfabrik und Eisengiesserei
Postfach:
1153, 74910 Kirchardt, Germany
( +49 7266 207-0 7 +49 7266 207-500
Internet:
www.behringer.net
▼ Spheroidal Iron 11540
Behringer GmbH
Maschinenfabrik und Eisengiesserei
Postfach:
1153, 74910 Kirchardt, Germany
( +49 7266 207-0 7 +49 7266 207-500
Internet:
www.behringer.net
▼ Mold Filling and Solidification Simulation 11700
MAGMA Giessereitechnologie GmbH
Kackertstr. 11, 52072 Aachen, Germany
( +49 241 88901-0 7 +49 241 88901-60
E-Mail:
info@magmasoft.de
Internet:
www.magmasoft.com
31.01 Iron, Steel, and Malleable-Iron Foundries
▼ Iron Foudries 11855
Behringer GmbH
Maschinenfabrik und Eisengiesserei
Postfach:
1153, 74910 Kirchardt, Germany
( +49 7266 207-0 7 +49 7266 207-500
Internet:
www.behringer.net
Internet:
Index to Companies
Company Product Company Product
ARISTON Formstaub-Werke GmbH & Co. KG 1680, 4270
BEHRINGER GmbH 11292, 11489, 11540, 11855
Maschinenfabrik&Eisengießerei
Chem Trend (Deutschland) GmbH 5670, 5680, 5790, 5850, 5865
Maschinenfabrik 4410, 4420, 4470, 4480, 4520,
Gustav Eirich GmbH u. Co KG 4550, 4560, 4590, 4720, 9030
Friedrich Schwingtechnik GmbH 7980
GTP Schäfer 3630, 3645, 5340, 5360, 5375,
Giesstechnische Produkte GmbH 5400, 5420, 5430
HYDROPNEU GmbH 5750
EIKA, S.COOP 1040, 1130, 1220
REMONDIS Production GmbH 24
Gebr. Löcher Glüherei GmbH 7398, 11345
LOI Thermprocess GmbH 630, 700, 7400, 7401, 7430,
7455, 7490, 7510, 7520, 7525
MAGMA Gießereitechnologie GmbH 9500, 9502, 9522, 11310, 11700
MINKON GmbH 9230, 9380, 9400, 9410, 9970,
11120, 11125
Pfeiffer Vacuum GmbH 3223, 5876
Polytec GmbH 9310, 9345
Refratechnik Steel GmbH 1040, 5320
Schött-Druckguß GmbH 11390
Strobel Quarzsand GmbH 3720
Uelzener Maschinen GmbH 930, 950, 1240, 1462
66

List of Products
01 Foundry Plants and Equipment
10 Foundry Plants, Planning and
Construction
20 Foundry Equipment and Facilities,
in general
30 Foundry Plants, fully and
partially automatic
40 Maintenance and Repairing of
Foundry Plants
44 Swing-Technique Machines for
Handling, Dosing, and Classing
45 Second Hand Foundry Plants and
Equipment
47 Spray Deposition Plants
01.01. Components
47 Spray Deposition Plants
50 Charging Systems, in general
52 Cored Wire Treatment Stations
53 Plug Connections, Heat Resisting
02 Melting Plants and Equipment for Iron and
Steel Castings and for Malleable Cast Iron
02.01. Cupolas
55 Cupolas
60 Hot-Blast Cupolas
70 Cold-Blast Cupolas
80 Circulating Gas Cupolas
90 Gas Fired Cupolas
100 Cupolas, cokeless
110 Cupolas with Oxygen-Enrichment
120 Cupolas with Secondary Blast
Operation
02.02. Cupola Accessories and
Auxiliaries
130 Lighter
140 Cupola Charging Equipment
150 Tuyères
160 Burners for Cupolas
180 Blowing-In Equipment for Carbo Fer
190 Blowing-In Equipment for Filter
Dusts into Cupolas
210 Blowing-In Equipment for Carbon
211 Blowing-In Equipment for Metallurgical
Processes
220 Dedusting, Cupolas
225 Gas Cleaning
230 Charging Plants, fully and partially
automatic
240 Blowers, Cupolas
270 Recuperators
280 Oxygen Injection for Cupolas
290 Shaking Ladles, Plants
295 Dust Briquetting
300 Monitoring Plants, Cupola
310 Forehearths, Cupola
320 Blast Heater
02.03. Melting and Holding
Furnaces, Electrically Heated
330 Electric melting Furnaces, in general
340 Induction Channel Furnaces
350 Crucible Induction Furnaces, medium
Frequency
360 Crucible Induction Furnaces,
Mains Frequency
370 Short-Coil Induction Furnaces
390 Filters, in general
399 Tower Melter
400 Holding Furnaces
02.04. Accessories and Auxiliaries
for Electric Furnaces
410 Charging Units
420 Blowing-In Equipment for Carbo Fer
430 Blowing-In Equipment for Filter Dusts
440 Blowing-In Equipment for Carbon
445 Inert Gas Systems for EAF and EIF
450 Inert Gas Systems for EAF and EIF
460 Electro-magnetic Conveyor Chutes
470 Dust Separation Plant
480 Charging Equipment
500 Graphite Electrodes
510 Lime Dosing Device
520 Condensors
540 Cooling Equipment
550 Scrap preheating Plants
560 Secondary Metallurgical Plants
565 Control Installations
570 Equipment for induction stirring
02.05. Rotary Furnaces
580 Rotary Furnaces
02.06. Maintenance and Repairing
584 Repairing of Induction Furnaces
586 Maintenance of Complete
Induction Furnace Plants
03 Melting Plants and Equipment for NFM
03.01. Melting Furnaces, Fuel Fired
590 Hearth-Type (Melting) Furnaces
599 Tower Furnaces
600 Bale-Out Furnaces
610 Crucible Furnaces
620 Drum-Type Melting Furnaces
03.02. Melting and Holding
Furnaces, Electrically Heated
630 Aluminium Melting Furnaces
640 Dosing Furnace
655 Heating Elements for Resistance
Furnaces
660 Induction Furnaces (Mains,
Medium, and High Frequency)
665 Magnesium Melting Plants and
Dosing Devices
670 Melting Furnacs, in general
680 Bale-Out Furnaces
690 Crucible Furnaces
700 Remelting Furnaces
710 Holding Furnaces
720 Electric Resistance Furnaces
902 Vacuum Melting and Casting
Furnaces
03.03. Accessories and Auxiliaries
730 Exhausting Plants
740 Molten Metal Refining by Argon
742 Gassing Systems for Aluminium
Melting
750 Gassing Systems for Magnesium
Melting
760 Charging Plants
770 Blowing-in Equipment for Alloying
and Inoculating Agents
774 Blowing-in Equipment for
Inoculating Agents
778 Degassing Equipment
780 Dedusting Equipment
785 Crucibles, Ready-To-Use
790 Charging Equipment
800 Graphite Melting Pots
825 Emergency Iron Collecting
Reservoirs
847 Cleaning Devices for Cleaning
Dross in Induction Furnaces
848 Cleaning Device and Gripper for
Deslagging - Induction Furnaces
850 Crucibles
860 Inert Gas Systems
870 Silicon Carbide Pots
875 Special Vibrating Grippers for
the Removal of Loose Dross and
Caking
880 Gas Flushing Installations
890 Crucibles, Pots
895 Power Supply, Plasma Generators
900 Vacuum Degassing Equipment
04 Refractories Technology
04.01. Plants, Equipment and Tools for
Lining in Melting and Casting
910 Spraying Tools for Furnace Lining
920 Breakage Equipment for Cupolas,
Crucibles, Pots, Torpedo Ladles
and Ladles
923 Lost Formers
930 Mixers and Chargers for
Refractory Mixes
940 Charging Units for Furnaces
950 Gunning for Relining of Cupolas
954 Ramming Mix Formers
956 Ramming Templates
980 Wear Indicators for Refractory Lining
982 Wear Measuring and Monitoring
for Refractory Lining
985 State Diagnosis of Refractory Lines
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 67

SUPPLIERS GUIDE
04.02. Refractory Materials
(Shaped and Non Shaped)
1000 Boron-Nitride Isolation
1005 Sand Gaskets, Isolation
Materials (up to 1260 °C)
1009 Running and Feeding
Systems (Gating Systems)
1010 Running and Feeding Systems
(Runner Bricks, Centre Bricks,
Sprue Cups)
1020 Fibrous Mould Parts
1021 Fibrous Mould Parts up to 1750 °C
1030 Refractory Castables
1040 Refractories, in general
1050 Insulating Refractoy Bricks
1060 Refractoy Cements
1070 Refractories for Aluminium Melting
Furnaces
1080 Refractory Materials for Anode
Kilns
1090 Refractory Materials for Melting
Furnaces, in general
1100 Refractory Materials for Holding
Furnaces
1103 Ceramic Fibre Mould Parts and
Modules
1104 Mold Sections and Modules made
of HTW (High Temperature Wool)
1109 Precasts
1110 Pouring Lip Bricks
1113 Fibreglass Mats
1114 Slip Foils for Glowing Materials
1117 High Temperature Mats, Papers,
Plates, and Felts
1120 Induction Furnace Compounds
1123 Insulating and Sealing Panels up
to 1200 °C
1125 Insulating Fabrics up to 1260 °C
1128 Insulating Felts and Mats up to
1260 °C
1130 Insulating Products
1140 Insulating Products (such as
Fibres, Micanites)
1150 Insulating Bricks
1155 Ceramic Fibre Mats, Papers,
Plates, and Felts
1160 Ceramic Fibre Modules
1169 Ceramic Fibre Substitutes
1170 Ceramic Fibre Products
1180 Loamy Sands
1190 Carbon Bricks
1200 Cupola and Siphon Mixes
1210 Cupola Bricks
1220 Micro Porous Insulating Materials
1222 Nano Porous Insulating Materials
1225 Furnace Door Sealings, Cords, and
Packings
1230 Furnace Linings
1240 Ladle Refractory Mixes
1250 Ladle Bricks
1260 Plates, free from Ceramic Fibres
1261 Plates made of Ground Alkali
Silicate Wool
1270 Acid and Silica Mixes
1280 Fire-Clay Mixes and Cements
1290 Fire-Clay Bricks
1310 Porous Plugs
1312 Stirring Cones for Steel, Grey Cast
Iron and Aluminium
1320 Moulding Mixtures for Steel Casting
1330 Ramming, Relining, Casting,
Gunning, and Vibration Bulks
1333 Ramming, Casting, Gunning, and
Repairing Compounds
1340 Plugs and Nozzles
1345 Textile Fabrics up to 1260 °C
988 Substitutes of Aluminium Silicate
Wool
990 Coating and Filling Materials,
Protective Coatings
04.03. Refractory Raw Materials
1350 Glass Powder
1360 Loamy Sands
1370 Magnesite, Chrom-Magnesite,
Forsterite
1390 Chamotte, Ground Chamotte
1400 Clays, Clay Powders
04.04. Refractory Building
1410 Bricking-Up of Furnaces
1420 Refractory Building/Installation
1430 Fire and Heat Protection
1435 Furnace Door Joints
1440 Furnace Reconstruction
1450 Repairing of Furnaces and Refractories
1460 Heat Insulation
1462 Maintenance of Refractory Linings
05 Non-metal Raw Materials and Auxiliaries for
Melting Shop
05.01. Coke
1480 Lignite Coke
1490 Foundry Coke
1510 Petroleum Coke
05.02. Additives
1520 Desulphurization Compounds
1530 Felspar
1540 Fluorspar
1550 Casting Carbide
1560 Glass Granulate
1570 Lime, Limestones
1575 Briquets for Cupolas
1580 Slag Forming Addition
05.03. Gases
1590 Argon
1600 Oxygen
1610 Inert Gases
1620 Nitrogen
1622 Hydrogen
05.04. Carburization Agents
1630 Carburization Agents, in general
1640 Lignite Coke
1650 Electrode Butts
1660 Electrode Graphite
1665 Desulfurizer
1670 Graphite
1680 Coke Breeze, Coke-Dust
1700 Petroleum Coke
1710 Silicon Carbide
3261 Automatic Powder Feeding
05.05. Melting Fluxes for NF-Metals
1720 Aluminium Covering Fluxes
1730 Desoxidants, in general
1740 Degassing Fluxes
1750 Desulphurisers
1760 Charcoal
1770 Refiners
1780 Fluxing Agents
1785 Melt Treatment Agents
1790 Fluxing Agents
06 Metallic Charge Materials for Iron and Steel
Castings and for Malleable Cast Iron
06.01. Scrap Materials
1810 Cast Scrap
1811 Cast Turnings
1813 Cuttings/Stampings
1817 Steel Scrap
06.02. Pig Iron
1820 Hematite Pig Iron
1830 Foundry Pig Iron
1838 DK Pig Iron
1840 DK-Perlit Special Pig Iron
1880 DK Pig Iron for Malleable Cast Iron
1898 DK Pig Iron, low-carbon, Quality
DKC
1900 DK-Perlit Special Pig Iron, Low
Carbon, DKC Quality
1936 DK Phosphorus Alloy Pig Iron
1940 DK-Perlit Special Pig Iron, Type
Siegerlaender
1950 Spiegel Eisen
1970 Blast Furnace Ferro Silicon
06.03. Specials (Pig Iron)
1990 Foundry Pig Iron
2000 Hematite Pig Iron
2010 Sorel Metal
2020 Special Pig Iron for s. g. Cast Iron
Production
2030 Special Pig Iron for s.g. Cast Iron
2040 Steelmaking Pig Iron
06.04. Ferro Alloys
2050 Ferro-Boron
2060 Ferro-Chromium
2070 Ferroalloys, in general
2080 Ferro-Manganese
2090 Ferro-Molybdenum
2100 Ferro-Nickel
2110 Ferro-Niobium
2120 Ferro-Phosphorus
2130 Ferro-Selenium
2140 Ferro-Silicon
2150 Ferro-Silicon-Magnesium
2160 Ferro-Titanium
2170 Ferro-Vanadium
2180 Ferro-Tungsten
2190 Silicon-Manganese
06.05. Other Alloy Metals and Master
Alloys
2200 Aluminium Granulates
2210 Aluminium, Aluminium Alloys
2220 Aluminium Powder
2230 Aluminium Master Alloys
2250 Calcium Carbide
2260 Calcium-Silicon
2265 Cerium Mischmetal
68

2280 Chromium Metals
2290 Cobalt
2300 Chromium Metal, Aluminothermic
2310 Deoxidation Alloys
2318 High-grade Steel
2320 Iron Powder
2350 Copper
2360 Cupola Briquets
2370 Alloying Metals, in general
2380 Alloying Additives
2390 Magnesium, Magnesium Alloys
2410 Manganese Metal
2420 Manganese Metal, Electrolytic
2430 Molybdenum
2440 Molybdenum Alloys
2450 Molybdenum Oxide
2460 Nickel, Nickel Alloys
2470 Nickel-Magnesium
2490 Furnace Additives
2500 Ladle Additives
2510 High-Purity Iron, Low-Carbon
2520 Sulphuric Iron
2530 Silicon Carbide
2540 Silicon Metal
2545 Silicon Metal Granules
2550 Special Alloys
2570 Titanium Sponge
2575 Master Alloys for Precious Metals
2580 Bismuth
2590 Tungsten
2600 Tin
2610 Alloying Metals, Master Alloys
06.06. Nodularizing Additives and
Auxiliaries
2620 Magnesium Treatment Alloys for
s. g. Cast Iron
2630 Mischmetal
06.07. Inoculants and Auxiliary
Appliances
2640 Cored-Wire Injectors
2645 Injection Appliances for Cored Wire
2650 Cored Wires for Secondary and
Ladle Metallurgy
2653 Cored Wires for Magnesium Treatment
2656 Cored Wires for Inoculation of Cast
Iron Melts
2658 Stream Inoculants
2660 Automatic IDA-Type Inoculation
Dosing Devices
2670 Injection Appliances
2680 Inoculants and Inoculation Alloys,
in general
2690 Inoculants for Cast Iron
2692 MSI Pouring Stream Inoculation
Devices
2694 Ladle Inoculants
07 Metallic Charge and Treatment Materials for
Light and Heavy Metal Castings
07.01. Scrap
2730 Metal Residues
07.02. Ingot Metal
2740 Standard Aluminium Alloys
2750 Brass Ingots
2770 High-Grade Zinc Alloys
2790 Copper
2800 Copper Alloys
2810 Magnesium, Magnesium Alloys
2830 Tin
07.03. Alloying Addition for Treatment
2838 Aluminium-Beryllium Master Alloys
2840 Aluminium-Copper
2852 Aluminium Master Alloys
2870 Arsenic Copper
2875 Beryllium-Copper
2890 Calcium
2891 Calcium Carbide, Desulphurisers
2893 Chromium-Copper
2900 Ferro-Copper
2910 Grain Refiner
2920 Granulated Copper
2924 Copper Magnesium
2925 Copper Salts
2927 Copper Master Alloys
2930 Alloy Metals, in general
2935 Alloy Biscuits
2936 Lithium
2938 Manganese Chloride (anhydrate)
2940 Manganese Copper
2950 Metal Powder
2960 Niobium
2970 Phosphor-Copper
2980 Phosphor-Tin
2990 Silicon-Copper
3000 Silicon Metal
3010 Strontium, Strontium Alloys
3020 Tantalum
3025 Titanium, powdery
3030 Refining Agents for Aluminium
3033 Zirconium-Copper
08 Plants and Machines for Moulding and
Coremaking Processes
08.01. Moulding Plants
3050 Moulding Plants, in general
3058 Moulding Machines, Boxless
3060 Moulding Machines, Fully Automatic
3070 Moulding Machines, Fully and
Partially Automatic
08.02. Moulding and Coremaking
Machines
3080 Lifting Moulding Machine
3090 Pneumatic Moulding Machines
3100 Automatic Moulding Machines
3110 High-Pressure Squeeze Moulding
Machines
3130 Impact Moulding Machines
3140 Moulding Plants and Machines for
Cold-Setting Processes
3150 Moulding Machines, Boxless
3160 Core Blowers
3170 Coremaking Machines
3180 Core Shooters
3190 Air-flow Squeeze Moulding Machines
and Plants
3200 Shell Moulding Machines
3210 Shell Moulding Machines
3220 Shell Moulding Machines and
Hollow Core Blowers
3225 Multi-Stage Vacuum Process
3230 Multi-Stage Vacuum Processes for
Pressure Die Casting Processes
3235 Rapid Prototyping
3240 Jolt Squeeze Moulding Machines
3250 Suction Squeeze Moulding Machines
and Plants
3260 Pinlift Moulding Machines
3270 Rollover Moulding Machines
3280 Vacuum Moulding Machines and
Processes
3290 Multi-Piston Squeeze Moulding
Machines
3300 Turnover Moulding Machines
08.03. Additives and Accessories
3310 Exhaust Air Cleaning Plants for
Moulding Machines
3320 Gassing Units for Moulds and
Cores
3325 Seal Bonnets for Immersion Nozzles
3330 Metering Dosing Devices for
Binders and Additives
3340 Electrical Equipment for Moulding
Machines and Accessories
3350 Electrical and Electronic Controlling
Devices for Moulding
Machines
3355 Mould Dryer
3360 Vents
3370 Screen-Vents
3380 Spare Parts for Moulding Machines
3390 Flow Coating Plants
3400 Pattern Plates
3420 Manipulators
3430 Core Setting Equipment
3440 Core Removal Handling
3450 Core Handling
3460 Coremaking Manipulators
3462 Core Transport Racks
3470 Shell Mould Sealing Equipment
and Presses
3480 Mixers for Blackings and Coatings
3500 Plastic Blowing and Gassing Plates
3510 Coating Equipment
3512 Coating Dryers
3520 Equipment for Alcohol-based
Coatings
3525 Coating Stores and
Preparation Equipment
3530 Coating Mixers, Coating Preparation
Equipment
3540 Screen Vents, front Armoured
3560 Swing Conveyors
3570 Screening Machines
3580 Plug Connections, Heat-Resisting
08.04. Mould Boxes and Accessories
3590 Moulding Boxes
3610 Moulding Box Round-hole and
Long-hole Guides
09 Moulding Sands
09.01. Basic Moulding Sands
3630 Chromite Sands
3640 Moulding Sands
3645 Ceramic Sands/Chamotte Sands
3650 Core Sands
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 69

SUPPLIERS GUIDE
3660 Molochite
3670 Mullite Chamotte
3690 Olivine Sands
3700 Fused Silica
3705 Lost Foam Backing Sands
3710 Silica Flour
3720 Silica Sands
3730 Zircon Powder
3740 Zircon Sands
09.02. Binders
3750 Alkyd Resins
3755 Inorganic Binders
3760 Asphalt Binders
3770 Bentonite
3790 Binders for Investment Casting
3800 Cold-Box Binders
3803 Resins for the Shell Moulding
Process
3820 Ethyl Silicate
3830 Moulding Sand Binders, in general
3833 Binders, Inorganic
3840 Resins
3860 Oil Binders
3870 Core Sand Binders, in general
3875 Silica Sol
3880 Synthetic Resin Binders, in general
3890 Synthetic Resin Binders for
Refractories
3900 Synthetic Resin Binder for Gas
Curing Processes
3910 Synthetic Resin Binder for Hot
Curing Processes
3920 Synthetic Resin Binder for Cold
Setting Processes
3930 Facing Sand Binders
3940 Binders for the Methyl-Formate
Process
3950 Phenolic Resins
3960 Phenolic Resins (alkaline)
3970 Polyurethane Binders and Resins
3980 Swelling Binders
3990 Swelling Clays
4000 Quick-Setting Binders
4010 Silicate Binders
4020 Silica Sol
4030 Binders for the SO2 Process
4040 Cereal Binders
4050 Warm-Box Binders
4060 Water-Glass Binders (CO2-Process)
09.03. Moulding Sand Additives
4066 Addition Agents
4070 Iron Oxide
4080 Red Iron Oxide
4090 Lustrous Carbon Former
4100 Pelleted Pitch
4110 Coal Dust
4120 Coal Dust Substitute (Liquid or
Solid Carbon Carrier)
4130 Coal Dust (Synthetic)
09.04. Mould and Core Coating
4140 Inflammable Coating
4150 Alcohol-Based Coatings
4160 Alcohol-based Granulated Coatings
4170 Boron-Nitride Coatings
4180 Coatings, Ready-to-Use
4190 Mould Varnish
4200 Mould Coating
4210 Black Washes
4220 Graphite Blackings
4224 Lost-Foam Coatings
4225 Ceramic Coatings
4230 Core Coatings
4240 Core Blackings
4260 Paste Coatings
4266 Coatings (with metallurgical effects)
4270 Blackings, in general
4280 Steel Mould Coatings
4290 Talc
4298 Coatings for Full Mould Casting
4300 Water-based Coatings
4310 Granulated Water-based Coatings
4320 Zircon Coatings
4321 Zircon-free Coatings
09.05. Moulding Sands
Ready-to-Use
4340 Sands for Shell Moulding, Readyto-use
4350 Sands Ready-to-Use, Oil-Bonded
(Water-free)
4360 Precoated Quartz Sands, Zircon
Sands, Chromite Sands, Ceramic
Sands
4370 Moulding Sands for Precision
Casting
4380 Steel Moulding Sands
4390 Synthetic Moulding and Core Sand
09.06. Moulding Sands Testing
4400 Strength Testing Equipment for
Moulding Sand
4410 Moisture Testing Equipment for
Moulding Sand
4420 Moulding Sand Testing Equipment,
in general
4426 Core Gas Meters for Al + Fe
4440 Sand Testing
10 Sand Conditioning and Reclamation
4446 Sand Preparation and
Reclamation
4448 Sand Reclamation System
10.01. Moulding Sand Conditioning
4450 Nozzles for Moistening
4459 Continuous Mixers
4460 Continuous Mixers for Cold-Setting
Sands
4470 Aerators for Moulding Sand
Ready-to-Use
4480 Sand Preparation Plants and
Machines
4490 Sand Mullers
4500 Measuring Instruments for Compactibility,
Shear Strength, and
Deformability
4510 Measuring Instruments for
Mouldability Testing (Moisture,
Density, Temperature)
4520 Mixers
4550 Sand Mixers
4560 Aerators
4567 Vibration Sand Lump Crusher
4568 Vibratory Screens
4570 Sand Precoating Plants
4590 Scales and Weighing Control
10.03. Conditioning of Cold, Warm,
and Hot Coated Sands
4650 Preparation Plants for Resin
Coated Sand
10.04. Sand Reconditioning
4660 Used Sand Preparation Plants
4662 Batch Coolers for Used Sand
4664 Flow Coolers for Used Sand
4670 Magnetic Separators
4690 Core Sand Lump Preparation
Plants
4700 Reclamation Plants for Core Sands
4710 Ball Mills
4720 Sand Coolers
4730 Sand Reclamation Plants
4740 Sand Screens
4760 Separation of Chromite/Silica Sand
10.05. Reclamation of Used Sand
4780 Reclamation Plants, in general
4785 Reclamation Plants,
Chemical-Combined
4790 Reclamation Plants,
Mechanical
4800 Reclamation Plants,
Mechanical/Pneumatic
4810 Reclamation Plants,
Mechanical-Thermal
4820 Reclamation Plants, Mechanical/
Thermal/Mechanical
4830 Reclamation Plants, wet
4840 Reclamation Plants, Thermal
4850 Reclamation Plants,
Thermal-Mechanical
11 Moulding Auxiliaries
4880 Mould Dryers
4890 Foundry Nails, Moulding Pins
4910 Moulders‘ Tools
4920 Mould Hardener
4950 Guide Pins and Bushes
4965 High Temperature Textile Fabrics
up to 1260 °C
4970 Ceramic Pouring Filters
4980 Ceramic Auxiliaries for Investment
Foundries
4990 Ceramic Cores for Investment
Casting - Gunned, Pressed, Drawn
4998 Cope Seals
5000 Core Benches
5007 Core Putty Fillers
5010 Core Wires
5020 Cores (Cold-Box)
5030 Cores (Shell)
5040 Core Boxes
5050 Core Box Dowels
5070 Core Adhesives
5080 Core Loosening Powder
5090 Core Nails
5100 Core Powders
5110 Chaplets
5130 Tubes for Core and Mould Venting
70

5140 Core Glueing
5150 Core Glueing Machines
5155 Cleaners
5160 Adhesive Pastes
5170 Carbon Dioxide
(CO2 Process)
5180 Carbon Dioxide Dosing
Devices
5210 Coal Dust and Small Coal
5220 Chill Nails
5230 Chill Coils
5240 Antipiping Compounds
5260 Shell Mould Sealers
5270 Mould Dryers, Micro-Wave
5280 Screening Machines
5290 Glass Fabric Filters
5300 Strainer Cores
5310 Release Agents
11.01. Moulding Bay Equipment
5312 Glass Fabric Filters
5314 Strainer Cores
12 Gating and Feeding
5320 Covering Agents
5330 Heating-up Agents
5340 Breaker Cores
5350 Strainer Cores
5360 Exothermic Products
5365 Glass Fabric Filters
5370 Insulating Products and Fibres
5375 Insulating Sleeves
5380 Ceramic Filters
5390 Ceramic Breaker Cores
5400 Exothermic Mini-Feeders
5405 Non-Ceramic Foam Filters
5410 Ceramic Dross Filters
5416 Riser (exothermic)
5418 Riser (insulating)
5420 Exothermic Feeder Sleeves
5430 Exothermic Feeding Compounds
13 Casting Machines and Equipment
5436 Pouring Machines and
Equipment
5437 Casting Machine,
without Heating
13.01. Pouring Furnaces and their
Equipment
5440 Aluminium Dosing Furnaces
5450 Pouring Equipment
5460 Pouring Ladles
5461 Pouring Ladles, Insulating
5468 Pig and Ingot Casting
Machines
5470 Pouring Equipment for Moulding
Plants, Railborn or Crane-operated
5480 Pouring Ladles
5485 Pouring Ladles, Electrically Heated
5490 Drum-Type Ladles
5500 Ingot Casting Machines
5510 Low Pressure Casting
Machine
13.02. Die Casting and
Accessories
5530 Trimming Presses for
Diecastings
5540 Trimming Tools for Diecastings
(Standard Elements)
5545 Exhausting and Filtering Plants for
Diecastings
5550 Ejectors for Diecasting Dies
5560 Ejectors for Diecasting Dies (Manganese
Phosphate Coated)
5570 Feeding, Extraction, Spraying, and
Automatic Trimming for Diecasting
Machines
5580 Trimming Tools
5600 Dosing Devices for
Diecasting Machines
5610 Dosing Furnaces for
Diecasting Machines
5620 Diecasting Dies
5630 Heating and Cooling Devices for
Diecasting Dies
5640 Diecasting Machines
5641 Diecasting Machines and Plants
5644 Diecasting Machines for Rotors
5650 Diecasting Machine Monitoring
and Documentation Systems
5660 Diecasting Coatings
5670 Diecasting Lubricants
5675 Lost Diecasting Cores
5680 Diecasting Parting Agents
5689 Venting Blocks for HPDC Dies
5690 Extraction Robots for
Diecasting Machines
5695 Frames and Holders for
Diecasting Dies
5700 Spraying Equipment for Diecasting
Machines
5710 Goosenecks and Shot Sleeves
5720 Hand Spraying Devices
5730 Heating Cartridges
5740 High-duty Heating Cartridges
5750 Hydraulic Cylinders
5760 Core Pins
5770 Cold Chamber Diecasting Machines
5780 Pistons for Diecasting Machines
5790 Piston Lubricants
5800 Piston Spraying Devices
5810 Mixing Pumps for Parting Agents
5815 Electric Nozzle Heatings
5817 Oil Filters
5820 Melting and Molten Metal Feeding
in Zinc Die Casting Plants
5830 Steel Molds for Diecasting Machines
5838 Heating and Cooling of Dies
5840 Temperature Control Equipment for
Diecasting Dies
5850 Parting Agents for Dies
5860 Parting Agent Spraying Devices for
Diecasting Machines
5865 Dry Lubricants (Beads)
5870 Vacural-Type Plants
5876 Multi-Stage Vacuum Process
5880 Multi-Stage Vacuum Process
5890 Vacuum Die Casting Plants
5900 Hot Working Steel for
Diecasting Dies
5910 Hot Working Steel for Diecasting
Tools
5912 Hot Chamber Diecasting Machines
13.03. Gravity Die Casting
5914 Dosing Devices for Gravity Diecasting
Stations
5920 Permanent Molds
5930 Automatic Permanent Moulding
Machines
5940 Gravity Diecasting Machines
5941 Gravity and High Pressure Diecasting
Automation
5945 Cement and Fillers for Permanent
Moulds up to 1600 °C
5950 Cleaning Devices for Permanent
Molds
5960 Coatings for Permanent Molds
5970 Colloidal Graphite
5975 Chills
5980 Low Pressure Diecasting Machines
13.04. Centrifugal Casting
5990 Centrifugal Casting Machines
13.05. Continuous Casting
6000 Anode Rotary Casting Machines
6001 Length and Speed Measuring,
non-contact, for Continuous
Casting Plants
6002 Thickness and Width Measurement
for Continuous Casting
Plants, non-contact
6006 Casting and Shear Plants for
Copper Anodes
6007 Casting and Rolling Plants for
Copper Wire
6008 Casting and Rolling Plants for
Copper Narrow Strips
6010 Continuous Casting Plant, horizontal,
for Tube Blanks with integrated
Planetary Cross Rolling Mill for the
Production of Tubes
6020 Continuous Casting Moulds
6030 Continuous Casting
Machines and Plants
6032 Continuous Casting, Accessories
6033 Continuous Casting Machines and
Plants (non-ferrous)
13.06. Investment and Precision
Casting
6040 Burning Kilns for Investment
Moulds
6045 Investment Casting Waxes
6050 Embedding Machines for Investment
Casting Moulding Materials
6060 Investment Casting Plants
6062 Centrifugal Investment
Casting Machines
13.07. Full Mould Process Plants
6070 Lost-Foam Pouring Plants
13.08. Auxiliaries, Accessories, and
Consumables
6080 Pouring Manipulators
6090 Slag Machines
6093 Copper Templates
6100 Nozzles, Cooling
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 71

SUPPLIERS GUIDE
6110 Electrical and Electronic Control
for Casting Machines
6120 Extraction Devices
6130 Pouring Consumables, in general
6140 Rotary Casting Machines
6150 Pouring Ladle Heaters
6160 Ladle Bails
6170 Stream Inoculation Devices
6175 Graphite Chills
6176 Marking and Identification
6177 Bone Ash (TriCalcium Phosphate)
6190 Long-term Pouring Ladle Coatings
6200 Long-term Lubricants
6210 Manipulators
6220 Ladle Covering Compounds
6240 Robots
6245 Protective Jacket for Robots, Heat
and Dust Resistant
6250 Dosing Devices for Slag Formers
Addition
6270 Silicon Carbide Chills
6280 Silicon Carbide Cooling Compounds
6290 Crucible Coatings
6300 Heat Transfer Fluids
14 Discharging, Cleaning, Finishing of Raw
Castings
6305 Casting Cooling Plants
14.01. Discharging
6330 Knock-out Drums
6340 Vibratory Shake-out Tables
6345 Knock-out Vibratory Conveyors
6346 Shake-out Grids
6347 Shake-out Separation Runners
6350 Decoring Equipment
6352 Discharging of Metal Chips
6360 Hooking
6370 Manipulators
6373 Manipulators for Knock-out Floors
6380 Robots
6390 Vibratory Grids, Hangers, and
Chutes
6400 Vibratory Tables
14.02. Blast Cleaning Plants and
Accessories
6410 Turntable Blasting Fans
6420 Pneumatic Blasting Plants
6430 Automatic Continuous Shot-blasting
plants
6440 Descaling Plants
6445 Spare Parts for Blasting Plants
6450 Hose Blasting Plants, Fans
6460 Hose Blasting Chambers
6470 Monorail Fettling Booths
6475 Efficiency Tuning for Blasting
Plants
6480 Manipulator Shotblast Plants
6485 Tumbling Belt Blasting Plants,
Compressed Air Driven
6490 Wet and Dry Shotblast Plants
6500 Fettling Machines
6530 Airless Blast Cleaning Machines
6540 Blasting Plants Efficiency Tuning
6550 Shot Transport, Pneumatic
6560 Shot-Blasting Plants
6569 Shot Blasting Machines
6570 Shot Blasting Machines, with/
without Compressed Air Operating
6572 Dry Ice Blasting
6574 Dry Ice Production
14.03. Blasts
6580 Aluminium Shots
6590 Wire-Shot
6600 High-Grade Steel Shots
6610 Granulated Chilled Iron, Chilled
Iron Shots
6630 Cast Steel Shots
6640 Stainless Steel Shot
6650 Shot-Blast Glass
6660 Shot-Blast Glass Beads
6670 Blasts
6671 Stainless Steel Abrasives
14.04. Grinding Machines and Accessories
6675 Stainless Steel Grit
6680 Belt Grinders
6685 chamfering machines
6690 Flexible Shafts
6695 Diamond Cutting Wheels for
Castings
6700 Compressed Air Grinders
6710 Fibre discs
6714 Centrifugal Grinders
6720 Vibratory Cleaning Machines and
Plants
6730 Rough Grinding Machines
6735 Abrasive Wheels, visual, with
Flakes/Lamellas
6740 Numerical Controlled Grinders
6750 Swing Grinders
6760 Polishing Machines
6770 Polishing Tools
6773 Precision Cutting Wheels, 0,8 mm
6780 Tumbling Drums
6790 Pipe Grinders
6800 Floor Type Grinders
6810 Grinding Textiles
6820 Emery Paper
6830 Grinding Wheel Dresser
6850 Grinding Wheels and Rough
Grinding Wheels
6855 Grinding Pins
6860 Grinding Fleece
6870 Grinding Tools
6874 Drag Grinding Plants
6880 Rough Grinding Machines
6885 Cutting Wheels
6890 Abrasive Cut-off Machines
6900 Vibratory Cleaning Machines
6910 Angle Grinders
14.05. Additional Cleaning Plants
and Devices
6920 Gate Break-off Wedges
6925 Plants for Casting Finishing
6930 Automation
6940 Pneumatic Hammers
6950 Deflashing Machines
6954 Deburring Machines,
robot-supported
6955 Robot Deburring Systems
6960 Fettling Cabins
6970 Fettling Manipulators
6980 Fettling Benches
6990 Core Deflashing Machines
7000 Chipping Hammers
7010 Dedusting of Fettling Shops
7020 Fettling Hammers
7030 Fettling Shops, Cabins, Cubicles
7035 Refining Plants
7040 Robot Fettling Cubicles
7041 Robot Deflashing Units for Casting
7050 Feeder Break-off Machines
7052 Stamping Deflashing
Equipment (tools, presses)
7055 Break-off Wedges
7056 Cutting and Sawing Plants
7058 Band Saw Blades
7059 Cut-off Saws
7060 Cut-off Saws for Risers and Gates
14.06. Jig Appliances
7066 Magnetic Clamping Devices for
Casting Dies
7068 Core-Slides and Clamping
Elements for Casting Dies
7070 Clamping Devices
14.07. Tribology
7073 Lubricants for High Temperatures
7074 Chain Lubricating Appliances
7075 Cooling Lubricants
7077 Central Lubricating Systems
15 Surface Treatment
7083 Anodizing of Aluminium
7100 Pickling of High Quality Steel
7105 CNC Machining
7110 Paint Spraying Plants
7115 Yellow/Green Chromating
7130 Priming Paints
7140 Casting Sealing
7150 Casting Impregnation
7166 Hard Anodic Coating of Aluminium
7180 High Wear-Resistant Surface
Coating
7190 Impregnation
7198 Impregnation Plants
7200 Impregnating Devices and Accessories
for Porous Castings
7210 Anticorrosion Agents
7220 Corrosion and Wearing Protection
7230 Shot Peening
7232 Wet Varnishing
7234 Surface Treatment
7235 Surface Coatings
7240 Polishing Pastes
7245 Powder Coatings
7250 Repair Metals
7260 Slide Grinding, free of Residues
7290 Quick Repair Spaddle
7292 Special Coatings
7295 Special Adhesives up to 1200 °C
7296 Shot-Blasting
7297 Power Supply, Plasma Generators
7300 Galvanizing Equipment
7302 Zinc Phosphating
7310 Scaling Protection
7312 Subcontracting
72

16 Welding and Cutting
16.01. Welding Machines and
Devices
7330 Welding Consumables, Electrodes
16.02. Cutting Machines and Torches
7350 Gougers
7352 Special Machines for Machining
7360 Coal/Graphite Electrodes
7365 Water Jet Cutting
7370 Oxygen Core Lances
16.03. Accessories
7394 Protective Blankets, Mats, and
Curtains, made of Fabric, up to
1250 °C
7397 Protective Welding Paste, up to
1400 °C
17 Surface Treatment and Drying
7398 Heat Treatment and Drying
17.01. Plants and Furnaces
7400 Tempering Furnaces
7401 Ageing Furnaces
7402 Combustion Chambers
7404 Baking Ovens for Ceramic Industries
7420 Mould Drying Stoves
7430 Annealing and Hardening Furnaces
7440 Induction Hardening and Heating
Equipment
7450 Core Drying Stoves
7452 Microwave Drying Stoves and
Chambers
7455 Solution Annealing Furnaces
7460 Ladle Dryers
7470 Sand Dryers
7480 Inert Gas Plants
7490 Annealing Furnaces
7500 Drying Stoves and Chambers
7510 Quenching and Tempering Furnaces
7520 Heat Treating Furnaces
7525 Hearth Bogie Type Furnaces
17.02. Components, Accessories,
Operating Materials
7550 Multi-purpose Gas Burners
7560 Heating Equipment, in general
7564 Special Torches
7580 Firing Plants
7590 Gas Torches
7600 Gas Heatings
7610 Capacitors
7616 Furnace Optimization
7620 Oil Burners
7630 Recuperative Burners
7640 Oxygen Burners
7650 Heat Recovery Plants
18 Plant, Transport, Stock, and Handling
Engineering
7654 Lifting Trucks
7656 Transport, Stock, and
Handling Technology
18.01. Continuous Conveyors and
Accessories
7660 Belt Conveyors
7670 Bucket Elevators
7676 Flexible Tubes with Ceramic Wear
Protection
7680 Conveyors, in general
7690 Conveyors, Fully Automatic
7710 Conveyor Belts
7720 Conveyor Belt Ploughss
7730 Conveyor Belt Idlers
7740 Conveyor Chutes
7750 Conveying Tubes
7760 Belt Guides
7780 Overhead Rails
7790 Hot Material Conveyors
7810 Chain Conveyors
7820 Chain Adjusters
7850 Conveyors, Pneumatic
7860 Roller Beds, Roller Conveyor
Tables, Roller Tables
7870 Sand Conveyors
7890 Bulk Material Conveyors
7900 Swing Conveyor Chutes
7910 Elevators
7920 Chip Dryers
7950 Idlers and Guide Rollers
7960 Transport Equipment, in general
7970 Conveyor Screws
7980 Vibratory Motors
7981 Vibration Conveyors
18.02. Cranes, Hoists, and
Accessories
8000 Grippers
8010 Lifting Tables and Platforms
8020 Jacks and Tilters
8030 Operating Platforms, Hydraulic
8032 Hydraulic and Electric Lifting
Trucks
8040 Cranes, in general
8050 Lifting Magnets
8060 Lifting Magnet Equipment
18.03. Vehicles and Transport Containers
8080 Container Parking Systems
8090 Fork Lift Trucks, in general
8100 Fork Lift Trucks for Fluid Transports
8110 Equipment for Melt Transport
18.04. Bunkers, Siloes and
Accessories
8140 Linings
8145 Big-bag Removal Systems
8150 Hopper Discharger and
Discharge Chutes
8160 Hoppers
8170 Conveyor Hoses
8190 Silos
8200 Silo Discharge Equipment
8210 Silo Over-charging Safety Devices
8218 Wearing Protection
8220 Vibrators
18.05. Weighing Systems and Installations
8230 Charging and Charge
Make-up Scales
8240 Metering Scales
8250 Monorail Scales
8260 Crane Weighers
8280 Computerized Prescuption Plants
8290 Scales, in general
18.07. Handling Technology
8320 Manipulators
8340 Industrial Robots
8350 Industrial Robots, Resistant to Rough
8364 Chipping Plants with Robots
18.08. Fluid Mechanics
8365 Pumps
8367 Compressors
18.09. Storage Systems, Marshalling
8368 Marking and Identification
18.10. Components
8374 Marking and Identification
19 Pattern- and Diemaking
19.01. Engines for Patternmaking
and Permanent Mold
8380 Band Sawing Machines for
Patternmaking
8400 CAD/CAM/CAE Systems
8410 CAD Constructions
8420 CAD Standard Element Software
8423 CNC Milling Machines
8425 Automatic CNC Post-Treatment
Milling Machines
8430 CNC Programming Systems
8440 CNC, Copying, Portal and Gantry
Milling Machines
8470 Dosing Equipment and Suction
Casting Machines for the Manufacture
of Prototypes
8480 Electrochemical Discharge Plants
8490 Spark Erosion Plants
8500 Spark Erosion Requirements
8510 Development and Production of
Lost-Foam Machines
8520 Milling Machines for Lost-Foam
Patterns
8522 Hard Metal Alloy Milling Pins
8525 Lost-Foam Glueing Equipment
8527 Patternmaking Machines
8576 Rapid Prototyping
8610 Wax Injection Machines
19.02. Materials, Standard Elements
and Tools for Pattern- and
Diemaking
8630 Thermosetting Plastics for Patternmaking
8650 Toolmaking Accessories
8660 Milling Cutters for Lost-Foam
Patterns
8670 Free-hand Milling Pins made of
Hard Metal Alloys and High-speed
Steels
8675 Hard Metal Alloy Milling Pins
8680 Adhesives for Fabrication
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 73

SUPPLIERS GUIDE
8690 Synthetic Resins for Patternmaking
8700 Plastic Plates Foundry and Patternmaking
8705 Lost-Foam Tools and
Patterns
8710 Patternmaking Requirements, in
general
8720 Patternmaking Materials, in general
8730 Pattern Letters, Signs, Type Faces
8740 Pattern Dowels (metallic)
8750 Pattern Resins
8760 Pattern Resin Fillers
8770 Pattern Plaster
8780 Pattern Gillet
8790 Lumber for Patterns
8800 Pattern Varnish
8810 Pattern-Plate Pins
8820 Pattern Spaddles
8830 Standard Elements for Tools and
Dies
8840 Precision-shaping Silicone
8846 Rapid Tooling
19.03. Pattern Appliances
8880 CNC Polystyrol
Patternmaking
8890 Development and Manufacture of
Lost-Foam Patterns
8900 Moulding Equipment
8910 Wood Patterns
8930 Core Box Equipment for Series
Production
8940 Resin Patterns
8960 Metal Patterns
8970 Pattern Equipment, in general
8980 Pattern Plates
8985 Pattern Shop for Lost-Foam
Processes
9000 Stereolithography Patterns
9010 Evaporative Patterns for the Lost-
Foam Process
19.04. Rapid Prototyping
9021 Design
9022 Engineering
9023 Hardware and Software
9024 Complete Investment Casting
Equipment for Rapid
Prototyping
9025 Pattern and Prototype
Making
9026 Rapid Prototyping for the Manufacture
of Investment Casting
Patterns
9027 Integrable Prototypes
9028 Tools
9029 Tooling Machines
20 Control Systems and Automation
20.01. Control and Adjustment Systems
9030 Automation and Control for Sand
Preparation
9040 Automation
9042 Software for Production Planning
and Control
9050 Electric and Electronic Control
9080 Equipment for the Inspection of
Mass Production
9090 Load Check Systems for Recording
and Monitoring Energy Costs
9120 Control Systems and
Automation, in general
9130 Control Systems, in general
9160 Switch and Control Systems
20.02. Measuring and Control
Instruments
9165 Automatic Pouring
9166 Compensation Leads
9185 Contactless Temperature Measurement,
Heat Image Cameras
9190 Leakage Testing and Volume
Measuring Instruments
9210 Flow Meters
9220 Flow control Instruments
9230 Immersion Thermo Couples
9240 Moisture Controller
9250 Level Indicator
9280 Bar Strein Gauge
9301 In-Stream Inoculation Checkers
9302 In-Stream Inoculant Feeder
9306 Calibration and Repair Services
9310 Laser Measurement Techniques
9320 Multi-coordinate Measuring
Machine
9330 Measuring and Controlling Appliances,
in general
9335 Measuring and Controlling Appliances
for Fully Automatic Pouring
9345 Positioning Control
9350 Pyrometers
9370 Radiation Pyrometers
9375 Measuring Systems for Nuclear
Radiation (receiving inspection)
9376 Measuring Systems for Radioactivity,
Incoming Goods‘ Inspection
9380 Temperature Measurement
9382 Temperature Control Units
9385 Molten Metal Level Control
9390 Temperature Measuring and
Control Devices
9391 Thermoregulator
9395 Molten Metal Level Control
9400 Thermal Analysis Equipment
9410 Thermo Couples
9420 Protection Tubes for Thermocouples
9425 In-stream Inoculant Checkers
9430 Heat Measuring Devices
9433 Resistance Thermometers
20.03. Data Acquisition and
Processing
9438 Automation of Production- and
Warehouse-Systems
9440 Data Logging and Communication
9445 Business Intelligence
9450 Data Processing/Software Development
9456 ERP/PPS - Software for Foundries
9470 EDP/IP Information and Data
Processing
9480 Machine Data Logging
9484 Machine Identification
9490 Data Logging Systems
9500 Numerical Solidification Analysis
and Process Simulation
9502 Numerical Solidification Simulation
and Process Optimization
9504 ERP - Software for Foundries
9506 Process Optimization with EDP, Information
Processing for Foundries
9510 Computer Programmes for Foundries
9520 Computer Programmes and Software
for Foundries
9522 Simulation Software
9523 Software for Foundries
9525 Software for Coordinate
Measuring Techniques
9527 Software for Spectographic Analyses
9530 Statistical Process Control
9540 Fault Indicating Systems,
Registration and Documentation
20.04. Process Monitoring
9541 High Speed Video
21 Testing of Materials
21.01. Testing of Materials and
Workpieces
9548 Calibration of Material Testing
Machines
9550 Aluminium Melt Testing
Instruments
9554 Acoustic Materials Testing
9555 Acoustic Construction
Element Testing
9560 CAQ Computer-Aided Quality
Assurance
9564 Image Documentation
9580 Chemical Analyses
9585 Computerized Tomography, CT
9586 Core Gas - System for Measurement
and Condensation
9587 Die Cast Control
9589 Natural Frequency Measuring
9590 Endoscopes
9600 Dye Penetrants
9610 Instruments for
Non-destructive Testing
9620 Hardness Testers
9630 Inside Pressure Testing Facilities
for Pipes and Fittings
9645 Calibration of Material Testing
Machines
9650 Low-temperature Source of
Lighting Current
9670 Arc-baffler
9678 Magna Flux Test Agents
9680 Magnetic Crack Detection Equipment
9690 Material Testing Machines and
Devices
9695 Metallographic and Chemical
Analysis
9696 Microscopic Image Analysis
9697 Surface Analysis
9700 Surface Testing Devices
9710 Testing Institutes
9719 X-ray Film Viewing Equipment and
Densitometers
9720 X-Ray Films
74

9730 X-Ray Testing Equipment
9740 Spectroscopy
9750 Ultrasonic Testing Equipment
9755 Vacuum Density Testing Equipment
9758 UV-Lamps
9759 UV Shiners
9760 Ultraviolet Crack Detection Plants
9765 Hydrogen Determination Equipment
9770 Material Testing Equipment, in
general
9780 Testing of Materials
9800 Inside Pressure Measuring for
Tools
9836 Devices for Testing of Materials,
non-destructive, in general
9838 NDT Non-destructive Testing of
Materials
9840 NDT X-ray Non-destructive Testing
of Materials
9850 Tensile Testing Machines
22 Analysis Technique and Laboratory Equipment
10000 Sample Preparation Machines
10010 Quantometers
10018 X-Ray Analysis Devices
10020 Spectographic Analysis Devices
10022 Certified Reference Materials for
Spectrochemical and -scopic
Analysis
10040 Cut-off Machines for Metallography
9860 Analyses
9865 Image Analysis
9880 Gas Analysis Appliances
9890 Carbon and Sulphur
Determination Equipment
9900 Laboratory Automation
9910 Laboratory Equipment, Devices,
and Requirements, in general
9920 Laboratory Kilns
9930 Metallographic Laboratory
Equipment
9940 Microscopes
9948 Optical Emission Spectrometers
9950 Microscopic
Low-temperature Illumination
9955 Continuous Hydrogen Measurement
9960 Polishing Machines for Metallography
9970 Sampling Systems
9980 Sample Transport
23 Air Technique and Equipment
23.01. Compressed Air Technique
10050 Compressed Air Plants
10060 Compressed Air Fittings
10070 Compressed Air Tools
10080 Compressors
10100 Compressor Oils
23.02. Fans and Blowers
10120 Fans, in general
23.03. Ventilators
10150 Axial Ventilators
10160 Hot-gas Circulating Ventilators
10170 Radial Ventilators
10180 Ventilators, in general
23.04. Other Air Technique
Equipments
10188 Waste Gas Cleaning
10190 Exhausting Plants
10192 Exhaust Air Cleaning for Cold-Box
Core Shooters
10220 Air-engineering Plants, in general
24 Environmental Protection and Disposal
10230 Environmental Protection and
Disposal
10231 Measures to Optimize Energy
10232 Fume Desulphurization for Boiler
and Sintering Plants
10235 Radiation Protection Equipment
24.01. Dust Cleaning Plants
10240 Extraction Hoods
10258 Pneumatic Industrial Vacuum
Cleaners
10260 Pneumatic Vacuum Cleaners
10270 Equipment for Air Pollution Control
10280 Dust Cleaning Plants, in general
10290 Gas Cleaning Plants
10300 Hot-gas Dry Dust Removal
10309 Industrial Vacuum Cleaners
10310 Industrial Vacuum Cleaners
10320 Leakage Indication Systems for
Filter Plants
10340 Multicyclone Plants
10350 Wet Separators
10360 Wet Dust Removal Plants
10370 Wet Cleaners
10380 Cartridge Filters
10400 Pneumatic Filter Dust Conveyors
by Pressure Vessels
10410 Punctiform Exhausting Plants
10420 Dust Separators
10430 Vacuum Cleaning Plants
10440 Dry Dust Removal Plants
10450 Multi-Cell Separators
10458 Central Vacuum Cleaning Plants
10460 Cyclones
24.02. Filters
10470 Compressed Air Filters
10490 Dedusting Filters
10500 Filters, in general
10510 Filter Gravel
10520 Filter Materials
10530 Filter Bags/Hoses
10550 Fabric Filters
10560 Air Filters
10570 Cartridge Filters
10580 Hose Filters
10585 Electro-Filters
10590 Air Filters
10610 Fabric Filters
24.03. Waste Disposal,
Repreparation, and Utilization
10618 Waste Air Cleaning
10620 Waste Water Analyzers
10630 Waste Water Cleaning and -Plants
10640 Clean-up of Contaminated Site
10646 Used Sands, Analysing of Soils
10650 Waste Sand Reutilization and
Reconditioning
10655 Amine Recycling
10660 Foundry Debris-conditioning Plants
10680 Soil Clean-up
10690 Briquetting Presses
10695 Briquetting of Foundry
Wastes/Filter Dusts
10700 Disposal of Foundry Wastes
10702 Hazardous Waste Disposal
10705 Bleeding Plants
10710 Reconditioning of Foundry Wastes
10720 Ground Water Cleaning
10740 Dross Recovery Plants
10760 Cooling Towers
10770 Cooling Water Processing Plants
10780 Cooling Water Treatment
10810 Post-combustion Plants
10830 Recooling Systems
10840 Recycling of Investment Casting
Waxes
10850 Slag Reconditioning
10870 Waste Water Cooling Towers
10880 Scrap Preparation
10890 Transport and Logistic for Industrial
Wastes
10900 Rentilization of Foundry Wastes
10910 Rentilization of Furnace Dusts and
Sludges
10920 Roll Scale De-oilers
10940 Rentilization of Slide Grinding
Sludges
25 Accident Prevention and Ergonomics
10960 Health and Safety Protection
Products
10970 Asbestos Replacements
10990 Ventilators
10993 Fire Protection Blankets and
Curtains made of Fabrics
10996 Fire-extinguishing Blankets and
Containers
11020 Heat Protection
11025 Heat-Protection Clothes and Gloves
11030 Climatic Measurement Equipment
for Workplace Valuation
11040 Protection against Noise
11050 Light Barriers
11060 Sound-protected Cabins
11070 Sound-protected Equipment and
Parting Walls
11080 Vibration Protection
26 Other Products for Casting Industry
26.01. Plants, Components, and
Materials
11100 Concreting Plants
11102 Devellopping and Optimizing of
Casting Components
11118 Vibration Technology
26.02. Industrial Commodities
11120 Joints, Asbestos-free
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 75

SUPPLIERS GUIDE
11125 Sealing and Insulating
Products up to 1260 °C
11130 Dowels
11150 Foundry Materials, in general
11155 Heat-protecting and Insulating
Fabrics up to 1260 °C
11160 Hydraulic Oil, Flame-resistant
11165 Marking and Identification
11170 Signs for Machines
11175 Fire-proof Protection Blankets,
-mats, and -curtains
11180 Screen and Filter Fabrics
26.04. Job Coremaking
11182 Inorganic Processes
11183 Hot Processes
11184 Cold Processes
27 Consulting and Service
11186 Ordered Research
11190 CAD Services
11200 Interpreters
11202 Diecasting, Optimization of Mould
Temperature Control
11205 EDP Consulting
11208 Wage Models
11210 Emission, Immission, and Workplace
Measurements
11211 E-Business
11212 eProcurement
11213 Technical Literature
11215 Investment Casting Engineering
11220 Foundry Consulting
11230 Foundry Legal Advice
11240 Lean Foundry Organization
11250 Foundry Planning
11252 Greenfield Planning
11253 Casting, Construction and Consulting,
Optimizing of Mould Core
Production and Casting Techniques
11260 Nuclear Engineering Consulting
11278 Customer Service for Temperature
Control Units and Systems
11280 Customer Service for
Diecasting Machines
11283 Jobbing Foundry
11286 Efficiency of Material
(Consulting)
11290 Management of Approval
Procedures
11291 Management Consulting
11292 Machining
11293 Metallurgical Consulting
11294 Patinating
11295 Human Resources Services
11296 Personnel Consulting
11298 Process Optimization
11299 Testing Status and Safety Labels
11300 Rationalization
11301 M&A Consulting
11303 Recruitment
11305 Centrifugal Casting Engineering
11310 Simulation Services
11320 Castings Machining
11325 Steel Melting Consulting
11330 Technical Translation and Documentation
11336 Environmental Protection Management
Systems (Environmental
Audits)
11339 Restructuring
11340 Environmental Consulting
11342 Business Consultancy
11343 Leasing of Industrial Vacuum
Cleaners
11345 Heat Treatment
11346 Associations
11360 Material Consulting
11370 Material Advices
11380 Time Studies
11382 Carving
28 Castings
11387 Aluminium Casting
11389 ADI
11390 Aluminium Pressure Diecasting
11400 Aluminium Permanent Moulding
(Gravity Diecasting)
11410 Aluminium Sand Casting
11420 Billet Casting
11430 Cast Carbon Steel, Alloy and
High-alloy Cast Steel
11440 Non-ferrous Metal Gravity Diecasting
11450 Pressure Diecasting
11460 High-grade Investment Cast Steel
11462 High-grade Steel Casting
11470 High-grade Steel Castings
11472 High-grade Centrifugal Cast Steel
11480 Ingot Casting
11485 Castings
11489 Rolled Wire
11490 Grey Cast Iron
11492 Large-size Grey Iron Castings
11496 Direct Chill Casting
11498 Art Casting
11499 Light Metal Casting
11501 Magnesium Pressure
Diecasting
11510 Brass Pressure Diecasting
11520 Non-ferrous Metal Sand Casting
11525 Prototype Casting
11530 Sand Casting SAND CASTING
11539 Centrifugal Casting
11540 Spheroidal Iron
11547 Spheroidal Graphite Cast Iron
11550 Steel Castings
11552 Continuously Cast Material
11553 Thixoforming
11555 Full Mold (lost-foam) Casting
11558 Rolls
11560 Zinc Pressure Diecasting
11570 Cylinder Pipes and Cylinder Liners
29 By-Products
11580 Sporting Field Sands
30 Data Processing Technology
11700 Mold Filling and Solidification
Simulation
11800 Simulation Programmes for
Foundry Processes
11820 Software for Foundries
31 Foundries
11850 Foundries, in general
31.01. Iron, Steel, and Malleable-Iron
Foundries
11855 Iron Foudries
11856 Steel Foundries
11857 Malleable-Iron Foundries
31.02. NFM Foundries
11860 Heavy Metals Foundries
11861 Die Casting Plants
11862 Light Metal Casting Plants
11863 Permanent Mold Foundry
31 Additive manufacturing / 3-D printing
76

CASTING
PLANT AND TECHNOLOGY
INTERNATIONAL
Order form
Our entry:
Company
Street Address – P.O. Box
Postal Code, City
Phone
Email
Internet
Our entry should be published under the following numbers from the list of headwords:
1.
6.
11.
2.
3.
4.
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7.
12.
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10. 15.
Circulation:
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Frequency:
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Language: English
For further keywords please use a separate sheet.
It‘s possible to add new keywords to the existing
list of keywords (appropriate to the main group).
The entries in the KEY TO CASTING INDUSTRY
SUPPLIERS GUIDE take place in each case with a
term of 12 months until they are cancelled. Discontinuation
will be accepted at the end of a subscribtion
year considering 6 weeks notice. Deadline is
the 15 th of each month.
In addition and at no extra charge: Your entry on the
internet on www.keytocasting.com with a link to
your homepage and as well the publication of your
company logo.
Please send the order form with your logo (jpg-file)
to: vanessa.wollstein@dvs-media.info.
Prices:
The price of your entry depends on the number of keywords.
Number of keywords
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1 – 2 200.00
3 – 5 190.00
6 – 11 180.00
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21 + on request
* The prices are subject to VAT.
CASTING PLANT & TECHNOLOGY 1/2021 77

INTERNATIONAL FAIRS AND CONGRESSES
Fairs and Congresses
Hannover Messe
April, 12-16, 2021, Hanover, Germany
https://www.hannovermesse.de/
Euroguss Mexico (Online-Event)
May, 4-18, 2021, Guadalajara, Mexico
http://euroguss-mexico.com/
19. International Foundrymen Conference
May, 16-18, 2021, Split, Croatia
https://ifc.simet.hr/
Metal + Metallurgy China 2021
May, 26-28, 2021, Shanghai, China
www.mm-china.com/en/
CastForge 2021
June, 8-10, 2021, Stuttgart, Germany
www.messe-stuttgart.de/castforge/en
Litmash Russia
June, 8-10, 2021, Moscow, Russia
www.litmash-russia.com/
ANKIROS
June, 10-12, 2021, Istanbul, Turkey
www.ankiros.com/home-en/
LightCon
June, 23-24, 2021, Hanover, Germany
www.lightcon.info
Metef 2021
June, 10-12, 2021, Bologna, Italy
www.metef.com/eng/home.asp
China Diecasting 2021
July, 7-9, 2021, Shanghai, China
www.diecastexpo.cn/en
61. IFC Portoroz
September, 15-17, 2021, Portoroz, Slovenia
www.drustvo-livarjev.si
GIFA Southeast Asia 2021
September, 22-24, 2021, Bangkok, Thailand
www.gifa-southeastasia.com
Aluminium 2021
September, 28-30, 2021, Düsseldorf, Germany
www.aluminium-exhibition.com/de
Metal Expo
October, 19-21, 2021, Kielce, Poland
www.targikielce.pl/en/metal
Iron Melting Conference & Exhibition
September, 28-29, 2021, Saarbrücken, Germany
www.bdguss.de
Formnext 2021
November, 16-19, 2021, Frankfurt, Germany
https://formnext.mesago.com/frankfurt/en.html
Advertisers‘ Index
FAT Förder- und Anlagentechnik GmbH,
Niederfischbach/Germany 13
Heinrich Wagner Sinto Maschinenfabrik GmbH,
Bad Laasphe/Germany 19
Hüttenes-Albertus Chemische Werke GmbH,
Düsseldorf/GermanyBC
Jasper Gesellschaft für Energiewirtschaft und
Kybernetik mbH, Geseke/Germany
IFC
KLEIN Anlagenbau AG, Freudenberg/Germany 55
Maschinenfabrik Gustav Eirich GmbH & Co KG,
Hardheim/Germany45
REMONDIS Production GmbH, Lünen/Germany 8
Troostwijk Auctions / Troostwijk Veilingen B.V.,
XD Amsterdam/Netherlands 17
78