CPT International 01/2015

www.giesserei-verlag.de 

12. March 

2015 

CASTING 

PLANT AND TECHNOLOGY 

INTERNATIONAL 

30 years 

CP+T 

International 

1 

Centrifugal casting 

machines for reliable 

serial production

PERFORM 

YOUR OWN WAY! 

BE 

PART 

OF IT 

AND 

WIN 

WWW.UTP-MAINTENANCE.COM/PERFORM 

Welding for the independent will become reality. Soon. Stay tuned and be the first 

to experience how to perform everytime everywhere. Be a UTPperformer! 

Visit www.utp-maintenance.com/perform 

voestalpine Böhler Welding 

www.voestalpine.com/welding

EDITORIAL 

 

 

 

The terms in the above title are always at the top of the foundries’ charts of 

all-time hits worldwide. Many interesting technologies for optimizing production 

are presented in this GIFA-year of 2015. We open the competition of ideas 

in CP+T International with, among other things, two interesting articles from 

the engineering companies Heinrich Wagner Sinto and Disa on the topic of 

molding plants. Disa’s article compares flasked and Disamatic molding lines, 

while the HWS contribution examines a Russian foundry that uses a molding 

machine based on the Seiatsu airflow squeeze molding process. You should 

not miss these articles, on P. 14 and P. 22, if your foundry is planning investments 

on the molding lines. 

As announced, CP+T is also celebrating its 30th anniversary with this issue. 

The magazine, whose development can be traced from the covers used since 

its founding in 1985 (see P. 39), has now left its youth behind it and from this 

year will be presented with a new look – as a member of the GIESSEREI family. 

The family includes the leading magazine GIESSEREI, GIESSEREI Erfahrungsaustausch, 

the English-language CASTING, Plant and Technology, and the 

research magazine GIESSEREI-Forschung. At the threshold to a familial future 

we look back to the start of this technical magazine in the 1980s with engineer 

Peter Haensel, the first Technical Editor of CP+T (from P. 40). 

Further highlights in this issue include one of the world’s largest blasting 

plants in Ukraine (from P. 26), the use of RFID chips for optimizing the charge 

(from P. 30), and an interview with Dr. Ioannis Ioannidis, spokesman of the 

management at die-casting machine producer Oskar Frech, on the upcoming 

international foundry trade fair GIFA in Düsseldorf (from P. 6). And this is also 

where the CP+T team will be expecting you: on 16 - 20 June. 

Have a good read! 

Robert Piterek, e-mail: robert.piterek@bdguss.de 

Casting Plant & Technology 1/2015 3

FEATURES 

INTERVIEW 

Ioannidis, Ioannis 

“GIFA is a unique opportunity for us!” 6 

COREMAKING 

Riker, Stefanie 

Reconstructing cylinder heads for Porsche legends 8 

AUTOMATION 

Reimann, Sonja; Finzel, Klaus 

Cast from the same mold 12 

Colditz, Michael; Kang, Seong-Heon; Kim, Heung-Soo; Larsen, Per 

Brake disc production - is optimization possible? 14 

Geisweid, Steffen 

A milestone for the modernization of a steel foundry 22 

CLEANING, FETTLING & FINISHING 

Schulz, Doris 

One of the biggest shot blast systems in the world 26 

Cover-Photo: 

Küttner GmbH & Co. KG 

Alfredstr. 28 

45130 Essen/Germany 

Tel.: + 49 (0) 201 7293 0 

info@kuettner.de 

www.kuettner.de 

Dual turn table centrifugal casting machine by Küttner. 

See page 50 for more details 

14 

26 

Robot setting brake disc cores on a DIsa 240-C line. 3,5 of 

the 6,5 million tons of brake disks manufactured annually are 

produced on Disamatic molding lines (Photo: Disa) 

One of the biggest shot blast machines in the world is in use in 

a Ukrainian foundry, specialized in very big, heavy and complex 

castings (Photo: Rösler)

CASTING 

1 | 2015 


INTERNATIONAL 

QUALITY ASSURANCE 

Gottsauner, Birgit 

Raw materials according to recipe 30 

POLLUTION CONTROL 

Javadian Namin, Parisa 

Clean up your act 34 

ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL 37 

COLUMNS 

Editorial 3 

News in brief 42 

GIFA News 47 

Fairs and congresses /Advertisers´ index 50/51 

Brochures 52 

Preview/Imprint 54 


12. March 

2015 1 

37 


INTERNATIONAL 

CASTING 

30 years 

CP+T 




serial production 

Casting, Plant and Technology International is 30 years old. The magazine has left its youth behind and is presented with a new 

look – as a member of the GIESSEREI-family with German specialist magazines GIESSEREI, GIESSEREI Erfahrungsaustausch and 

GIESSEREI Forschung. We look back to the beginnings in the 1980s with Engineer Peter Haensel, the first Technical Editor of CP+T

INTERVIEW 

“GIFA is a unique opportunity 

for us!” 

Dr. Ioannis Ioannidis is Chairman of the Board of the VDMA Foundry Machinery specialist association 

and spokesman of the die-casting machine producer Oskar Frech from Schorndorf in Germany. 

In an interview with CP+T International Dr. Ioannidis speaks about his expectation regarding 

the International Foundry Trade Fair (GIFA) in June 2015 

Dr. Ioannidis, how do you assess the 

development of the foundry machine 

sector in the run-up to GIFA? 

I am confident and expect a challenging 

business environment at the GIFA. 

But we have a very mixed sector: the situation 

appears restrained for the steel 

and iron casters while the die-casters 

and permanent mold foundries are experiencing 

a more positive business situation. 

To what extent a positive development 

in all areas will take place 

remains to be seen. 

tial 

in the iron and non-ferrous foundries? 

More materials will be combined with 

one another in future and this will result 

in new challenges for us. With 

these composite materials, what matters 

is using existing materials and 

combining them in such a way that 

components are created with better 

properties but lower production costs. 

The topic of resource and energy efficiency 

is also becoming increasingly 

important – we already saw this at 

the last GIFA, with the sustainability 

campaigns of the trade fair itself and 

the ecoMetals and Blue Competence 

campaigns launched by the German 

Engineering Association – and they 

will be exhibiting contemporary topics 

again in 2015. Just like at Oskar 

Frech, many companies are presently 

considering energy and raw material 

consumption, and where savings 

can be achieved. The analyses that we 

have carried out here in the company 

are very promising. Light construction 

in automotive production is another 

important topic. Ever-smaller 

Dr. Ioannis Ioannidis with a structural component made from die-cast aluminum 

which was produced by a die-casting machine of Oskar Frech (Photos: 

VDMA) 

engines are being developed that have 

to provide ever-increasing performance. 

We need more resistant materials 

for this. I am also convinced that 

the SMEs here in Germany will invest 

more in automation because even in 

the Far East a lot is flowing into this 

area now. There is a major potential 

here, and a core topic is information 

technology. Evaluating data from production 

has not yet sufficiently penetrated 

the SMEs. 

6 Casting Plant & Technology 1/2015

Dr. Ioannidis with employees of Oskar Frech at the headquarters of Oskar Frech in Schorndorf 

How are things at Frech? Machine cycle 

times cannot be endlessly reduced; 

the products must also be high quality? 

We divide machines into their mechanics, 

their electrics/electronics, 

their IT (as an important integrative 

component of increasingly high significance), 

and the process technology. 

I am convinced that process engineering 

still offers more potential. 

If you consider the low-sprue system 

that Oskar Frech presented at the last 

GIFA, fewer raw materials are used, less 

energy consumed, but the cycle time is 

20 % shorter. So you can produce more 

parts in the same time. This shows the 

potentials of process technology. 

GIFA 2015 is coming up soon. Do you 

expect a trade fair like that of 2011 

for Frech and the foundry machine 

producers? In 2011 GIFA was very 

 

crisis. 

In 2011 we were coming out of the worst 

recession since the Second World War. 

Growth and demand were very different 

then. I expect satisfactory demand 

and a good environment for 2015. 

When I think about the sector, however, 

I am not only curious about what 

technology we will see, but also about 

how we will come into contact with 

interested parties and customers. How 

will we win over the people who come 

to the trade fair from far away? How 

attractive is the world’s leading fair in 

our sector: the GIFA? Because this is 

important for the next time. The trade 

fair is a platform, a location where the 

whole world meets. And it takes place 

in Germany. This is a unique opportunity 

for seeing the technology of the 

foundry machine producers and getting 

to know the companies. 

GIFA will focus on the competition of 

ideas. What are you most looking forward 

to? 

To the trade fair program in its entirety 

as well as to the presentations of the 

competitors. This helps both the competitor 

and us. The competitors see 

how their ideas are received and can 

receive inspiration themselves. We 

look forward to all the interested parties, 

the visitors and the young people, 

but also to the representatives of the 

companies and associations who will 

see that the Foundry Machinery specialist 

association makes the VDMA a 

valuable contributor for the companies 

and for business as a whole. 

Read more on the innovations at the GIFA 

exhibition on page 47! 

www.gifa.com 


Classical Porsche cars are popular but many special parts like cylinder heads 

are no longer available (Photos: Por sche, Voxeljet) 

Author: Stefanie Riker, voxeljet AG, Friedberg 

Reconstructing cylinder heads for 

Porsche legends 

Anyone who owns a legendary Porsche 

550 Spider, 904 or 356 Carrera can 

count himself lucky. Unfortunately special 

parts like cylinder heads are no longer 

available. In the event of damage, 

the only remedy is through customized 

parts reconstruction or reverse engineering, 

and 3-D printing turned out 

to be the cheapest way. 

Reconstructing complex components 

(Figures 1-4) is a challenge for every design 

engineer, because drawings are not 

available in most cases. In this particular 

case, the reconstruction of a Carrera 

cylinder head made of aluminum started 

with measuring and scanning of the 

defective head. 

Valve guides, seat rings, camshaft 

bearing, intake and exhaust ducts, cylinder 

head screws etc. had to be set up 

as 3-D base bodies in a meticulous detailed 

process. The next step was the 

transfer to superordinate functional 

models and the adding of design features 

from casting technology like site 

measuring, bevels, and fillets. 

Affordable 3-D cores 

After the geometric reconstruction 

made by the company CAD Support 

from Mössingen, Germany, the production 

of the sand cores was the next item 

on the agenda. The project implementation 

with conventional cores based 

on core-making tools was impossible 

for cost reasons. The only solution was 

creating the cores in a 3-D printer. 

The order for printing the entire core 

package with eleven cores in total went 

to the voxeljet service center in Friedberg, 

Germany, which has many years 

of experience in project of this kind. 

Thanks to the excellent printing quality 

of the voxeljet printer, it was also possible 

to outline the thin-walled cooling 


Figure 1: 3-D data of the cylinder head by CAD Support 

Figure 2: RPC mold package, 11 single cores, 5 insert 

pipes by CAD Support 


Manfred Sachse 

DAMASCUS 

STEEL 

3rd Edition 

Myth 

History 

Technology 

Applications 

3rd edition 2008. 25.6 x 31.9 cm. 

304 pages, mostly in colour, 

photographs and technical drawings. 

ISBN 978-3-514-00751-2 79.00 € 

For personal members 

of Steel Institute VDEh: 71.10 € 

Including VAT, excluding postage and packaging 

Manfred Sachse 

DAMASCUS STEEL 

Myth | History | Technology | Applications 

This book is a comprehensive and in-depth description of Damascus 

steel and steelmaking. After the introduction “Magic and myth of sabres” 

by Helmut Nickel, the author describes the development of the material 

and the history of European, Middle Eastern and East-Asian forge-welded 

composite steels used in the design of blades and fire arms. 

A special chapter is dedicated to the great variety of Oriental dasmascus 

steels (wootz steels). The author covers the topic of historical and 

modern fakes and how they can be recognized as well as conservation 

and restoration of Damascus steels. In one chapter he demonstrates 

that not only weapons but also decorative articles of daily use and jewellery 

can be made of Damascus steel. 

Extensive research both into the history and theory of Damascus 

steelmaking as well as practical work at the forge. 

Distributed by Verlag Stahleisen GmbH 

P. O. Box 105164 · 40042 Düsseldorf · Germany · Fon: +49 211 69936-264 · Fax: +49 211 69936-266 

E-Mail: annette.engels@stahleisen.de · www.stahleisen.de

Figure 3: Raw part with gating system and risers 

Figure 4: Reconstructed cylinderhead 

rib measuring 2 mm without additional 

supporting structure in the inner and 

outer cores. 

Foundry specialized in constructing 

unique components 

The molding was made by the 

foundry Rauleder & Rudolf based in 

Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany, which 

specializes in constructing unique 

components. The hot isostatic pressing 

(HIP) treatment led to a tremendous 

improvement of the mechanical 

properties, as well as a reduction of 

pores. The final T6 heat treatment provided 

the ultimate strength of the cylinder 

head. The finishing of the components 

was made on the basis of the 

3-D CAD files in a 5-axis machining 

center. After completion, the aluminum 

cylinder head was ready for assembly. 

www.voxeljet.de/en 

Visit our booth in Hall 16 / A34 

Working moment 

to 12,300 kgcm 

Working 

moment 

to 

6,500 kgcm 

FRIEDRICH Schwingtechnik GmbH 

P.O. Box 10 16 44 · 42760 Haan · Germany 

Phone +49 (0) 2129- 37 90-0 

Fax +49 (0) 2129- 37 90-37 

www.friedrich-schwingtechnik.de 

info@friedrich-schwingtechnik.de 

Unbalance Exciters 

>> Extended product range for driving motors 

with 750, 900, 1,000, 1,200 and 1,500 min -1 

>> Centrifugal force from 29 to 482 kN 

>> Working moment from 300 to 12,300 kgcm 

Vibrator Motors 

>> Maintenance free – bearings greased for lifetime 

>> Centrifugal force from 0.5 to 216 kN 

>> Working moment from 1.2 to 6,500 kgcm

AUTOMATION 

Authors: Sonja Reimann and Klaus Finzel, Communications Manager, Zeppelin Baumaschinen GmbH, Garching 

Cast from the same mold 

 

The mini-excavator hangs castings on a stand. (Photos: Zeppelin) 

They are normally found when space 

on a building site is particularly limited: 

zero tail-swing mini-excavators. 

But use of these compact construction 

machines is not by any means limited 

to the classic road construction, civil 

engineering and landscaping applications. 

Other industrial sectors have 

long recognized the potential of the 

compact devices, as has EMG Casting 

from Waldkraiburg in Germany. A Cat 

303.5E mini-excavator, complete with 

sorting grab, has opened up completely 

new possibilities for handling hot 

cast-iron parts (at 300°C) at the medium-sized 

foundry in southeast Bavaria. 

Albert Tauschhuber, Director of 

Tech nology and Human Ressources 

(HR) at EMG Casting, has long played 

with the idea of integrating a miniexcavator 

in the production process. 

He finally took the plunge in August 

2013. When Zeppelin’s Munich 

branch received the enquiry from 

Waldkraiburg, its Regional Sales Manager, 

Alexander Mayer, together with 

his colleague Thomas Meier, Product 

Manager for Attachments, analyzed 

the applications and the demands to 

be met by the mini-excavator and its 

grapples. Then they presented a machine 

to put it to the test (Figure 1). 

Mini-excavator with standard 

equipment and rapid-change 

system 

“We initially considered using special 

grapples. But that is not at all necessary. 

Standard equipment with a rapid-change 

system is more than enough 

here, because of the range and loads involved,” 

was the recommendation from 

Zeppelin. Now a Cat 303.5E uses its 

grapples to take up cast-iron parts from 

a discharge belt and place them either 

in grid boxes or hang them from a stand 

(Figure 2). The construction machine is 

resupplied every 30 seconds. 

“The decision to use the mini-excavator 

was absolutely right. The excavator 

fits perfectly into our workflow 

and works faultlessly. Our initial 

ideas about buying narrower claws 

have long been discarded. I am convinced 

that our solution is also a firstclass 

option for reducing costs at other 

works in our sector,” says Albert 

Tausch huber. 

A view that is also shared by the 

two Zeppelin employees: “This opens 

up a new segment for foundries. The 

works in Waldkraiburg can be considered 

a pioneer in this respect. I can well 

imagine a mini-excavator for other 

foundries.” Because thanks to the new 

mini-excavator at EMG Casting there 

is no longer any need for the manipulator, 

which not only involves high investment 

costs for purchasing but also 

results in maintenance costs and expenditure 

on spare parts, although the 

works carry out many repairs themselves. 

“Considered over a whole year 

that results in quite a lot of bills,” says 

the Managing Director. His thinking: 

“For the same money we could buy five 

mini-excavators. And, in fact, we have 

not taken any risk at all with the new 

excavator. We would have sold it again 

if it hadn’t worked. But that is absolutely 

unnecessary now.” 

The works is well-protected if the excavator 

breaks down. “We would get 

a replacement device from Zeppelin’s 

Munich branch within a few hours. 

With the manipulator we often had to 

wait for days until it started working 

again,” according to Tauschhuber. In 

order to be able to bridge the time with 

a hired machine, a rapid-change system 

was provided for the Cat 303.5E so that 

the grapples remained compatible. 

This solution is not just more economical. 

The mini-excavator has made 

the work process in the foundry more 

efficient – the compact construction 

machine can take on another work 

step by also hanging finished castings 


on a stand. This was not the case with 

the manipulator. 

Ability to use joysticks essential 

The five employees, however, did have 

to get used to their new tool – a process 

that is still continuing. “It takes a while 

until one has gained a certain routine in 

its use,” according to the Managing Director, 

responsible for technology and 

the HR Department for 150 employees, 

while Manuela Keller is Financial Director 

and also responsible for marketing. 

The employees have to learn how to 

control the machine with two joysticks 

– the manipulator, on the other hand, 

only had a single lever to operate the 

gripper. In the case of the Cat 303.5E, 

the driver must also use the foot pedal. 

According to Tauschhuber this is a 

change, but just a matter of time. 

Since it was bought in August 2013, 

the Cat 303.5E has worked almost nonstop. 

Thus about 800 operating hours 

have been completed up to now because 

production is running flat out in three 

shifts – even on Saturdays. Delivery periods 

are currently about eight weeks. 

 

xible and rapid casting output 

EMG Casting manufactures to order, 

even if certain special parts have to be 

kept in stock. Sales amount to around 

27 million Euro per year. The customers 

are from the drives, gears, pumps, 

mountings, agricultural and rail technology, 

automotive supply, general 

mechanical engineering, and environmental 

technology sectors. 

“We naturally place great value 

on the quality of our products. Our 

standard is DIN EN ISO9001:2000. 

But that is no longer anything special, 

because today everyone has to deliver 

top quality. Our best attribute is 

speed, which not every works can offer. 

Our strength is that we can also 

make models at short notice,” says 

Tauschhuber. 5,000 casting patterns 

are available in the foundry’s warehouse. 

The box sizes of the pat terns 

are 700 x 800 mm², heights are 

vari able at 170/170 or 300/300 mm. In 

cast iron, unit weights of up to 150 kg 

are possible, also allowing use of the 

mini- excavator. Zeppelin is exclu sive 

Figure 1: Zeppelin Regional Sales Manager Alexander Mayer (left) and 

Zeppelin Product Manager for Attachments Thomas Meier (right) hand over 

the new mini-excavator to the Managing Director of EMG Casting, Albert 

Tauschhuber (second from left). It is the new workplace for Obazck Guegon 

(second from right) 

Figure 2: A Cat 303.5E uses its grapplers to pick up cast-iron parts from a 

discharge belt 

partner of Caterpillar in Germany, 

Austria, the Czech Re pub lic, Slovakia, 

Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Turkmenistan, 

Uz bekistan, Tajikistan and Azerbaijan. 

www.zeppelin-cat.de/en 

www.emguss.de 


AUTOMATION 

Authors: Michael Colditz, Disa, Duisburg; Seong-Heon Kang; Heung-Soo Kim, Hyundai Sungwoo Automotive, Pohang-Si; 

Per Larsen, Disa, Copenhagen/Denmark 

Brake disc production – is 

optimization possible? 

Robot setting ventilated brake disc cores on DISA 240-C line (Photos: Disa) 

Each year brings new records in global 

vehicle sales. These do not apply 

equally to all parts of the world, however. 

New auto manufacturers are moving 

into the world market beside established 

names with a view to exporting 

from their home markets. And all auto 

manufacturers producing vehicles 

in other markets than their domestic 

market are expecting their suppliers to 

deliver locally. 

Saturation in domestic markets has 

led to unused production capacity in 

industrialized countries. Prices are increasingly 

under pressure as competition 

grows. Auto manufacturers pass 

the consequences on to their suppliers, 

including foundries making automotive 

components. Thus especially manufacturers 

of brake discs and drums are 

forced to develop new strategies. 

The extreme and constant pressure 

on the foundry industry is anything 

but new. It is remarkable how production 

is repeatedly scrutinized in detail 

and how efforts are made all the time 

to optimize every single process in the 

foundry. There are, however, some fundamental 

decisions that almost seem 

to have “religious” roots. Once a molding 

process has been decided it is unshakeable. 

Truths and rumours about 

the various molding processes vary 

and are often mixed together. 

An extremely obscure aftermarket 

means that there are no detailed 

data about worldwide sales of brake 

discs. Based on our own market data 

as well as information from automotive 

system suppliers, it is estimated 

that about 6.5 million tons of brake 

disks are made every year worldwide. 


This output comes from vertical parted 

flaskless molding lines, horizontal 

parted flask or flaskless molding lines 

and floor molding. Currently 149 Disamatic- 

and 6 Disa Match molding lines 

at 91 foundries are making their contribution. 

The share of world production 

of discs and brake drums on Disamatic 

lines is currently around 3.5 million 

tons per year (Figure 1). Table 1 below 

shows the Disamatic share of production 

of these castings. 

Of the last 50 molding lines commissioned 

for the production of brake 

discs, two thirds went to Asia, providing 

a clear sign of where the market is 

still growing. 

Investment costs and future operational 

costs carry most weight in new 

investment decisions. 

Figure 1: Large, ventilated brake drum (truck) 

Investment costs 

Foundation costs are easily overlooked 

in the initial calculation, as plant supplier 

quotations do not include civil 

works. In many cases a simple foundation 

plate with a surface deviation of 

+/- 20 mm is sufficient for the vertical 

molding process. The maximum deflection 

should not exceed 0.1 mm, as this 

could have an influence on the mold 

mismatch. There is no need for pits below 

the molding line, so the required 

maximum bending plays a minor role 

when installing in natural floor. 

The simple and space-saving design 

of vertical molding lines offers further 

cost advantages, some of which 

may only become apparent at second 

glance. The great advantage of vertical 

molding technology comes from simultaneous 

molding of the two mold 

halves into a sand mold and their immediate 

merging with the previous 

mold. This creates a very high production 

density on the foundry floor. This 

Figure 2: Disa 270 – service area 

value is easy to quantify by examining 

the relationship between the annual 

production yield capacity and the area 

required for the molding line plus service 

areas. The calculation of the underlying 

surfaces is shown in Figure 2. 

In addition to the surface area of the 

Disamatic molding line itself, service 

areas must also be taken into account. 

Molding lines developed by Disa for 

the production of brake discs achieve 

an annual production yield capacity of 

more than 100 t/m 2 . Horizontally parted 

high-performance lines with two 

single or twin type molding machines 

can only achieve about two thirds of 

this capacity, even when using multifloor 

cooling houses. 

Energy savings 

The reduction of energy consumption 

in the foundry has played an import- 

Europe North America South America Middle East Africa Asia 

Disa 230/2013 24 20 15 1 2 43 

Disa 240/250/2130 5 9 3 9 

Disa 270/2070 5 4 2 

Disamatic 2110 7 

Sum 34 33 20 1 2 59 

Table 1: The molding machine preference for brake disk production varies from continent to continent 


AUTOMATION 

Figure 3: Disa 270-A ventilated brake disc casting cluster 

Average power consumption 

in kW 

ant role for many years. Until now discussions 

have focused on reducing energy 

consumption in the melting shop 

where consumption is highest. While 

the molding section may “only” account 

for about 8 to 12 % of the total 

production [1], there is still a significant 

Connected load in 

kVA 

Disa 231 55 85 

Disa 231 fast 60 85 

Disa 240 75 105 

Disa 250 90 145 

Disa 270 110 155 

Table 2: Electrical power consumption of Disamatic molding lines 

savings potential to be found. Molding 

shop energy consumption is split between 

the sand plant and the molding 

line. Depending on the type of molding 

technology installed, the molding line 

will account for between 30 and 55 % 

of molding shop energy consumption. 

Systematic use of robust vertical 

molding lines based on lightweight design 

criteria reduces energy consumption 

significantly (Table 2). Here, too, it 

is a good idea to address the average annual 

consumption based on kWh per 

ton of net castings. The drive for increased 

efficiency demands working in 

three shift production. Here we can set 

off annual production hours and actual 

energy consumption of the molding 

line (molding machine, core setter, as 

well as the pouring and cooling lines) 

against net production showing a definite 

potential for a consumption of less 

than 10 kWh/t. 

Given this result, Disa has nothing 

to fear when comparing the Disamatic 

vertical molding process with other 

molding processes and energy consumption 

is only about 20% of that of 

flask lines. 

The production of brake discs and 

brake drums requires the highest possible 

capacity at the lowest possible cost 

– and thereby Lowering your cost per 

casting. The Disamatic molding process 

fulfils these requirements more 

than any other. The machine design is 

simple and robust and requires at most 

only two additional main drives: one 

for the molding machine and the other 

for the pouring and cooling lines. Vertical 

parting of molds enables placement 

of the gating system, as well as venting 

of the mold cavities, in the parting line. 

Other systems or sources of disturbances 

such as venting and drilling 

devices (normal in flask molding) are 

not necessary. Production normally re- 

Single index Double index I Double index II 

Amount of brake discs per mold 4 4 4 

Brake disc diameter in mm 270 270 

270 

Weight per brake disc in kg 8,5 8,5 

8,5 

Pouring time in sec 10,4 13,3 

13,3 

Pouring speed in kg/sec ~4,5 ~3,5 ~4,5 

Yield in % ~79 ~82,5 

~79 

Weight of the cluster in kg ~ 43,0 ~41,2 

~43 

Necessary melting capacity t/h ~12,5 ~13,3 

~15,9 

Brake discs per hour 1160 1288 

1480 

Use of energy for molding line kWh/t 12,4 10,0 

9,7 

Density of production t/m 2 ~95 ~105 ~120 

Table 3: Example of the performance increase of a Disa 270-A using the double index 


a 

b 

Figure 4: a) Ventilated brake disc pattern plate for DISA 240-C; b) Cores in the mold 

Plant Production t/y Castings pieces/y Scrap total Molding line related scrap 

Tight flask line 42,000 4,128,592 30,703 (0.8 %) 17,217 (0,40 %) 

Disamatic 43,000 3,433,961 24,576 (0.74 %) 5,151 (0.15 %) 

Table 4: Comparison of production on horizontal and vertical plant in 2013 

Figure 5: Flaskline molds with ventilated brake disc cores 

Figure 6: Machined brake disc of the 

foundry Hyundai Sungwoo 

quires only one cooling line, thus eliminating 

the need for crossovers and the 

drives required by these as well. 

The absence of flasks means there is 

no need for mold punch out, thus simplifying 

separation from the greensand. 

Neither is there a need for recirculation 

and cleaning of pallets and flasks. The 

array of additional machines and tools 

required by tight flask lines mean higher 

investment costs, which in some cases 

can amount to the investment costs 

of a Disamatic line, and that must be 

taken into account when determining 

the cost per casting. The interference 

levels imposed by tight flask lines and 

their drives also point to a higher uptime 

of vertical parted flaskless systems. 

Ongoing service and spare parts 

costs vary from foundry to foundry, 

but can be roughly estimated to account 

for about 3 % of annual investment 

costs based on external purchasing. 

While the percentage amount is 

likely to be similar for each process, 

the absolute cost burden is certainly 

not the same. 

When considering investment costs, 

production intensity, resource consumption, 

uptime and maintenance 

are all clearly cost advantages for vertical 

molding technology. Another area 

that is at least as important is the application 

technology that determines net 

production, castings quality and mold 

surface texture. 

Application 

One of the major benefits of the Disamatic 

is its high speed. On the other 

hand, high speed demands a very short 

pouring cycle time. The advantage of 

high speed combined with pouring require 

a correspondingly large-size gating 


AUTOMATION 

Plant Sand inclusions Mold cracks Mismatch Broken cores Flash Black skin 

Tight flask line 76.55 % 16.32 % 0.2 % 6.52 % 0.37 % 0.13 % 

Disamatic 93.32 % 5.49 % 0 % 1.06 % 0.11 % 0 % 

Table 5: Percentage distribution of the scrap of both molding lines on basic of Table 4 

Plant Uptime total Reason for downtime Downtime in % 

Pattern change 1,4 

Machine trouble 1,8 

Waiting for iron (change of material) 1,2 

Alloy change 1,0 

Other reasons 0,6 

Disamatic 94 % 

Tight flask line 94 % 

Table 6: List of downtime 

Waiting for iron (change of material) 2,7 

Machine trouble 2,5 

Remove remain metal from auto pour 0,3 

Pattern cleaning 0,1 

Pallet car change 0,1 

Other reasons 0,3 

system. Higher pouring speeds could be 

a reason for higher scrap rates. At GIFA 

2011 Disa introduced the DIS system 

enabling double index of the mold 

string, thus extending the pouring time 

by simultaneous pouring of two molds. 

At the same time, several suppliers were 

offering pouring solutions that enabled 

foundries to make use of the advantages 

offered by the double index. 

This development gives us an increase 

in performance that can be used 

in different ways. The longer pouring 

time can allow a reduction of the cross 

sections of the gating system, while 

freeing up space for additional castings 

or enabling improved cavity cutting. 

The longer holding time of the mold 

string and simultaneous pouring of two 

molds can mean that pouring time limits 

the cycle time of the molding line. 

Thus, there is more time for additional 

molds to be poured, resulting in a further 

reduction in the number of casting 

defects. In this way, a partial combination 

of the two advantages is possible. 

These advantages are shown in Table 3. 

Figure 3 shows the cluster forming 

the basis of the information in Table 3. 

The calculations for gating systems using 

a single index are similar to those 

for a double index. The differences lie 

in the cross sections of the gating systems, 

which is however very difficult 

to see in the visual representation 

( Figure 3). By extending the pouring 

time using the double index from 10.4 

to 13.3 seconds it was possible to reduce 

the pouring speed from 4.5 down to 

3.5 kg/s. This meant among other 

things that the size of the pouring cup 

could be reduced from no. 5 to no. 4. 

The runner lengths and the cross sections 

of the gating system to the pattern 

could also be reduced. This enabled 

a 3.5 % yield increase. At the same time, 

molding capacity increased from 290 to 

322 molds per hour. However, pouring 

can also take place at 4.5 kg/s with a 

yield of 79 %, thus increasing molding 

capacity to 370 molds per hour using 

double index. 

Although the nature of the casting 

defects is fundamentally different in 

the production of brake discs using 

horizontal and vertical molding processes, 

rejection rates are comparable. 

Microporosities occurring on vertical 

lines correspond to blowholes in horizontal 

lines. Any experienced foundry 

man is aware of these issues in the respective 

processes and knows how to 

rectify the problem. 

There are no detectable differences 

after machining and mounting of 

brake discs in cars between the two 

production processes. A large globally 

active automotive company has confirmed 

that there are no qualitative 

differences in long-term operation between 

brakes discs made using a vertical 

or horizontal process. 

A common disadvantage, especially 

of larger Disamatic molding lines, 

is ferrostatic pressure arising during 

pouring of the mold. These vertical 

molding lines with mold heights of 

700 and 800 mm have been present in 

foundries since 1977. In 1979, the first 

Disamatic 2070-A commenced operation 

in a brake discs foundry with mold 

dimensions of 700 x 950 mm. Thus, we 

have 35 years of experience with issues 

and solutions. The effects of ferrostatic 

pressure can be handled via the gating 

system, but there are limits. Mold 

heights of more than 800 mm are not 

recommended for brake disc production 

by molding machine suppliers. 

Double-sided squeezing of sand 

molds via the pattern plates ensures 

maximum hardness on the mold surface, 

which decreases somewhat towards 

the centre of the mold. Meeting 

this natural process advantage of the 

vertical molding process in a horizontal 

flask process requires integration of secondary 

filling frames with the pattern 

bolster plate. Secondary filling frames 

are used to increase mold stability in 

the boundary areas of the flasks and to 

ensure the desired low draft angles. 

In tight flask lines, closing devices 

are required to close the cope and drag, 

however with the risk of mismatch by 

mechanically determined clearance 

in the adjustments. Wear and tear of 

pins and bushings on all flasks must 


www.gifa.com 

www.tbwom.com 

be continuously monitored. On the other hand, in vertical 

parted lines the finished mold will be pushed out 

of the mold chamber under the guidance of the pattern 

plate and placed in contact with the previous mold. This 

means that mismatch and consequent higher fettling requirements 

are significantly reduced. 

In the vertical process, glued strips on the surface of the 

pattern plates ending at the top of the mold are sufficient 

for venting the mold cavity during the pouring process. 

Damage in the molded cluster by subsequent piercing or 

drilling of vent holes is thus also eliminated. 

worldwide 

Greensand 

The choice of molding technology also has a decisive influence 

on the green sand circuit. In the horizontal process 

the amount of sand can be regulated to a limited extent 

by over-squeezing the cope. Metal-sand ratios in the 

range from 1:3 to 1:12 are not uncommon. Problems with 

sand-cooling and equalizing the sand in the sand plant are 

correspondingly serious. The resulting quality problems 

will considerably impact the production result. Used green 

sand should be optimally prepared at a temperature of 40 °C. 

Vertically parted mold systems with their adjustable mold 

thickness prove to be advantageous in this respect. The PLC 

of vertical molding lines calculates a constant iron-sand ratio. 

The foundry can, however, take advantage of the low 

pattern height in brake disc production to make adjustments 

according to its own needs. In this case, however, the 

above range is not reached. This constant ratio means that 

the thermal load on the mold sand is relatively uniform – 

an advantage for which any foundry quality department is 

grateful. Sand overflow that occurs in horizontal flask molding 

equipment is practically non-existent in the vertical 

process, meaning that mold sand plants can be designed to 

be smaller, thus also reducing energy consumption. 

Experiences of Hyundai Sung woo Automotive 

in South Korea 

The South Korean foundry Hyundai Sungwoo Automotive 

started production in May 1987 in Pohang / South Korea 

with a flask molding system of dimensions 900 x 700 x250 

/ 250 mm. 410 employees work in an area of 60,000 square 

metres. The annual capacity of the foundry is 148,000 

tons. In 2013, 121,000 tons of castings were produced, rising 

to 127,000 tons in 2014. The foundry produces automotive 

castings in GJL and GJS. The molding machine was 

replaced in 2012, enabling a brake disc production cycle 

time of 15,2 seconds. In 2005, two DISA 240-C molding 

machines with a mold size of 600 x 850 x 150 mm to 500 

mm and a cycle time of 9.3 seconds were commissioned for 

brake disc production beside an additional flask molding 

plant of the same size as the other with a cycle time of 20 

seconds for other automotive castings. All plants producing 

brake discs are directly connected to cooling drums and 

continuous shot blast machines. 

Similar production flow and about 4,500 hours production 

time at both plants in 2013 mean that the perfor- 

High-tech in casting 

The world’s leading trade fair for foundry technology 

presents the wide-ranging field of innovations of the casting 

industry: State-of-the-art technology from the entire 

spectrum of foundry technology – for the efficient foundry 

in the 3 rd millennium. 

International industry get-together for 

top decision makers 

Supporting programmes are communication platforms 

for experts. The trade fair will again be flanked by a diverse 

supporting programme and the ecoMetals Initiative. 

Welcome to the future of state-of-the-art casting technology. 

Welcome to Düsseldorf! 

Casting Plant & Technology 1/2015 19 

Messe Düsseldorf GmbH 

P.O. Box 10 10 06 _ 40001 Düsseldorf _ Germany 

Tel. +49 (0)2 11/45 60-01 _ Fax +49 (0)2 11/45 60-6 68 

www.messe-duesseldorf.de

AUTOMATION 

mance of the tight flask molding plant 

and the older of the two Disa 240-C machines 

can be compared directly. Both 

systems make only brake discs, which 

however are distributed differently between 

the plants because of their dimensions. 

The Disa 240-C features a rigid delivery 

system including a filter core for 

the transport of the cores to a core setting 

robot. Both the cores and the filter 

core are placed in fixed positions 

( a and b). Brake discs are 

manufactured in a range with diameters 

between 260 and 325 mm on the 

Disamatic in order to obtain acceptable 

system efficiency. The smaller discs, as 

well as a larger disc are made on the horizontal 

molding line ( Figures 5 and). 

The horizontal molding line makes two 

large discs, or up to six small discs per 

mold box (Table 4), while the Disamatic 

always produces two discs per mold. 

The percentage of scrap caused by 

the molding lines, however, comes 

very close to the desired zero error-production 

(Table 5). 

A comparison of the yield of each 

plant and its scrap rate invites a comparison 

of uptime. Again, the Hyundai 

Sungwoo foundry is able to provide accurate 

comparative data (Table 6). 

Due to the excellent management of 

the foundry, the production and maintenance 

departments guarantee a very 

high uptime on both plants. They employ 

a preventive maintenance strategy 

and educate their staff continuously 

promising further increases in uptime 

in the future. 

Cast iron is used in both processes 

for patterns and pattern plates. Their 

expected service life in each process is 

400,000 cycles before they are scrapped. 

The costs of these tools for comparable 

patterns vary considerably in the 

South Korean market. This means that 

the costs of core boxes producing the 

cores for the Disamatic molding process 

amount to only 70 % of those for comparable 

core boxes for the tight flask 

line. Prices of pattern and pattern plates 

for the vertical process are also more favourable, 

amounting to only 74 % of 

those used on the tight flask line. 

We lack detailed data in the area of 

mismatch and dimensional accuracy 

of the castings. There seem not to 

be significant differences between the 

two processes. 5 mm are added to the 

diameter at all castings for machining, 

which is performed 100 % in house enabling 

direct feedback in the event of 

quality issues. 

The streamlined gating system developed 

by Disa enabled a significant 

optimization of the foundry in terms 

of yield. The total weight of a poured 

cluster of two discs using a conventional 

gating technology was 35.9 kg. The 

pouring cup and gating accounted for 

12.9 kg, resulting in a yield of 64.7 %. 

The introduction of new technology 

reduced the share of the pouring 

cup and the gating to 8.2 kg. The total 

THE KEY 

TO CASTING INDUSTRY SUPPLIERS 

2014 /2015 

2015. 14,8 x 21,0 cm, 

ISBN 978-3-87260-180-3 

Order your free sample copy! 

The Key to Casting 

Industry Suppliers 2015 

GIESSEREI-VERLAG GMBH 

P.O. Box 10 25 32 · D-40016 Düsseldorf 

Fon +49 211 69936-264 · Fax +49 211 69936-266 

E-Mail: annette.engels@stahleisen.de · www.giesserei-verlag.de 


weight of the poured cluster thus fell to 

31.4 kg, increasing yield to 73.9 %. The 

yield of the flask molding plant is 73 %. 

A comparison of the power consumption 

by the two molding machines is not 

possible in this foundry. There is however 

no doubt that the vertical molding 

process has considerable advantages. It 

is, however, possible to compare the energy 

consumption of each production 

line including filter units, vibratory conveyors, 

sand supply units, belts and cooling 

drums. The energy consumption per 

hour of the tight flask production line 

is 625 kWh, while the Disamatic production 

line uses only 232 kWh. Neither 

figure includes power consumption 

by the heated pouring devices. Both systems 

have their own green sand preparation 

plant (120 t/h each) from different 

manufacturers. This is necessary because 

of the distances between the production 

lines and different demands on 

the greensand. In 2013, the power consumption 

of the vertical parted line sand 

plant averaged 530 kW/h, while the consumption 

of the horizontally parted 

sand plant was 540 kW/h. 

Summary 

The article compares different aspects 

of brake disc production using vertically 

parted flaskless molding lines and 

horizontal parted tight flask molding 

lines. In the first section the vertical 

molding process demonstrates advantages 

in terms of investment costs. The 

discussion addresses annual production 

density in tons per square meter 

of the foundry area in use. Area use is 

a significant factor in relation to production. 

Furthermore, annual energy 

consumption of the molding lines 

in relation to castings produced is discussed, 

again demonstrating clear benefits 

from the Disamatic-technology. 

Developments in vertical mold process 

are tested for their effects on the application 

of technology. The possible increase 

in the yield or production volume 

suggests further potential for cost 

optimization in the foundry. 

In the second section a comparison 

between two molding technologies for 

the production of brake discs is made 

on the basis of production data from 

the South Korean foundry Hyundai 

Sungwoo. The two plants have been 

in operation for several years, enabling 

us to learn from maintenance experience. 

Equipment performance as well 

as respective scrap and uptime were 

compared. In this case, no significant 

differences in performance, yield and 

quality between the technologies are 

found. The Disamatic molding process, 

however, offers advantages in 

terms of tooling costs and energy consumption. 

www.disagroup.com 

References: 

www.giesserei-verlag.de/cpt/references 

Competence in 

Shot Blast Technology 

We offer new and second-hand 

wheel blast machines including 

conveyor and filter systems. 

Our range of products and 

services include: 

• Wear and Spare Parts 

• Repair and (remote) maintenance 

• Services 

… for wheel blast machines of 

other makes as well. 

Please see us at GIFA, 

Düsseldorf, June 16-20, 

hall 16, stand A39 

AGTOS 

Gesellschaft für technische 

Oberflächensysteme mbH 

Gutenbergstraße 14 

D-48282 Emsdetten 

Tel. +49(0)2572 96026-0 

info@agtos.de 

www.agtos.com 

195-01/15-4c-GB 


Pouring by stopper ladle 

at the pouring line (Figures: 

HWS) 

Author: Steffen Geisweid, Heinrich Wagner Sinto, Bad Laasphe 

A milestone for the modernization 

of a steel foundry 

In the Promlit foundry in the Russian city of Cheboksary the existing green sand molding system 

has been replaced by a modern HWS molding machine. Instead of the jolt squeeze production 

 

quality and is also able to mold larger patterns and to change them automatically 

Historically grown foundries are often 

well-established producers of 

high-quality castings whose market 

position is determined by a mixture 

of experience, development and innovation. 

Investments in this environment 

are often oriented in the very 

long term, considering the extraordinary 

demands in foundry conditions. 

This is the reason why investments on 

replacements are often subject to lots 

of restrictions that an existing company 

together with its logistics prescribes. 

The project definition of the present 

case of the foundry Promlit was 

to modernize the existing green sand 

molding plant and to improve the existing 

weak points. For this purpose, 

particularly the so-called heart of the 

foundry – the molding plant – was considered 

because, for the investment examination 

for a new automatic molding 

machine, the existing molding 

machine was subject to particular 

specifications regarding increase of 

the mold output, product variety and 

molding quality. 

The existing molding machine of 

type Herman, installed in the early seventies, 

did not provide a useful possibility 

for an increase in production 

with the formerly planned output of 

seven complete molds. The layout of 

the plant provides a separate transport 

line for copes and drags as well as two 

pouring and cooling lines each. 

In order to achieve the above target 

of a higher mold output, the new molding 

machine from HWS ( ) has 

been designed for a maximum output 

of twenty molds per hour. Amongst 


Automatic Seiatsu molding machine type EFA-S 8,5 

Pattern shuttle at the automatic molding machine 

 

others, one advantage for the exchange 

of the molding machine was 

the low degree of adaptation required 

in the foundation area. 

Furthermore, the inside dimension 

of the flask was increased from 2500 

x 1600 mm to 2630 x 1700 mm while 

maintaining the former outside dimension; 

cope and drag are 600 mm 

high each. This enlargement opens 

up the opportunity to the foundry to 

mold bigger patterns and thus to extend 

the variety of products. 

In addition, the automatic molding 

machine type EFA-S 8.5 was equipped 

with an automatic pattern change 

( Figure 2). In running operation, the 

following patterns can be prepared and 

exchanged automatically which makes 

the pattern change cycle shorter. The 

arrangement of these preparation places 

increases the accessibility at the stations; 

so-called safety lifting gates ensure 

a safe sequence during the pattern 

change. 

To improve the mold quality 

( ), the foundry can, after the 

modernization from jolt-squeeze 

molding process, avail themselves of 

the two-step airflow-squeeze molding 

process Seiatsu (in combination with 

squeezing from pattern side as an option) 

– the currently most common 

molding process in tight-flask green 

sand molding plants. The two steps of 

the molding process consist on the one 

hand of the Seiatsu airflow that penetrates 

the sand pre-dosed by the movable 

sand hopper, aerates it and compacts 

it by exiting through the vent 

holes in the pattern (and/or the pattern 

bolster) on the pattern side. In 

addition, the second step provides a 

hydraulic pressing of the sand back. 

Here an homogeneous mold strength 

is in the focus of the process control 

to achieve optimum degassing during 

the casting process (see lead picture). 

In case of this project, the molding 

machine is equipped with a so-called 

multi-ram press that optimally adapts 

the process of pressing to the pattern 

geometry. Also many of the sand 

touching flaps and ducts in the sand 

dosing hopper are fitted with highly 

porous plastic sheets which create 

ventilation and an air cushion between 

the molding sand and hopper 

wall. This reduces wear, the sand does 

not stick and thus creates a process reliable 

sand filling process. 

Furthermore, the function „squeezing 

from pattern side“ enables an optimization 

of the sand compaction at 

the flasks’ limits by a levelling frame 

that can be activated, especially in case 

of patterns with an unfavourable ratio 

of casting and sand in these areas. 

In addition to reducing the number 

of rejected molds, the foundry was able 

to reduce additional costs, as the formerly 

used stations for applying and 

drying the black wash were not required 

anymore. 

The molding plant can be operated 

in combination with two different 

types of sand (filling sand and facing 


AUTOMATION 

 

Covering station (cope is setdown onto the drag) 

sand) by each using an intermediate 

hopper with precise weighing for the 

exact dosage of the required amount 

of sand. The maximum sand consumption 

is 154 t per hour. 

With the new supplied flask transfer 

device (Figure 4) cope and drag are alternately 

transported from the molding 

line to the cope and/or core setting 

line. 

A new installed vent piercing and 

drilling device allows a better degassing 

of the mold during the casting 

process and reduces the post-processing 

effort on the casting. The working 

area covers almost the entire mold 

surface. A total of 32 vent holes can 

be pierced and four vent holes can be 

drilled. The drilling device produces 

holes with a diameter of 32 mm. 

The new closing device (Figure 5) 

for copes and drags helps to reduce 

the post-processing as well. It improves 

the positioning of the molding boxes 

to achieve an exact closing and minimizes 

the reject rate caused by damaged 

sand molds. 

Furthermore, the molding plant got 

a new central hydraulic station for the 

new plant components. The new pushing 

and braking units for the cope and 

drag line have also been integrated in 

the new central hydraulic station for 

the molding plant. 

All new supplied components are 

designed for a plant output of 20 

molds per hour. However, since some 

remaining components (among others 

in the pouring and cooling line) 

are still being used, there is an overall 

molding output of 16 molds per hour 

– an increase in output of more than 

100 %. 

In general, the availability of the 

entire molding shop is improved significantly, 

which is among others 

emphasized by the evaluation of the 

plant software. The new HWS molding 

plant control system based on Siemens 

S7 has a plant monitoring system 

(ALS 2010) and offers additional anal- 


ysis capabilities to the foundry to increase 

efficiency. 

To illustrate the size of the equipment, 

some data are listed below from 

the truck dispatch of equipment in 

2012: In total more than 30 vehicles 

transported more than 500 t of material 

to Russia, the heaviest single component 

(base frame) had a weight of 

17.5 t. 

Together with the customer, the reconstruction 

measure (installation 

& commissioning) has been carried 

out and the acceptance test has taken 

place in time. It is worth mentioning 

that the cooperation with the foundry 

can already look back on years of 

experience. In 2004, a vacuum molding 

plant supplied by Heinrich Wagner 

Sinto has already been installed. This 

plant with a molding box size of 3000 

x 1800 x 500/500 mm produces up to 

20 molds per hour. 

Promlit Cheboksary Foundry produces 

all types of iron and steel castings 

for the machine building and the 

railroad industry. The company is located 

in Cheboksary/Russia on the 

right bank of the Volga River, about 

600 km east of Moscow. The modern 

production facility, built in the early 

eighties, has extensive experience in 

the manufacturing of complex steel, 

cast iron and ductile iron parts having 

weights from 10 to 6000 kg with 

dimensions from 50 to 2000 mm and 

more (see example in Figure 6). The 

high quality of the castings is assured 

by experienced staff and the EN-certification 

ISO 9001. 

The annual production capacity of 

the foundry is 80,000 t. 

The efficient production plants: 

sand preparation, molding lines, core 

production, pouring plants, molding 

box cleaning, casting transport and 

sand reprocessing, have been supplied 

by leading foundry suppliers. 

Promlit products are supplied to numerous 

customers in and outside Russia, 

e.g. in the USA, UK, Germany, Italy, 

Spain, Israel, France and Canada. 

www.wagner-sinto.de 

Castings after shot-blasting 


PJSC Energomashspetsstal (EMSS) manufactures complex castings like steam and hydro turbine housings, steam turbine 

rotors, hydro rotors, trusses, ring gears, screw blades and hubs, support rollers for hot and cold rolling mills as well 

 

 

One of the biggest shot blast 

systems in the world 

The foundry of PJSC Energomashspetsstal in Kramatorsk/Ukraine specializes in manufacturing 

very big, heavy and complex castings. Considering the high value of the castings it is not surprising 

that they are subject to comprehensive quality controls including – among other criteria – 

 

 

 

 

space at the customer’s premises 

The facilities of the iron and steel works 

PJSC Energomashspetsstal (EMSS) are 

located in the Ukrainian town of Kramatorsk 

on an area of around 138 hectares. 

Since 1964 this company has been 

manufacturing castings and forgings 

for the heavy, energy generating and 

nuclear industries as well as for marine 

and traffic engineering. Over the past 

years the company has specialized on 

components like steam and hydro turbine 

housings, steam turbine rotors, 

hydro rotors, trusses, ring gears, screw 

blades and hubs, support rollers for hot 

and cold rolling mills as well as diefixing 

blocks. Because of their unique 

function, as well as their size and 

weight these components are generally 

engineered and made as one-of-a-kind 

products. EMSS has strict quality controls 

in place to ensure the extremely 

high quality and long service life 

of these components. For example, 

all external and internal surface areas 

of the castings are visually inspected. 

In addition, they undergo a magnetic 

particle test or an ultrasonic inspection 

to search for cracks in the material. 

This requires a clean surface free of any 

scale in compliance with the Swedish 

surface preparation standard SA 2,5. In 

the past this surface preparation operation 

was done manually. Igor Sapetko, 

foundry manager at EMSS comments: 

“We invested in this new shot blast system 

primarily because the stringent 


Figure 1: 

long, 7 m wide, 5 m high and up to 250 tons in weight 

customer requirements for improved 

casting and surface qualities forced us 

to adopt the cold box casting method 

for castings with complex geometries. 

However, at the same time we wanted 

to improve the working conditions for 

our employees by eliminating the vibrations, 

the dust and noise caused by 

manual shot blasting. This, by the way, 

also contributed to a much cleaner environment.” 

Part size & weight and the onsite 

space restrictions 

The work piece dimensions which are 

up to 12 m long, 7 m wide, 5 m high 

and up to 250 tons in weight posed a 

significant technical challenge for the 

Rösler engineers (Figure 1). But the engineering 

task became even more difficult, 

because the customer specifications 

called for integrating the shot 

blast system into the overall EMSS 

manufacturing line. The shot blast machine 

had to be placed on the foundation 

of an old water jet blast system in 

a building with numerous support pillars. 

At the same time, the Rösler engineers 

had to ensure that the machine 

design allowed utilization of the existing 

rail part transfer system with turn 

table for transporting the work pieces 

from the foundry through the blast 

machine to the quality control department 

(Figure 2). Because of the high 

weight of the castings a spinner/hanger 

shot blast system was not feasible. 

Igor Sapetko continues: “We looked 

primarily for a simple but effective 

shot blast system that guaranteed a 

high functional reliability and was 

easy to maintain. Of course, economic 

aspects like the purchasing price and 

operating costs played also a significant 

role in our decision.” 

With these requirements the project 

team at EMSS contacted six shot blast 

equipment manufacturers, among 

whom three companies, including the 

Rösler Oberflächentechnik GmbH, 

were pre-selected. In the end, after visits 

at the manufacturing facilities of 

the three suppliers, inspection of various 

reference shot blast installations 

and review of the different technical 

concepts, the customer decided to 

place the purchase order with Rösler. 

The comprehensive and extremely detailed 

layout of the RDS 80/70 shot 

blast system proved to the EMSS team 

at a very early stage that the Rösler concept 

met all its technical requirements. 

Customer engineered to the 

very last inch 

The Rösler continuous rail shot blast 

system RDS 80/70 is one of the biggest 

shot blast machines ever built in the 

world, and is certainly the biggest ever 

built by Rösler. It had to be placed in 

the building to fit exactly between the 

support pillars. To prevent spillage of 

blast media the blast machine inlet and 

outlet areas are equipped with double 

wing steel doors lined with wear resistant 

rubber. The inside of the 30 m long 

machine is divided into three sections: 

Inlet and outlet chamber and the actual 

blast chamber with inner dimensions 

of 10.5 (L) x 8 (W) x 7 (H) m. The 

large width of the blast chamber allows 

complete rotation of parts with a length 

of up to 7 m during the blast cleaning 

process (Figure 3). The RDS 80/70 is 

equipped with eight Hurricane H42 

turbines mounted to the ceiling, respectively 

one side wall, of the blast 

chamber with an installed drive power 

of 22 kW each, throwing over 2,000 kg 

of blast media per minute. After their 

first pass through the blast machine 

parts longer than 7 m are picked up 

from the transfer system turn table by 

the existing bridge crane, rotated by 


CLEANING, FETTLING & FINISHING 

180 degrees and placed back on the 

turn table for a second pass through the 

machine. This ensures all around blast 

cleaning of parts which, due to their 

length, cannot be rotated on the turn 

table. For optimum wear protection the 

blast chamber is fabricated from manganese 

steel and lined with easy to exchange 

overlapping manganese wear 

plates. To allow manual spot cleaning 

of critical surface areas the RDS 80/70 

is equipped with a pressure blast system 

and lighting in the blast chamber. 

A special technical feature of the 

EMSS shot blast machine is the extra 

large media hopper allowing the storage 

of 30 metric tons of blast media. 

This ensures that even in the case of 

work pieces which are extremely cupshaped, 

the shot blast process must not 

be interrupted because of lack of blast 

media in the system due to media carryout. 

Figure 2: Work pieces with a length of up to 7 m can be rotated by 360° on 

the turn table of the part transfer system 

A blast machine consisting of 

many more individual sections 

than other machines 

The blast media thrown by the turbines 

is collected in two large hoppers 

placed in the foundation pit 

from where the media is transferred 

to the transport system of the media 

cleaning and classification unit. This 

posed another technical challenge, because 

the rails of the part transfer system 

allowed an access opening of only 

2 x 2 m for placing all these equipment 

components in the foundation 

pit. For this reason, the media collecting 

hoppers below the blast chamber 

had to be fabricated in 15 individual 

sections instead of normally 4 sections. 

A five storey high maintenance platform 

allows quick and easy access to 

all equipment sections requiring regular 

maintenance work. Another significant 

factor regarding maintenance is 

the fact that Rösler maintains a service 

center in the Ukraine. 

Igor Sapetko concludes: “With the 

new shot blast system from Rösler we 

achieve the required surface cleanliness 

with the blast media consumption 

cut in half compared to our old 

manual blast cleaning system. In addition, 

we were able to significantly reduce 

the blast cleaning process times. 

Where previously several employees 

needed weeks of manual blasting, we 

are now completing the same blast 

cleaning process within a few hours.” 

Figure 3: The critical surface areas of very complex work pieces can be manually 

spot treated with a specially installed pressure blasting system 

www.rosler.com 


www.sinto.com 

16 th - 20 th June 2015 

Duesseldorf, 

Germany 

Hall 17 

Stand 17 B 20 

• SEIATSU- / ACE-Moulding Machines and Plants 

• FBO- / FDNX-Flaskless Moulding Machines and Plants 

• VACUUM Moulding Machines and Plants 

• POURING UNITS – semi and fully automatic 

• SOFTWARE FOR MOULDING AND POURING LINES 

HEINRICH WAGNER SINTO Maschinenfabrik GmbH 

SINTOKOGIO GROUP 

Bahnhofstrasse 101 · 57334 Bad Laasphe, Germany 

Phone +49 (0)2752 907-0 · Fax +49 (0)2752 907-280 

www.wagner-sinto.de


Author: Birgit Gottsauner, Siemens AG, Process Industries and Drives, Nuremberg 

Raw materials according to recipe 

 

 

 

 

 

The RFID transponders at the charge containers survive the rough handling during the loading in the charging hall of 

the foundry without damage (Photos: Siemens AG) 

The Karl Casper GmbH & Co. KG headquartered 

in Remchingen (in the German 

state of Baden-Württemberg) is a 

manufacturer of high-quality industrial 

and art castings. From top-grade pig 

iron and steel scrap, approximately 100 

employees – in a two-shift operation – 

fabricate sophisticated components for 

machine tools and special machinery, 

plastic injection molding machines 

and railway vehicles. The workpieces 

range from single parts to low-volume 

batches of up to 1000 pieces – each 

piece weighing up to nine tons. 

“For many years, the data pertaining 

to the composition of the melting 

material was entered manually into a 

PC, which made a precise production 

planning and tracking and tracing difficult,” 

explains technical manager Malte 

Lüking. “An efficient solution for just 

that now comes in the form of RFID 

– Radio Frequency Identification enables 

the automatic recognition of the 

transport containers, the allocation of 

the batches and the software modeling 

of their relationships.” Lüking emphasizes 

that a goal of the company management 

was to also incorporate ideas 

of employees in the implementation of 

the new RFID application. “They are, after 

all, working with the program day 

in, day out – and know what is important,” 

says the technical manager. 

The project team, consisting of 

Malte Lüking, Uwe Wilhelm – manag- 


er of maintenance at Casper, and Siegfried 

Schlaak –managing director of 

the consulting firm SSSoft specializing 

in foundry technology, began roughly 

18 months ago with the selection of 

the new hardware and the design of the 

software. One decision criterion was the 

lasting operational suitability: The RFID 

transponders had to survive the rough 

handling during loading and unloading, 

be unaffected by interference caused by 

strong electromagnets mounted to the 

crane, and withstand high furnace temperatures 

without damage despite continuous 

use ( ). For the identification 

of the charge containers, the use 

of the low-cost, heat-resistant Simatic 

RF680T transponders by Siemens, Munich, 

Germany, suggested itself. The 

transponders are designed for operating 

temperatures up to 220 °C and feature 

a rugged construction with IP68 degree 

of protection; they are thus ideal for applications 

in harsh industrial environments. 

Heat-resistant Simatic RF680T RFID transponders identify the charge 

containers; a sturdy metal frame protects them against mechanical stresses 

Due to limited space on the furnace platform, a rugged RF630R RFID 

reader with external RF640A UHF antenna is employed, which also offers a 

high interference resistance in metallic environments 

Highly resistant to interference 

in metallic environments 

The radio signals are evaluated by a Simatic 

RF630R reader. “We chose Siemens 

products, since they best matched 

our ideas and requirements,” stresses 

Lüking. Due to limited space on the 

furnace platform, a reader with an external 

Simatic RF640A UHF antenna is 

employed (Figure 2). The unit operates 

in the ultra-high frequency (UHF) range 

and is unaffected by external influences 

such as dust or moisture. In addition, 

the unit is characterized by a high interference 

resistance in metallic environments 

– as found in the steel constructions 

around the furnace platform. For 

the communication and supply of power, 

the reader is connected to a PLC or a 

fieldbus communication module. 

Prior to the introduction of the identification 

solution, it was time-consuming 

for employees of the so-called 

charging plant to meter the contents 

of the charge containers in accordance 

with the recipes to achieve the 

called for product properties. Since 

then, ten charge containers equipped 

with transponders – for the transport 

of the melting material to the induction 

furnace – have been put into rotating 

operation at Casper. To feed the 

melting furnace, the crane operator of 

the charging plant selects an empty 

charging box and fills it with pig iron, 

steel scrap, stacks of sheet metal, etc. as 

specified by the production planning. 

As soon as the charge is complete, the 

crane operator sends the data to the 

control and monitoring software; the 

container is then ready for the transport 

to the furnace platform (Figure 3). 

The requirements placed on the accuracy 

of the melting processes are very 

high and may deviate only slightly from 

the specifications. This highlights the 

advantage of the new RFID installation: 

The RFID reader/writer mounted to the 

furnace platform reads the transponder 

data of the charging box and forwards it 

to the control and moni toring system. 

During the melting process, a spectrometric 

and thermal determination of 



The charging software informs the melting foreman about the 

charge container – and the components contained in it for the steel melt – 

to be fed into the furnace 

The production processes are controlled and monitored by Simatic 

S7 controllers; sensors and actuators are connected by means of ET200S I/O 

- 

 

the alloying elements takes place. The 

software calculates the difference between 

reference and actual values, and 

informs the melter whether other additives 

(carbon, silicon, etc.) are needed 

on the basis of the recipe. Thanks to 

the batch tracking and tracing, it is precisely 

documented what has been processed. 

At the end of the month, material 

quantities as well as the melting loss 

can thus be accurately accounted for. 

Setup of an RFID-based casting 

pattern management 

In the electric induction furnace, temperatures 

reach roughly 1,600 °C. It 

takes about an hour for the raw materials 

and additives to liquefy into a homogenous 

iron melt. While the shift 

supervisor prepares for tapping the 

crucible holding the molten iron, employees 

in the light-flooded casting 

and molding hall are already making 

arrangements for the next steps. After 

melting down and mixing all components, 

the melt flows into a treatment 

ladle by tilting the crucible, where it 

is adjusted to the desired quality using 

additional alloying elements. Afterward, 

the ladle is transported to the 

casting hall, where experienced casters 

fill the iron melt into molding boxes. 

An expansion of the identification 

solution to provide an RFID-based casting 

pattern management is planned. 

The modern high-bay warehouse of the 

foundry holds patterns made of laminated 

wood, synthetic resins or polystyrene 

foam for repeat orders, pattern 

changes or pattern adjustments. “We 

are warehousing roughly 8,000 casting 

patterns, of which about 4,000 are 

recurring shapes,” describes Lüking. 

In the future, every pattern plate will 

receive an RFID tag, on which component 

and job data, attached parts, 

storage location, materials and other 

information are noted. “Employees 

can then read out the data with a handheld 

scanner. The uniform and always 

up-to-date information greatly facilitates 

the identification of the patterns. 

Lengthy searches thus become a thing 

of the past,” Lüking is convinced. 

Casper not only makes and “sells” 

high-quality products, but also is pursuing 

the goal of a clean environment – 

the company calls itself “weiße Gießerei 

im Grünen” – meaning an ecological 

foundry preserving the environment. 

Among the measures are a newly installed 

co-generation plant that generates 

power and heat in an environmentally 

friendly manner and significantly 

lowers the operating costs. To further 

optimize the energy consumption, the 

company management has tackled the 

project of energy management. In particular 

the high power consumption of 

the electric melting furnaces represents 

an enormous cost factor for foundries. 

In other places as well, e.g., the production 

hall cooling and ventilation, molding 

plants, shakers, sandblasters and 

sand preparation, considerable energy 

savings can be realized. 

In a first step, the technicians have 

started to install Sentron PAC4200 power 

meters by Siemens in the control cabinets 

of the various production areas, and 


consolidated the measured data in CSV 

files. As next step, the Sentron units will 

be integrated into the automation and 

energy management software “powermanager”, 

which conveniently visualizes 

all measured data. The solution will 

then clearly depict the current status of 

the plants and the power grid quality; 

and by more efficiently utilizing the systems, 

the energy use and costs are lowered. 

The real-time display of connected 

consumers enables a weak point analysis 

and thus a quick power reduction at 

individual production plants. 

tly 

with notebook and smartphone 

To comprehensively automate the production 

operation, the foundry management 

decided to install the production 

monitoring system DCAS (Data by 

Concentration and Analysis System) 

by SSSoft. It monitors, among other 

things, the pass-through rotary mixers, 

the sand regeneration, the electric 

furnace and the air compressors. The 

signal parameters are tapped at the Simatic 

controllers by means of Profinet 

and forwarded to the software. A visualization 

computer prepares the data 

and provides it in real-time for the 

monitoring and control of the plants. 

If, for example, a fault occurs, the employee 

can immediately locate the 

problem and initiate the proper steps. 

A location-independent, secured system 

access via the Internet using a 

notebook, iPad or smartphone is also 

possible, e.g., to remotely control processes 

and avoid interruptions through 

early intervention (Figure 4). 

The diverse automation tasks at 

Casper have been carried out by Simatic 

controllers for years. The Simatic 

S5 controllers used so far are now 

being replaced by new Simatic S7-300 

modular controllers. In this context, 

the process visualization is also advanced 

to allow processes to be controlled 

and monitored from different 

operator control and monitoring stations. 

As distributed I/O modules, signal 

and function modules as well as 

Simatic ET200S communication processors 

are employed for the user-specific 

automation tasks of the S7-300 

controllers, which greatly simplifies 

the wiring and commissioning. 

Casper is a compelling example of a successful 

implementation of an integrated 

automation philosophy. Thanks to 

its complete product portfolio of Totally 

Integrated Automation (TIA), with 

which Siemens denotes the transparency 

and interoperability of its systems, 

the individual automation components 

are always matched to each other. From 

medium-voltage transformer to drive 

and control technology to sensors and 

visualization, the foundry solely utilizes 

standard components from the 

same vendor. The integrated TIA Portal 

engineering environment for PLC, 

HMI and network provided great flexibility 

during the system development, 

which considerably reduced the time 

required for the integration. According 

to the pro ject team, the development 

and commissioning times were greatly 

shortened and the requirements optimally 

met with the TIA Portal software, 

unlike with other solution approaches. 

Positive summary 

“The production of high-quality casting 

alloys requires a lot of experience, 

the mastery of all production processes 

and an optimal composition of the 

source materials. RFID is the right solution 

here. In the six months since its 

commissioning, it has truly proven itself 

and been running trouble-free,” 

judges Lüking. Thanks to the transponders, 

the loading of the charging boxes 

with pig iron and steel scrap can be accomplished 

in a precise manner, which 

helps in putting together the melt with 

a minimized use of resources. Compared 

to the manual entry of data, sometimes 

during frantic operations, the paperless 

storing of the raw materials data ensures 

that nothing is ever lost. “Together 

with the analysis values, the data forms 

a comprehensive batch profile, which 

provides information about the respective 

metallic composition. A complete 

history is generated that makes a gapless 

tracking and tracing of the process 

progression and a certified quality management 

easy,” concludes Malte Lüking. 

www.siemens.com/ident 



Air pollution in the Chinese metropolis Shenzhen 

(Photo: Oliver Zwahlen) 

Author: Parisa Javadian Namin, KMA Umwelttechnik GmbH, Königswinter 

Clean up your Act 

Cleaning the air in your factory can save operational costs – and the environment 

The new World Health Organization report 

was released in March 2014. It stated 

2012 around 7 million people died - 

one in eight of total global deaths – as a 

result of air pollution exposure. Awareness 

and responsibility towards air pollution 

is needed more than ever, in particular 

in the industrial sector. Especially 

in the mega cities of the People´s Republic 

of China, where smog hangs heavy 

over Beijing and Shanghai alone, where 

children grow up with asthma and other 

respiratory illnesses. 

In many factories the exhaust air is 

captured and (often without being filtered) 

transported to the outside. This 

provides a small improvement of the air 

quality inside the hall, but only means 

a shift of air pollutants to outdoors. In 

addition, letting polluted air disperse 

in the hall before being filtered allows 

aerosols to be deposited on products 

and expensive machinery. This means 

high maintenance costs and in most 

cases short life expectancy for the machinery. 

And the large amount of exhaust 

air movements implicates high 

energy consumptions for the exhaust 

and inlet ventilation systems. At the 

same time, this method causes heating 

costs during the winter period, because 

the transported air to outdoors must be 

replaced with the same amount of fresh 

air from outside. These facts increase 

the company´s operation costs and 

carbon dioxide (CO 2 

) emissions. The 

use of energy efficient air filtration systems 

can lead to a significant improvement 

in the company’s balance sheet. 

Besides, clean air at the workplace increases 

productivity, motivation and 

overall health of employees. 

Methods of exhaust air treatment 

An interesting aspect about modern 

solutions for air purification is the energy 

efficiency. Air treatment systems 

with a disadvantageous layout can cause 

enormous investment and running 

costs. A modern solution can, how ever, 

help to reduce the energy consumption 

and the operating costs significantly, 

permitting a short payback period on 

air filtration installations. 

A comparison between the 

exhaust air treatment systems 

To give a better idea about the differences 

in the energy demand of different ex- 


haust air treatments, a practical example 

for several methods of air purification 

will be explained in the following. 

We assume that there is a die casting 

foundry in Changchun, because it’s 

particularly interesting to direct the 

attention to energy efficiency in provinces 

with significantly high or low 

temperatures, where heating or cooling 

of make-up air is required. 

Die casting machines create highly 

greasy and polluted smoke. Changchun 

has a median daytime temperature 

of -4.4 °C degrees during the 

winter period (October to the end of 

April). The desired inside temperature 

is with 17 °C degrees around room 

temperature. The manufacturing hall 

of the foundry has a total volume of 

78,000 m 3 and is equipped with 20 die 

casting machines in several sizes (from 

640 tons up to 2500 tons machines). 

The management has now several air 

treatment options to purify the waste 

air of the die casting machines. 

First method: Conventional 

exhaust air ventilation system 

A conventional exhaust ventilation system 

works in a very easy way: the waste 

air is led outside through complex exhaust 

ducts and chimneys at the roof 

of the building and fresh air from outdoors 

is led inside through the inlets. 

This method ensures clean air at the 

workplace but creates high follow-up 

costs. The main reason: allowing 

fumes to get dispersed in the hall first 

a nonessential increase of the exhaust 

air volume is created, which needs to 

be purified. And a high air volume always 

means high energy consumption. 

Practical examples show that generally 

the ambient air inside the hall has 

to be changed by a conventional ventilation 

system 10 to 12 times per hour 

by air from outdoors to keep it clean. 

In our example this means an air volume 

exchange of at least 781,200 m 3 

per hour, plus high pressure loss (generated 

by the exhaust air ducts) and 

high heating costs of the incoming 

air. This results in an annual operation 

cost of 19,056,770 Renminbi 

(2,490,615.39 Euro) and carbon dioxide 

emissions of about 3,500 tons per 

year. 

Figure 1: - 

 

 

stay clean (Photos: KMA Umwelttechnik GmbH) 

Second method: Exhaust air 

 

ing air mode 

Today´s most energy-efficient principle 

of exhaust air treatment is the recirculating 

air mode. For the comparison: 

in the exhaust air mode the waste air is 

led outside, either with or without air 

purification. This method ensures clean 

air at the workplace but creates high 

follow-up costs, especially during cold 

winter periods or hot summer periods. 

The reason: the same amount of air that 

is led outside has to be replaced by incoming 

fresh air from outdoors, which 

has to be heated up first or cooled down 

first before it is led inside. Heating up 

or cooling down the fresh air to room 

temperature will cause high amounts 

of energy consumption and operation 

costs for the company. At the same time 

the environment gets polluted by high 

CO 2 

emissions caused by energy consumption 

processes. In a recirculating 

air mode the exhaust air will be filtered 

very effectively by the use of highly efficient 

electrostatic filter units. After 

the filtration the purified air will be led 

back into the production hall. As the 

purified air is led back into the manufacturing 

hall, there is no need of maintenance-intensive 

exhaust air ducts, 

which cause high pressure loss and increase 

the energy demand. 

Here, each die casting machine is 

equipped with specially adapted extraction 

hoods. These extraction devices 

capture fumes efficiently and directly 

at the die casting machines, avoiding 

fumes get dispersed into the production 

hall and therewith, no high air volumes 

for the exhaust air treatment. In 

our example the exhaust air volume decreases 

to 215,400 m 3 per hour. Low air 

volume always means less energy consumption. 

Each die casting machine is 



Figure 2: 

- 

 

 

also equipped with one decentralized 

compact filter system. The filter units 

are electrostatic precipitators, which 

ensure highly effective separations of 

smoke, dust, and fine mist whilst using 

little energy. Unsuitable filter types 

can quickly clog and become ineffective, 

leading to excessive costs associated 

with filter replacement and disposal. 

However, changing the electrostatic filter 

cells is not necessary and they never 

obstruct the air flow through the exhaust 

system. The electrostatic filter is 

an economical and durable filter medium 

for many applications. In our model 

( Figure 1) case the exhaust air filter system 

with a recirculating air mode leads 

to very low energy consumption. Hence, 

the foundry in Changchun has now just 

operation costs of 1,098,791 Renminbi 

(143,648.94 Euro). That’s more than 

90 % less compared to a conventional 

ventilation system. Also the carbon dioxide 

emissions are reduced to 416 tons 

per year. 

According to these, the recirculating 

air mode includes the most energy-saving 

potential. Although this principle 

is used in many modern and newbuilt 

foundries, it is a fact that in some 

foundries the demand for exhaust air 

mode systems still exists. For those cases 

there is an energy-efficient exhaust 

air alternative, explained below. 

Third method: Centralized ex- 

 

with heat recovery system 

At some winter days in Changchun the 

ambient median temperature is going 

down to -16 °C. By using a conventional 

exhaust ventilation system, the temperature 

inside the hall will also turn 

cold. Therefore, many foundries in that 

region have to heat up the production 

halls to keep the productivity high. But 

due to the high energy costs that are 

caused by heating systems, some foundry 

managers see this proposition as an 

incapable solution. What often is not 

considered is the fact that in most production 

processes high amounts of heat 

and energy is created, which can be used 

for follow-up processes. The centralized 

exhaust air filtration system (Figure 2), 

equipped with an integrated heat recovery 

system, enables an energy-efficient 

heating or cooling of the hall by perform 

in an exhaust air mode. 

Here, the multiple machines are 

connected to one centralized large exhaust 

air filter system. That means the 

waste air from the machinery is extracted 

through exhaust ducts and led 

to the centralized filter system, which 

is equipped with electrostatic precipitators 

as well as integrated fin tube 

heat exchanger. After filtering aerosols 

out of the exhaust air, the heat pump, 

which is connected to the filter system, 

extracts the energy out of the purified 

air. The energy is transferred in the condenser 

of the heat pump to a heating 

water circuit. Afterwards the heating 

water is led to a second heat exchanger, 

which is installed in the incoming 

air duct. With this method the incoming 

cool air is heated up in an energy-efficient 

and economical way before 

it flows into the production hall. 

With the help of the highly efficient 

heat pump the foundry in Changchun 

increases the temperature inside the 

hall up to a room temperature just by 

using the heat recovered out of the exhaust 

air. By an energy demand of 352 

kW per hour, the heat pump is creating 

almost 1,500 kW per hour for follow-up 

processes. Here the foundry 

in Changchun is having annual operation 

costs of 4,235,717 Renminbi 

(553,750.66 Euro), which goes along 

with an annual carbon dioxide emission 

of almost 1000 tons. These energy-savings 

are less than the foundry 

in Changchun would reach with the 

recirculating air mode, but still much 

higher than the conventional exhaust 

ventilation system with a simple and 

energy-intensive heating system would 

reach. 

Take action on air pollution 

The energy consumption in foundries 

is strongly depending on the energy 

input of the exhaust and supply 

air systems. High energy consumptions 

always mean high amounts of 

CO 2 

emissions. Through the use of energy-efficient 

exhaust air filtration systems 

the air gets clean and significant 

reductions in carbon dioxide emissions 

can be done. Die casting foundries 

and other metal processing industries 

can easily improve the company´s 

“Carbon Footprint” and make an important 

contribution to climate protection. 

Therefore, a change in thinking 

for each factory is worthwhile. 

 



1985-2015 

Special of 

CASTING 


Anniversary edition


12. March 


CASTING 

1 


INTERNATIONAL 

30 years 

CP+T 





U 1.indd 1 

1985-2015 

30 years 

Foundry technology at first hand

SPECIAL 

“CP+T is an excellent worldwide 

platform for foundry technology” 

Engineer Peter Haensel edited CP+T for almost 20 years from its founding in 1985 until 2004. 

The foundry specialist came from Austria originally and had studied at the prestigious Leoben 

University of Mining and Metallurgy. On the occasion of the magazine’s 30th anniversary he 

spoke to CP+T about developments in foundry technology in his day, and why the English-language 

foundry magazine was founded. He also takes a look at the future of foundry technology 

Looking back at the beginnings: CP+T-Editor Robert Piterek with Dipl.-Ing. Peter Haensel (r.) who managed the specialist 

magazine for 19 years from 1985 to 2004 (Photos: BDG/Soschinski) 

Mr. Haensel, how long did you produce 

CP+T for? 

From 1985 to 2004, so almost the first 

twenty years of the existence of this 

English-language specialist foundry 

magazine. I was Technical Editor from 

1985 to 1997 then, as Editor-in-Chief 

of GIESSEREI, I was also the top editor 

at CP+T until 2004. 

How was the magazine produced in 

those days? 

It was much more difficult: there were 

a lot more production steps than now, 

corrections were made in different colors 

to keep the costs apart – each proofing 

cost 4 deutschmarks, and correcting 

the format cost 10 deutschmarks. 

The specialist articles, for example, 

were translated by Robert Vinall, an 

engineer who had learnt in cleaning 

shops in England and supplied excellent 

translations for our international 

magazine. 

What function do you think CP+T 

 

world? 


In an interesting talk 

across generations 

Haensel pointed out 

that foundry technology 

since 1985 has 

mainly developed in 

the areas of material 

optimization and IT 

technology in foundries 

In those days we got several letters from 

the USA and Canada, in particular, 

praising the excellently translated specialist 

articles. In my time the magazine 

was particularly appreciated in China 

and America (including Canada). The 

magazine was also popular in Brazil. 

German companies see it as a publishing 

platform for presenting their technology. 

When you look at the CP+T from then 

and from now what is particularly noticeable? 

The major difference is that the layout 

used to be more related to the content. 

Today’s layout is picture-oriented. It’s 

similar in GIESSEREI. I like it. It reflects 

modernity. In the past the magazine 

was mainly intended for specialists and 

maybe interested students who already 

knew something of the subject. Now 

both magazines are more interesting 

and appeal to a broader circle of readers. 

What important developments took 

place in foundry technology while you 

were working for GIESSEREI and CP+T? 

Mainly it was the change in materials 

and in the concentration and optimization 

of materials for particular 

parts. And then, of course, the changes 

in foundry technology caused by electronic 

data processing and simulation 

– the use of computers throughout the 

foundry. 

What is your background and how 

did you become an Editor and Editor-in-Chief 

of GIESSEREI and CP+T? 

I am Austrian and studied at the Leoben 

University of Mining and Metallurgy. 

That’s why I still go to the Austrian 

Foundry Congress every year. I 

was active in the Research and Development 

Department of the Institute 

of Foundry Technology in Düsseldorf, 

which I got to via Buderus, already one 

of Germany’s largest foundry companies 

then. After five years at the Institute 

I started work in the Editor’s Office 

of GIESSEREI and CP+T. That was 1980, 

five years before CP+T was founded. 

What was the reasoning for launching 

CP+T 30 years ago? 

It was founded as a counterpart to the 

English-language magazine MPT for 

the steel industry. The initiative came 

from the foundry suppliers, who were 

interested in finding a platform for 

publicizing their technologies abroad. 

What role did the GIFA – where CP+T 

was always on display – have in this? 

The International Foundry Fair GIFA 

in Düsseldorf has been organized in its 

present form since 1956. Since its start, 

CP+T has always been available there 

and has been sought-after by foundry 

specialists from all over the world. 

Today, in 2015, the foundry world has 

changed a lot compared to before. 

What directions are developments 

taking? 

Yes, the changes have been great. Development 

will continue in the direction 

of material optimization. I think 

there will also be further developments 

in light construction materials, e.g. towards 

the use of magnesium. 

And where do you see CP+T in 2020? 

The magazine goes to so many countries 

that it is an excellent platform 

for companies that want to inform 

the whole world about their foundry 

technology. So the magazine should 

also have a bright future. 


NEWS 

ALCOA, TITAL 

Alcoa completes acquisition 

of Tital 

Lightweight, highperformance metals 

leader Alcoa, New York, USA, announced 

that it has completed the acquisition 

of privately held Tital. The acquisition 

will strengthen Alcoa’s global 

position to capture increasing demand 

for advanced jet engine components 

made of titanium. 

Germany-based Tital is a leader in 

titanium and aluminum structural 

castings for aircraft engines and airframes. 

Its revenues from titanium are 

expected to increase by 70 % over the 

next five years as manufacturers of 

next-generation jet engines look to titanium 

solutions for engine structural 

components. Titanium can withstand 

extreme high heat and pressure, and is 

a lighter weight alternative to steel, 

providing increased energy efficiency 

and improved performance. These engines 

are used on large commercial 

aircraft, including wide- and narrow-body 

airplanes. Engines for narrowbody 

aircraft are among the top 

selling jet engines in the world. 

“This acquisition is the next step in 

building a powerful aerospace growth 

engine,” said Klaus Kleinfeld, Alcoa 

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. 

“As a fast-growing innovator, Tital will 

increase our share of highly differentiated 

content on the world’s best-selling 

jet engines. The company’s talent 

and customer relationships will boost 

Alcoa’s expanding global aerospace 

leadership as we meet the future needs 

of our customers. We have the highest 

respect for our future colleagues and 

look forward to welcoming them 

wholeheartedly into the global Alcoa 

family.” 

Philipp Schack, CEO of Tital said, 

“Alcoa is widely recognized for its innovation 

and manufacturing expertise, 

which is fully in line with Tital’s 

philosophy. We look forward to joining 

the Alcoa family, and to combining 

our world-class technologies and processes. 

Alcoa was and is our desired 

partner. We are glad to join this impressive 

company at an exciting time.” 

This transaction will further position 

Alcoa to capitalize on strong growth 

in the commercial aerospace sector. 

Alcoa projects a compounded annual 

commercial jet growth rate of 7 % 

through 2019 and sees a current 9-year 

production order book at 2013 delivery 

rates. Almost 70 % of Tital’s revenues 

are expected to come from commercial 

aerospace sales in 2019. In 2013, 

the company generated revenues of 

approximately 71 million Euro, more 

than half of which came from titanium 

products. 

The acquisition will establish titanium 

casting capabilities in Europe for 

Alcoa, while expanding its aluminum 

casting capacity. Tital’s strong connections 

to European engine and aircraft 

manufacturers such as Airbus, 

SNECMA, and Rolls-Royce, will enhance 

Alcoa’s customer relationships 

in the region, and beyond. 

Tital’s engineers are known and 

highly respected experts in manufacturing 

advanced, single-piece components, 

often delivered ready for the 

customer to install, which lower 

weight and reduce complexity. These 

products, such as engine gearboxes, 

nacelles and fan frames, are used on 

current and next-generation jet engines 

and airframes. Tital will add capabilities 

in casting titanium airframe 

structures, such as titanium castings 

for pylons. Pylons mount engines onto 

airframes and are a highly-engineered 

part because they must bear the load of 

the engine and its thrust. 

In addition, Tital is a leader in process 

technology. It employs advanced 

techniques needed to manage titanium’s 

reactive properties, including 

cold hearth melting and centrifugal 

and gravity casting. Its teams also use 

3-D-printed prototypes, enabling customers 

to test designs and bring a finished 

product to market faster. Tital 

employs more than 650 people, primarily 

in Bestwig, Germany. 

Alcoa has been aggressively growing 

its aerospace business as part of the 

company’s broader transformation. In 

November, Alcoa completed the acquisition 

of global jet engine component 

leader Firth Rixson, announced in 

June. This was the first of two announced 

acquisitions in 2014, including 

the Tital transaction. Earlier this 

year, Alcoa announced investments to 

expand jet engine parts production in 

Indiana and Virginia, opened the 

world’s largest aluminum-lithium facility 

in Indiana, and in Michigan, 

plans to expand its coatings capabilities 

for jet engine components. In addition, 

the company announced plans 

to install advanced aerospace plate 

manufacturing capabilities in Iowa. 

It also announced more than 1,8 billion 

Euro in supply deals with Boeing 

and Pratt & Whitney, which included 

the world’s first forging for an aluminum 

fan blade for Pratt & Whitney’s 

PurePower jet engines. The PurePower 

engine will be used to power some of 

the world’s highest volume aircraft, 

including the next-generation Airbus 

A320neo. 

Alcoa’s aerospace business holds the 

number one global position in aluminum 

forgings and extrusions, jet engine 

airfoils and fastening systems and 

is a leading supplier of structural castings 

made of titanium, aluminum and 

nickel-based superalloys and aluminum 

sheet and plate. It also holds the 

number one global position in seamless 

rolled jet engine rings, engineered 

from nickel-based superalloys and titanium, 

and is one of the world’s leading 

suppliers of vacuum melted superalloys 

used to make aerospace, industrial 

gas turbine, oil and gas products and 

structural components for landing 

gear applications. It also has entered 

into a highly specialized segment of jet 

engine forgings that require isothermal 

forging technology. 

As a first order after the merger Tital 

announced that it is going to produce 

for the Chinese aircraft manufacturer 

Comac. The twin-jet aircraft Comac 

C919 is the second passenger aircraft 

entirely developed in the People’s Republic 

of China. Tital secured firm orders 

to supply 80 different parts made 

from aluminum and titanium investment 

casting. These orders also cover 

the so-called Hinge Arm, the connecting 

element or hinge between the fuselage 

and the passenger door. 

www.alcoa.com 


TRANSVALOR 

Improved software for the 

simulation of steel and metal 

casting 

Thercast is Transvalor’s tried and tested 

3-D finite element software for the 

simulation of metal casting, solidification 

and heat treatment processes. 

It excels thanks to its proven ability 

to forecast real-world results, thus allowing 

plant operators to reduce time 

and expenditure for planning, starting 

up and running casting processes. 

The software has now been thoroughly 

revamped. The greatly enhanced 

8.2 version includes important 

new functionalities as well as 

significant improvements to many of 

its existing features. It can be used for 

steels just as well as for other technical 

metals such as copper or aluminum. 

The outstanding highlight is a new 

comprehensive model of the flow 

characteristics based on real viscosity 

data making it possible to predict the 

rheological behaviour of the melt 

during casting processes as well as 

when solidifying with a much higher 

degree of precision. Another remarkable 

feature is the degree of accuracy 

with which the transformation processes 

within the microstructure 

during heat treatment can be depicted. 

The results thus comprehensively 

match real-world conditions. 

The software permits computing 

processes governing the casting of ingots 

with the same ease and accuracy 

as those applying to continuous casting 

operations. 

Another aspect worth mentioning 

relates to substantial enhancements 

of the man-machine interface. Access 

to and use of different modules and 

features has been greatly improved, 

thus facilitating the easy and efficient 

implementation of variants to simulation 

tasks as well as significant improvements 

with respect to the time 

spent by operating staff. Processed 

data can directly be shared with the 

Forge software package. 

Transvalor, a scientific software editor 

and service provider headquartered 

in France, provides manufacturing 

and engineering intelligence to a 

wide range of industries such as automotive, 

aerospace, energy, medical, 

oil and gas and many others. It has 

Illustration through a cut plane of 

the grain structure of a quarter solid- 

 

developed an extensive suite of cutting 

edge simulation software for materials 

science that addresses a wide 

and varied range of forming processes 

for metallic solid and liquid materials 

as well as for polymers: Forge for hot, 

warm and cold metal forming, Coldform 

for cold metal forming, Thercast 

for casting applications and Rem3D 

for plastic injection molding. 

www.transvalor.com 

100% inline 

Automated visual inspection of castings, cores and molds. 

New capabilities in quality 

assurance: flexible laser gauging 

of complex castings – 

now 100% inline 

Hall 16, 

Stand D 01 

www.inspectomation.de 


NEWS 

TRIMET FRANCE 

New continuous caster in operation 

Since December 10, 2014, Trimet has 

been producing aluminum rolling ingots 

at the Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne 

location. After a test phase lasting 

several months, the Trimet plant in 

Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne put a vertical 

continuous caster into full operation. 

With an annual production capacity 

of around 60,000 t of rolling 

ingots, the system represents a strategic 

addition to the product portfolio 

of the facility in the French Alps. 

Around 145,000 t of primary aluminum 

is produced here annually. In 

addition to rolling ingots, aluminum 

wire for the energy and automotive 

industries is mainly produced by 

some 500 employees in Saint-Jean-de- 

Maurienne and the sister plant in 

Castelsarrasin, in Southwestern 

France. Trimet took over the plants at 

the end of 2013 and has since consistently 

worked toward full utilization 

of the production capacity. The recommissioning 

of the continuous 

caster after more than five years marks 

The vertical continuous caster at the Trimet plant in Saint-Jean-de- 

Maurienne produces up to 60,000 tons of rolling ingots annually 

 

an important step on the road to full 

utilization of the plant. Last autumn, 

the electrolysis production was returned 

to near maximum capacity 

with the recommissioning of production 

line “F.” 

www.trimet.eu/en 

ULTRASEAL INDIA 

Lightweight castings to support 

the automotive supply 

chain 

Suppliers to automotive OEMs were 

shown how to ensure that lightweight 

aluminium components remain leakfree 

when they visited the Ultraseal 

India stand at Alucast India 2014 in 

Bangalore, India. 

The global trend towards making 

lighter, more fuel efficient vehicles by 

designing thinner, more complex 

parts in lightweight materials such as 

aluminium alloys was a key theme of 

the show. 

An eternal problem with cast metal 

parts is that microscopic holes called 

porosity can form during the casting 

process itself and this can create a leak 

path which causes a part to fail. 

With thinner walls and more castin, 

as opposed to bolt-on, features, 

lightweight components can be more 

susceptible to porosity. 

Stephen Hynes, Marketing Director 

of Ultraseal International, said: “One 

of the most serious problems is when 

through porosity occurs – it stretches 

from one side of a casting to the other. 

“The thinner the walls of a part, the 

more likely it is through porosity will 

occur and cause a leak path, leading to 

the component failing under pressure. 

“That is why many OEMs and suppliers 

are now using vacuum impregnation 

with a porosity sealant such as 

PC504/66 or Rexeal 100 as a routine 

quality enhancement. 

“The process is easily incorporated 

into a modern just-in-time production 

line and offers a reliable and permanent 

solution to porosity.” 

Coventry-based Ultraseal has been a 

pioneer in the field for decades. It entered 

the Indian market more than 25 

years ago when it established a Joint 

Venture (JV), Ultraseal India Pvt. in 

Pune, in collaboration with Devindra 

Nath. 

With another JV in China, an office 

in Japan, an operation in the United 

States, a job processing shop in Germany, 

and a host of OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers 

as customers, Ultraseal has a truly 

global reach. 

www.ultraseal.co.uk 


SPECTRO 

New Arcos high-resolution 

ICP-OES Spectrometer 

Spectro Analytical Instruments, Kleve, 

Germany, announced its new Spectro 

Arcos high-resolution ICP-OES 

spectro meter, the first and only spectrometer 

featuring the fast and convenient 

selection of axial plasma or 

radial plasma observation in a single 

We look after every 

grain of sand 

Pneumatic conveying 

technology 

For dry, free flowing, abrasive 

and abrasion-sensitive material 

Spectro Arcos 

ICP-OES 

Spectrometer 

 

Core sand preparation 

technology 

Turn-key systems including sand 

and binder dosing and 

core sand distribution 

instrument – without any optical compromise. 

Designed for use in the most demanding 

elemental analysis applications 

in industry, science, and academia, 

the new Spectro Arcos easily 

surpasses the performance limitations 

of conventional ICP-OES instruments 

– dramatically improving sensitivity, 

stability, and precision, while lowering 

operating costs with the introduction 

of innovative components, unique capabilities, 

and optimum flexibility. 

The new Spectro Arcos establishes a 

new ICP-OES performance class for 

complex analytical tasks – resolving a 

wide array of inherent problems in traditional 

spectrometer design – and caps 

30 years of Spectro experience in developing 

advanced solutions for the elemental 

analysis of metals, chemicals, 

petrochemicals and other materials. 

Features include: 

» Axial or Radial Plasma Observation: 

Spectro’s unique new MultiView capability 

delivers unmatched performance 

improvements in accuracy 

and stability and allows for the 

fast and convenient selection of axial 

plasma or radial plasma observation 

with no optical compromise. 

» Orca Optical System: The CCD optic 

system with a Paschen-Runge 

mount assembly delivers a matchless 

resolution of 8.5 picometer in 

the wavelength range from 130 to 

340 nm. 

» Innovative Power Generator: A 

unique new solid-state generator design 

that provides the highest plasma 

power available for extreme or 

quickly changing plasma loads. 

» Elimination of the Need for Purge 

Gases: SSpectro’s UV-Plus sealed optical 

chamber ends the need for the 

purging of argon or nitrogen gases 

– along with the related supplies, 

maintenance costs, and downtime. 

» No External Cooling System: Aircooled 

interface technology and the 

completely air-cooled generator eliminates 

the need for an external cooling 

system – along with the associated, 

and often substantial, equipment, 

power, and maintenance costs. 

Spectro Analytical Instruments is a 

leading global supplier of analytical 

instruments employing XRF, Arc/ 

Spark, ICP-OES, and ICP-MS technology 

for the elemental analysis of materials 

in industry, research, and academia. 

www.spectro.com 

Reclamation technology 

Reclamation systems for 

no-bake sand and core sand 

GIFA 2015 

Hall 16 / C11 

Konrad-Adenauer-Straße 200 · D-57572 Niederfischbach 

Phone ++49 27 34 / 5 01-3 01 · Telefax ++49 27 34 / 5 01-3 27 

e-mail: info@klein-ag.de · http://www.klein-ag.de 


NEWS 

AGTOS 

chine 

at „Surface Technology” 

After a need for blasting machines 

was indicated for smaller factories 

in the steel industry, Agtos, Emsdetten, 

Germany, reacted by developing 

a machine that fulfils this need. The 

goal was to develop a roller conveyor 

shot blasting system for operators 

that have halls often with low ceilings. 

The “Ocean Blaster” fulfils this 

and other additional requirements. 

The machine is presented by the company 

during this year´s show “Surface 

Technology” in Hannover, Germany, 

on April 13-17. 

The Ocean Blaster is a very compact 

roller conveyor shot blasting machine 

for smaller factories for which a turbine 

wheel shot- blasting machine 

was not profitable due to the capacity. 

From now on, these users can profit 

from the advantages of the Agtos 

blasting technology. An in-house 

blasting system allows for more flexible, 

independent operation and transport 

channels and costs are not incurred. 

The work pieces to be 

processed can be up to 1000 mm high 

and 500 mm wide. 

The Agtos engineers have designed 

the Ocean Blaster to be much more 

compact than other commercial machines. 

It was thus possible to generate 

space advantages. Even the height 

of the system is extremely low at 

4.1 m. Thus, the machines can also be 

used in smaller production halls without 

a foundation. In addition, the machine 

is designed to be operator-friendly. 

A maintenance platform 

allows quick access to the wind sifter; 

appropriately dimensioned maintenance 

openings ensure easy access to 

wear and tear parts in case of maintenance. 

Prior to starting the blasting process, 

using the rotating potentiometer, 

the operator sets the feed speed 

which corresponds to the degree of 

impurity, respective to the desired degree 

of cleaning for the work pieces. 

For processing surfaces that are to 

 

 

have a purity grade of BSa 2.5 after the 

blasting process, the flow-through 

speed is generally approx. 1.0 m per 

min when using round-grain abrasives. 

An additional aspect of the design 

was energy efficiency. The powerful 

Agtos high-performance turbines 

with increased abrasive throughput 

thanks to the one-disc technology 

and the cartridge filtration system 

with differential pressure-independent 

cleaning of the filter cartridges 

offer concrete advantages. As a result, 

the Ocean Blaster consumes a comparatively 

low amount of energy and 

abrasives in comparison to other commercial 

systems. Thus, the operating 

costs are kept low. 

To keep the height of the blasting 

machine low, the bucket elevator was 

separated into two parts. The first part 

cleans the abrasive. The second part is 

responsible for supplying the abrasive 

to the high-powered turbines. 

So the wear and tear costs are kept 

low, a work piece tracking system on 

the intake of the blasting machine ensures 

that abrasives are only introduced 

to the turbines if a work piece is 

in the blasting area. When the fully 

cleaned part has passed the blasting 

area and no more work pieces have 

been fed into the blasting chamber, 

this is detected and the abrasive supply 

is closed and the second part of 

the abrasive circuit is shut off with the 

turbines. 

If no additional work piece is detected 

at the intake light barrier within 

15 min, the first part of the abrasive 

circuit shuts off. For an additional 

blasting process, the system must be 

restarted by pressing the button. 

After the work pieces run through 

the blasting zone, they go to the blowoff 

system which is also activated by 

the slide register. A high-pressure bellows 

supplies air nozzles that are 

aligned so they blow off residual abrasive 

from the work piece surfaces and 

feed it back into the abrasive circuit. 

The outlet sluice, in accordance with 

the intake side, has several rows of 

sealing blades. The discharge of stray 

blasting grains is thus reliably prevented. 

In a service case, these blades 

are replaced in only a few steps. 

This and other advantages allow economic 

processing of the work pieces. 

www.agtos.de 


FOSECO 

Pouring temperature measurement 

for cast iron 

The temperature measurement of cast 

iron is quite a complex subject. The 

temperature of a bath of molten metal 

is by essence not homogeneous. You 

can have in the same molten bath, discrepancies 

of temperature that can 

reach 100 °C, due to location and flux 

motion of cast iron. For this reason, an 

instantaneous punctual measurement 

is not the most effective way to appreciate 

the temperature of molten metal. 

Foseco, Borken, Germany, has developed 

a range of different technologies 

for temperature measurement in order 

to help the foundry man to appreciate 

his pouring temperature range. These 

technologies can be applied to a pressurized 

furnace or bottom pour ladle 

with various types of cast irons. 

Temperature measurement system by Foseco. The company has developed a 

range of different technologies for temperature measurement (Photo: Foseco) 

Itaca - Thermal analysis system 

for iron foundries 

Itaca thermal analysis systems help 

foundries monitor metallurgical process 

performance by analysing base 

and final iron quality. 

Itaca Melt Deck minimizes variances 

in base iron by providing the operator 

information necessary to adjust the 

characteristics of iron within predetermined 

process specifications. It provides 

real time measurement of % Ceq, 

% C, % Si and the nucleation status of 

the iron. 

Itaca 8 provides real time measurement 

of the metallurgical quality of 

the final iron to provide a prediction of 

defect formation tendency and as-cast 

mechanical properties. Real savings 

arise from a reduction in the cost of the 

charge and in the cost of metallurgical 

additives, a lower scrap rate, and improvements 

in the quality and consistency 

of castings. 

The Itaca thermal analysis systems 

enhance the performance and value of 

the metallurgical solutions portfolio 

from Foseco. 

Itaca 8 provides real time measurement of the metallurgical quality of the 

 

Hall 12, Stand A1 + A2 

www.foseco.com 

Video: Itaca thermal analysis system 

foseco-at-gifa.com/en/highlights-2015/ 

videos 


MICHENFELDER 

Controlled molding sand 

quality 

Michenfelder (ME), Mainz, Germany, 

stands first of all for a maximum of expertise 

concerning the process-technical 

procedures of molding sand 

preparation and of the factors influencing 

sand quality. This knowledge 

is based on experience gained during 

more than 50 years with the installation 

of Michenfelder-designed control 

systems in sand preparation machinery 

of major manufacturers in 

foundries world-wide. There are very 

few in the industry who can rely on 

such a wide basis of experience with 

machinery and plant-specific – positive 

as well as negative – specialities 

and characteristics. The ME expertise 

is therefore highly regarded in connection 

with molding sand plant analyses 

or preparatory investment consultancy, 

because planning or optimization 

of sand preparation plant covers more 

factors then just throughput per hour. 

ME also stands for the technically 

leading FoMaSys conception of networked 

moisture measuring, sand testing 

and process control systems for 

real-time monitoring and control of 

molding sand quality. In the range of 

moisture measuring and control systems, 

integrated into mixers and coolers, 

which are the key elements of any 

FoMaSys introduction, there is a new 

type series, Micomp 5, ready to take 

off. The Online-Sandlab, which is also 

new, is generating fully automatically 

and in real time a so far unmatched 

multiplicity of quality-relevant measured 

values, directly at the molding 

machine. These include compactability, 

shear and compression strength, 

moisture and temperature, fines content, 

the bentonite equivalent and, for 

the first time worldwide, permeability. 

Combined with the central process 

FoMaSys – The modular process-integrated molding sand management system 

with Online-Sandlab, process control system MiPro and the latest system 

generation Micomp 5 for continuous sand moisture measurement and control 

in coolers and mixers (Photo: Michenfelder) 

control system MiPro, the measured 

values and process data are prepared 

and analysed in a comprehensible 

manner and the connected system are 

remotely controlled and serviced. In 

addition, Michenfelder supplies various 

systems for sand-premoisturizing 

on conveyor belts. 

The outstanding performance in the 

market with regard to consistency of 

the most important sand parameters 

at the decisive points of the sand 

preparation process makes the difference 

to ME competitors. ME is asking 

to demand a guarantee for the performance 

data and accuracies when the 

application of measuring and control 

technology is decided on. ME guarantees 

the following control accuracy 

values: 

» Output moisture at cooler: ±0.1 - 

0.2 % 

» Output moisture at mixer: ±0.05 - 

0.1 % 

» Compactability directly at the molding 

machine: ±2 % (frequently even 

better values with ±0.9 - 1.5 % are 

achieved in daily routine). 

These data apply in first standard deviation 

and when basic processing rules 

in sand preparation are observed. 

Hall 16, Stand A12 

www.michenfelder.com 


AGTOS 

Reliable cleaning and deburring 

of (die) cast work pieces 

Agtos, Emsdetten, Germany, is going 

to show interested visitors of this year’s 

Gifa a compact blast machine in particular 

for aluminium parts.It requires a 

relatively small installation area and distinguishes 

itself by a low loading height. 

Loading and unloading is possible manually 

as well as fully automatically. This 

machine is especially designed for companies 

treating the products with aluminium- 

or stainless steel shot. 

The work pieces to be blasted – the 

blasting task may be finishing, cleaning 

or deburring – are placed manually or by 

using a manipulator onto the wire mesh 

belt which transports the work pieces 

through the machine. First of all they 

pass through the inlet sluice, which 

seals the sub sequently installed blast 

Compact blast machine in particular for aluminium 

parts (Photo: Agtos) 

chamber towards the 

outside. High-per forman 

ce turbines installed 

in the blast chamber are 

throwing the shot onto 

the work pieces at a high 

speed. Thanks to the design 

of the wire mesh 

belt the work pieces can 

ideally be treated with 

shot from above and below 

at the same time. At 

the end of the blasting 

process, shot and dust 

are blown off from the 

work piece surface. 

The Agtos wire mesh belt shot blast 

plants are designed for highest demands. 

By means of the installed 

high-performance turbines an optimum 

covering of the surface is achieved. 

This guarantees short blasting times and 

high-quality blasted products. 

The automatic abrasive dosing device 

installed above the turbines ensures 

that blasting only takes place 

when there are work pieces in the blasting 

area. This minimizes the wear of 

the shot blast plant. A blower unit removes 

any shot remaining on the work 

piece surface. 

Hall 16, Stand A39 

www.agtos.com 

CHEM-TREND 

High part quality at reduced 

production costs 

Die lubricants and other chemical process aids play a decisive role in part 

 

In die casting, die lubricants and other 

chemical process aids play a decisive 

role in part quality and post-cast finishing. 

At Gifa 2015 Chem-Trend, Howell, 

USA, will present its latest solutions to 

support die casters in improving part 

quality and reducing production costs. 

Technology highlights include Chem- 

Trend’s Micro-Dose-System, designed 

to minimize the amount of plunger lubricant 

applied. The combination of 

liquid lubricants and a special dosing 

system work together to provide superior 

plunger lubrication while reducing 

the propensity of entrapped lubricants 

in the casting. This helps minimizing 

surface defects and reduce time and effort 

in post-cast finishing. Another new 

development is Chem-Trend’s CP-406, 

a highly efficient corrosion protection 

for tooling in storage. The product 

forms a thin protection film that 

also adheres on vertical surfaces. In addition, 

Chem-Trend will present new 

solutions that reduce the formation of 

bacteria, slime and fungus in contaminated 

die lubricant systems. 

Hall 11, Stand D59 

www.chemtrend.de 


KÜTTNER 

Dual turn table centrifugal 

casting machines 

Since 2014, Küttner Gmbh & Co. KG, Essen, 

Germany, has fully integrated the 

centrifugal casting team from its former 

joint venture with Düker, Lau fach, Germany. 

As a first milestone, Küttner designed 

and delivered a dual turn table 

centrifugal casting machine to customers 

in Eastern Europe. 

The project purpose has been to design 

a machine, which will be suitable 

for high volume production of heavy 

duty cylinder liners in constant quality, 

with high degree of automatization. 

The heavy duty liners are typically cast 

with a flange, close to net shape. Machine 

allowances are reduced to minimum 

at highest material yields, due to 

no gating and feeding systems. 

In order to maximize the machine capacity 

at minimal costs, the dual turn 

table concept was developed. Both machines 

are running independently but 

sharing one automatic pouring furnace. 

The central control station enables a 

one man operaton for both machines. 

Each turn table is equipped with 10 

frequency-controlled spinning heads. 

Dual turn table centrifugal casting machines (Image: Küttner) 

The number of heads is determined 

mainly by the number of cooling stations, 

which will be necessary to achieve 

the desired capacities. The spinning 

heads are rotated around the work stations, 

from pouring, cooling, extracting, 

mold cleaning up to mold coating. 

The demand for high qualities and process 

stability required a consistent mold 

treatment, which requires sufficient 

cleaning and a consistent coating before 

each cycle. For that reason, the typical 

mold wash was avoided and the coating 

is sprayed in defined layers into the 

mold. The mold covers are removed before 

the casting extraction, are cleaned 

and separately coated in intermediate 

working positions and set into the 

molds after the coating station. 

Hall 16, Stand: G26 

www.kuettner.de 

Fairs and Congresses 

16th Global Foundry Sourcing Conference 2015 

March, 20, 2015, Shanghai/China 

en.fsc86.com/FSC 

Metal + Metallurgy China 2015 

March/April, 31-3, 2015, Shanghai/China 

www.mm-china.com/En 

Hannover Messe 2015 

April, 13-17, 2015, Hannover/Germany 

www.hannovermesse.com 

119. Metalcasting Congress 

April, 21-23, Columbus/USA 

www.afsinc.org 

Aluminium Two Thousand 

May, 12-16, Florence/Italy 

www.aluminium2000.com 

International Foundry Trade Fair GIFA 2015 

June, 16-20, Düsseldorf/Germany 

www.gifa.com 


Surface quality with impregnation coating (left) and traditional production 

(right) (Photo: Hüttenes-Albertus) 

HÜTTENES ALBERTUS 

Innovative coating to prevent 

 

Foundries are increasingly faced with 

a rising demand on the quality of 

castings, the dimensional consistency, 

and importantly the surface quality. 

For many years foundrymen have 

been struggling with the casting defect 

“white film”, which appears on the 

casting surfaces of thick-walled castings 

made of nodular graphite cast iron. 

This is a pockmark-like, rough area on 

the casting surface, which is covered 

with a white film. 

The film is removed by sandblasting 

the castings; however the irregular surface 

remains and often leads to graphite 

degeneration. The only corrective 

measures described in literature [1] are 

as follows: 

» Lower the pouring temperature 

» Increase the addition of new sand 

» Examine the loss on ignition, electrical 

conductivity, nitrogen content 

and if necessary the phosphorous 

content of the reclaimed 

material 

» Increase gas permeability 

» Reduce the amount of curing agent 

for furan resin bonded moulds 

» Minimize the oxygen-affine elements, 

examine the melt additives 

Unfortunately the above measures 

are either insufficient or cannot be 

fully implemented by the customer. 

For this reason, this casting defect 

leads to higher fettling costs e.g. due 

to rework, additional wall thickness, 

and in some cases higher appraisal 

costs. 

The team from Hüttenes-Albertus, 

Düsseldorf, Germany, has investigated 

in great detail the cause of this problem. 

Working in close collaboration 

with selected partners from the foundry 

industry, a group of R&D chemists 

and product managers examined 

through research the causes and conducted 

field trials. An innovative impregnating 

coating was developed by 

closely analyzing the causes for the 

emergence of the film and carrying out 

individual process steps to overcome 

the defect. This coating is applied to 

the affected areas within an existing 

process (binder system/reclaim/material) 

by means of brushing. This leads 

to a complete suppression of the white 

film. 

The HA team will present this and 

other developments and solutions in 

detail at the GIFA 2015. 

Literature: 

[1] 2. Edition: Guß- und Gefügefehler 

– Stephan Hasse: Berlin - Schiele & 

Schön, 2003 

Hall 12 - Stand C 50 

www.huettenes-albertus.com 

Advertisers‘ Index 

AGTOS Ges. für technische 

Oberflächensysteme mbH 21 

voestalpine Böhler Welding GmbH 2 

FRIEDRICH Schwingtechnik GmbH 11 

Giesserei Verlag GmbH 10, 20, 55 

GTP Schäfer GmbH 21 

GUT Gießerei Umwelt Technik GmbH 33 

Hüttenes-Albertus Chemische Werke GmbH 56 

Inspectomation GmbH 43 

Klein Anlagenbau AG 45 

Messe Düsseldorf GmbH 19 

Konrad Rump Oberflächentechnik 

GmbH & Co.KG 20 

Heinrich Wagner Sinto Maschinenfabrik GmbH 29 


BROCHURES 

Aluminium sand and die casting 

4 pages, English 

A brochure summarizing the activities and competences of aluminium foundry 

1.Guss Maulburg. Castings made by the foundry are used in a wide range of applications 

and industries, including automotive, railway, vacuum pumps, drives, 

machine tools, electric motors, general mechanical engineering, packaging etc. 

www.alucasting-germany.com 

Lifting platforms 


This brochure outlines the programme of lifting platforms offered by SLF Ober- 

 

platforms. Technical data are given in the form of tables. Photos illustrate the versatile 

uses of the platforms. 

www.slf.eu 

Aluminium-based modules and parts 


A brochure providing an overview of the activities of aluminium sand casting 

specialists Eurotech. It covers the aspects of engineering and prototyping, tooling 

development, vacuum and hand moulding, mechatronic assembly, testing facilities 

and quality assurance. 

www.eurotechgroup.eu 

Safety technology for melting and holding equipment 


This comprehensive brochure summarizes the line of refractory monitoring and 

measuring solutions offered by Saveway. These include systems for continuous 

monitoring of the remaining lining thickness, hot spot measurements, monitoring 

 

temperature measurements. 

www.saveway-germany.de 


Specialists for carbon and sulphur 

6 pages, English, German, French, Spanish 

This concise brochure outlines the range of carbon and sulphur products made by 

CS Additive for customers in the iron, steel and chemicals industries. The products 

include sulphur recarburizers, carbon products, metallurgical coal and coke, lump, 

granulated and powdered sulphur, slab and roll sulphur, sulphur balls, etc. 

www.cs-additive.de 

Industrial furnace engineering 

8 pages, English, German 

 

systems engineering. The systems are used in regenerators and burners, in casting 

systems, for thermal metal and waste treatment. The equipment includes solutions 

 

www.jasper-gmbh.de 

Specialist suppliers of chemical materials 

4 pages, English, German 

ence 

materials, SUS and recalibration samples, consumables, etc. The supply range 

includes environmental samples, pharmaceuticals and metals. An interactive data- 

 

www.labmix24.com 

Castings for the industry 


A brochure outlining the range of cast products supplied by CASTService to industries 

such as automotive, furnace engineering, mechanical engineering and steel 

plant technology. The demanding applications call for customized concepts ranging 

from consulting, design, pattern making, casting, machining through to service. 

www.castservice.de 


BROCHURES 

Preview of the next issue 

Publication date: 1 June 2015 

Photo: Messe Düsseldorf 

Selection of topics: 

Special: GIFA 2015 

The International Foundry Trade Fair GIFA – “Bright World of Metals” 

– is about to begin. The preliminary work is completed successfully, 

the companies have signed up and the fair organization 

 

all back on board. So far, a total of about 43 000 square meters of 

exhibition space are booked – again with a very high international 

share. GIFA is divided into the areas patterns, molds and cores, 

foundry chemicals, feeding technology and foundry machines and 

equipment. For details please refer to the GIFA special in the next 

issue 

F. Hansen: Fully linked inorganic core production 

of the cylinder head production at Volkswagen 

Inorganic core production has meanwhile been introduced in numerous 

foundries in Germany, especially in the automotive sector. 

After producing intake manifolds and cylinder heads for 10 years 

in serial production with inorganic cores the Volkswagen foundry 

in Hanover in 2012 started a fully linked inorganic core production 

I. Schruff : Die-cast structural components for 

lightweight vehicles 

A prerequisite for a successful competition of structural components 

made of die-cast with alternative methods are powerful 

and trouble-free operating molds. Die-cast structural components 

can be manufactured almost ready-to-install. Compared 

with stamped welded components many production steps can 

be eliminated as well 

Imprint 

Pub lish er: 

Ger man Foundry As so ci a tion 

Ed i tor in Chief : 

Michael Franken M.A. 

Ed i tor: 

Robert Piterek M.A. 

Ed i to ri al As sist ant: 

Ruth Fran gen berg-Wol ter 

P.O. Box 10 51 44 

D-40042 Düsseldorf 

Tele phone: (+49-2 11) 68 71-358 

Tele fax: (+49-2 11) 68 71-365 

E-mail: re dak tion@bdguss.de 

Pub lished by: 

Giesserei-Verlag GmbH 

P.O. Box 10 25 32 

D-40016 Düsseldorf, Ger ma ny 

Tele phone: (+49-2 11) 69936-200 

Tele fax: (+49-2 11) 69936-225 

E-Mail: cpt@stah lei sen.de 

Man ag ing Di rec tor: 

Jürgen Beckers, Arnt Hannewald 

Ad ver tis ing Man ag er: 

Sig rid Klinge 

Circulation: 

Ga briele Wald 

Pro duc tion Man ag er: 

Burkhard Starkulla 

Layout: 

Peter Büchele 

Ad ver tis ing rate card No. 2 from 1.1.201 

Pub li ca tion: Quar ter ly 

An nu al sub scrip tion rate (incl. post age) 

Home: 110,– incl. 7 % VAT; Mem ber States 

in the EC: Sub scrib ers with VAT-No. and 

Third Countries: 110,–; Sub scrib ers without 

VAT-No.: 110,– plus 7 % VAT; Sin gle 

copy 33,–. 

Min i mum sub scrip tion pe ri od 12 months. 

Ter mi na tion of sub scrip tions can only be 

made from 31st De cem ber and no tice of ter - 

mi na tion must be re ceived by the Pub lish ers 

by 15th No vem ber. 

Oth er wise, the sub scrip tion is au to mat i cal ly 

re newed and pay able for a fur ther 12 

months. 

© 201 Gies se rei-Ver lag GmbH. Düsseldorf 

Print ed by: 

Kraft Druck GmbH 

Industriestr. 5-9 

76275 Ettlingen, Ger ma ny 

Printed on paper bleached totally chlorine-free 

All rights, in clud ing those of trans la tion 

into for eign lan guag es and stor age in data 

banks, reserved. 

Photomechanical reproduction (photocopy, 

mi cro copy) of this tech ni cal pub li ca tion or 

parts of it is not al lowed with out spe cial per - 

mis sion. 

The re pro duc tion in this jour nal of reg is - 

tered trademarks does not war rant the as - 

sump tion, even with out any spe cial marking, 

that such names are to be con sid ered 

free under the trade-mark law and may be 

used by any one. 

Cer tifi ca tion of cir cu la tion by the 

Ger man Aud it Bu reau of Cir cu la tion 

ISSN 0935-7262 



12. March 


CASTING 


INTERNATIONAL 

30 years 

CP+T 


1 




04.03.15 13:35 13:3 

CP+T International 

he technical journal for the 

global foundry industry 

Please contact us for further information 

CP+T Headquarters 

Advertising Manager: Sigrid Klinge 

Phone: +49 211 69936-125 

Managing Editor: Robert Piterek 

Phone: +49 211 6871-358 

E-Mail: cpt@stahleisen.de 

Giesserei-Verlag GmbH 

P.O. Box 102532 · D-40016 Düsseldorf 

Phone: +49 211 69936-125 

Fax: +49 211 69936-129 

www.giesserei-verlag.de

CPT International 01/2015

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?