CPT International 02/2015

www.giesserei-verlag.de
10. June
2015
CASTING
PLANT AND TECHNOLOGY
INTERNATIONAL
GIFA
Special
2
Get ready for the largest
GIFA fair ever!

EDITORIAL K
Welcome to Düsseldorf!
GIFA is not just the world’s largest foundry trade fair. In terms of exhibitor
numbers and reserved exhibition space it will also be larger this year than ever
before!
This issue, naturally the most extensive one for four years, contains some special
highlights that the editorial team of CASTING, PLANT & TECHNOLOGY
has put together for you. The featured technologies are exemplary in their
particular fields. For example, the one on completely linked inorganic core
production for manufacturing cylinder heads at the Volkswagen Foundry in
Hanover (from P. 24), which shows how numerous complex process steps can
be harmonized with one another – from the preparation of the core molding
material and core shooting, through automatic deburring and transport via
robot, to the placement of each two core packages in the double mold on the
casting turned table.
The new material SiWind for wind turbine hubs exemplifies the viability of
the 5,000-year-old production process of casting: foundries have opened up a
new customer group – not just in Germany – and have entered the field of renewable
energies with cast wind turbine hubs. New materials can defy the
harsh marine conditions and be used to optimize the need for greater wind
turbine energy yields (from P. 8).
With its new research and development center in the Dutch city of Enschede,
Foseco also provides an example of best practice: the company has taken a new
path by concentrating the research activities of the foundry supplier group in
one research center (from P. 50).
The use of PET oxygen technology as a reasonably priced alternative to conventional
coke could revolutionize some melting operations. A promising
trial is underway at the Gienandt iron foundry (from P. 32).
Other topics examined in this issue include numerical simulation of the
quenching process for castings (P. 46), an article on progress in inorganic binding
systems and, last but not least, two articles on a trailblazing collaboration
between the German and South African foundry industries involving energy-efficient
technologies (from P. 60).
This GIFA issue of CASTING, PLANT & TECHNOLOGY is rounded out by a
comprehensive GIFA Special that represents a cross-section of the companies
at the trade fair (from P. 73). Are you interested in the technical presentations?
Then check out what the four technical forums have to offer in our Special.
Presentations that are not held in English are simultaneously translated.
Have a good read!
Robert Piterek, e-mail: robert.piterek@bdguss.de
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 3

K FEATURES
INTERVIEW
Kehrer, Friedrich-Georg
GIFA – the international event where top decision-makers meet 6
MATERIALS
Mikoleizik, Peter; Geier, Georg
SiWind - Development of materials for offshore wind power plants
of the multi megawatt range 8
COREMAKING
Müller, Jens; Deters, Heinz; Oberleiter, Martin; Zupan, Henning;
Lincke, Hannes; Resch, Ronja; Körschgen, Jörg; Kasperowski, Axel
Nothing is impossible – advancements in inorganic binder systems 16
Rösch, Raimund; Dichter, Thomas; Hansen, Ferdinand; Jäger, Günther;
Uhde, Sven
Fully linked inorganic core production at Volkswagen’s cylinder
head foundry 24
MELTING SHOP
Kadelka, Heinz; Dusil, Matthias; Werner, Gerd; Weber, Mike;
Matschkewitz, Ulrich
Gienanth foundry tests PET oxygen technology 32
Cover-Photo:
Impression from GIFA 2011
(Photo: Messe Düsseldorf)
K COLUMNS
Editorial 3
News in brief 68
8
50
The objective of the MEGAWind research project was the
development of a strong material with high ductility which is
suitable for offshore wind power plants (Photo: Siemens)
The new Foseco research and development center in Enschede is
intended to gain a holistic understanding of production and to undertake
forward-looking product redevelopment (Photo: A. Bednareck)

CASTING
2 | 2015
PLANT AND TECHNOLOGY
INTERNATIONAL
CASTING TECHNOLOGY
Schruff, Ingolf
Pressure die cast structural components for lightweight
automotive construction 40
SIMULATION
Schmalhorst, Carsten; Greif, David
Numerical simulation of the quenching process for castings using AVL FIRE 46
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Piterek, Robert
Exploring tomorrow’s technologies 50
Holub, Pavel
“Critical mass for R&D” 57
INDUSTRIAL COOPERATION
Friedl, Christa
More efficient melting with German foundry technology 60
Bosse, Manuel
BMBF project reduces energy and resource requirements in South African
foundries 64
GIFA SPECIAL 73
Brochures 114
Advertisers´ index 112
Fairs and congresses 116
Preview/Imprint 117
60
The EffSAFound project of Germany's Federal Ministry for Education and Research is intended to help geht South Africa's important
foundry industry off the ground with German efficiency-enhancing technology
(Photo: Palesa Riba)

K INTERVIEW
GIFA – the international event
where top decision-makers meet
“Experience four innovative concepts at the same place and time” – this is the motto for GIFA, the
world’s leading international trade fair for foundry technology, and its offshoots METEC, THERM-
PROCESS and NEWCAST in Düsseldorf, Germany, this year. The four well-established trade fairs
that are devoted to foundries, thermo process technology and metallurgy are focussing in particular
this year on such current trends as 3-D printing, minimization of resource input and energy saving.
Messe Düsseldorf Director Friedrich-Georg Kehrer explains the objectives of the event
What are exhibitors’ main expectations
today when they participate in
GIFA/the Bright World of Metals?
Anyone who intends to be actively involved
in the casting markets of the
future will find that the world’s leading
international trade fair for foundry
technology is the ideal platform. Companies
are also aware, however, that
their business success in the coming
years depends on successful participation
in GIFA. It is a compact forum
lasting five days during which international
contacts can be established
and then need to be followed up afterwards.
The exhibitors in particular
strengthen their market presence by
taking part in GIFA. There is no other
trade fair location where they can meet
such a large number of highly qualified
and capable decision­makers. A
total of almost 80,000 international
experts came to the Bright World of
Metals (GIFA, METEC, THERMPRO­
CESS and NEWCAST) four years ago.
This is of course a major attraction to
exhibitors and they see their participation
as an opportunity to work even
more intensively on establishing a
foothold on the international market.
What are the big advantages of Messe
Düsseldorf to the companies participating?
On the one hand, of course, the outstanding
synergy benefits of holding
four trade fairs at the same time and
place that concentrate on the foundry
technology and metallurgy sectors.
While the Düsseldorf location plays an
important role for GIFA too, on the other
hand. With its position in the heart
of the European market, but combined
at the same time with an excellent international
network of 71 foreign representatives
covering 132 countries,
our trade fair location is ideal for internationally
oriented industries. As
the organiser, we carry out numerous
advertising activities in the most im­
6 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

In 2015 the largest “Bright World of Metals” (GIFA, METEC, NEWCAST and THERMPROCESS) of all time will take place.
2,124 exhibitors will present latest technology and pioneering innovations. At GIFA nearly 900 companies from 46
countries will exhibit (Photos: Messe Düsseldorf)
portant target markets and often hold
local meetings with such opinion leaders
as associations and press representatives,
in order to present the Bright
World of Metals. Our exhibitors benefit
directly from these activities, because
they help to increase the international
spread of the trade visitors.
Has GIFA become more international?
In which regions are the markets developing
particularly well?
In agreement with our partner associations
and board members, we have
increased our efforts to attract exhibitors
and visitors from Asian countries
– particularly India and China – as well
as in Brazil, Mexico and Chile. We anticipate
great interest from the USA
again as well, which is already reflected
in numerous inquiries we have received.
It goes without saying that our
activities also focus to a large extent on
such neighbouring European countries
and producers as the Nether lands,
Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and
Turkey. As far as Russia is concerned,
which has always been a major industrial
trade partner in the past, we will
have to wait and see how the current
general and market situation there develops.
We hope that an upward trend
becomes apparent again in the coming
months.
What news can you give us about the
markets served by the industry? Are
shifts taking place? You will certainly
be hearing what is happening from
the exhibitors.
Apart from Russia, the main regional
outlets for castings have remained
largely unchanged. The trend towards
India and China has, perhaps, continued
to strengthen, so that the potential
number of visitors from there is
even greater now. I see similar developments
in Brazil and South Africa, as
exhibitors have confirmed to us too.
What are the latest developments
and main areas of innovation that
GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS and
NEWCAST will be presenting?
3­D printing is an issue that will be
playing a central role in the GIFA exhibition
programme. This is a response
to the trend towards computer­based
3­D printing processes, with which
sand molds and cores bonded with
synthetic resin can be manufactured
relatively quickly. I am looking forward
to seeing what current developments
the companies will be surprising
us with in this area. We are also
looking forward to the new developments
in the die­casting field, which is
eminently suitable for the use of fully
automatic die­casting cells. GIFA and
NEWCAST will have plenty to present
here, from handling robots to entire
modern “islands” that operate automatically.
www.gifa.com
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 7

K MATERIALS
Rotor hub for a wind power plant, prior to coating in the shot blasting cabin (Photos: Siempelkamp)
Authors: Dipl.-Ing. Peter Mikoleizik, Dr. mont. Georg Geier, Siempelkamp Giesserei GmbH, Krefeld (today Mahle
König KG, Rheinquell)
SiWind - Development of materials
for offshore wind power plants of
the multi megawatt range
From 2006 until 2012, a circle of companies and institutions collaborated on the MEGAWind
project, a research project launched by the German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature
Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMU). The objective of this project was the successful
development of a higher-strength material with sufficiently high ductility to make it a suitable
material for structural members in offshore wind power plants
Status quo in offshore wind
power technology
In the past, the development in wind
power technology has been characterized
by a constant increase in turbine
capacity, a trend which is still continuing
especially in plants intended for offshore
use. Turbines with a nominal capacity
of 5-6 MW currently represent
the top league of turbines installed in
the North Sea. Due to the high costs of
the foundations and the efforts associated
with the connection of offshore
plants, even more powerful turbines are
under development or in the prototype
stage. Building turbines of increasingly
higher capacities holds out the prospect
of higher economic efficiency.
There is a general consensus among
all parties involved that offshore wind
power generation will only have a future
if its costs can compete with other
forms of power generation. This means
that an increase in turbine size for its
own sake is not reasonable. It only
makes sense if considered in the context
of efficiency.
8 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

K MATERIALS
Development of the te ch nology
The progress in wind power technology
is aimed at condensing the performance
capacity of individual components
rather than scaling the plants up
in proportion to the intended capacity
increase. This would lead to an overproportional
rise in manufacturing
costs due to the increasingly greater
weights and dimensions to be handled
– especially in the case of large components.
For example, precise machining
of the components could become
a problem if the maximum working
load of the machine tools is exceeded.
Also, the growing transport and logistics
effort, for example, for cross-country
transports, would drive up the
costs. Finally, only coastal locations or
locations on inland waters would be
suitable as manufacturing sites. These
would have to be newly built or, if existing,
they would have to be upgraded
with the necessary equipment. Experience
made to date has shown that the
weight and size of the components also
have an effect on the number of available
jack-up vessels, limiting both technological
and financial possibilities. A
higher nacelle weight has also structural
consequences, as more massively designed
towers and stronger foundations
would have to be built. This would require
more material and use up more
resources. The tower height, and in case
of offshore installations also the water
depth, lead to a multiplication of costs.
Limits to component weight
and size
Limiting the weight and size of components
in the nacelle is therefore crucial
to the achievement of higher efficiencies
in wind power generation through
an increase in nominal capacity or
higher-capacity turbines. The resulting
condensation of performance capacity
usually leads to growing loads
acting on the components. These loads
have to be reliably sustained by the respective
material. First of all, higher-strength
materials are more expensive
due their higher contents of
alloying elements. Higher strength
values in metallic materials are generally
accompanied by reduced ductility.
Ductility provides a high degree of
safety against brittle failure of a structural
member. In order to increase the
strength of cast iron alloys, it has been
common practice to add pearlite-stabilizing
alloying elements to achieve
partial or complete pearlitization of
the metallic matrix. This is, however,
accompanied by a distinct decrease in
elongation at break (Table ­1). Brittle
materials are prone to spontaneous
failure without prior indication in
the form of a notable plastic deformation.
Therefore, for safety reasons brittle
materials are not allowed to be employed
in the structural members of
wind power plants [1]. In many fields
of technology, it is a widespread belief
that if a component is subjected to excessive
stress, plastic deformation will
lead to energy dissipation, indicating
gradually but visibly an imminent failure
of the component.
Figure­1: Weight savings are achieved via reductions in wall thickness. A specimen
geometry was derived from current and anticipated section thicknesses
Figure­2: Microsection from the core zone of a 130-mm-thick section: The matrix
is completely ferritic and free from carbides. The majority of the graphite
particles are of form VI, size 5/6
10 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

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out what’s in it for you. Bühler offers everything you need to be one step ahead
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and Bühler‘s high quality.
www.buhlergroup.com/GIFA
GIFA 2015, Düsseldorf / Germany
Hall 11, Booth A42
Innovations for a better world.

K MATERIALS
New materials: Offshore electricity generation calls for systematic
further development of ductile iron grades (Photo: Siemens)
The “MEGAWind” research
project
The objective of the MEGAWind research
project supported by the German
Federal Ministry for Environment,
Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear
Safety (BMU) (project no. 0327593)
was to develop a higher-strength material
featuring sufficient ductility to make
it a suitable material for structural members
in offshore wind power plants. At
the same time, the aspect of affordability
of renewable energy was to be taken
in due account to ensure resource- and
energy-efficient production and construction
processes. Noteworthy about
this project is the fact that, alongside
the material-related research activities,
a suitable calculation method for the
intended market segment was investigated
and established. The further development
of the material, fracture mechanics
testing and definitions as well as
the resulting fracture mechanics calculation,
all act together to complement
existing component calculation procedures.
All disciplines involved were represented
by renowned and specialist institutes
and companies. The partners to
the project were:
» Siempelkamp Giesserei GmbH,
Krefeld: project management, materials
development and certification,
» Aerodyn Energiesysteme GmbH,
Rendsburg: component calculations
and certification in consideration of
aspects of fracture mechanics,
» Fraunhofer Institute for Structural
Durability and System Reliability
LBF, Darmstadt: determination of fatigue
parameters in consideration of
the surface condition,
» Institute for Materials Technology,
Technical University of Freiberg:
commissioned to determine fracture
mechanics characteristic values,
» DNV GL Renewables Certification:
commissioned to certify materials
and audit the fracture mechanics
verification procedure.
The material SiWind and its
objectives
More than ever, structural materials are
subject to fierce competition. This not
only applies to absolute characteristic
values of the materials but also to aspects
like cost efficiency, availability and
reliability. During the last few decades,
ductile cast iron has increasingly gained
in importance. What makes ductile cast
iron so attractive as a structural material
are its steel-like, static and above all
cyclic strength properties accompanied
by good ductility performance. Another
important aspect, especially in Central
Europe, is the high process security,
which means high reliability and a good
cost-benefit-ratio of the material, all of
which have contributed to its success.
Due to these properties, ductile iron
has become firmly established in the
wind energy sector. It is the predominant
casting material for load-bearing
and large components in the drive train.
Large components such as rotor hubs or
12 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

machine supports weighing in excess of
60 t are series cast using ductile iron.
Certification­and­rules­compliance
In order to facilitate the market acceptance
of the new material and give future
users security, the certification of
the new material was defined as one key
element of the project. DNVGL Renewables
Certification (GL) was selected as
independent certification body. GL not
only boasts a high international reputation
and presence but can also draw on
various rules and guidelines for the design
and calculation of onshore and offshore
wind energy turbines. These rules
and guidelines specify concrete verification
procedures, calculation methods
and requirements to be complied with.
This provided the basis for a plannable
and successful certification process. According
to the GL guideline for offshore
wind power plants, edition 2005 [1], the
employment of cast iron with lamellar
graphite for “load-bearing structural
members” is practically ruled out for
safety reasons, because in the event of
an excessive load acting on the structural
member the failure will be completely of
the brittle type. In contrast, according to
[2], ductile cast iron grades, which do not
belong to the group of higher-strength
grades, have been approved. A material is
commonly defined as ductile if the elongation
at break A is higher than 12.5%
and the impact energy Kv is greater than
10 J at a temperature of -20 °C. Similar
definitions are found in other mechanical
engineering guidelines, for example,
the FKM guideline [3]. Additionally, the
GL guideline stipulates that the ductile
cast iron grades with spheroidal graphite
may not feature more than 10 % pearlite
in the ferritic matrix. The calculated
design verification of a structural member
is based on an analysis of the static
load-carrying capacity at extreme load;
for the lifetime verification, modi fied
Miner’s rule is to be applied. Generally, a
service life of at least 20 years is assumed.
Beside the defined concept of synthetic
S/N curves involving a classification for
component dimensioning, it is also possible
to base the dimensioning on test results.
In the latter case, verification must
be provided by the specific manufacturer
that the measured values are transferrable
to other components and that
the number of specimens is statistically
well founded. Higher-strength cast iron
materials, i.e. according to DIN EN1563
[2] materials featuring a tensile strength
above 400 MPa, cannot be employed unless
specifically approved by the certification
body. In these cases, it is usually
required to provide a verification that
the specific component meets the fracture
mechanics safety requirements. As
an alternative to the additional fracture
mechanics calculations, specifically for
gear box housings the Note on Engineering
Details [4] provides for the consideration
of a Stress Reserve Factor (SRF) of
1.5 in the static and cyclic calculation.
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 13

K MATERIALS
Characteristic
Material
value
EN-GJS-500-7 EN-GJS-700-2
R m
in MPa 360 420 650
R p0,2
in MPa 220 290 380
A in % 12 5 1
Matrix ferritic ferritic/pearlitic pearlitic
Table­1: Decreasing ductility and increasing strength of the ferritic/pearlitic
cast iron grades (characteristic values according to DIN EN 1563:2012 for section
thicknesses ranging from 60 mm to 200 mm); R m
– tensile strength, R p02
–
yield strength, elongation at break
Project­objective:­higherstrength
In the concrete material development
it was intended to increase the
strength of ductile cast iron by solid-solution
strengthening. This retains
a ferritic matrix. Thanks to this
ferritic matrix, there is only a small
decrease in elongation at break while
tensile and yield strength values are
significantly raised.
Eugen Weil Industrie-Service
Ohmstrasse 1
35315 Homberg/Ohm
Tel.: +49 (0)6633 / 8 26
Fax: +49 (0)6633 / 57 73
info@ewis.eu
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As the characteristic values of casting
materials vary depending on the section
thickness and the focus of the investigation
was specifically on large cast
components for offshore applications,
from the very beginning of the project
the tests were based on representative
section thicknesses. The feasibility
of manufacturing real components
from the higher-strength material and
with an adapted geometry was tested
in a simulation. It
turned out that as
a result of the increased
strength,
weight savings can
be achieved in existing
designs via
reductions in wall
thickness. A representative
specimen
geometry was
derived (Figure­1)
from current and
anticipated section
thicknesses.
The result is
a plate weighing
1.2 t with section
thicknesses of 60,
130 and 200 mm.
These section
thicknesses could
be flawlessly cast.
Samples were taken
from the areas
of the various section
thicknesses
and used to determine
the respective
static, cyclic
and fracture mechanics
characteristic
values. Based on the obtained
intermediate results, first the chemical
composition was determined and
optimized in preliminary tests. In subsequent
testing campaigns the casting
method was to be optimized with a view
to the melting process and the treatment
of the melt. Eventually, the final
material modification was reproduced
several times in order to have available
sufficient specimens for the certification
of the material by GL. From the outset,
the sampling and testing was coordinated
with the certification institute. This
involved not only the size and shape of
the samples but especially their location
and orientation as well as comprehensive
documentation and supervision of
all individual steps. With a view to the
critical section thicknesses, the tests to
determine the static characteristic values
were performed on tensile specimens
featuring a testing cross-section
of 14 mm. The cyclic tests were primarily
conducted on round specimens with
testing cross-sections of 15 and 24 mm.
For the fracture mechanics tests SEB20
and CT25 specimens were used.
Fracture mechanics calculations
Besides the development and the testing
of the material, another element of
the certification process consisted in a
model fracture mechanics safety verification.
The tests were performed on the
representative geometry of a rotor hub
assuming real loads and the determined
characteristic material values. Thus a future
user of the material will not only get
a new material with enhanced and certified
properties. He will also be provided
an evaluated and generally accepted
verification and calculation procedure
for any future component approval.
This provides the basis for the universal
use of the material in the wind power
sector, without any limitation to specific
categories of components.
Material characterization
SiWind
The new material has been certified under
the designation SiWind. The standardized
nomenclature according to
[5] is GJSF- SiNi30-5. The characteristic
static values are listed in Table 2
14 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

versus EN-GJS-400-18-LT, the material
commonly used in the wind power
sector. The characteristic values refer
to cast specimens of type D according
to [2] for a representative section thickness
ranging between 60 and 200 mm.
SiWind is the first higher-strength
casting material certified and approved
for employment in offshore wind power
applications. The characteristic static
values could be increased by up to
50 %. Independent tests have shown
that the ductility under cyclic
stress is higher than expected
and similar to the ductility
of EN-GJS-400-18LT. In fracture
mechanics calculations
for the design of a component
it could be demonstrated that
visible flaws can be endured
over the usual maintenance
intervals. Hence, the currently
usual operational and service
efforts in offshore wind power
plants will not increase as a result
of the enhanced plant performance.
Thanks to the fact
that the new cast iron grade
is a ferritic material, machining,
coating and reworking
costs are comparable to those
of EN-GJS400-18-LT and even
lower than those of currently
known higher-strength ferritic/pearlitic
grades (Figure 2).
Especially a comparison with
the established synthetic S/N
curve calculation method
shows good correspondence
and should foster the confidence
in the new material.
The exemplary calculation
shows that the new material
has a weight-saving potential
of approx. 15 % in the case
of newly designed structures.
Also existing structures can
be optimized by replacing existing
ductile cast iron grades
with the new material. The investigations
performed within
the framework of the MEGAWind
project have partly been
more profound and extensive
than tests performed for the
materials used in the past, especially
the tests relative to the
Table­2: Comparison of the static characteristic
values of grades SiWind
and GJS-400-18-LT
behaviour under cyclic stress and to the
fracture mechanics properties.
The “MEGAWind” project , which is the
subject of this report, was conducted under
the sponsorship of the BMU (project no.
0327593). The responsibility for the contents
of this article lies with the authors.
INFUSER
ADVANCED
POLLUTION
CONTROL
Characteristic
Material
value
SiWind GJS-400-18LT
R m in MPa* 410 (459) 360
R p0,2 in MPa* 330 (344) 220
A in %* 10 (17) 12
* Values for section thicknesses between 60 and
200 mm; measured values in brackets.
References:
http://www.cpt-international.com
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E-Mail: fh@infuser.eu
www.infuser.eu

K COREMAKING
Inorganic core making with industrial robots at ASK Chemicals in Hilden, Germany (Photos + graphics: ASK Chemicals)
Authors: Jens Müller, Heinz Deters, Martin Oberleiter, Henning Zupan, Hannes Lincke, Ronja Resch, Jörg Körschgen
and Axel Kasperowski, ASK Chemicals GmbH, Hilden
Nothing is impossible – advancements
in inorganic binder systems
Odorless core production, odor-reduced casting, significantly less cleaning of machines and
tools, the resulting higher output and productivity, and the advantages in terms of casting, such
as faster solidification due to reduced ingot mold temperatures – these benefits of the Inotec
technology are already well-established. Despite all this, inorganic binder systems will always be
benchmarked against existing technologies such as cold box. This is also the reason why, in the
past, people criticized surface properties for being less smooth than with organic binders and
decomposition after pouring for being worse
16 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

Figure 1: Factors that can have a major influence on penetrations during the
pouring process
However, recent developments could
prove that inorganic binders have improved
considerably and in some applications
even reveal additional potential
for optimization. With the newly developed
Inotec generation, even areas that
are highly susceptible to penetration,
such as the gate region, can be realized in
a process-consistent manner and without
additional coating of the cores. This
system is 100 % inorganic and leaves absolutely
no condensate deposits in the
casting tools. In addition, there is no formation
of smoke during the casting process.
By contrast, cast pieces that were
produced using conventional methods,
such as the cold box method, exhibited
a significantly inferior surface, which
means that Inotec is much more than
just an alternative here.
In the past, decoring of cast pieces
that were produced using inorganic
binders was often quite a challenge
in the area of water jackets, especially
if the decoring machine had only
a few degrees of freedom. The Inotec
Promoter WJ 4000 has helped to significantly
improve shake-out properties
in particular, with the result that
even complex and filigree water jacket
cores can now be safely removed from
the component after casting.
Further enhancements, such as the
improvement of moisture stability or
the use of inorganic binders beyond
the confines of light metal casting, are
closing the gap on conventional organic
systems. State-of-the-art technical
equipment for the investigation of
system properties and a growing understanding
of the running processes
have led to a more efficient conception
of new binder formulations and
the overcoming of limitations much
faster than before.
Despite all these future challenges
for both inorganic and organic binders,
one thing is beyond doubt: inorganic
binders are more environmentally
friendly than organic systems. This
was confirmed in no uncertain terms
by the German Technical Inspection
Association TÜV Rheinland after carrying
out a comparative life cycle assessment
of cold box and Inotec
You have surely heard it said
before: Nothing is impossible!
This saying effectively typifies the development
of inorganic binder systems
in recent years. However, there are still
some lingering prejudices and doubts
about this technology, and some of
them are hard to break down. Statements
like the following are constantly
being made: Inorganic cores show
a lower dimensional accuracy when
casting, tend to have higher core fracture
and are unstable to moisture and
therefore cannot be coated with water.
The waste sand cannot be regenerated,
the casting surfaces show more sand
accumulations, the cores have worse
shake-out performance and inorganics
are not suitable for iron casting.
Some of these statements are incorrect,
some of them are certainly essentially
correct and others are being
disproved by new developments in inorganic
binders.
In addition, the following statement
is also frequently encountered: “We really
only want an inorganic cold box
system and nothing more!”
However, chemically speaking, they
are worlds apart. By its very nature,
chemistry sets specific limitations here
that are hard to overcome.
Even so – as recent developments in
particular have shown – the new products
are mainly aimed at closing the
gap on traditional methods. Examples
of how this has been achieved in several
sectors, sometimes even exceeding
expectations, are provided below.
Casting surfaces
It is well known that the requirements
for casting surface quality are high.
Foundries spend a great deal of time and
money to meet the growing demands.
In some cases, this also involves investment
in secondary measures in blanks
processing, for instance in blasting sys-
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 17

K COREMAKING
tems. Of course, the desire to eliminate
many such measures is a factor here, but
there is always something of a discrepancy
between what is technically feasible,
what is asked for and what is viable
in terms of cost. Positive effects on
casting surface quality are attributed to
organic binders for two reasons: firstly
the resulting anthracite layer that forms
a protective barrier between the casting
Figure 2: Sample casting AL 226, 720 °C
Figure 3: Mechanism of action of the new generation of promoters
Figure 4: Optimization of the casting result with the new Inotec TC 4000 promoter
and the core, and secondly the resulting
gas cushion that counters the metallostatic
pressure, thus making it harder
for the metal to penetrate the sand
structure and for penetrations to occur.
Neither can be expected with inorganic
binders, firstly because there are no
combustion products and secondly because
the resulting gas volume (water
+ air) is much lower than with organic
binder systems. It is therefore clear
that another approach must be found
for inorganics in order to counter penetrations
and sand accumulation. But
what factors in the casting process actually
have a positive or negative impact
on penetrations (Figure 1)?
One obvious factor is the casting
temperature or the thermal energy that
acts on the cores in the casting process,
which is clearly indicated by the fact
that more penetrations occur in the
“hot spots” and in the gate region in
particular. The casting pressure also
shows a significant effect. For instance,
in low-pressure permanent mold casting,
a considerable impact on surface
quality is observed if the casting pressure
changes even slightly. There is often
a very fine line between cold laps
and penetration here. To enable new
solutions to be developed for the series
production process in the foundry,
one thing is absolutely crucial: The
problems and questions encountered
in the foundry must be broken down
to laboratory and technology-center
scale in such a way that the casting errors
to be rectified can be reconstructed
or even caused. In the case of optimization
of penetrations, this was carried
out with a gradual increase in the casting
pressure until the casting result in
the technology center matched that
of the foundry. At this point, modification
of the system was started, and the
surface quality was gradually improved
through evaluation of the casting results
and corresponding optimization loops
until the result shown in Figure 2 was
attained. Figure 3 shows how the mechanism
of action that leads to this positive
casting situation can be visualized.
Components that reduce the wetting of
the sand core surface by the metal are
incorporated in the binder system. In
addition, compaction of the core is increased
by adding the new ingredients,
thus making it harder for the metal to
penetrate the gaps of the sand core surface.
Together, the two effects lead to a
considerable reduction in visible penetration
on the casting. By taking this
mechanism of action into account, areas
where reworking was previously essential
can now be completed without
processing (Figure 4).
18 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

Core disintegration – shakeout
In the past, removing the cores of cast
pieces that were produced using inorganic
binders was often quite a challenge
in the area of water jackets, especially
if the core removal system had
only a few degrees of freedom. At the
same time, the requirements for the residual
dirt content of components are
becoming increasingly strict. One development
objective should therefore
be to optimize existing systems with
regard to their disintegration behavior
after casting. Insertion of predetermined
breakage points in the binder
bridges, which are not produced until
the casting process, i.e. when thermal
energy penetrates, significantly improves
the disintegration properties as
Figure 5 clearly shows. With the Inotec
WJ 4000 promoter, complex and
filigree water jacket cores can now be
removed safely from the component
again after casting (Figure 5).
Dimensional accuracy when
casting
To achieve both increased engine output
and low fuel consumption, one essential
requirement is an effective cooling
concept for new cylinder heads and
blocks. The resultant complexity and
low wall thicknesses of the water jackets
necessitate a high degree of thermal
resistance during casting. Otherwise
there is a risk of deformations, which
lead to the scrapping of the component.
For this reason, warm-box and
Croning systems have been used with
organic systems, especially with particularly
critical deformation-prone water
jacket cores as these systems have very
high heat resistance. Inorganic systems
can show plastic behavior without a corresponding
modification in the casting
temperature range of the aluminum and
therefore have a tendency to deform.
A rough description of this behavior
is that the silicate softens like molten
glass, thus becoming deformable under
stress. The difference between a system
that is optimized in terms of thermal resistance
and a system that has not been
modified is shown in the hot-distortion
measurement in Figure 6. Whereas
the non-optimized system has very
fast bending, the heat-stable system
Figure 5: Optimization of shake-out performance after casting with the Inotec
WJ 4000 promoter
Figure 6: Hot-distortion measurement of two inorganic systems (orange: not
optimized, blue: thermal stability increased)
has a much more “stable” characteristic
curve.
If a casting test is performed with
both systems, the picture is also clear.
When the thermally unstable system is
used, clear differences in wall thickness
are apparent, which suggests a massive
amount of deformation during casting.
By contrast, the thermally stable
mixture produces a dimensionally accurate
casting (Figure 7).
Heating microscopy is an extremely
suitable method of examining the resistance
of the binder systems. Here, a rectangular
test specimen of the material is
put into a furnace and the softening and
melting behavior is recorded in real time
with a camera. The differences between
the systems are also clearly apparent
with this measuring method. In the case
of the non-thermally optimized sample,
softening is discernible at 778 °C,
whereas the more thermally stable mixture
only loses its geometric rectangular
shape at 1,310°C (Figure 8). In this way,
systems can be assessed in terms of their
thermal behavior and their effectiveness
at preventing deformations.
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 19

K COREMAKING
Figure 7: Optimization of dimensional
accuracy as a result of increased
thermal stability
Figure 8: Heating microscope measurements (non-optimized and more thermally
stable system)
New casting-related potential
Many positive influences of inorganic
series core manufacture on the foundry
process have already been described:
Odorless core production, odor-reduced
casting, significantly less cleaning
of machines and tools and the resulting
higher output quantity and
productivity as well as the advantages
in terms of casting, such as faster solidification
enabled by a lowering of ingot
mold temperatures, are well-known advantages
of the inorganic technology.
In particular, the absence of combustion
residue gives component developers
new freedoms that they did not
previously have with organic-based
binding agents. One impressive example
is the new central feed principle,
which is used at BMW’s plant for
crankcases of future engine generations
[1,2] in Landshut, Germany. Inorganic
cores are used as central feeders
here, thus minimizing the risk of sooting
ventilation ducts in the low-pressure
permanent mold. This concept
is not feasible with organic cores. The
DAS distribution of the three concepts
is shown in Figure 9. It is apparent that
the new central feeder concept leads to
DAS advantages in all component areas.
The warmest point (thermal center,
binding of the feeder) and therefore
the point with the highest local DAS is
in the area of the lower dead center of
the piston, a point that is not subject to
excessive thermal or mechanical stress.
The tension rod area also solidifies very
quickly and can be influenced externally
via the permanent mold. The tendency
towards leaking after mechanical
processing falls dramatically, and
the sealing rates are miniscule.
Figure 9: Central feeding concept utilizing inorganic cores in low pressure die casting
20 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

Figure 10: Test casting of step core, GJL, 1,458 °C (left: Cold Box with additive, right: Inotec)
Iron casting
Use of modern inorganic binders in
iron casting (core hardening with a
hot tool and hot air, not CO 2
) is not yet
widespread. This is probably because –
in contrast with light-alloy permanent
mold casting – the process sequence
and the sand system are regarded as
more complex, the casting temperatures
are around twice as high, and therefore
the requirements for thermal resistance
much higher. In addition, in the case of
inorganic binders, the cold box method
is superior to the largely physical (drying)
process in terms of productivity in
many areas, particularly if the core geometries
become bigger and bulkier.
Even so, inorganics have considerable
potential, particularly in iron casting. In
particular, problematic parts that need
to be worked on with special sands or
additives in combination with a coating
against veining, are predestined for use
of inorganic binders since they show a
much lower tendency towards veining
– or indeed none at all – compared
with organic systems. Figure 10 shows
test castings from step cores in GJL,
1,458 °C. The casting of a cold box system
with an additive and the one with
an inorganic system are shown. One
half of each of the cores was coated. It
is clearly apparent that the coated and
uncoated sides of the inorganic core are
completed better and have fewer penetrations
right through to the final stage,
i.e. the stage with the highest thermal
stress. This figure also reflects initial
experience from foundry operations,
where inorganic cores can be used successfully
in a targeted manner to reduce
veining, penetrations and gas. There is
no doubt that even more positive news
can be expected from this area of application
in future.
Optimization of moisture resistance
and coating resistance of
inorganic cores
Moisture stability has always been the
Achilles’ heel of inorganic cores. This
is because of the nature of the chemistry.
Binding agents are based on
silicates that are dissolved in water,
known as water glass. Water is thus
the solvent in the system. In addition,
the hardening reaction is largely
reversible (balanced reaction). This
means that when large amounts of
energy and water are present (e.g. in
the case of high air humidity and high
temperatures), the back reaction takes
place and the cross-linking of the silicates
is reversed, resulting in the cores
losing their strength and breaking
down. This can be prevented by removing
water from this balance, i.e.
through storage in a dry place. Since
the latter is not always easily possi-
Figure 11: Moisture (green) and strength pattern (numerical values) of watercoated
inorganic cores during furnace drying
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 21

K COREMAKING
ble in practice, additives (known as
promoters) are used to significantly
delay the back reaction, thereby allowing
the cores to be handled in a
process-consistent manner, even after
“normal” storage. However, inorganic
cores remain hydrophilic. An even
greater challenge is coating the cores
with a water-based coating because
the water acts on the core directly and
in concentrated form. Application of
the water coating on the cold core is
not critical at first but becomes critical
by the time the coating is to be dried
in the oven. Then, the process shown
in Figure 11 takes place. Before coating,
the cold core has a strength level
of 460 N/cm². The core is coated and
starts its “furnace journey.” Because
of the high temperatures (150 °C)
and the water present, the relative air
humidity rises rapidly, which makes
the core increasingly weak and causes
the strength level to fall from 295
to 120 N/cm². When the turnaround
point is reached, i.e. the maximum air
humidity falls again, the drying process
of the coating continues and the
core reaches its minimum strength,
probably the most critical point in the
furnace drying process. It is now determined
whether the core withstands
the stress, deforms or even breaks. If
it gets through this critical phase, at
the end of its furnace journey, the
core will have a highly respectable final
strength of as much as 260 N / cm²
when hot and as much as 360 N/cm²
when cold. The final strength of a
coated core may therefore be quite
high. The main critical factors are the
drying process and the temporarily air
humidity levels in conjunction with
the high temperatures in the furnace.
Consequently, the major chemical
challenge is transferring a water-soluble
system – as this is what inorganic
binders are – to a moisture-resistant
Figure 12: Strength pattern of water-coated cores during furnace drying
(green: standard system, blue: optimized system)
state as much as possible after hardening.
In this respect, Figure 12 shows
the result of the latest research, namely
the moisture level of coated cores in
two binder systems in relation to the
dwell time in the drying furnace. The
standard system shows the strength
pattern portrayed here, with a minimum
strength of approx. 90 N/cm².
Although the second system essentially
has a somewhat lower initial
strength level, it only drops to a figure
of approx. 250 N/cm² during furnace
drying. This means that in relative
terms, the cores produced with
this optimized binder system lose
a maximum of 30 % of their initial
strength, while the standard system
loses approx. 80 % of its strength. It
can also be seen again here that the
final strength rises back to a very acceptable
level in both cases, i.e. after
complete drying and cooling, provided
that the cores come through furnace
drying intact. The optimized
binder system is currently undergoing
testing by the customer and, if the results
are confirmed, this could possibly
broaden the process scope of inorganic
binder systems even further,
either in the use of these binder systems
under non-optimum climatic
conditions or in use with water coatings,
which could particularly benefit
the introduction of inorganic binders
in iron casting.
Summary
Inorganic binders are subject to more
rumors than almost any other area of
foundry work. What can they actually
do, and what can’t they do? The growing
interest and increasing number of
users clearly show that this technology
is now an established part of aluminum
permanent mold casting at least.
The cost savings in terms of maintenance
and cleaning of the systems as
well as the resultant higher productivity
in the casting process are key factors
in this success. At the same time,
new development stages of the binders
are closing the gap on organic systems:
Better casting surfaces, higher
thermal stability and optimization of
disintegration after casting have been
significant optimization steps of the
last generation of inorganic binders.
And there are also signs of progress in
improving the storage stability of the
naturally moisture-sensitive inorganic
cores. At the same time, it is clear
that the use of inorganic cores does
not have to be limited to light-alloy
permanent mold casting as inorganics
offer huge potential in prevention
of classic casting defects (such as veining).
“Nothing is impossible” is therefore
a very fitting phrase for the core
of development in the inorganic sector:
Much of what has been achieved
with inorganic binders to date would
have seemed impossible to many people
in the past. As a result of intensive
research in this field, it can be assumed
that so many hurdles that seem restrictive
at the moment will be cleared in
future.
www.ask-chemicals.com
References:
www.cpt-international.com
22 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

EXTRUSION + DIECASTING + FOUNDRY + ROLLING + FINISHING + MACHINING + FABRICATING + RECYCLING
21-24 JUNE 2017 VERONA-ITALY
INTERNATIONAL FOUNDRY
EQUIPMENT EXHIBITION
EXPO OF CUSTOMIZED TECHNOLOGY
FOR THE ALUMINIUM & INNOVATIVE METALS INDUSTRY
Organized by
www.metef.com

K COREMAKING
Authors: Dr. Raimund Rösch, Thomas Dichter, Dr. Ferdinand Hansen, Günter Jäger and Sven Uhde, Volkswagen AG,
Hanover Foundry
Fully linked inorganic core production
at Volkswagen’s cylinder head
foundry
Fully linked inorganic core production at Volkswagen (Photos and Graphics: Volkswagen Foundry Hannover)
Inorganic core production is now used in many foundries in Germany, particularly for the automotive
sector. Exploiting the knowledge and experience gained from over ten years of serial production
of intake manifolds and cylinder heads with inorganic cores a fully linked inorganic core
shooting unit was put into operation at Volkswagen foundry in Hanover in 2012. The plant design
is presented here. It reflects the results of a previous planning workshop with all those involved,
including plant operators, the Planning Department and Quality Assurance. The process
consists of core material preparation, core shooting, automatic deburring and transport by robot,
deposition on trays before placement of each two core packages in the double mold on the
casting turned table. The technical and scientific interrelationship of inorganic core technology is
presented. The core properties are illustrated by way of hot and cold bending strengths in the
production process. Finally, the advantages of inorganic core technology are summarized
24 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

Figure 1: Process of inorganic core production: mixing of sand, binder and additives – shooting of the molding material
into the core box – hardening of the core by the heated tool and heated air – removal of the core
Inorganic core making is now found in
many foundries in Germany, particularly
for the production of castings in
the automotive sector. Industrial-scale
inorganic core making is still a challenge,
particularly with respect to integrated
process chains, robotic and
tray handling, and under extreme climatic
conditions.
Exploiting the knowledge and experience
gained from over ten years of serial
production of intake manifolds and
cylinder heads with inorganic cores a
fully linked inorganic core shooting
unit was put into operation at Volkswagen
foundry in Hanover in 2012.
Inorganic core shooting process
including core hardening
The process of inorganic core production
consists of four steps. It begins
with the mixing of weighed quantities
of silica sand, additives and binders
for the molding material. In a second
step, the molding material is
transported to the core shooter and
shot into the core box. In a third step,
Figure 2: Binder bridges in the core (scanning electron microscope photo)
the core is hardened by means of the
heated core tool and heated purging
or gassing air. Finally, the core box
is opened, the finished core is ejected
and ready for further processing
(Figure 1).
A purely inorganic molding material
system consists of silica sand (SiO 2
),
binder (a modified silicate solution)
and additives (synthetic and natural
minerals). The hardening process is a
condensation process, creating a sol-
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 25

K COREMAKING
Figure 4: Schematic diagram of the
chemical structure of a binder bridge.
the binder bridge, while the carbon derives
from sample preparation for scanning
electron microscopy (Figure 4).
Figure 3: EDX analysis of a binder bridge.
id silicic acid (silicate). The inorganic
core has sufficient handling strength.
The microscopic structure of the inorganic
core compound has been examined
with the help of scanning electron
microscopy (Figure 2). 30 to 60 % of the
surfaces of the silica sand grains are
coated with the binding agent (binder
with additives). The gaps between sand
grains are filled with the binding agent,
forming binder bridges. A stable binder
bridge can be recognized from its crackfree
structure. The structure of a binder
bridge has been examined using energy
dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX).
The presence of the chemical elements
Al, Si, Na, C and O could be determined
(Figure 3). Si, O and Na are elements of
The core assembly plate and
the casting
The core production process described
here is part of the manufacturing line
1.4 liter TSI for engine power output 90
kW to 110 kW, e.g. in the Golf 7, Passat,
Audi A3 and Seat Leon. The core package
consists of seven cores (Figure 5):
» water jacket core,
» inlet port core,
» outlet port core,
» core for the water-cooled integrated
exhaust manifold,
p core
a
Top core
Insert core
Outlet Insert sidecore
Outlet side
t core
Core for water-cooled
integrated exhaust manifold
Core for water-cooled
integrated exhaust manifold
Water jacket core
Outlet port core
Outlet port core
Integrated exhaust
manifold
Integrated exhaust
manifold
b
Inlet side
Inlet side
ort core
Blow-by core
Inlet port core
Blow-by core
Figure 5: The 1.4 liter TSI cylinder head (EA211): a) outlet side with cores, b) inlet side with cores
26 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

AlSi10Mg(Cu)
from melting plant
KSM 1
KSM 1 Water
core / watercooled
integrated
exhaust manifold
X2
KSM 3
Top core/insert
core x2
KSM 1
Inlet/outlet/blowby
x2
KSM 4
Top core/insert
core x2
Casting carousel
6 double
casting
machines
Cooling store
Figure 6: Production concept for the 1.4 liter TSI cylinder head (EA211)
» blow-by core,
» insert core,
» top core.
The cores have a total weight of 17 kg.
The casting alloy is AlSi10Mg(Cu). The
as-cast weight is 22 kg; after first-cut
machining the cylinder head weighs
13 kg.
Production concept
The production process of the cylinder
heads is based on a decentralized
concept. Inorganic core shooting and
the preparation of the aluminum alloy
takes place next to the casting
equipment, which consists of a casting
turned table with six double casting
machines. Four core shooting machines
supply cores to the casting
turned table (with a diameter of 12
m). After pouring and solidification,
the cylinder heads are removed from
the molds and placed in the cooling
store (Figure 6).
Figure 7: Transport vehicle (left) after
being filled from the mixing
drum (right)
Production sequence
The basic molding materials – silica
sand, additives and binders – are stored
in silos and containers in the sand
preparation plant. All three basic materials
are automatically weighed according
to a defined recipe, and placed
in a vertical mixer. The mixing process
takes about 2 min. The mixer empties
into a transport vehicle (Figure 7),
which takes the molding material to
the core shooting machine, the vehicle
releases the molding material into the
supply hopper of the core shooting machine
through the opened base flap. After
shooting and hardening of the core
it is removed from the opened core tool
by a robot-operated gripper and placed
upon a conveyor belt (Figure 8). The
two types of water jacket cores are automatically
deburred by robots at a special
workstation on the way to the conveyor
belt (Figure 9).
a
b
Figure 8: Water jacket core (a) and
inlet & outlet port cores (b) made
using inorganic core production
Figure 9: Robots deburr the water jacket cores
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 27

K COREMAKING
a
a
b
b
Figure 11: Core inspection
Figure 10: Positioning of plant components
for core production: a) 3P
model in the planning workshop, b)
identical real plant design
At the end of the conveyor belts, employees
remove the water jacket and
port cores by hand, inspect them for
any incomplete contours, and place
them by hand directly opposite on
trays at the end of the conveyor belt.
The arrangement and positions of the
four core shooting machines had been
worked out two years before commissioning
in a production/planning/process
workshop (3P) . All workplaces had
been modelled in cardboard and all processes
had been simulated. Even the cycle
time had been determined. The real
plant components were designed based
on these full-scale models, followed by
successful installation and commissioning
(Figure 10a). These 3P workshops
have proved highly successful
and are used for all production facilities
of the Volkswagen group.
A roller conveyor system transports
the trays with the water jacket and port
cores from the two core placement stations
to the casting turned table. On
the way, the trays pass an inspection
camera that checks the completeness
of cores (five pieces) (Figure 11).
Top cores and insert cores are made
on two core shooting machines located
opposite to first mentioned machines,
removed from the opened
core tools by a frame gripper, held still
in the beam path of another illumination
and camera system for inspection
(Figure 12) and, if the core contour is
in order (Figure 13) added to the tray.
Figure 12: Corevision camera and
illumination system: a) removal gripper
with cores, b) system during
illumination (green)
The core package with seven cores
is now complete and has a weight of
17 kg (Figure 14). The cycle time per
core package is 30 seconds.
The manufacturing sequence is
based on a linked production concept
without a core depot. The distance between
core deposition on trays and
placement of the complete core package
in the mold on the casting turned
table is just 12 meters.
A robotic gripping arm picks up two
core packages from the trays on the conveyor
belt (Figure 15), rotates through
Figure 13: Monitor display showing inspection results
for completeness of core contours with ‘in order’ findings
Figure 14: Complete core package. It consists of seven
cores and has a weight of 17 kg. Per core package the
cycle time is 30 seconds
28 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

Figure 15: Detailed view of gripper
Figure 16: Placement of the core packages in the double
casting machine
180°, and places them into the waiting
double casting machine (Figure 16).
The double casting machine moves to
the next station and the two molds are
simultaneously filled with molten aluminum
alloy from two ladles. The aluminum
solidifies, while the turned table
continues to turn. Then the cylinder
heads are removed.
Smoothly linked core production requires
rapid core hardening. This is provided
by the Cordis binder system from
Hüttenes-Albertus Chemische Werke
GMBH in Düsseldorf, Germany. The
hot and cold bending strengths of all
water jacket and port cores produced
from May to July 2014 are represented
in the graphs shown in Figure 17 and
have a low amount of scatter.
Hot bending strength Water
cores in N/cm²
Cold bending strength Water
cores in N/cm²
205
190
170
465
440
425
Production days from May to July 2014
Summary
The advantages of inorganic core technology
compared to organic systems
can be summarized as follows:
» no emissions, no mold and room extraction
systems required,
» no deposits (condensate) in casting
tool (Figure 18),
» ideal conditions for cooling base
plate,
» low tool wear,
Hot bending strength Port
cores in N/cm²
200
185
170
Production days from May to July 2014
Production days from May to July 2014
Figure 17: Scattering of mechanical
properties of inorganic cores produced
from May to July 2014: hot bending
strength of water jacket cores;
cold bending strength of water jacket
cores; hot bending strength of
port cores; cold bending strength of
port cores (from top to bottom)
Cold bending strength Port
cores in N/cm²
500
460
435
Production days from May to July 2014
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 29

K COREMAKING
Figure 18: Base plate of a serial mold after 6 hours of operation
The absence of pyrolysis products
in the inorganic process leads to improved
tool and casting product properties,
prevents investments in extraction
systems, and simplifies the
obtaining of operation approval from
factory inspectorate.
Inorganic core technology for cylinder
head production is series-proven.
The cores thus produced are suitable for
handling by robotic grippers as well as
for transport on tray systems.
A specifically selected inorganic
binder system combined with optimally
adjusted core hardening in a heated
core tool with heated purging air is ideal
for cylinder head production in a directly
linked flow.
» longer mold service life (>8 weeks),
» improved dimensional accuracy of
castings,
» ideal for linked production,
» improved prerequisites for approval
of operation by factory inspectorate.
www.volkswagen.com
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PulsReg® Zentral Regenerator, 12 MW
Gesellschaft für Energiewirtschaft und Kybernetik mbH / Bönninghauser Str. 10 / D-59590 Geseke
Telefon: +49 2942 9747 0 / Fax: +49 2942 9747 47 / www.jasper-gmbh.de / info@jasper-gmbh.de
30 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

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

K MELTING SHOP
Meltshop at Gienanth in Eisenberg (Photos + graphics: Linde AG)
Authors: Heinz Kadelka and Matthias Dusil, Linde Gas Düsseldorf, Gerd Werner, Linde Gas Mainz, Mike Weber, Gienanth
GmbH, Eisenberg, and Ulrich Matschkewitz, Dako coal GmbH, Essen
Gienanth foundry tests PET oxygen
technology
Pulverized petroleum coke (petcoke) is an efficient and cost-saving alternative to conventional
coke as fuel for foundry shaft furnaces. However, in order for the material to be used in the best
possible way, new processes and plants are needed. Linde has developed such a solution: the
TDI-PET technology based on the TDI blowing nozzle injection method. The process has been
tested at Gienanth GmbH, based in Eisenberg, Germany
Over the last few decades, there have
been repeated efforts to use alternative
fuels in shaft furnaces, especially cupola
furnaces. However, ultimately no
field tests were able to prove this to be
viable alternative. The problems posed
by the transport of the material were
too big to overcome. It was impossible
to achieve stable and wear-free feeding.
One key cause of the problem was the
abrasiveness of the various fuels, i. e.
their abrasive effect on surfaces. However,
today we can make use of a material
which features all properties needed
to ensure smooth and wear-free feeding
and an optimal energy exchange,
namely petroleum coke or petcoke.
Pulverized petcoke – origin
and properties
Between 600,000 and 700,000 t of
fuel-grade petcoke are produced every
year at refineries in Germany. Petcoke
is obtained in the last stage of mineral
oil processing. Due to the various
upstream distillation steps aimed
at maximizing the yield of mineral
oil based products, the coke produced
in the delayed coking process
features only very little variations in
combustion properties. Its most outstanding
feature is the extremely low
ash content of less than 1 %, leading
32 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

Figure 1: Flow diagram of the petcoke feeding plant supplied by Dako GmbH
Figure 2: Manifold at the furnace
to a constantly high carbon content
above 90 %.
In a downstream combined drying
and grinding process, the crude petcoke
is processed into pulverized petcoke.
In order to ensure reliable conveying
of the pulverized material it is
necessary to achieve a residual moisture
content below 1%. Combined
with a low ash content, the pulverized
petcoke supplied by Dako Coal
GmbH, based in Essen, Germany, features
a guaranteed calorific value above
34,000 kJ/kg, making it the commercially
available solid fuel with the
highest calorific value.
Compared to other pulverized fuels,
especially pulverized lignite, pulverized
petcoke is a low-reactivity fuel
(ignition temperature at around
700 °C) due to its low content of volatile
matter (< 10 %). In order to be able
to fulfill the igniting and combustion
requirements for use in industrial furnaces,
the petcoke must be ground in
a sophisticated process down to a fineness
of R 0.09 mm < 6 %.
The soft structure of the crude petcoke
produced in Germany (HGI > 70)
gives the powder properties similar to
graphite. Thanks to these properties, it
is ideally suited for quasi abrasion-free
Runner iron temp. in °C
1510
1505
1500
1495
1485
1480
pneumatic conveying. In spite of its
large surface area, pulverized petcoke
can be considered as non-explosive, in
contrast to other solid fuels in powder
form. When a plant is designed, the
risk assessment generally reveals that
there is no need to implement any constructional
(tertiary) explosion protection
measures. The safety-related plant
engineering requirements are limited
to measures that avoid the occurrence
of ignition sources (primary and secondary
measures).
R-Temp.
PET kg/h
1475
08:38 08:45 08:52 09:00 09:07 09:14 09:21
Time
Figure 3: Effect of petcoke rate on runner iron temperature
260
250
240
230
220
210
190
Petcoke feeding rate in kg/h
Petcoke in a cupola – a longterm
test
Only a long-term test was considered
to be suitable to provide reliable and
conservative information about the
use of petcoke in cupola furnaces.
Linde conducted such a test together
with Dako Coal GmbH. As early as in
2012, at the International Cupola Day
in Dresden, Germany, Linde and Dako
presented their first petcoke project: At
the Weilbach plant of Linde Material
Handling GmbH, they tested the fuel
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 33

K MELTING SHOP
Figure 4: Installed TDI-PET system
Section
Scale
Figure 5: Functional principle of the PET lance in the TDI tube
Figure 6: TDI-PET feeding system inside a water-cooled Cu nozzle
in a long-campaign cold blast cupola
plant. During a period of one year, aspects
of wear, sulfurization and feeding
accuracy could be studied.
Several examinations by the German
Institute of Foundry Technology
(Institut für Gießereitechnik IfG)
and other institutions confirmed that
the use of petcoke as fuel did not have
any negative influence on the off-gas,
slag or metallurgy. Convinced by these
results, the iron foundry Gienanth
GmbH, based in Eisenberg, Germany,
agreed to use Linde’s pet-coke-based
TDI-PET system in production. Dako
adapted the conveying equipment to
the specific conditions of the existing
cupola plant.
The Gienanth foundry
Gienanth GmbH is a foundry with
most state-of-the-art manufacturing
equipment and vast know-how accumulated
during more than 275 years
of company history. Competence and
technological expertise are key elements
of the company’s philosophy.
The 30 t hot blast cupola forms the
centrepiece of the melt shop. In threeshift
operation, the cupola is used to
make both grey cast and ductile iron.
Tasks and objectives of the
pilot plant
Of all contractually specified tasks, safeguarding
maximum security of iron
supply by the cupola had top priority.
To this end, a failure modes and effects
analysis (FMEA) was developed jointly
by all parties involved. The most important
aspects covered by the FMEA were:
» maximum redundancy of the conveying
and feeding systems
» maximum precision of conveying
and distributing between the nozzle
systems
» maximum safety around the conveying
equipment
» economical and ecological benefits
» avoidance of metallurgical problems
» avoidance of problems associated
with sulfurization.
Powder conveying and dosing
plant
When designing and implementing
the powder conveying and dosing sys-
34 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

tem, the following specifications concerning
the cupola operation had to be
complied with:
» absolute availability
» constant conveying of powder at
a requested rate between 100 and
500 kg/h within the shortest possible
time
» dosing precision
» continuous gravimetric measurement
and verification of the quantities
conveyed
» optimal distribution of the pulverized
fuel to six furnace lines
Due to the positive experience with
the dispensing units used in the Linde
foundry in Weilbach, the basic concept
of this solution was adapted to the
requirements of the Gienanth project.
The dispensing unit was accordingly
adapted and optimized.
Despite the already good flow behaviour
of pulverized petcoke, further
measures were adopted to optimize the
material flow. In addition to modifications
affecting the volume and the geometry,
also mechanical and pneumatic
measures were implemented.
The dispensing unit installed at
Gienanth feeds via three outlets
( Figure 1) which can be coupled with
one another as desired. The current
feeding rate is continuously measured
by gravimetric weighing devices
and checked versus the quantities
required. The conveying accuracy is
higher than 95 %. The target value is
attained in less than three minutes.
The smoothness of the conveying
process allows the use of a manifold
to distribute the pulverized material
into the six furnace lines. Speed flow
meters monitor the even distribution
of the pulverized coke in the feeding
lines (Figure 2).
The entire plant is operated and
controlled via the control room of
the cupola plant. The feeding rate of
pulverized petcoke is set according
to the melting rate, which in turn is
determined by the quantities of added
hot blast and oxygen. Further important
criteria are the CO/CO 2
content
in the top gas, the combustion
chamber temperature and other parameters.
Petcoke rate
ETA in %
C in %
59
58
57
56
55
54
53
3,44
3,42
3,40
3,38
3,36
3,34
3,32
Petcoke rate
Natural gas
Comb. chamber temp.
requirement
( Comb. chamber
temp. )
Figure 7: The petcoke rate indirectly controls the C content of the iron and
the consumption of natural gas
Specifications of the conveying
equipment
When the new process was implemented,
the specifications concerning the
Time
ETA V
C %
08:38 08:45 08:52 09:00 09:07 09:14 09:21
Figure 8: Effect of ETA V on carburization
Comb. chamber
temp.
C % without HIGHJET TDI PET
3,40
3,35
3,30
3,25
C % with HIGHJET TDI PET
08:24 09:36 10:48 12:00 13:12 14:24 15:36 16:48 18:00
Time
Figure 9: Carbon analyses with and without TDI-PET
C-Content
C-Content
Natural gas
requirement
Carbon content in %
accuracy of the conveying equipment
were redefined. This was necessary because
even very small variations would
affect the metallurgy of the melt and
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 35

K MELTING SHOP
the furnace operation. The conveying
system, developed by Dako, today operates
with an accuracy of < 5 % petcoke.
There is a direct relationship between
the Boudouard reaction and the
amount of petcoke added (Figure 3).
The basis: TDI-PET technology
Figure 4 shows the TDI-PET installation
at the penstock above the water
seal trough and below the hot blast
duct and the expansion joint. Directly
above the inspection flap, a steel
pipe feeds the petcoke to the oxygen
system. The TDI blowing nozzle injection
system has been arranged to the
right of the penstock.
Runner iron temp. in °C
1515
1510
1505
1500
1495
Runner iron-temp. with HIGHJET TDI PET
As shown in Figure 5, this design allows
the fuel – in this case, pulverized petcoke
– to be guided to the respective TDI-PET
burner lances and carried along by the
HighJet stream. This stream is characterized
by a high impulse and a high
oxygen content. Consequently, a mixture
of pulverized petcoke, pneumatic
air and oxygen can be injected into the
cupola by a high impulse, facilitating
a very deep penetration into the shaft
furnace, whilst optimally exploiting the
energy contained in the fuel.
Thus, the energy required to melt
the charge is not only provided by the
foundry coke but also by the solids injected
by the TDI-PET burner lances.
This allows the furnace operation to
be optimized and the coke rate further
reduced. It is deemed realistic that up
to 22 % of foundry coke can be saved,
depending on the amount of initially
charged coke. Of course, each furnace
must be considered separately.
Figure 6 shows the arrangement
of the TDI-PET lance inside the water-cooled
cooper nozzle. An advantage
is that the injection speed of the
PET 1.25 %
1490
Runner iron-temp. without HIGHJET TDI PET
1485
08:24 09:36 10:48 12:00 13:12 14:24 15:36 16:48 18:00
Time
Figure 10: Effect on the runner iron temperature (idealized time line)
CO in %
12
11
10
9
8
Burner on
Burner on
CO % with HIGHJET TDI PET
Burner on Burner on Burner on
CO % without HIGHJET TDI PET
08:24 09:36 10:48 12:00 13:12 14:24 15:36 16:48 18:00
time
Figure 11: Effect on CO content in the top gas (idealized time line)
pulverized petcoke is much higher
than the hot blast speed in the copper
nozzle. At the relining intervals, no
significant wear was observed at the
injection system.
Figure 7 illustrates and describes the
principle of using pulverized petcoke
as fuel.
Results of the TDI-PET technology
– sulfur analysis
Due to the fact that pulverized petcoke
contains up to 2.5 % of sulfur, special
attention was placed on the sulfur
analysis. It turned out that the sulfur
has no effect whatsoever.
During the long-time operation of
the furnace, it could be proved without
doubt that the higher sulfur contents
posed no problem. During five months
of grey cast iron production, an increase
by not more than 0.0063 % was
determined. In case of ductile iron, the
value was 0.005 over the same period.
Any variations are the result of variations
in the coke quality. Obviously, a
slightly higher part of the metallurgical
sulfur is discharged via the slag and the
top gas. However, the quantities are below
the respective limits of detection.
Petcoke – effect on efficiency
and carburization
A key factor for the proper application of
the petcoke technology is to understand
the furnace-specific processes going on
when petcoke is charged, especially in
cases where the furnaces are operated
with reduced rates of foundry coke.
Continuous measurements of the
CO and CO 2
concentrations in the top
gas between the below-charge take-off
and the combustion chamber helped
to optimize the furnace operation and
made any negative influences immediately
obvious. While Figure 7 illustrates
how petcoke can influence the
iron chemistry, Figure 8 shows that the
operation with petcoke does actually
have a decisive effect.
Analyses of the runner iron typically
reveal fluctuating carbon contents,
which cannot be avoided due to
the specifics of the furnace operation.
However, by the objective use of petcoke,
these analysis fluctuations can be
kept within closer tolerances ( Figure 9).
36 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

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casting@refra.com
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Complete product range
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Heavy Duty Magnets.
Effect of petcoke on the runner
iron temperature
In the case of reducing the coke charge
by approximately 18 % and adding
< 12.5 % of petcoke, it had to be made
sure that it would be possible to raise
temperature-related problems during
restarting could be significantly eased.
The long-term analysis showed that the
mean temperature of the runner iron in
the case of grey iron was 7 °C higher as
a result of the petcoke. The described
Design, Manufacturing,
Commissioning, Overhaul,
Maintenance, Spare Parts.
Combustion chamber temp. in °C
905
895
885
875
865
855
Comb. chamber temp. with HIGHJET TDI PET
Comb. chamber temp. without
HIGHJET TDI PET
08:24 09:36 10:48 12:00 13:12 14:24 15:36 16:48 18:00
Time
Figure 12: Effect on the combustion chamber temperature
Economic basis
• Coke reduction: 18.5 % of charge coke
• Petcoke feeding*: 12.5 % of charge coke
• Substitution rate: < 70 %
• Beneficial effects on CO 2
emissions and improved combustion to be proved under
production conditions
Metallurgical basis
• No changes to furnace campaigns (as of April 2014)
• Stable runner iron temperature of > 1,505° C
Metallurgical basis
• CO in crude gas: up to approx. 1 % increase (despite coke substitution)
• Reduced external energy input in the combustion chamber
• Improved Si combustion
• Improved temperature control
• Fast attainment of suitable “metallurgical” condition during restarts after furnace stops
(grey iron)
* Petcoke is available on the market at much lower costs than foundry coke.
Table 1: Oberview of the plants parameters
WOKO Magnet- und
Anlagenbau GmbH
Theodor-Heuss-Strasse 57
47167 Duisburg
Germany
Phone +49 203 48275.0
Fax +49 203 48275.25
woko@woko.de
www.woko.de
the runner iron temperature to a higher
level, because in the specific case the
cupola operation was interrupted several
times during the day. Operation
had to be restarted with a lower coke
charge potential, hence a lower energy
potential. The petcoke proved to be
a reliable tool here. Compared to the
original situation, it was possible to
reach a higher energy level after the offtimes
much quicker (Figure 10). The
reactions may vary depending on the
quality of the foundry coke.
Influence of the petcoke on the
combustion chamber temperature
and the CO content
Generally, a reduced coke charge raises
the requirement of an external energy
input. For environmental reasons, it is
necessary in most cases to have combustion
chamber temperatures of more
Woko.indd 1 15.08.13 10:03
38 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

X:\00-Küttner-Image\00_CDR-Dateien\2012-Giesserei-85 x260.cdr
Freitag, 15. Mai 2015 15:53:21
Farbprofil: Deaktiviert
Composite Standardbildschirm
than 890 °C to reliably keep the residual CO content in 95 the
clean gas at the stack at >150 mg/m 3 .
75
A falling combustion chamber temperature leads to a
significant increase in external energy input. Also after a
furnace stop, it takes some time to bring the combustion
chamber back to the required temperature and achieve 25
high hot blast temperatures. Figure 11 shows that especially
after furnace stops and the consequently low energy
5
content of the top gas it was necessary to add the required
0
energy by activating the main burner.
By injecting petcoke during the furnace start, the energy
content of the top gas can be raised faster, minimizing the
power-on time of the main burner. The result is an overall
higher temperature level. ( Figure 12)
Approaches to automation
When petcoke injection was introduced in long-time operation,
it could be proved that it was never possible to guarantee
that the foundry coke was properly metered and charged
depending on the weight of the metal charge. This may result
in energy fluctuations of up to 10%, as was revealed by
tracking the energy contents of the charges or batches all
the way down to the melting zone. These variations in energy
efficiency result in different energy contents in the top
gas (CO, CO 2
) and different combustion behaviour of the
charged materials, especially silicon. As a rule, during these
phases there is no reacting with the furnace blast or oxygen.
The companies Gienanth and Linde have been working successfully
on the development of solutions.
Summary
The TDI-PET technology developed by Linde facilitates
the use of petcoke as a cost-efficient fuel for foundry shaft
furnaces through the employment of innovative burner
lances and the specific conveying technology provided
by the company Dako. The above presented intermediate
results (as of March 2014) obtained during a one-year
industrial-scale field test under production conditions in
three-shift operation at the iron foundry Gienanth prove
the potentials of this process. One result is the positive
influence on the runner iron temperature. The tests also
proved that any negative effects of the sulfur content in
the petcoke could be reliably precluded.
Operation of the furnace with a reduced coke rate here
100
still means that the coke rate includes a “safety buffer”,
which in the event of a plant failure guarantees that until 95
conventional furnace operation with a high coke rate has
75
been resumed the “situation” in the furnace is such that
there will be no harmful effects on the furnace and the
quality of the iron. Such situation was produced on purpose.
The resulting repercussions on the iron chemistry 25
were manageable. However, this problem could be completely
eliminated by providing a backup petcoke supply
5
system for emergency situations.
www.linde-gas.de
100
0
Good reasons for good castings!
Meet our experts on
METEC / GIFA Dusseldorf
June 16th to 20th, 2015
stand 4C28
Küttner GmbH & Co. KG, Essen info@kuettner.com
Phone +49 (0)201 7293 0 www.kuettner.com
stand 16G26
CHARGE MAKE-UP
AND BURDENING
Batching of scrap and alloys
Fully-automatic charging
cranes
Large charging cars for
induction furnaces
Bucket transportation
systems
CUPOLA MELT SHOPS
Cold-blast cupolas
Hot-blast cupolas for
long-campaign operation
Atmospheric or pressurized
syphon design
Oxygen injection systems
Carbon injection systems
Desulphurization
CASTINGS / SAND TREATMENT
Shake-out conveyor
Castings cooling equipment
Green sand preparation with
Fluid-bed coolers
Continuous mixers for
No bake systems
Shake-out stations
Sand reclamation
CENTRIFUGAL CASTING
Pouring units
Casting machines of hot
mould / de Lavaud-type for:
drain / pressure water pipe
cylinder liners
liners & pipes in
special alloys
Electric control with HMI
Auxiliary systems
ALUMINIUM MELTING
Plant modernization today –
a challenge for Furnace
Engineering Companies like
IST-Technology by KUETTNER.
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95
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Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 39

Detail view of a pressure die cast
structural component (Photos +
Graphics: Kind & Co Edelstahlwerk)
Author: Ingolf Schruff, Kind & Co., Edelstahlwerk, GmbH & Co. KG, Wiehl
Pressure die cast structural components
for lightweight automotive
construction
The European Union’s commitment to carbon reduction requires the automotive industry to
bring down CO 2
emissions from new passenger cars down to 95 g/km by the year 2020. The
consistent implementation of lightweight design in automotive engineering has a direct positive
impact on CO 2
emissions. This was motivation during the last few years to strongly promote the
use of pressure die cast structural components made of light metal
Pressure die casting competes with
alternative techniques, such as tailored
blanks – i.e. parts made by joining
steel sheets of special properties
to meet specific requirements of use –
or press-hardened high-strength steel
sheets. Pressure die cast structural components
can only succeed in this competitive
environment if high-capacity,
reliable dies are available. The key advantage
of pressure die cast structural
components over alternative solutions
is that they are made to high precision
and are virtually ready for installation.
Compared to tailored blanks, many
manufacturing steps can be dispensed
with.
Pressure die cast structural
components
Today, a wide range of automotive
structural components are pressure
die cast, for example, pillars, various
beams, strut mounts and even complete
frames for side and rear doors.
While this type of pressure die cast
components initially used to be installed
primarily in premium-class vehicles,
today they are also employed in
many middle-class cars.
The high complexity of these parts is
an extremely challenging task for die
casters, die makers and steel producers.
Ribbings in the castings are prone
to cause localized stress peaks. Side and
rear doors are frame-type constructions.
During casting only relatively
small volumes of the die are in contact
with the casting alloy, making it very
40 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

Steel grade
Alloying contents in % by mass
Mat. no. Brand Short name C Si Mn P S Cr Mo V Nb
1.2343 USN X37CrMoV5-1 0.38 1.00 0.40 < 0.020

K CASTING TECHNOLOGY
Mat. no Brand
Thermal conductivity in W/m x K
20 °C 200 °C 400 °C
1.2343 USN 26.8 27.8 27.3
1.2367 USD 29.9 32.1 32.4
--- TQ 1 29.5 30.5 30.5
--- HP 1 29.8 31.0 31.4
Table 2: Thermal conductivity of hot working steels for pressure die casting
dies. All steels hardened and tempered to 45 HRC
a
Figure 2: Thermal shock resistance of
steels 1.2343 (top), TQ 1/ HP 1 (middle)
and HTR (bottom). Crack formation
due to thermal shock and mean
crack length in mm. Testing conditions:
all steels hardened and tempered
to 45 HRC; testing temperature:
600 °C/water, 4,000 cycles
b
Figure 3: CCT diagrams for steels TQ 1 (top) and HP 1 (bottom)
(Figure 1c) because the die inserts are
subjected to high sudden mechanical
loads at each shot. Steel 1.2343 features
the highest impact strength of the
three standard alloys. Based on specimens
of identical hardness, the impact
strength of the three alloys decreases
in the sequence: 1.2343 => 1.2344 =>
1.2367. The impact strength values of
two special hot working steels TQ 1 and
HP 1 are both at the same level, about
25 % higher than the corresponding
value for alloy 1.2343. This comparison
of the key mechanical properties
illustrates the exceptional blend
of properties found in the steels TQ 1
and HP 1.
Especially for the casting of exposed
parts, thermal shock resistance is a
crucial property of the hot working
steels used to make the casting dies.
The images in Figure 2 show thermal
shock-induced cracks in specimens of
the described steel grades. The mean
length of each crack is indicated in
the blue bar. Hot working steel 1.2343
is used as a reference. The significantly
better thermal shock resistance of TQ 1
and HP 1 is obvious. Steel HTR, which
is also shown in this comparison, has
been developed for applications with
extremely exacting requirements on
hot working strength and thermal conductivity.
However, for inserts in dies
for casting structural components this
steel is of less importance.
In pressure die casting dies, thermal
conductivity plays a key role for various
reasons. Firstly, it is responsible for
the heat transfer from the alloy into
the cooling channels and, secondly,
it contributes to the alleviation of local
temperature peaks and a decrease
in temperature-induced stresses in the
dies. The thermal conductivity values
of the here discussed steels are compiled
in Table 2.
42 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

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ABP induction systems GmbH · Kanalstrasse 25 · 44147 Dortmund/Germany · Tel.: +49 (0) 231 997-0

K CASTING TECHNOLOGY
The comparison reveals that TQ 1
and HP 1 feature property blends far
superior to those of the three standard
hot working steels 1.2343, 1.2344 and
1.2367. Between TQ 1 and HP 1, the differences
in the described properties are
only minor. This raises the question of
selection criteria between the two steels.
Due to their special blend of properties,
both steels are extremely well
suited for making pressure die casting
dies for structural components. A distinction
between the two steels can be
made based on the thickness of the
die inserts. To clarify this distinction,
in Figure 3 we have plotted the continuous
cooling diagrams (CCT curves) of
the two steel grades.
In both cases, the CCT curves are typical
curves of martenisitic hot working
steels. However, the difference between
the two is that the bainitic transformation
starts at different points in time.
While in the case of TQ 1, the bainitic
phase is likely to form after about 2,500
s, in the case of HP 1, this is likely to occur
as early as after 800 s. This time difference
of 28 min is crucial especially
to the solidification of thick-walled inserts
because, in order to achieve high
toughness of the material, everything
possible should be done to ensure that
during solidification the steel microstructure
transforms completely to the
martensitic phase. Bainite transformation
starting at a later stage, facilitates
the desired transformation to the martensitic
phase especially in the core
area of thick-walled die parts. From
this, the following recommendations
Figure 4: Modern vacuum hardening furnace at Kind & Co. for pressure die
casting dies weighing up to 6,000 kg (Photo: Georg Fischer AG)
Mat. no Short name Brand Hardening temperature
in °C
Holding time
in min
1.2343 X37CrMoV5-1 USN 1000 45
1.2344 X40CrMoV5-1 USD 1020 45
1.2367 X38CrMoV5-3 RPU 1030 45
--- --- TQ 1 1010 60
--- --- HP 1 1020 60
--- --- HTR 1060 60
Table 3: Recommended parameters for vacuum hardening pressure die casting
dies
can be derived: Use HP 1 preferably for
die inserts up to approx. 200 mm thick;
beyond that thickness use TQ 1.
TQ 1 should also be used for smaller
die inserts with extremely filigree engraved
structures that require a maximum
of toughness.
To summarize the recommendations:
HP 1 is suitable for die inserts of
up to 200 mm thickness for structur-
44 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

al components which have to comply
with exacting requirements in terms
of toughness and surface quality. TQ1
is recommended to be used for dies
which have to comply with extremely
exacting requirements in terms of
toughness and surface quality, and
particularly for die inserts of greater
thickness. TQ 1 has also proved to be
more appropriate for die inserts with
pronounced height offsets or a jagged
surface structure.
These steels feature a useful
hardness typically ranging between
44 and 46 HRC. In order
to cater to specific properties,
the values can be lower or
higher. The choice should always
be based on a joint decision
by the steel producer, die
maker, hardening shop and
foundry.
The die inserts can exhibit
the desired properties only
after an appropriate heat
treatment. For the vacuum
hardening treatment of pressure
die casting dies, special
steelmaker Kind & Co.
recommends the temperatures
and holding times compiled
in Table 3. The company’s
modern, high-capacity
vacuum hardening shop can
heat treat pressure die casting
dies weighing up to 6,000 kg
(Figure 4).
Summary
Extremely exacting demands
are placed on dies used for
the production of pressure
die cast structural components
due to their size and
their often highly sophisticated
design. Common standard
hot working steels cannot
guarantee compliance
with these demands. In contrast,
the special hot working
steels TQ 1 and HP 1 offer a
significantly improved combination
of properties, such
as increased toughness, higher
hot working strength, better
thermal shock resistance
and improved thermal conductivity.
The choice between these
two steel grades basically depends on
the thickness of the die inserts to be
produced.
Provided that they have been properly
heat treated, die inserts made of
these steels make a major contribution
to the cost-efficient production
Our value
adding solutions
for your process
of pressure die cast structural components
made of light metals.
www.kind-co.de/en
References:
www.cpt-international.com
Meet us at GIFA in Dusseldorf
Germany: June 16 – 20, 2015
Hall 12 / Booth A22
Our services provide you with real added value.
ASK Chemicals experts look forward to hearing from you:
Phone: +49 211 71103-0
E-Mail: addedvalue@ask-chemicals.com
www.ask-chemicals.com
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 45

K SIMULATION
Authors: Dr. Carsten Schmalhorst, AVL Deutschland GmbH, Munich, Dr. David Greif, AVLAST d.o.o., Maribor, Slovenia
Numerical simulation of the
quench ing process for castings
using AVL FIRE
Motor downsizing and weight-reduction measures have increasingly led to material failures. Automotive
producers have therefore sought ways to optimize their heat treatment processes. AVL
List GmbH, based in Graz in Austria, has developed an innovative solution to meet this need and
integrated it in their AVL FIRE 3-D CFD software
With this software solution a precise
advance calculation of the transient
cooling process of the quenched component
can be made through accurate
modelling of the various boiling
phases that occur during quenching.
Methods of computational fluid dynamics
(CFD) have been used during
the development of a wide range of
vehicle components for decades. This
new type of process, developed at AVL
to simulate the quenching of metal
parts, contributes towards reducing
residual stress in complex components
such as cylinder heads.
Downsizing and weight-reduction
measures have hitherto repeatedly led
to material failures in the critical areas
of highly stressed components – failures
that cannot be traced back to the
operational loads alone. Thus, for example,
valve bridges require special attention
because residual stresses could
potentially superimpose the operational
loads as a result of the heat treatment
of the casting. The software precisely
calculates the cooling history of the
Well-known OEMs and suppliers such as Volkswagen, Ford, HMC and Nemak already successfully use AVL FIRE for optimizing
quenching processes (Photos: AVL LIST)
46 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

quenched component in advance, providing
the necessary prerequisites for
analyzing thermal loads and deformations
that occur during heat treatment.
The quenching of castings is a highly
dynamic process: immediately after
immersion into the liquid the solid
body is covered by a film of steam that
acts as an insulator, preventing rapid
heat dissipation. The vapor blanket
breaks down after a while and there is
a transition to so-called nucleate boiling.
This results in improved contact
with the cooling medium – typically
water or oil – and the amount of heat
dissipation increases greatly. Now rising
bubbles of vapor can hinder the
flow of coolant to the higher-lying regions
of the component, further slowing
down the cooling process. All these
effects lead to local temperature differences
in the component and thus to
uneven local expansion of the material.
These variations in expansion lead
to plastic deformations which, in turn,
cause the residual stresses (Figure 1).
AVL FIRE ensures the precise calculation
of the various regimes of the complex
boiling process, the spread of vapor
bubbles and the simultaneous
cooling processes taking place in the
component. The temperature distribution
in the component provided by
this flow simulation now serves as an
input value for simulating stress-strain
states. Whereby a non-linear material
law determines the plastic deformations.
For this purpose, AVL has developed
strain-rate-dependent material
laws that can represent the material
properties based on the rate of change
of strain. This simulation step is carried
out separately from the flow simulation
with suitable commercial finite-element
method codes (Figure 2).
The stress calculation can only reflect
the pure quenching process or addi-
Figure 1: View of the simulated steam on the hot component surface
Figure 2: One cylinder head, two submerging
directions, two stress states:
immersed in a water bath via the oil
gallery (left), or via the inlet port side
(right)
GIFA · Hall 10 · Booth A 49
THERMPROCESS · Hall 9 · Booth A 32
Non-contact and wear-free
temperature measurement
of liquid metals
• Portable and stationary pyrometers
• Rectangular panoramic measuring field
• Sighting options: through-the-lens or
video camera with HDR technology
SEE MORE
CellaCast
info@keller-msr.de · www.keller-msr.com
FEEL BETTER
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 47

www.giesserei-verlag.de
www.giesserei-verlag.de
CASTING
PLANT AND TECHNOLOGY
INTERNATIONAL
Die Zeitschrift für Technik, Innovation und Management
Auch als
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erhältlich!
12. March
2015
CASTING
With product flexibility
towards smaller
batch sizes export
PLANT AND TECHNOLOGY
INTERNATIONAL
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6. Januar
2015
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SINCE 1914
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International foundry competence –
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As reader of CASTING, PLANT AND TECHNOLOGY you are
always on the cutting edge of technology! Supported by
the successful GIESSEREI family, the English- language
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tional downstream heat treatment and
processing steps, depending on the application
case. Completion of the simulation
chain provides an overview of
residual deformation as illustrated in
Figure 2 (here inflated 50-fold), and
the local stresses as shown in Figure 3.
These residual stresses can be superimposed
on the component loads so that
the total load of the workpiece becomes
visible. Ideally, pressure-related residual
stresses are, for example, superimposed
on tensile loads here, providing
overall relief for operation of the component.
This effect is known as autofrettage
from pipeline construction, for example.
The long-term aim is to be able
to arrange processes on the basis of additional
analysis methods so that the
residual stress generated works against
operational loads. In this way less material
could be used and the reliability of
the component is increased (Figure 3).
Figure 3: von Mises comparative stresses after completion of the quenching
process: immersed via the oil gallery (left), or via the intake port side (right)
Simulation of the quenching process
permits the analysis of residual stresses
and enables the evaluation of counter-measures,
such as definition of the
optimum submerging direction, cooling
agent temperature and a modulated
flow of coolant. It is also possible to
examine questions of whether component
geometry changes – perhaps
through additional ribs – can prevent
flows during quenching and thus influence
the residual stresses. This could
both reduce the extent of the residual
stresses and positively influence their
nature.
Simulation of immersion quenching
can be obtained from AVL as a service,
or AVL FIRE can be licensed for use.
www.avl.com
Innovative solutions for the foundry and forge
industry from the world´s leader!
We are going to
present in Hall 16
Stand G40:
Innovation
Quality
Sensation
www.rosler.com
CastingPlant_Ausgabe02.indd 1 12.05.2015 15:00:33
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 49

The aluminum melt at 700 °C is decanted from the furnace (from Støtek in Vojens, Denmark) into a small ladle. The
melt was previously degassed using an impeller (Photos: Andreas Bednareck)
Authors: Robert Piterek, German Foundry Association, Düsseldorf
Exploring tomorrow’s technologies
The foundry supplier Foseco has a new research and development center in the Dutch town of
Enschede. The facility is intended to gain a holistic understanding of customers’ production processes
and undertake a forward-looking redevelopment of products
Almost no other foundry supplier has
as large a portfolio of products as
Foseco, the Foundry Division of Britain’s
Vesuvius Group. It ranges from
binding agents and coatings; through
feeding and filtration systems, and melt
treatment technology; to melting crucibles,
ladle linings and measuring equipment
of all sorts. Foseco is the market
leader in many of these product areas,
and a serious competitor in the others.
With its 3,500 employees worldwide
and the support of its ‘big brother’ Vesuvius
(with a worldwide workforce of
11,000), Foseco is an important player
on the market – and intends to remain
so during coming decades.
Appropriate location with optimum
conditions
Continuous further development of the
company and its products will no longer
be enough if Foseco and Vesuvius want
to maintain and expand their technological
lead. The company’s Global R&D
Director, Pavel Holub, is convinced of
this. “The aim must be to change the
viewpoint and direct our attention to
tomorrow’s technologies and the socalled
game-changers, i.e. technologies
and developments with wide-ranging
potentials for change.” The company
has meanwhile reacted by opening a
new five-million-euro research and development
center in the Dutch town
of Enschede, a few kilometers from the
German border. It is a modern building
constructed on grounds totaling
about 4,500 m², with offices, laboratories
and a test foundry. The building
was originally used by another company
as its headquarters, for its chemical
industry pilot plants and for constructing
machinery. Now only the façade
reflects the building’s former history –
the interior has been completely redeveloped.
The campus of the University
of Twente is nearby, a prestigious university
that is also active in the fields of
inorganic chemistry and nanotechnology
– areas of fundamental interest for
Foseco. The R&D center has been built
50 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

ight next to the football stadium of
FC Twente, a club in the Dutch Honorary
Division, which first became Netherlands’
champion in the 2009/2010
season. The new research center is just
10 kilometers from Hengelo, Foseco’s
Dutch production site for coatings and
binders, and 45 minutes from the company’s
German headquarters in Borken
in Münsterland. An excellent location
therefore, with optimum conditions for
researching tomorrow’s technologies.
Concentrated research and expertise
In order to create the prerequisites for
a modern R&D institute with a holistic
research approach, the fundamental research
on binders and coatings moved
from Hengelo to Enschede and experts
in the important area of research on filters
and feeders in Borken were recruited
for the center. “Research and expertise
have now been consolidated in one
location,” polymer chemist Holub emphasizes
proudly. “In order to better understand
our customers’ processes we
also use comparable equipment.” The
Czech Holub is not the only researcher
in Enschede with a foreign background:
the 26 top-flight scientists so
far recruited for the research team come
from eight different countries, including
France, Poland, the Netherlands, the
UK, Nigeria and Germany. They speak
English with one another. Enschede offers
another locational advantage for international
teams like this one: an international
school. Four more technicians
are currently being sought.
Exterior view of the building: the grounds total 4,500 m², the casting hall and
laboratories take up 700 m² and the offices 800 m²
The creative impulse for the technologies of tomorrow should originate in this
room: CP+T Editor Robert Piterek, Project Manager Dr. Fabian Sander, Managing
Director Heinz Nelissen and Head of Research Pavel Holub (from left to right)
visit the brainstorming room in Foseco’s new research and development center
Giving free rein to creativity
Dr. Fabian Sander, Development Scientist
and Project Manager in the areas of
feeders and processes, guides through
the new building. The first stop is the
so-called brainstorming room, in which
the researchers come up with creative
solutions for future challenges in foundries
and steelworks. “Between 10 and
20 % of their working time is available
for brainstorming,” explains Dr. Sander,
who commutes from the German border
town of Gronau to Enschede for his
new task. Green floor, orange walls, blue
sky and a big whiteboard – the winner of
an interior design competition (specially
organized by Foseco) came up with
the color scheme and spatial designs of
the brainstorming room, as well as all
the other interior areas of the research
center. Dr. Sander describes how the creative
process is approached here: “The
brain is basically relatively lazy. When
someone starts to tackle a new problem
they first exploit their wealth of experience.
There are, however, techniques
that help empty the brain first. This
takes about one hour – then we are ready
for new paths to problem-solving!” In
practice, this frequently means that
the researchers write loads of Post-it
notes during the idea-finding stage and
then sift out the unrealistic approaches,
gradually separating the wheat from
the chaff. “Rooms like this one are still
rather unusual in this sector, but VW
and BMW – upon whom we orient ourselves
– also have them,” emphasizes
Martin Scheidtmann, Foseco’s Head of
Communications.
Foseco not only exploits the latest
knowledge on creativity, but also the
most modern techniques regarding
communication: regular link-ups with
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 51

K RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
In the lobby of the R&D Center there are cozy sitting areas as well as exhibits
from Foseco’s product range
There are four melting furnaces in the casting hall. The Initek converter is in
the foreground
other research institutes, Foseco sites
and customers take place in the neighboring
video conference room. This permits
the center to access a wide-ranging
network of contacts. Foseco alone employs
about 130 to 150 personnel in research
– mostly in the Netherlands,
France, England, and in the US town
of Pittsburgh, where research focuses
on crucibles and refractory products.
There are another 34 Foseco sites worldwide.
Diagrams can be hand-drawn on
the enormous, almost futuristic, touchscreen
monitor in the conference room
so conference participants can work
with one another from anywhere and
access the drawings or PowerPoint presentations
worldwide.
Research with test castings
At the heart of research activities in Enschede,
however, is the test foundry
with its four furnaces for iron, steel and
aluminum. The hall is about twelve meters
from top to bottom. From the gallery
on the first floor, Foundry Foreman
Niek Bruinewoud looks somewhat
lost amongst the four furnaces lined
up next to one another and the caster
clad in silver protective equipment.
A hall crane with a load capacity of 2
x 10 t is mounted on the ceiling. “We
run a 500 kg induction furnace here, a
250 kg furnace for iron and steel, as well
as one 500 kg and one 50 kg aluminum
furnace,” Dr. Sander counts them off.
“These furnace sizes are the right compromise
because otherwise we would
have too much material,” adds Holub.
Tests under serial conditions must still,
however, be carried out at customers’
sites. Foundry Foreman Bruinewoud
and his colleagues Marvin and Bertus,
who were still working in Hengelo until
late November last year, are preparing
an aluminum casting with which
the effectiveness of Foseco melt degassing
is to be tested. In the case of this degassing,
an impeller, hydrogen among
others, is used during removal of the
aluminum melt, significantly improv-
Foseco Germany Managing Director
Heinz Nelissen (left) and the Foundry
Foreman Niek Bruinewoud just
before a test casting
52 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

ing the quality of the melt. One area
of sales could be the automotive industry,
where weight-optimized aluminum
castings are produced using this treated
melt. Another innovation is in the
middle of the hall: an Initek converter
for treating iron melts. “This converter
produces spheroidal graphite cast iron.
The design allows magnesium treatment
with a high yield. The searingly
bright reaction of the magnesium with
the iron takes place within the converter,”
Heinz Nelissen, Foseco’s Managing
Director Germany, describes the exhibit
– which will be shown at GIFA this summer.
The Initek converter is not entirely
new – it was already one of the company’s
highlights at the world’s most
important foundry sector trade fair
in 2011. “But we have been able to reduce
process temperatures and further
optimize the safety aspects,” Nelissen
explains the advantages of the roughly
two-meter tall steel monster. Apropos
GIFA – the international foundry
fair is of particular importance for the
universal foundry supplier Foseco: the
foundry and steel experts from Vesuvius
will have four stands for the trade fair
quartet in Düsseldorf in June – at GIFA,
METEC, THERMPROCESS and at the
Schools Program. According to Holub,
“exciting new developments” are to be
expected in the area of inorganic binders.
State-of-the-art apparatus
In terms of dimensions and volume, the
core shooting machine in the neighboring
room is the same size as a plant in
an aluminum or iron foundry. It masters
all common processes, such as cold- and
hot-box processes, and can handle tools
of up to 12 liters. Small batches of cores
are made here with new binder recipes.
All the necessary examinations of the
cores can then be undertaken straight
away. Dr. Sander: “After coating, we can
do the casting and carry out tests in our
center’s own laboratories. The dip test,
for example, with which we find out
how the metal sticks to the core and
whether metal penetrates the core.”
State-of-the-art apparatus can also
be found in the numerous laboratories
in which cores are examined, for
example, for their storability in oth-
The casters in Enschede carefully fill the molds with aluminum melt
Satisfied faces after the casting: Heinz Nelissen (left), Process Control
Manager Torben Hanson (center), and Pavel Holub
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 53

K RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Manuel Le Borgne from France
(right) and Ugo Nwaogu from
Nigeria examine a sample
er climatic zones. Comprehensive examinations
of coatings are also carried
out here, e.g. the sedimentation test
to measure the stability of coating dispersions
over time, which chemist Michael
Smola from Poland is currently
doing on a bright white laboratory
bench. Smola was in China for Foseco
for one year and then worked at the
Hengelo site. At another workbench
Marloes Goorhuis is determining the
optimum contact angle between liquid
and solid with a wettability test – an experiment
that will provide information
on the best possible spraying angle for
coatings. Goorhuis was glad to swap her
workplace in Hengelo for a job at Foseco’s
new site in Enschede – she studied
here and likes the town.
Holistic understanding of production
processes
Ugo Nwaogu from Nigeria is preparing
samples for examination in the metallurgy
laboratory. “Until recently Ugo
was working in Denmark,” Scheidtmann
reveals. The mechanical properties
of binders and coatings are determined
here and the dilatometer, for
example, provides values on heat resistance:
the device heats the samples
and then tests their deformability.
A special highlight awaits visitors
completing their tour – the analytical
laboratory with some of the world’s
most modern electron microscopes, e.g.
the scanning electron microscope from
Zeiss with its energy dispersive X-ray
spectroscopy sensor (EDX). The device
has the largest sensor area currently
commercially available, and efficiently
and rapidly determines the elemental
composition of metallic samples. Or
an electron microscope for statistically
analyzing melt quality, at which the
Dutchman Dr. Emiel Speets is carrying
out a statistical analysis of aluminum
samples that have just been cast: “We
can use statistical analyses to prove the
long-term quality of our degassed aluminum
melt,” says Dr. Speets.
Foseco’s new research and development
center in Enschede permits the
company to make progress towards a
holistic understanding of customers’
production processes. This also helps
fulfil Holub’s professional goal: “I want
to surprise our customers with the developments
from Enschede. When
they look at our solutions they should
think, “Oh, I never thought of that!”
www.foseco.com
Pavel Holub, Robert Piterek, René Tamboer and Dr. Fabian Sander (from left to right) at the Zeiss electron microscope
54 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

Visit us on GIFA in Düsseldorf / Germany
June 16 - 20, 2015
Hall 16 · Stand 16C04

“Critical mass for R&D”
Interview with Pavel Holub, Global Head of Research of Foseco
The Managing Director of Vesuvius
in Borken, Mr. Nelissen, has said that
the research institute is a milestone
for maintaining the company’s technological
leadership. How do you,
Mr. Holub, see this as Global Head
of Research?
A challenging question. Within Vesuvius,
we reviewed the leading position
on the market. Given our fragmented
R&D we concluded that we are much
more focused on incremental development.
There was thus a need to change
the scope and change the view and
look more towards the technologies of
tomorrow and for the game changers
in industry. As a result, we developed
the whole R&D strategy of Vesuvius
including Foundry, and therefore Foseco.
One of the conclusions was the
need to create a global R&D and examine
the global problems of our customers,
creating a critical mass in one
location and putting all the technologies
in one place. Once we decided to
create a team and build an R&D center
the next step was to determine where
that would be. The first decision was
to do it in Europe, close to our major
customers. Our most innovative major
customers are in Germany. But we
were also considering an international
team. Then the choice was the Netherlands.
It’s much easier to bring the
people here and let them settle, with
international schools, universities,
etc. We’re very happy to be here.
I am curious about the new services
announced for the foundry industry,
of which you spoke at the opening
of the institute. What is that about?
That’s really looking at our business
from a different point-of-view – that
we do not supply just products. We
want to have in-depth understanding.
That’s why we have a lot of people
in the field with the customers, to
understand their processes and then
transform them into new product
designs, delivering the whole package
to our customers or even helping
them to improve or develop their processes.
That’s what we call service. But
we maintain our teams in the different
countries. They will continue to
look at raw material substitution.
What exactly is improving in terms
of research at Foseco?
The first part is really the changing of
focus. We try to combine all the technologies
that we have in one center.
We also concentrated on open offices
in order to create a different working
situation and stimulate people to
talk about the products and improvements.
What really improved is the
creation of a critical mass and putting
people together to understand
the whole process.
How has Foseco conducted research
projects in the past?
In the past there was a decision to
decentralize R&D. Our labs and our
R&D were close to our customers but
we didn’t have the critical mass. Our
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 57

K RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
change of view is not looking at simply
coatings, binders, filters or feeding
systems. What we do is to look at
our customers and find out what kind
of castings they manufacture. “How
can we solve their problem?” is the
question we want to answer!
Employees are currently being hired
for the Institute. How many employees
will work in Enschede and how
many are already there?
The first part of strategy was based on
mapping our capabilities and we targeted
30 people to start with. However,
the building was designed for 50
people. So the space is there if there
is a need in the future.
Do you have more plans in mind?
There are always opportunities! They
come with the service model, with
which we want to understand more
and more what the trends are. 3-D
printing might be another trend. We
cannot avoid looking at that. Maybe
an adjacent market, either new technologies
inside or outside the foundry
business.
What experts are you looking for?
In general we have a need for chemists,
material engineers, metallurgists.
It’s a bit difficult to find the right people
these days. You have many people
doing economics and law and there
are fewer and fewer people available.
Here in Holland you have quite a
lot of metallurgists but they are employed
in powder metallurgy – which
is a big industry here in the Netherlands.
More important for us is how
the people fit in the team!
How important is the university environment?
It is an important part for us. The University
of Enschede has a very good
background. But we also cooperate
with universities in Germany, in
France, in the US, in Japan. The direct
university environment will also
be a source of new employees in the
future. Enschede has a department
of inorganic chemistry and a strong
faculty of nanotechnology. This is interesting
for us in the future when it
comes to questions about how to manipulate
microstructures or improve
the castings and the processes.
Another research and development
center for crucible and refractory
products is located in Pittsburgh in
the United States. Will the two research
institutes cooperate?
The Pittsburgh R&D center focusses
on advanced refractories. It is a Division
of Vesuvius. We have 10 people
over there and work together closely.
On top of that we have quite some cooperation
across those teams.
The competition in many business
areas of Foseco (e.g. feeders, binder
systems and coatings) is large. Nowadays
one always has to keep one
step ahead of the competitors. What
research projects have this kind of
potential?
It is always good to have competition
because it reflects where you are. You
need to be ahead and that is the reason
why we built this center. There
are many interesting projects about
which I cannot disclose too much information.
There are many more players
in the field of inorganic binders
and Vesuvius/Foseco is not the market
leader there. Nonetheless, it is a
very important business for us and we
have exciting new outputs in this field
which we will present at the GIFA.
At the opening ceremony it was said
that the “technologies of tomorrow”
will come from Enschede. What exciting
new technologies are meant
here?
One of the ideal cases will be binder
systems and there is the huge market
of cold box polyurethanes. However,
we are now talking about emissions
and the environmental aspects and
you have some nasty chemicals and
we burn them with the molten metal.
The question is whether we replace
that. The regulations will change and
we must be ready for that. This is one
of the holy grails, can we replace that
system? Ideally with inorganic binders,
but cost-effectively.
How important is 3-D printing for
you?
It is a nice idea, but how can you translate
that into the final product? You
can do direct printing of the metal,
but then how do you center it, how
do you melt it and keep it in shape.
You have the machines for manufacturing
the cores, but then there are
questions regarding the type of resin,
etc. So there are a lot of issues we
have to look at. And maybe there is
even something different from 3-D
printing. For the next 10 to 20 years
this will not be competitive. But we
want to be ready. On the whole, I see
a greater need to address the environmental
issues.
And which of the planned projects
here in Enschede fascinate you the
most?
I am a polymer chemist. I come from
a different business, so I am very interested
in the development of inorganic
binders.
You are Global Head of Research at
Foseco and will pursue your activities
from Enschede. Why from here
and not from Pittsburgh or London?
This is the center of excellence for
foundry-related research and this is
where I want to be.
What do you want the research institute
to accomplish for your company?
I want to surprise customers with the
developments from Enschede. I want
them to look at the new solutions and
think: “Oh, I never thought of that.”
That’s my goal!
What significance has the institute
on an international scale?
Within the foundry industry it is
quite significant to put people together
in one place. Within the current
situation there are not many companies
building new R&D centers. What
attracted me was the commitment of
Foseco and Vesuvius to R&D. And
there is a continuing engagement.
There are plans to build R&D centers
in the USA and in India.
58 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

METEC DÜSSELDORF / GERMANY
16-20 JUNE 2015
Visit us hall 04, booth no. B35

K INDUSTRIAL COOPERATION
Author: Christa Friedl, Johannesburg
More efficient melting with
German foundry technology
EffSAFound, Part 1: Emerging economies have a key role in climate protection and resource conservation.
The EffSAFound project of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Education and Research
(BMBF) is intended to help get South Africa’s important foundry industry off the ground with
German efficiency-enhancing technology
Leaden clouds hang low on this November
morning. The harsh wind blows
through the streets of Johannesburg
and forces the cold rain onto the car’s
windscreen. German autumn weather
in South Africa? In summer? “It’s not
so bad!” Palesa Riba laughs. Like all her
compatriots, the black African woman
from Johannesburg University is philosophical
about the weather: it is as it
is. The young chemical engineer and
foundry expert stops her BMW in front
of a large barrier at the Banoni industrial
estate, 20 km from the city centre.
A brief exchange with the security officer,
incomprehensible for Europeans,
and the bar rises. A German visitor is
nothing new for the man at the gate.
The Guestro foundry, located behind
the barrier, is one of nine companies
that have been taking part in a research
project since 2013, bringing South African
and German casters and experts
together for the first time.
According to business studies graduate
Manuel Bosse, who initiated the
project as an employee of the Düsseldorf-based
IfG-Service GmbH, the central
question for the EffSAFound project
is “How, and via which routes, can
efficient foundry technology be transferred
to South Africa in order to promote
climate protection and the conservation
of resources?”. EffSAFound
is financed with about 700,000 Euro
from the German Federal Ministry of
Education and Research, with a further
400,000 Euro from the German
companies involved and 100,000 Euro
The workers at Guestro insert freshly produced cores into the 35-year-old molding plant (Photos: Palesa Riba)
60 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

from South Africa’s Ministry of Industry.
In South Africa, 178 foundries with
about 15,000 employees currently produce
approximately 400,000 t of good
castings, of which 60 % are made from
ferrous materials and 40 % non-ferrous.
The nine foundries in the project
principally produce castings made
of high-chrome white cast iron for the
automotive, mining and power station
industries, and together represent over
half the iron castings market. Almost
all the foundries in South Africa were
politically and economically isolated
for decades, and little has improved
since the end of apartheid 20 years ago.
This becomes apparent at a glance
in the production halls of Guestro,
one of the country’s leading foundries
which mainly produces vehicle parts.
The dust hanging in the large foundry
hall is thick and impenetrable. There
are no filters or extraction systems.
The few, exclusively black, workers do
Many work steps are carried out by semi-skilled employees in South African
foundries – jobs are more important than productivity
Euromac - PP_CPT GIFA - 210x145mm - fiera_Layout 1 29/04/15 08:53 Pagina 1
©2015_www.imagination.it
• Core making machines
(shell process, croning, cold and hot box;
inorganic processes)
• Automatic green sand moulding lines
• Core sand preparation, mixing and
distribution plant
• Pouring, Treatment and automatic metal
Transfer plant
Hall 16
Stand H22-5
Euromac srl _ 36035 Marano Vic. (VI) Italy _ Via dell’Industria, 62 _ Tel +39 0445 637629 _ Fax +39 0445 639057 _ info@euromac-srl.it _ www.euromac-srl.it

K INDUSTRIAL COOPERATION
» Optimization of the work processes:
HegerPro GmbH from Enkenbach
offers PC-supported tools with
which even those with low qualifications
can understand processes
and correctly operate plants. The
software also serves to train employees
with the help of pictures, animations,
videos and short texts.
» Material-efficient foundry sand management:
the Freudenberg-based
company GUT, together with IfG
Service GmbH and the Metal Casting
Technology Station (MCTS) of
Johannesburg University will construct
a sand regeneration plant to
prepare and recycle used sand.
Open-heart surgery: melting furnaces are also used without lids (here at
Guestro). No-one has yet worked out how much energy is lost in this way
not wear any protective clothing. Protective
glasses or gloves are only rarely
seen. Three of the six high-frequency
furnaces are operating today. One
of them is missing its lid and the mechanical
transport arm has been broken
for some time. Repairs have been
ordered, says the responsible ‘Melting
Manager’, Marius Djankou. He cannot
say, however, when this assistance will
arrive. Outside, the rain is splashing on
large heaps of unsorted scrap, covered
in a thick layer of rust and dirt.
High energy and resource consumption
due to old plants
The main problems that are typical of
South African foundries rapidly become
clear: the melting furnaces, converters
and molding plants are at least 35 years
old – energy consumption and wasted
energy are correspondingly high. Many
companies produce 100 or even 200 different
products, making any automation
difficult and forcing up production
costs. Only low-quality castings are produced
and the reject rates are over 15 %
because there is no modern process or
material flow management, and unwashed
scrap is mainly used.
But it is not just energy that is wasted,
but also expensive material: metal consumption
is high and few companies
recycle their molding sand – it usually
ends up in landfill after one cycle. In addition,
20 to 30 % of the employees are
illiterate, only a few understand English,
and about three-quarters of them are
considered unqualified or low-skilled.
EffSAFound is intended to help solve
three of these problems by October 2015:
» Improvement of casting quality:
the Aachen-based company Magma
GmbH has installed simulation software
in three of the foundries. It simulates
the casting, hardening and
cooling processes, and can considerably
improve the quality of a casting
by predicting structures and mechanical
properties. Thinner walls, smaller
feeders and a compact casting system
also decrease metal consumption.
New jobs are as important as
new technology
“EffSAFound is a great opportunity for
our industry and our country,” says
Palesa Riba, who is coordinating the
project at the MCTS on the South African
side. She hopes that when the
foundry industry in the country at
the Cape gets back on its feet it will be
able to create new jobs whilst retaining
the old ones – an important argument
in a nation with 25 % unemployment.
“If the foundries are doing well,
all the downstream sectors (such as the
metal-processing industry) will profit
from it and then they will also create
new jobs,” agrees John Davies, Head of
the South Africa Institute of Foundrymen.
German expertise for South African
foundries is a good concept, but
also an enormous challenge. This has
been demonstrated in recent months.
South Africans do not make rapid decisions,
responsibilities change often,
and the long journeys need to be well
planned. Important questions thus still
remain unresolved after the one-anda-half
years during which the project
has been running. “There is often no
contact person on site,” Kai Molitor, IT
Manager at HegerPro, has found out. So
it remains unclear who will collect the
necessary process data in the works, or
who is responsible for installing and
operating the new technology. In addition,
the mostly highly indebted companies
have difficulty finding the funds
to pay for a sand regeneration plant or
62 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

finance the license fees for German software. Communication
is, and will remain, a major obstacle – black South
Africans use eleven different languages.
“While we place great hope in German technology, it
must be proven, simple and economical,” Geoffrey Harding,
who has long been active as the General Manager of
Guestro, sums up South African expectations. It is therefore
of decisive important for the success of EffSAFound
to clarify the advantages of more efficient technology in
concrete terms.
This is why a trial plant is to be constructed at MTCS,
to reclaim samples of the various sands used by several
foundries and provide it again for use by the companies.
The company GUT has delivered the planning and engineering
for this plant. MCTS has also recently acquired
a license for Magma simulation software. This can then
be used to demonstrate to interested foundries the major
process- and quality-related progress that can be achieved
with modern simulation. Similarly, the demo software
from Heger has also been installed, with whose help processes
can be controlled efficiently and economically, and
workforce qualification improved.
Time is pressing. Electricity prices in South Africa have
more than doubled during the last six years, and are now
almost at European levels. Consumption in the country
exceeds what the state-owned energy group Eskom can
produce in its old coal-driven power stations: 2014 was
far and away the year with the most frequent power cuts.
Many foundries are also suffering from costs of up to 100
Euro per tonne for landfilling molding sand – particularly
in the highly industrialized region of Gauteng near
Johannesburg, where many foundries are located. And
last but not least, Chinese companies are forcing their
way onto the South African market with cheap castings.
“Many companies face bankruptcy unless they can very
soon change how they operate,” says Bosse.
It has, meanwhile, stopped raining in the Benoni industrial
estate. The first rays of sunshine are timidly peeping
through the opaque grey and making the blossoming
jacaranda trees flicker in violet. There is light on the
horizon again. As if to match this, those responsible at
Guestro have insisted on optimism. Despite poor sales figures
and a mountain of debt, General Manager Harding
is convinced that “We will be able to get back on our feet
within two years.”
The company wants to install a new medium-frequency
tandem melting furnace, modernize its molding plant
and construct a sand regeneration system. For these investments
it has applied for funding from the state. If everything
works out, Bosse believes, Guestro will become a
success story that can also convince other companies to
take similar steps. And if not? “Then at least we will have
increased awareness about efficiency and resource conservation
in this important sector,” says GUT Managing Director
Jens Müller-Späth. Because one thing is certain: the
Germans cannot supply personal initiative and the readiness
to try something new.
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 63

K INDUSTRIAL COOPERATION
Author: Manuel Bosse, IfG Service GmbH, Düsseldorf
BMBF project reduces energy and
resource requirements in South African
foundries
EffSAFound, Part 2: The German and South African foundry industries have been collaborating
since 2013 to jointly stabilize iron and steel foundries in South Africa and drive forward European
standards. The interim conclusion of the EffSAFound research project shows that efficiency
considerations still receive little attention, though the potentials are enormous
Holding the reins of the research project: Manuel Bosse from IfG Service GmbH and the South African Project Manager
Palesa Riba (Photo: Palesa Riba)
IfG-Service GmbH in Düsseldorf,
the Metal Casting Technology Station
(MCTS) at Johannesburg University
and three German partner companies
have initiated a joint research
project called EffSAFound in order to
lead South Africa’s foundries onto the
world market and jointly work out improvement
measures for iron and steel
foundries in both countries. There have
already been close exchanges between
the research institutes on a specialist
level for years. In addition, the fact
that foundry technology ‘Made in Germany’
has a high status in South Africa
simplified setting up the joint project.
The other South African partners
in the project are:
» The South African Institute of Foundrymen
(SAIF): an association of South
African foundries and the training
partner in the research project.
» The National Foundry Technology
Network (NFTN): as part of the Department
of Trade and Industry (dti)
the NFTN is committed to making
targeted improvements in the glo-
64 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

al competitiveness of South Africa’s
foundry industry.
» Eskom: South Africa’s state energy
supply company has been brought
in as a transfer partner for intermediate
project results.
Figure 1: Natural gas is not available in many South African foundries. Paraffin
or diesel is used in preheating processes instead (Photos: Manuel Bosse)
Energy efficiency has hitherto
received little attention
Nine South African foundries are participating
in EffSAFound. The country’s
largest foundry, Atlantis Foundries in
Cape Town, is a subsidiary of Mercedes
Benz Trucks following the example of
the iron foundry in Mannheim, and is
responsible for about 15 % of good castings
in South Africa. Two iron and steel
foundries in the research project are located
in Durban and five are in the greater
Johannesburg area, mainly producing
highly wear-resistant castings for the domestic
mining and mechanical engineering
industries. One brass foundry
for fittings is rather exotic in this field.
It quickly became clear that the
data situation in South Africa is rather
meagre because there are no aggregated
data for the entire foundry industry
due to the many small foundries involved.
Personnel costs make up about
34 % of the total costs of iron and steel
foundries, according to a recent survey
carried out by SAIF. The proportion of
total costs spent on raw materials, additives
and operating supplies is 28 %,
while energy costs have risen to 16 % in
recent years. The automation pressure
is considerably lower than in Germany
as a result of the generally low personnel
costs and high level of unemployment
in South Africa. For this reason
South African foundries should actually
achieve a lower energy requirement
Figure 2: Rusted and unsorted cast iron scrap reduces the casting quality and increases the energy consumption per
ton of molten metal significantly
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 65

K INDUSTRIAL COOPERATION
power requirements by 10 %. Moreover,
electricity prices rose by an average
of 25 % a year between 2008 and
2011. The state energy supplier Eskom
can only increase prices by 8 % a year
between 2013 and 2017. EffSAFound
has ensured that the foundries and Eskom
finally sit at a table together and
jointly try to find solutions. One alternative
would be to invest in fuel-fired
melting plants. There are only a few cupola
furnaces in South Africa, however,
and almost no foundries have access
to natural gas, or only at great cost, so
production largely operates with electricity
while others use paraffin or diesel
instead of natural gas.
Figure 3: Magnesium treatment: Cast iron is also produced with spheroidal
graphite in South African foundries – magnesium is added to the converters
for this purpose (Photo: Palesa Riba)
per tonne of good castings compared to
German foundries – but the opposite
is the case: existing melting facilities
and foundry plants are outdated and
the topic of energy efficiency received
little attention when investment decisions
were being made in the past.
Fluctuating power supply
The South African foundry industry
faces major challenges. These include
the energy supply. The relationship between
the electricity supplier Eskom
and the foundries is strained. Nominally,
South Africa has a power plant output
of about 46,000 megawatts (MW),
of which about 85 % is generated using
coal. The old power plants, combined
with poor maintenance in some cases,
lead to the actual output being considerably
below 40,000 MW. The Medupi
and Kusile power stations (each
with six 800-MW turbines) which are
supposed to be gradually synchronized
with the grid are still not available after
a seven-year building phase. On peak
days, however, more than 44,000 MW
is called up, leading to power outages.
In addition, rainfall in the north of the
country has soaked the coal reserves
and, in early November 2014, a large
coal silo at a power station collapsed
– leading to further nationwide power
cuts. Eskom is thus relying on so-called
‘load shedding’: electricity is cut off for
up to 5 h a day in previously announced
parts of the towns. While German consumers
suffer average periods of interrupted
power supply of about 16 minutes
a year, this figure is 42 h per year
in South Africa.
This is a nightmare for production
planners in the foundries. For South African
companies, energy efficiency currently
means that at times of high electricity
demand they have to cut their
Limited training – great competition
Another problem is that large quantities
of ‘simple’ castings from China
have displaced domestic foundry capacities.
Furthermore, high-quality
core-intensive castings are imported
from Europe and North America.
The number of foundries in South Africa
fell by 40 % – and production from
650,000 to 400,000 t of good castings –
between 2003 and 2013 alone. In addition
to harsh competition there are also
country-specific problems. Almost twothirds
of foundry employees have no
training or have only learnt briefly ‘onthe-job’,
although the training efforts
of the MCTS have resulted in the first
positive results: in many larger foundries
university graduates now hold key
positions, e.g. in the melting plants, the
molding shops or the core shops. And,
last but not least, South Africa increasingly
suffers from escalating strikes.
Many were injured during strikes at
a chromate mine in 2013. More than
100,000 platinum miners went on
strike for almost six months in 2014. No
work was carried out in South Africa’s
foundries in June and July 2014 when
more than 220,000 metalworkers went
on strike. The strike only ended after a
three-year agreement was reached providing
an annual 10 % increase in pay.
Project content
Three main topic areas for the
EffSAFound project were extrapolated
from these challenges:
66 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

» In collaboration with its South African
partner Ametex, Magma GmbH
(based in Aachen), is developing a
module within its Magmasoft simulation
software especially for highchrome
white cast iron in order to
prevent rejections even before the
first casting. The thermo-physical
properties of the casting materials
were determined for three of the
nine participating foundries and test
rods have been cast for a comprehensive
series of measurements to ascertain
the thermo-mechanical data
(hot tensile and creep experiments).
The data obtained has been validated
on the basis of selected components
produced by the participating
foundries, so that it is possible for
the foundries to achieve energy-efficient
production with the help of
the software.
» With the help of detailed energy efficiency
analyses in the foundries,
and in collaboration with the company
HegerPro (based in Enkenbach-
Alsenborn), English-language
software is being prepared for the
qualification and awareness-raising
of employees regarding energy efficiency.
The German software has already
been translated into English,
and the next step will involve its
modification for the topic of energy
efficiency.
» GUT Gießerei Umwelt Technik GmbH
(based in Freudenberg) will collaborate
in investigating the sand circuit
regarding material and energy efficiency,
working out optimization potentials
and carrying out some regeneration
trials. Although the foundries
have been able to deposit their waste
sand without regeneration in the
past, the legal requirements here
have been tightened up in recent
years. Thus re-use of the waste sand,
e.g. for roadbuilding, is currently illegal
because this is considered dangerous.
In addition, the costs for disposing
of waste foundry sand have risen
from about 7 to 31 Euro within seven
years, and some foundries are already
paying 100 Euro per tonne.
The MCTS has carried out intensive
work on this and examined the new
sand, as well as the waste foundry
sand, in all foundries. Moreover, one
tonne of waste sand from each of two
South African foundries has been regenerated
and analyzed to prove that
this can be re-used in the works. The
construction of regeneration plants
is being considered with the help of
GUT. In addition, European data is being
used to help achieve an assessment
of waste foundry sand as ‘safe’ and thus
enable recycling.
Precise coordination required
There is enormous potential for increasing
the efficiency of South African
foundries, and the most important
improvement potentials have been
identified within the framework of
EffSAFound. The South African Project
Manager Palesa Riba, the Managing
Director of the MCTS Farouk Varachia,
and Project Manager Bosse are in
daily contact to drive the pro ject forward.
But it is not just technical and structural
questions. Precise coordination
is required, particularly before project
trips and concrete work in situ in
the companies, because otherwise important
contacts are simply not available.
Intercultural competence is also
called for when the German virtues
of to-the-minute punctuality and
dependability come up against socalled
‘African time’. The first thing
that one learns as a German in Johannesburg
is that stress, hectic and
feverish time definitions make little
sense. One of the South African partners
smilingly put it in a nutshell at
one of the first meetings: “Europeans
have the clock, we have the time!” Despite
all the challenges, the research
project achieved the three intermediate
objectives in August 2014 after 16
months and will thus be continued,
as planned, until the end of October
2015.
The research project is financed
on the German side by the Federal
Ministry for Education and Research
(BMBF) and on the South African
side by the Department of Trade
and Industry (dti) and the National
Foundry Technology Network
(NFTN).

K NEWS
The premises of the Kurtz Ersa foundry in Hasloch, Germany
KURTZ ERSA
Molding a sustainable future
With a ceremony held directly in the
production hall, the Kurtz Ersa Corporation
opened its new Smart Foundry on 6
March in Hasloch, Germany. A year and
a month had passed since the turning
of the first sod – the starting shot for an
ambitious project which has now been
brought to a successful conclusion and
officially handed over for its intended
purpose. 150 invited guests, customers,
project partners, representatives of important
associations and staff were in attendance
as the ribbon was cut.
With the decision for the Smart
Foundry, Kurtz Ersa pursued a strategic
reorientation intended to secure the
long-term continuity of the iron foundry
and the over 100 jobs at the Hasloch
site. This resulted in investments
amounting to 12 million Euro for what
is probably the world’s most modern
hand mold foundry – a further significant
milestone in the over 235-year history
of the company which has included
iron casting in its core competences
since 1852. Today the broadly-based
product range encompasses, among
other things, planetary carriers, machine
beds and pump housings for wellknown
customers from such branches
as mechanical engineering, drive engineering,
power engineering, vehicle
construction, vacuum engineering and
wind energy. A study commissioned in
advance attests to the necessary potential
for the Kurtz product range to utilise
the full capacity of the iron foundry
with the production of high-quality cast
iron parts for German industry in the
future as well.
From this, the parties involved in the
project have developed a creative solution
which illustrates the trend to “Industrie
4.0” and leads to a doubling of
productivity with increased efficiency.
The concept: Exploiting as many existing
buildings as possible, Smart Foundry
focuses on a completely new material
flow and continuous clocked hand
molding production in keeping with
the Toyota production system. An
SAP-controlled production concept,
parcelled production areas and an unmanned,
universally mobile transport
system result in a flexible process chain
in which manual production phases
and an automated logistics system can
be ideally combined. 1,700 m 2 of
ground-up renovations and 2,580 m 2
of newly-constructed buildings are two
of the major figures in the project, but
say little about the very short construction
period. Just one example: The
construction of the hall alone required
extensive foundation work with over
2,000 m of bored pile rammed in far
below the water table. Numerous partners
contributed to the successful outcome
of the Smart Foundry project –
from the architects, Menig & Partner
to the developer Riedel Bau und Bauer,
the plant supplier F.A.T. Förder- and
Anlagentechnik, Nederman Filtration,
Demag Krane and WFT Fertigungstechnik.
Max Schumacher, Managing Director
of the German Foundry Association
(BDG), accepted the invitation to
speak and used the opportunity to
prove that the German iron foundry
industry continues to be an engine of
innovation and a technological leader.
It was worth investing in iron
foundries in Germany, he claimed,
68 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

The Smart Foundry is particularly high-capacity with unit weights from 1 to 10 tonnes, which can be manufactured
from all currently common iron casting materials
even if the volume growth is now taking
place in Asia. “I walked around
here today and I can assure you that
Kurtz Ersa has set the bar very high
indeed with its Smart Foundry – even
in global terms: customer-oriented,
productive, innovative, efficient, active
– these are what allow progress to
be moulded”, said the BDG man
Schumacher. Only those who permanently
adapt to changing circumstances
have the chance to enjoy permanent
success.
Shortly before the traditional ribbon-cutting
ceremony, Rainer Kurtz
told the assembled guests: “With the
Smart Foundry, I am pleased and proud
to be able to present you with an Industrie
4.0 foundry with a length of 320 m
and with 23,000 m 2 of production
area. We have spared no effort to set
standards in terms of the SAP-controlled
production concept, including
continuous clocking in accordance
with the Toyota principle, workplace
quality, environmental protection and
energy recovery. For we are firmly rooted
in this location; this is where it all
began - and this is where we want to
Everything in view: All the work processes are centrally monitored at the
Kurtz Ersa Smart Foundry control centre
stay. With our new iron foundry, we
are completely hardwired to growth!”
www.kurtzersa.com
PDF-File: Brochure Smart Foundry
– the Industry 4.0 Foundry
http://1drv.ms/1FCNgVV
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 69

K NEWS
Award ceremony with managers of
ABB and Georg Fischer in Zurich,
Switzerland (Photo: GF)
GEORG FISCHER
Global ABB Supplier Sustainability
Award
Georg Fischer (GF), Schaffhausen,
Switzerland, is honoured with the
first Global ABB Supplier Sustainability
Award. The award, which recognizes
sustainability leaders in its supply
chains, was handed over on 25 March
at ABB in Zurich.
The GF foundry in Leipzig, Germany,
with its 260 employees produces
housings for ABB Turbocharging. “I am
pleased that we reward the Global ABB
Supplier Sustainability Award to GF in
Leipzig,” says Daniel Helmig, ABB’s
Head of Supply Chain Management.
“The company is an example of an ABB
supplier that is in line with our high
standards on sustainability and top
quality – a real benchmark in our supply
base.”
GF Leipzig has adopted robust and effective
sustainability practices. The location
uses new fuels that help limit carbon-dioxide
emissions, recycles its raw
materials and provides training to reduce
accidents and to improve health
and safety for its employees. “This award
is a symbol for the excellent and trustworthy
collaboration of both companies
and honored our sustainability efforts
over the last years” states Matthias Heinrich,
Managing Director of GF Leipzig.
The GF foundry sets a high benchmark
in the ABB supply chain with its
state-of-the-art operations. This is particularly
important for suppliers with
inherently hazardous and energy-intensive
manufacturing processes such
as smelting and casting. “I am happy
to see the continuous investments in
technologies to reduce energy consumption,
emissions and waste volumes”,
says Adam Roscoe, ABBs Head
of Sustainability Affairs.
“We are greatly honored to receive this
Award from ABB. It is a stimulus to resolutely
pursue our sustainability efforts,“
stated Manfred Leyrer, GF Corporate
Sustainability Officer.
www.gfau.com
Klumpf_Technische_Chemie_en 21.11.2007 17:59 Uhr Seite 1
RUDOLF UHLEN GmbH
Face protection for every application
Rudolf Uhlen GmbH is a manufacturer of personal protective
equipment (PPE) for face protection. Especially for the
steel and foundry industry we provide special solutions in
the field of IR-protection. We produce:
Visor carriers
Gold-coated visors
Mesh visors
PC-visors
Head Gears
Electric arc protection
PARTICLE
RUDOLF UHLEN GmbH Telefon: (02129) 1444
Am Höfgen 13 - 42781 Haan Telefax: (02129) 59980
www.aschua-uhlen.de info@aschua-uhlen.de
70 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015
Visit us at
GIFA 2015
in Düsseldorf!
Hall 10 - D14
D - 45699 HERTEN • Industriestr. 15
www.diffu-therm.de
please visit us: GIFA 2015 hall 11 stand 11H16
Klumpf_Messehinweis.indd 1 26.11.14 08:02

METSEARCH
New sector portal for the
metal-working industries
With immediate effect, the new sector
portal Metsearch is offering a comprehensive
and complete product and
company database in English and German
across the various metal-working
sectors at www.metsearch.net.
Sector and company news along
with background information on the
industrial sectors of the national and
international trade fairs covering the
areas of foundry technology, metallurgy,
cast products, thermal process
technology, industrial fittings, pipes/
tubes along with wire and cable
round off the range of services. Always
up-to-date, Metsearch is an international
sector portal which covers
the complete metal-working
industry market.
By using the navigation bar the user
accesses a comprehensive database
containing products, companies, sector
and company news. It is also possible
to search for trade fairs where specific
companies are exhibiting or
presenting special products. In this
connection the GIFA, METEC, THERM-
PROCESS, NEWCAST, wire, Tube and
Valve World Expo trade fairs have been
taken into account.
Quite irrespective of whether the
search is specifically for exhibitors,
countries or products, the structure of
the database enables the user to conduct
a quick search and navigate directly
to concentrated information.
Changing monthly highlights with
different key themes round off the portal’s
diversity for every industrial sector.
www.metsearch.net
Please see us at GIFA,
Düsseldorf, June 16-20,
hall 16, stand A39
Competence in
Shot Blast Technology
We offer a complete service in surface preparation technology,
not just as machine designers and manufacturers.
Our emphasis is on providing reliable service on:
• Wear and Spare Parts
• Repair and (remote) maintenance
• Inspection and process advice
• Machine upgrades and performance
enhancement
• Upgraded used machines
AGTOS
Gesellschaft für technische Oberflächensysteme mbH
Gutenbergstraße 14 · D-48282 Emsdetten
Tel. +49(0)2572 96026-0 · info@agtos.de
www.agtos.com
194-01/15-4c-GB
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 71

30.09.2008 8:08:15 Uhr
ly
ge
ld
u-
ce
he
try
ss
ed
of
ry:
in
ge
h,
inart
for
ips
Ar-
d-
9)
SACHSE DAMASCUS STEEL 3rd EDITION
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

Casting
Special
GIFA 2015
GIFA
Special

Approximately 50 % of cast products produced in Germany are used in the automotive industry (Photo: BDG/
Soschinski)
Author: Tanja Vellen, Messe Düsseldorf
Foundry machines: high-tech solutions
from a traditional industry
Global production of castings exceeds 100 million tonnes
Casting processes are the only way to
manufacture many functional metal
parts economically – or at all. The
foundry industry is a major supplier to
other sectors of industry, is responsible
for much of the technical progress that
is made and is therefore important to
many national economies. To remain
competitive, it requires production resources
with which operating costs can
be reduced and individual strengths can
be improved. The International Foundry
Trade Fair GIFA 2015, which is taking
place in Düsseldorf from 16. to 20.
June 2015, will be providing an insight
into the latest state of the art in foundry
machine technology and all areas of
manu facturing technology.
More than 100 million tonnes of castings,
parts made from cast standard/
malleable iron and steel (EST castings)
or non-ferrous metals are manufactured
in total all over the world every year.
According to the most recent global statistics,
the total volume in 2013 was
103.2 million tonnes, with the following
breakdown: EST castings 84.8 million
tonnes, aluminium 15.4 million
tonnes and other non-ferrous metals
3 million tonnes.
Apart from political developments
and their consequences, the foundry
industry depends heavily on the development
of the automotive industry,
machine manufacturing, the construction
industry and the energy market.
According to figures calculated by the
German Foundry Association (BDG),
Düsseldorf, a good 50 % of the castings
manufactured in Germany are, for example,
supplied to the automotive industry,
while just under 25 % are used
in machine manufacturing.
Market development
At the International Foundry Forum
(IFF) that was held in Venice in September
2014, the President of the European
Foundry Association (CAEF),
Luis Filipe Villas-Boas, drew attention
to uncertain geopolitical circumstances,
which were reducing willingness to
invest in many areas of the industry, although
the non-ferrous sector was de-
74 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

veloping better than the ferrous sector.
Dr Ioannis Ioannidis, Vice-President
of the European Foundry Equipment
Suppliers Association and Chairman of
the Board of the VDMA Foundry Machine
Association, shares this view,
emphasising in December 2014: “Business
is slower at steel and iron foundries,
whereas it is developing more
positively at die and permanent mold
casting foundries.”
Markets
The automotive industry has always had
a major influence on the geographic and
technical development of the foundry
sector. Dr Heinz Büchner from IKB Industriebank
expects demand for castings
from the automotive industry to increase
in general over the next decade.
Rising prosperity in the emerging markets
is likely to drive growth on the car
market, while stricter legal regulations
about energy efficiency and emissions
should lead to higher sales on the European
market. From 2018 onwards, there
is also likely to be substitution of EST
castings by lightweight metal castings
for certain parts when a switch is made
to new car models. According to Dr Ioannidis,
smaller and smaller engines are
being developed, which need to be able
to cope with increasingly high-performance
operation. Foundries and their
suppliers are expected to develop important
components here. More materials
will be combined with each other
in future too. The objective is to manufacture
parts with better properties
but lower production costs. The foundry
industry can expect high growth in
the machine manufacturing, chemical,
food and energy generation industries
as well. Resource and energy efficiency
will in general become a considerably
more important issue.
The IKB market survey reveals that the
markets for the European foundry industry
will be shifting to a larger extent
towards Eastern Europe and East Asia.
China has become a more significant
sales market for foundry machines
again, which is associated with the anticipated
expansion of casting capacities.
In view of the political and economic
sanctions and their impact on
project funding, the situation in Russia
Structural parts made of cast aluminum are becoming ever more important in
the automotive industry
In the design and manufacture of motor vehicles parts are increasingly replaced
by castings
is likely to become substantially more
difficult. At the IFF, Andrew Dibrov,
Vice-President of the Russian Association
of Foundrymen, pointed out that
Russian foundries needed modern
equipment for such areas as casting and
medium-frequency furnaces, but he
also drew attention to the fact that the
current political sanctions would have
the effect that the business community
in the country will be turning to the east
to an increased extent. When Russian
banks provide support to companies,
Asian suppliers would then be preferred,
although European manufacturers
would also be commissioned when they
had manufacturing facilities in Russia or
Asia.
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 75

The situation in the NAFTA area, which
is being reindustrialised thanks to favourable
energy costs, can, in general,
be considered good. A large proportion
of the growth is taking place in Mexico.
This development is leading to higher
demand for casting production capacities
and the relevant manufacturing
equipment.
Recommendations
CAEF President Villas-Boas thinks that
the foundry industry has strengths in
the design potential it has, with which
the demands made by the automotive
industry for lightweight structures can
be met. At the IFF, he also encouraged
companies to form electronic networks
that have the potential to make corporate
operations even more successful
and profitable. Dr Büchner recommends
that manufacturers of foundry
machines continue to invest in research,
development and qualified staff,
make ongoing reviews of the technical
lead they hold, develop appropriate
strategies and, in this context, e xpand
such arrangements as sales co-operation
agreements. He also thinks that it is very
important to participate in trade fairs.
Not only in the foundry machine industry
are leading manufacturers working
on supplying machines with technology
that is customised as precisely as possible
to satisfy the requirements of the
users and their markets.
The GIFA 2015 trade fair
Foundries need innovative machines,
equipment and software systems in order
to be able to operate efficiently. The
International Foundry Trade Fair GIFA,
which is taking place at the same time
as the trade fairs METEC, THERMPRO-
CESS and NEWCAST that focus on associated
fields and all share the same motto
(“The Bright World of Metals“), will
be providing information about this
and the innovative developments that
are being made. The exhibition programme
consists of foundry plants and
equipment, melting plants and equipment,
refractories technology, moulding
and core making plants and equipment,
moulding sands and moulding
auxiliaries, sand preparation and reclamation,
gating and feeding, casting machines
and pouring equipment, knockout,
fettling and finishing, pattern and
die making, process control technology
and automation, environmental protection
and waste removal as well as information
technology.
Technical forums at the trade fair
GIFA-Forum
Tuesday, 16.06.2015
*Speaker
10:45 Opening: Dr.-Ing. C. Wilhelm, German Foundry Association,
Düsseldorf/Germany
11:00 Energy Efficient Use of Medium Frequency Induction
Furnaces with Constant Power Range by Use of Power
Optimized Charging; Dr.-Ing. M. Rische*, Dr. E. Dötsch, Y.
Yildir, R. Ibach, ABP Induction Systems, Dortmund/Germany
11:30 A New Generation of Ceramic Foam Filters Providing
Real Opportunities for Cleaner Steel Castings; N. Child,
Foseco International Limited, Tamworth/UK
12:00 New Trends in Feeder Technology; G. Brieger, Chemex
GmbH, Delligsen/Germany
12:30 High Value Added Cast Parts - Advanced Feeding
Systems and Metallurgical Improvements; J. Prat*, ASK
Chemicals España, Castro Urdiales/Spain; I. Julián, A.
Garikoitz, IK4-Azterlan, Durango/Spain
13:00 Break
13:15 Inorganic Core Sand: Decoring of Castings and Sand
Reclamation; Dr. U. Dinglreiter, R. Scheuchl GmbH, Ortenburg/Germany
13:45 New possibilities of surface finishing for the die-casting
industry; I. Löken, Spaleck Oberflächentechnik GmbH &
Co. KG, Bocholt/Germany
14:15 Methods for Describing the Flow Behavior of Inorganic
Core Sand Material for the Production of Complex
Cast Components; Dr.-Ing. A. Schrey*, Foseco Europe
Marketing & Technology, Borken/Germany; Dr. V.
Haanappel, Foseco Nederland, Enschede/Netherlands
14:45 Minimizing Air Entrainment in High Pressure Die
Casting Shot Sleeves; M. Stefano*, XC Engineering,
Cantù/Italy; Dr. M. Barkhudarov, Flow Science, Santa Fe/
USA
15:15 Innovative coating to prevent white film defects
C. Joachim*, C. Fourberg, Hüttenes-Albertus Chemische
Werke GmbH, Düsseldorf/Germany; M. Vorrath, Dr. K.
Seeger, Hüttenes-Albertus Chemische Werke GmbH,
Hannover/Germany
15:45 Equipment Availability and Energy Efficiency – a Contradiction?
Dr. P. Reichen*, U. Jordi, Bühler AG, Uzwil/Switzerland;
F. Hoffmann, Bühler GmbH, Mannheim/Germany
16:15 Performance of Long Thin Printed Sand Cores in
Aluminium Castings; T. Mueller, Voxeljet of America,
Canton/USA
16:45 Advancements in Die Lubricant Technology for the
Evolving Die Cast Process; D. Tomazic*, Chem-Trend
Deutschland GmbH, Gernlinden/Germany; J. Belyk, Chem-
Trend, Howell/USA
17:15 Development of Intelligent Green Sand Preparation
System; T. Sakai*, S. Katsuhito, O. Yuichi, SINTOKOGIO,
Toyokawa/Japan
17:45 End
76 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

All presentations at the technical forums at GIFA are either held in English or are simultaneously translated
Venue
Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, Hall 13, Stand C 38
Registration
Not required
Participants
Open to all
Participation fee
Free of charge
Lectures
The proceedings with the abstracts of the
lectures will be available at the counter
Language
German – English (Simultaneous interpretation)
NEWCAST-Forum
Wednesday, 17.06.2015
10:30 Competiveness by Leadership – Ensure the Competitiveness
of Foundries in High Wage Countries by Using a
Clear Leadership Model; H. Doppler, Managementberatung
Doppler, Freiberg am Neckar/Germany
11:00 TENSAL ® - Development of a High Strength Aluminum
Casting Alloy for the Production of Highly Loaded
Chassis Components; Dr. rer. nat. K. Greven*, M. Loganathan,
O. Grimm, KSM Castings, Hildesheim/Germany
11:30 Productivity and Ecology Considerations of High
Production CB Processes; J. Archibald*, M. Hartman, J.
Benavente, ASK-Chemicals, Dublin Ohio /USA
12:00 Cast product design driven by front-loading through
virtual experimentation and optimization – baseline
technology for efficient CAE-Development Processes;
Dr.-Ing. H. Bramann*, Dr.-Ing. J. C. Sturm, H. Rockmann,
H. J. Gaspers, MAGMA Gießereitechnologie, Aachen/Germany
12:30 International Foundry Challenge - Suitable Production
of Thin Walled Aluminum Prototype and Small
Series Castings for Body in White Applications;
Dr. J. Gundlach*, Dr. J. Detering, Grunewald, Bocholt/Germany
13:00 Methodical, Automatic Optimization of the Casting
Process in Terms of Economy, Resource Efficiency
and Quality; P. Kohlmeyer, G. A. Röders, Soltau/ Germany
13:30 Development of a Novel AlCu-Cast Alloy for Thermally
High Loaded Cylinder Heads; Dr.-Ing. F. J. Feikus*, Dr.
L. Kniewallner, Nemak Europe, Frankfurt/Germany; M.
Rafetzeder, Dr. M. Djurdjevic, B. Stauder, Nemak Linz
GmbH, Linz/Austria
14:00 Lightweighting the Right Material at the Right Place
- A Comparison of Iron, Aluminum, Magnesium and
Carbon Fiber; K. Decking*, M. Holtkötter, Georg Fischer
Automotive, Schaffhausen/Switzerland
14:30 Energy Balance and CO 2
Emissions Study for the
Total Life Cycle of Engine Blocks from Aluminum
and Cast Iron; Dr.-Ing. A. Sobota*, W. Görtz, Eisenwerk
Brühl GmbH, Brühl/Germany
15:00 End
16:30 NEWCAST-Award
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 77

WFO-Technical-Forum
Thursday, 18.06.2015
12:55 Up-date on use of blended Bentonite & Coonerdite; B.
Officer, P. Verdot, Amcol Metalcasting
13:20 Environmental Inorganic binder systems; A. Tagg, John
Winter, Geopola
13:45 Innovative approach to training - A challenge for our
industry; Dr. Pam Murrell FICME, Cast Metals Federation
Birmingham/UK
10:45 Opening Address by Vinod Kapur, WFO-President
11:00 Keynote: The foundry of the future-advanced managing
and manufacturing concepts for a global competitive
cast iron plant; Jorge Fesch, Sakthi Portugal Group
11:45 Comparing the USA and Europe Casting Industries
D. Trinowski, Hüttenes-Albertus Chemische Werke
12:15 RFI in No Bake Foundries; C. Wilding, Omega Foundry
Machinery, Peterborough/UK
14:10 Novel No bake binders with reduced fume; S. Trikha,
Hüttenes Albertus
14:35 Rapid development of new castings using simulation
techniques; Tappan Roy, Texmaco Rail. Kolkata/ India
15:00 Improving casting quality through lustrous carbon
N. Richardson S & B/UK
15:25 End
16:00-17:30 World Foundry Organization General Assembly
12:40 Break
VDI-Technical-Forum
Friday, 19.06.2015
10:30 Proven Odor and VOC Abatement in Foundries; C. Mülleder*,
M. Klimisch, Dr. M. Krenn, CTP, Graz/Austria
11:00 Determination and Assessment of Volume Defects in
Aluminum Castings by Means of Computed Tomography
Dr. B. Oberdorfer*, D. Habe, Dr. E. Kaschnitz, G. Schindelbacher,
Österreichisches Gießerei-Institut (ÖGI), Leoben/Austria
11:30 Simulation-Aided Optimization of Gating and Feeding
Systems for Aluminum Sand Castings; Dr.-Ing. G. W. Dieckhues*,
H. Rockmann, Ohm & Häner, Olpe/Germany
12:00 Simulation in the Support of the Development of
Innovative Processes in the Casting Industry; Dr.-Ing. M.
Todte*, Flow Science Deutschland, Rottenburg/Germany;
Dr. A Fent, H. Lang, BMW, Landshut/Germany
12:30 Economic and Energy-Related Aspects of Batch Planning
and the Optimization of Melt Operations; Dr. H. Ortloff*, K.
Bembenek, K. Herzog, S. Recktor, RGU, Dortmund/Germany
13:00 Break
13:15 High Effective Linked Production of Cylinder Heads
and Cylinder Blocks in Double Casting Machines at
Volkswagen; Dr.-Ing. F. Hansen*, Dr.-Ing. R. Rösch, S. Uhde,
K. Wagner, Volkswagen, Leichtmetallgießerei Hannover,
Hannover/Germany
13:45 Graded Sands: Impact of Grain Size Distribution on
Molding Materials; Dr. H. Görke*, Dr. J. U. Zilles, M. Demary,
Quarzwerke, Frechen/Germany
14:15 Increase Your Casting Output, with 30 % Higher Productivity
on DISA Vertical Machines; B. W. Haugbølle, DISA
Industries, Taastrup/Denmark
14:45 A Novel Emission Control System for the Reduction
Air Pollutants in Flue Gases from Foundries
Prof. Dr. P. Wiesen*, Bergische Universität Wuppertal,
Wuppertal/Germany, Prof. M. S. Johnson, University of
Copenhagen/Denmark; F. Hartung, M. Gallus, Infuser
Deutschland, Mannheim/Germany
15:15 Influence of Silicon Content, Strain Rate and Temperature
on Toughness of High Si Ferritic Ductile Cast Iron; T. Ikeda*,
Dr. Eng. U. Takuo, Dr. Eng. O. Keisaku, K. Nobuhiro, HI-
NODE, Tokio/Japan
15:45 Automated Quality Control for Tools, Patterns and Cast
Metal Parts with Optical 3D Metrology Systems; S. Adolf,
GOM Gesellschaft für Optische Messtechnik mbH, Braunschweig/Germany
16:15 Defective Castings Detection in Large Ductile Iron Production
Using a Machine Learning Approach; Dr.-Ing. G.
Bertuzzi, SACMI Imola, Imola/Italy
16:45 Thread New Paths in Automated Defect Recognition
(ADR) for Castings; H. Schulenburg, VisiConsult, Stockelsdorf/Germany
17:15 End
78 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

Elemental Analyzers
for C, H, N, O, S
VELCO
ELEMENTRAC ®
ONH-p
The ideal analyzer
for the simultaneous
determination of
oxygen, nitrogen
and hydrogen in
solid samples such
as cast iron.
n Freely selectable
configuration of
O, N, H
n Closed gas
management
n PC-controlled,
segmented leakage
test
n Optimized catalyst
for CO oxidation
Reliable partner for more than 40 years
Velco, Velbert, Germany, is known to foundries all over
the world, as manufacturer of gunning machines and injections
installations especially for this line of industry.
Based on the continuous demand for environmental
protection and reduction of costs Velco developed in
close cooperation with the foundry industry installations
for the re-use of foundry materials (filter dust,
grinding dust, cold resin dust) and the introduction of
alloys and carbon fines to reduce the batch coke by injection
through separate nozzle which is placed near to the
cupola tuyere.
The injection is mainly done in the melting area as
there are the highest temperatures so that the injected
products can be quickly converted. Velco’s system with
separate nozzles enables the user of cupola furnaces to
inject bigger amounts without any problems in the furnace
process.
Velco offers for this purpose competent consulting service
at site, test facilities, visit of reference plants, planning,
manufacturing and installation of tailor-made
equipment.
Hall 5, Stand D 26
www.velco.de
Injection installation for a cupola furnace (Photo:
Velco)
www.eltra.com

Optical
Particle Analyzers
ELECTRONICS GMBH
Experience pays
For more than 35 years the name Electronics, Neuhausen,
Germany, has been a guarantee for performance,
precision, reliability and quality in the development of
measuring systems for the casting industry with specialization
in die-casting, low pressure casting and gravity
die-casting. The customers include automotive suppliers
and well-known European car manufacturers.
As a leading manufacturer of process data measuring
systems for casting machines the company provides customers
with day-to-day support in optimizing their production
processes. A reliable process flow and dependable
documentation are just as important for success as
the reduction of rejects and optimal reproducibility of
cast parts – goals that are easy to regulate, control and
measure.
Decades of experience, sound expertise and an understanding
of the parameters that are decisive for the casting
process make the company a sought-after system
partner - worldwide.
Tough international competition, increased customer
demands and legal requirements – for example concerning
product liability – constantly increase the demands
made on modern casting and the respective quality management
system. A company can only be successful on
the market if a high quality of cast parts is guaranteed.
Electroniccs offer its customers the right solutions to
meet these high demands: Electronics process data measuring
systems
Hall 11, Stand C 12
www.electronics-gmbh.de
The CAMSIZER P4 is the
new generation of the
well-proven CAMSIZER
system with patented
Dual Camera Technology.
The new analyzer offers
improved performance
and extended functionalities.
n Extended measuring
range from 20 μm
to 30 mm
n Faster hard- and software
record more
particles per second
n Particle library and 3D
cloud software
Overview of products and services (Photo: Electronics)
www.retsch-technology.com

ASK CHEMICALS
Decoring test: The Inotec promoter TC 5000 achieves a considerable
improvement in shakeout
Casting advantages of the
new Inotec generation
ASK Chemicals, Hilden, Germany, has
succeeded in further enhancing its inorganic
Inotec technology through
its new Inotec TC 5000 and Inotec HS
3000 products. The new developments
lead in particular to improved shakeout
and higher moisture stability of
the cores.
The mounting advantages of using
Inotec technology for the foundry industry
are not only odorless core production
and odor-reduced casting, but
also the significantly lower cleaning
required for machines and tools, leading
to productivity increases for foundries.
Inorganic binder systems also offer
casting advantages that result in
stronger components.
The newly developed promoter Inotec
TC 5000 complements the positive
qualities of the previous generation in
regard to penetration-free and sand-adhesion-free
casting surfaces, and in
terms of improved collapsibility properties
in light metal casting, improved
immediate strength levels, as well as
increased storage life of the cores. Previously,
the decoring of cast parts manufactured
with inorganic binders presented
a challenge in relation to water
jackets, especially if the gutting machine
had limited degrees of freedom.
Inotec TC 5000 now enables even complex
and delicate water jacket cores to
be safely shaken out after casting. The
system is 100 % inorganic and leaves
no residual condensate deposits in the
tooling, nor causes any smoke to form
during the casting process.
Likewise, the storage life of cores
manufactured using inorganic binders
previously posed a challenge, especially
on hot summer days with high humidity
and a high ambient temperature.
Now, the new binder Inotec
HS 3000 significantly improves the
moisture stability of the inorganically
bound cores. This in turn makes it possible
to manufacture stable cores coated
with a water-based coating, which
also makes the Inotec binder system
interesting for iron casting.
Hall 12, Stand A22.
www.ask-chemicals.com
SMS HOLDING GmbH
Plant and machinery for industrial
metalworking applications
The SMS group, Hilchenbach, Germany,
ranks among the global leaders in
plant construction and mechanical
engineering for the entire metallurgical
process chain.
The company works in partnership
with the steel and aluminum industry
in building and upgrading plants or
erecting complete turnkey plant complexes.
The planning, engineering and
financing are all closely interlinked
here. The SMS group supplies plants for
reduction metallurgy, steelmaking, secondary
metallurgy and continuous casting
technology for flat and long products.
Alongside CSP technology, hot
and cold rolling mills, strip processing
plants and furnace technology, our
range also includes tube plants, long
product plants, forging plants, NF metal
plants and heat treatment technology.
A huge task SMS faces is reconciling
ecology and economy. The company
has solutions that focus equally on
both areas. It has a name for product
innovations that offer customers special
economic and ecological advantages:
Ecoplants.
The customers also benefit from a
needs-based service - ranging from selected
services right up to a full service
package. This means high plant availability
with low maintenance costs.
SMS has built up a global service network
that provides the best possible
support to plant owners using short
routes as well as the local language.
The company looks after the plant and
machinery from commissioning right
through its entire life cycle.
Hall 5, Stand F 16,
Hall 10, Stand H 41
www.sms-group.com
82 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

WALTHER-PRÄZISION
Flexibility and safety in core
making facilities
Working in core making facilities for
casting molds is often extremely hazardous
to health and environment,
since harmful and toxic chemicals
like “ethyldimethylamine“ are commonly
added to the core sand. This
fluids speed up the curing process of
the cores and will be added to the core
sand out of larger containers.
While replacing empty containers,
screwed connections have to be unlocked
in many cases. Remaining
quantities of the hazardous fluid may
escape freely forcing the user to wear
cumbersome protective clothing.
Walther-Präzision, Haan, Germany,
provides a safe, environmentally
friendly and clean solution: clean
break couplings of the BF series. The
couplings of these series meet highest
demands on operating safety, residual
leakage and reliability. The proven
adaptor design and the ball face front
surfaces on the coupling halves ensure
an easy connection and seal the coupling
before the valves open. Additionally,
the special valve design creates a
perfect clean break effect: “dead space
volumes” or enclosed air volumes
while coupling can be disregarded.
Ball face clean break coupling BF series (Photo: Walther Präzision)
In many field tests at well-known
manufacturers Walther-Präzision
demonstrated the advantages of these
couplings. In the meantime, all of their
core making facilities have been reequipped
with couplings of the BF series.
The replacement of chemical containers
has thus become a clean job.
Benefits of the BF series for core making
at a glance:
» quick replacement of tanks
» leakage-free connection/no escape
of fluids
» no health hazard
» no environmental pollution
» easy cleaning thanks to smooth surfaces
» one-hand operation
» reliable and long-lasting due to modified
sealing materials
» no protective clothing required
Thanks to this development, damages
to health or environment are finally
things of the past!
Hall 11, Stand D 46
www.walther-praezision.de
CALDERYS
Silica Mix – often copied but
never matched
Within the fundry industry, silica based
refractories have been well known as
the first choice lining for coreless induction
furnaces for melting and holding
of ferrous and copper based metals.
Calderys, Issy-Les-Moulineaux,
France, has been a leader for over
50 years in this segment by providing
the market with the world famous
Swedish microcrystalline quartzite.
Branded as Silica Mix this range is the
benchmark reference in a competitive
market.
The technical advantages of Silica
Mix linings brings the following and
in some-ways considered unique advantages:
» Naturally mineralized unique micro-crystalline
Swedish quartzite
-Slow crystal transformations
-High thermal stability & refractoriness
-Minimal growth and crack formation
-Metal & slag compatibility
» Reliable and predictable performance
» High corrosion & erosion resistance
together with mechanical strengths
» Ease and speed of use
» Good value in use economics
Today, this becomes more relevant as
foundries upgrade to modern, high
density power rated, batch melting
units.
Calderys enjoys the major advantage
of totally owned and fully in-house
controlled production process available
to the valued customers as needed.
Calderys feels proud that its R&D and
extended resources permit the availability
of these special products and
concepts to over 60 countries and future
generations.
Hall 10, Stand A 18
www.calderys.com
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 83

GTP SCHÄFER
Foundry 4.0: Digitalisation as a
key indicator for sustainable
business success
In the same way as the invention of
the steam engine and the production
line a few hundred years ago, digitalisation
is fundamentally turning production
processes as well our internally
and externally-oriented methods
upside down nowadays. Industrial
success and, as a result, the success of
the foundry industry will significantly
depend upon the success of improvements
in efficiency in terms of data
exchange and intercompany communication
in forthcoming years. Considerable
investments are required in
order to exploit the potential. As a consequence,
the topic is assuming a leading
position on the agenda of the highest
levels of management in German
industrial companies.
“Foundry Industry 4.0”: Redefining
and possibly revolutionizing the digitalization
and the data exchange of product
services and service offerings from
industrial companies in order to identify
customer requirements more quickly
and to fulfil them in a better way. Companies
are networking with customers
and partners. In doing so, the special
quality of the digital revolution is the
rapid acceleration of processes and the
amazing speed in terms of adjustment
and change. At this point, the greatest
changes will surely be faced by the socalled
“old economy” companies, i.e.
traditional producing companies such
as foundries.
With regard to the foundry industry,
this means that the aforementioned
improvement in efficiency and acceleration
of the processes are already being
increasingly practiced and re-quired by
the end customers (cast purchasers).
This starts with the provision and processing
of construction and production
data on shared virtual drives and
through to connected goods management
systems that update the needs of
the customers in the foundry system
each day. Within the framework of the
trend towards digitalization and process
acceleration, foundries have so far
experienced significant stipulations
from the customers. The objective of
these stipulations is to simplify inhouse
processes but not to necessarily
simplify those of the foundries.
Today, the suppliers to the foundry
industry are faced with the task of improving
the data exchange, communication
and support of the customer or
to adapt it to the new speed level. The
requirement in terms of response speed
in the event of technical problems or
issues with the supplier has dramatically
increased. Furthermore, the provision
of data such as drawings, 3-D data
sets, product and data sheets, etc. must
be automated and efficiently designed.
In addition to the aforementioned efficient
design of the data exchange, digitalization
can, above all, structure the
interaction between the foundry and
the supplier in a more efficient manner
and create new added
values. If a technical
problem occurs,
the founder
must be able to contact
the supplier
immediately, they
must be able to simply
collect images,
details and information
regarding
the problem at
hand and they
must be able to internally
and externally
distribute
them. Establishing
a working group that is then necessary
and that consists of foundry employees
and supplier application technicians
must take place smoothly and in an automated
manner. The solution to the
problem must take place promptly and
in a way that is transparent for all participants
of the working group. A loss of
information of individual participants
or a temporal delay caused by incomplete
mailing lists and full diaries is no
longer acceptable today.
Due to the aforementioned developments
and requirements of the market,
GTP Schäfer, Grevenbroich, Germany,
has designed an App solution for its customers.
The objective of this innovative
system is to structure the provision of
data and the exchange of information
with customers in a more efficient and
transparent manner. It is a network information
system that, via smartphones,
tablets and desktops, provides
required information in a targeted manner,
supports the collection and distribution
of “on the go” data and promptly
enables a problem-free integration of
internal and external persons into individual
working groups concerning various
topics. Within this framework, a
further aim is to provide the founder
with additional “tools” in order to support
their work in various modules. GTP
Schäfer will present Version 1.0 of the
“GTP Toolbox” within the context of
GIFA 2015.
“Many industrial companies misjudge
the transformational force of digital
network”, says Andreas Diehl who,
with his company firstangel.co, is specialized
in the field of digital business
modelling and products. Mr Diehl says
that there is often a shortage in terms of
the required willingness to innovate
and invest. “Digital products define our
everyday lives. GTP Schäfer has recognized
the potential for their own business
model and the advantages for its
customers and have implemented it in
a very resolute manner”, said a delighted
Andreas Diehl at the launch of the
GTP ToolBox. Interested parties can register
for further information today at
www.gtp-toolbox.com.
Hall 12, Stand E 22 + E 29
www.gtp-schaefer.de
84 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

FOSECO
New Inorganic Binder System of Foseco (Photo: Foseco)
Binders for iron, steel and aluminum
foundries
At the show, Foseco, Borken, Germany,
is highlighting a diverse range of binders
that fulfil the needs of all foundry
production processes. This will be
achieved through the presentation of
individual binder solutions for the production
of automotive, marine engineering
and steel castings. Intelligent,
customized solutions help customers
to save resources and increase the efficiency
of their casting production, and
examples of this will be demonstrated
through specific case studies.
Specific focus will be given to environmentally
compliant solutions and
the launch of a newly developed, fully
inorganic binder system which is suitable
for the manufacture of highly
complex automotive castings such as
cylinder heads or motor blocks. In contrast
to conventional organic systems
the new inorganic binder system does
not release any harmful emissions and
contributes both to the well-being of
the foundry employees and the protection
of the local environment.
Hall 12, Stand A 1 + A 2
www,foseco.com
Videos about
Foseco products
http://foseco-at-gifa.com/en/highlights-2015
COLD JET
New pelletizer provides best output to smallest footprint ratio in dry ice
production (Photo: Cold Jet)
E160 Pelletizer
Cold Jet, Loveland, USA, – the world
leader in developing innovative, environmentally
responsible dry ice cleaning
solutions and production equipment
– announces the launch of the
E160 Pelletizer, a highly efficient dry
ice extruder that has minimal space requirements
and is designed to manufacture
3 mm-16 mm dry ice pellets and
nuggets on demand. The E160 Pelletizer
provides the best output to footprint
ratio in dry ice production and has the
lowest maintenance cost and lowest energy
consumption.
“The E160 Pelletizer is easy to operate,
can go to full production in less than
three minutes and requires only half of
the normal space needed by similar dry
ice production equipment on the market
today,” said Wim Eeckelaers, Senior
Vice President, Global Dry Ice Manufacturing,
Cold Jet.
In addition to its compact footprint,
the fully automatic E160 Pelletizer produces
up to 160 kg per hour of consistent,
high density dry ice pellets or nuggets
on demand; has the highest liquid
to solid conversion rate; is simple to
operate – either as a standalone machine
or when integrated into an automated
dry ice cleaning or surface preparation
system; has a closed, stainless
steel frame; can be operated from cylinders,
dewars or storage tanks of liquid
CO 2
; and has multiple industrial voltage
ports, enabling global installations.
Cold Jet once again sets a new industry
standard for dry ice production with
the E160 Pelletizer.
Cold Jet’s dry ice production equipment
produces consistent, high density
dry ice for transportation and blasting
and has been engineered to extrude the
highest density dry ice available. Due to
our proprietary knowledge of dry ice,
Cold Jet’s process creates a longer shelf
life, better transportability and offers
better blasting performance. Cold Jet
pelletizers are also fully automated with
one-button operation and are made to
UL, USDA, FDA and CE standards.
Hall 16, Stand A 24
www.coldjet.com
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 85

FOSECO
Centrifugally cast iron cylinder
liners for iron and aluminium
foundries
Globally the accepted emission levels
for new vehicles is being driven ever
lower, with car manufacturers focusing
on lightweight design and energy efficiency
to meet the legislative requirements.
One area of specific focus is the
downsizing of engines whilst retaining
power output, in many cases utilising
low weight aluminium blocks with grey
iron cylinder liners.
Foseco, Borken, Germany, will be displaying
a technology package for the
process of manufacturing grey cast iron
cylinder liners. The liners exhibit a special
surface structure which enables the
casting to be directly cast into the aluminium
block by gravity die casting as
well as pressure die casting.
Hall 12, Stand A1 + A2
www.foseco.com
Videos about Foseco products
http://foseco-at-gifa.com/en/highlights-2015
Foseco’s technology package for iron cylinder liners
(Photo: Foseco)
CONVITEC
Shake-out feeders CAV and
CAH
Vario shake-out feeders (CAV) are particularly
suitable for shaking out sensitive
castings and for different casting
programs with small and big castings
per order. These shake-out feeders
work in the rotational speed range
from 1,000 to 1,500 rpm respectively
frequency 16-25 hertz, at an earth acceleration
of 4.5 to 5.0 g. Depending
on the casting program, the feeders are
equipped with longitudinal or transversal
slot grids and/or perforated metal
sheets. A typical case of application
exists where the casted molds require
different shakeout behaviours and adaptation
is necessary while production
is running. The shakeout behaviour
can be pre-selected individually and/
or model-related at the moulding
plant or via PC of the Vario shake-out
feeder. For this, the drives (directed exciters)
of the Vario shake-out feeder are
electronically synchronized. It is possible
to adjust the desired impact angle
and thus the conveying speed by
changing the phase position as well as
the intensity of shaking out by changing
the rpm to meet the requirements.
CAH type shake-out feeders are used
for the continuous separation of casting
and sand after automatically operating
flask or flask less molding plants.
They are suitable for a wide range of
castings including castings of different
sensitivity. These shake-out feeders
work in the rotational speed range
from 1,000 to 1,500 rpm at an earth
acceleration of 4.5 to 5.0 g. Depending
on the casting program, the feeders are
equipped with longitudinal or transversal
slot grids and/or perforated metal
sheets. The drive is usually provided
by means of directed exciters, which
can be located in the middle, above or
underneath the machine. Due to the
afore-mentioned arrangement of the
exciters, it is possible to carry out
maintenance works even from above.
Shake-out feeders are designed according
to the mold body dimensions and
the conveying capacity of the molding
plant. The width varies from 800 to
3,000 mm and the length from 4,500
(+500) to 7,500 (+500) mm.
However, in case of very different
casting programs and/or frequent
model changes the Vario shake-out
feeders, type CAV, are used.
Hall 15, Stand F 23
www.convitec.net
86 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

Energy-Efficient
Exhaust Air Filters
JÖST
Vibrating machines and
systems
Jöst, Dülmen, Germany, is globally
known for innovation and constant developments
of vibrating machines and
systems for the foundry industry which
are important to meet the changing requirements
of modern foundries.
As leading manufacturer of vibrating
machines and system solutions for the
foundry industry, Jöst GmbH + Co. KG
VELCO
presents an interesting products overview
for primary and secondary metallurgy.
Our scope of supply refers to the
conveying of raw materials, screening,
storage and dosing of different products
up to the different furnace melting processes
like EAF, RH, VD or LF.
Hall 3, Stand F 33
Hall 17, Stand D 47
www.joest.com
Process for concentration of
Zn-dust
In the framework of a research project
by the German ministry of education
and Research with Velco GmbH, Velbert,
VDEh-Betriebsforschungsinstitut
GmbH (BFI), Düsseldorf, and DK Recycling
und Roheisen GmbH, Duisburg,
(all Germany) as project partner, Velco
installed at DK Recycling and Roheisen
GmbH an installation for the injection
of zinc-bearing filter dusts.
The zinc-bearing furnace gas dust is
injected into the induction furnace via a
refractory dipping lance into the pig iron
melt, whereby the zinc at first is converted
into metallic form, vaporized and finally
changing over to zinc-oxide that is
separated in the filter of the dedusting
plant. This zinc-oxide contains up to
64 % Zn (about 80 % ZnO).
The dust is stored in transport bins and
brought to the injection installation
with fork lifters. The injection installation
consists of a support frame for receipt
of the transport bins, a sieving installation
for separation of overgrain and
foreign particles, a pneumatic conveying
installation and a manipulator allowing
to dip the lance deep into the melt. The
installation is running with conveying
rates up to 60 kg/min. About 2 t of dust
can be processed within one hour.
Hall 5 / Stand D 26
www.velco.de/englisch/englisch.php3
Clean the air in your
foundry and save
energy!
KMA has the right solution for
each exhaust air problem:
Centralized filter in an exhaust
air mode and with integrated
heat recovery
Or: Recirculating air mode
without heat loss
High energy savings:
up to 80 %
Combinable with extraction
hoods and room ventilation
systems
High air quality by high
filtration efficiency
Reducing heatig costs &
CO2 emissions
Low maintenance by automatic
filter cleaning system
Filter replacement is not
necessary
Visit us at
GIFA
in Dusseldorf/Germany!
Hall 11, Booth H73
Centralized exhaust air filter for an exhaust air capacity
of 30,000 m³/h.
With integrated heat exchanger and
automatic cleaning system.
Velco-Injection plant at DK Recycling und Roheisen GmbH in Duisburg, Germany
(Photo: Velco)
KMA Umwelttechnik GmbH
Eduard-Rhein-Str. 2
53639 Koenigswinter
Germany
www.kma-filter.de
info@kma-filter.de
Phone: +49 2244 - 9248 0

MEDENUS
New cellular gas filter series
DF100
Medenus Gasdruckregeltechnik GmbH,
Olpe, Germany, will present the new
cellular gas filter series DF100 at THER-
MPROCESS 2015. This completes the
existing product range of gas pressure
regulators, safety shut off valves and
safety relief valves. These cellular filters
are available in size DN 25 – DN 200,
with DIN flanges PN16 or ANSI150RF.
The standard efficiency rate of dust
of the filter cartridge is about 99,9 %
> 2µm and they are suitable to all kinds
of dry gases according to G 260/262
(others upon request). If necessary it
is possible to add a differential pressure
gauge with or without remote indication
and ball valves as well.
Hall 9, Stand A34
www.medenus.de
New cellular gas filter DF100 – size
DN50 (Photo: Medenus)
LGC STANDARDS
Industrial standards from LGC
LGC, Teddington, UK, is a global leading
manufacturer and supplier for:
» Metals: pure metals as well as all
type of alloys, which are available
as CRM, RM or SUS. The established
IARM standards are produced by
LGC Standards in USA according
ISO Guide 34
» Powders: cement, slags and ashes,
ferro alloys and ores, geological materials,
plants, coke and coal
» Water and oil-based reference materials
which are produced by VHG
labs under ISO Guide 34, ISO Guide
35 and ISO Guide 17025.
The company also offers equipment and
consumable for sample preparation:
» Grinding, polishing and milling machines
for metals
» Own-brand autofluxer
» Plastic films and cups for XRF.
LGC also has the expertise to supply
your physical testing materials requirements.
To underline LGC Standards’
position as a single-source-supplier
in the industrial sector, it
continually seeks to expand its portfolio
to ensure it has the best fit for its
customers’ needs. This includes sourcing
materials from across the world including
unique suppliers in Asia, USA
and Europe.
Hall 11, Stand H 10
www.lgcstandards.com
88 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

SCHLAGER INDUSTRIEOFENBAU
Industrial furnace construction
At Thermoprozess Wärmebehandlungen
Austria GmbH an existing boogie
hearth furnace with measurements l =
13,000 x w = 6,500 x h = 7,000 mm for
charging weights up to 250 t was modernized
by Schlager Industrieofenbau
from Hagen, Germany, with new gas
heating including control system with
Siemens Simatic S7 PLC.
Following main improvements have
been achieved:
» About 30 % energy savings through
optimized gas-air control with pulse
control of the burners and installation
of an automatic electric motor
driven furnace pressure control valve
» Improved exhaust emissions according
requirements from local environmental
authorities – 50 mg/ Nm³ CO
from 300 °C operating temperature;
200 mg/Nm³ NOx up to 750 °C operating
temperature (values based on
5 % residual oxygen in the exhaust
gas)
There were 10 burners installed, each
with 360 kW power, including standard-compliant
valve technology. By
the new offset arrangement of the burners
in the side walls with high flame
speed and flame alignment under the
charge very good temperature uniformity
is achieved.
The conversion was carried out rapidly
within 2 weeks before Christmas.
Regarding the high energy savings,
the investment will pay for itself within
short time.
Thermoprozess Wärmebehandlungen
Austria GmbH offers heat treatments in
stationary furnaces in Linz and the following
other services:
Heat treatments at external customer
workshops or construction sites
» in temporary modular heat treatment
furnaces
» On-Situ heat treatment operations
performed with methods of
-resistance heating,
-induction heating
» Production and supply of mobile heat
treatment equipment with
-resistance heating,
-induction heating
» drying-out of refractory linings
Its customers include renowned national
and international companies in the
areas of:
» Energy and environmental
» Power generation
» Plant, container and equipment manufacturing
(Photo: Schlager)
» Mechanical and piping manufacturing
» Chemical/petrochemical
Schlager Industrieofenbau provides new
industrial furnaces and offers modernizations
and refractory repairs to existing
furnaces. The company has its own
manufacturing as well as electrical and
automation department with cabinet
construction.
Hall 9, Stand E 39
www.schlager-gmbh.de
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 89

ELTRA
Precise carbon and sulfur
analysis in inorganic samples
The CS-800 by Eltra, Haan, Germany,
is a flexible and robust combustion
analyzer for the determination of carbon
and sulfur in inorganic sample
materials such as steel, cast iron or cement.
Organic samples like soil, graphite
or chemicals can also be analyzed
with the CS-800. It is equipped with
a 2,500 °C induction furnace to examine
the element concentrations in
solids without time-consuming sample
preparation. The typical analysis
time is approximately 45 to 60 s.
Whereas spectrometric methods require
a homogeneous and plane sample
surface for C/ S analysis, the CS-800
also accepts samples in the form of
powders, grains, drillings or broken
Carbon/Sulfur Analyzer CS-800 (Photo:
Eltra)
pieces. Thanks to the high sample
weight of up to 1 g even inhomogeneous
samples can be reliably characterized.
The CS-800 features up to four independent
infrared measuring cells allowing
for accurate analysis of low as
well as high carbon and sulfur concentrations
simultaneously in one measurement.
The sensitivity of the IR cells
can be individually configured to ensure
optimum adaptation to application
requirements. If the analysis involves
aggressive reactive gases (for
example from acidulous soil samples)
the use of robust and durable gold cuvettes
is an option.
Benefits:
» Simultaneous analysis of carbon
and sulfur in a 2,500 °C induction
furnace
» Up to four independent infrared cells
with flexible measuring ranges
» Very short measurement times
» High sample weights from a few milligrams
to 1 gram
» Flexible sample geometry
» Gold IR cells (option)
» Automated sample feeding (option)
Hall 11, Stand H 29
www.eltra.com
Dross
Momometer Ad_186_128.indd 1 07.05.15 08:26
90 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

ELEMENTAR ANALYSENSYSTEME
Elemental analysis of metals and inorganic
materials
As the leader in elemental analysis of organic substances,
Elementar Analysensysteme, Hanau, Germany,
uses its leading technology for the development
of a completely new instrument concept for the analysis
of the elements C, S, O, N, H in metals and other
inorganic materials.
The new Inductar instrument line with the worldwide
first “5-elements-analyser” for metals and
inorganic materials (Photo: Elementar)
Packed with innovative solutions and most modern
technology the induction based instrument line Inductar
sets new standards like:
» solid-state technology for the high frequency induction
furnace guarantees an almost unlimited
lifetime
» due to its design, no annoying cleaning procedures
are necessary to remove dust or particulate residues
» sample feeding with semi- or fully automated 90 positions
sampler
» new detection technology for precise hydrogen determination
» optimized for safe and unattended 24/7 use
» extremely compact design based on the well-known
„cube“ platform of Elementar.
As top performer of the new Inductar instrument
line, Elementar introduces the worldwide first “5-elements-analyser”
for metals and inorganic materials.
It combines the analysis of CS and ONH in one
instrument. The modular concept of the instrument
line allows an upgrade of the CS and ONH analysers
to a 5-element-design, at any time or to any other element
combination for special applications.
Hall 11, Stand D 9
www.elementar.de
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 91

KÜTTNER
High quality and low priced
iron from cupola plant
The cupola furnace with hot blast generation
has been established over many
years as the practice for the production
of gray and ductile iron for serial castings.
Küttner, Essen, Germany, has built
over 300 cupolas in capacities ranging
from 7 to 100 t/h and offers the appropriate
design for specific process requirements.
For the cupola furnaces, Küttner has
developed a sophisticated design with
long-life insulation and a proven furnace
hearth geometry for the special
metallurgical tasks. In addition, injection
systems for oxygen to improve the
thermal efficiency and injection for
coke fines for flexible carburization are
recommended. For the treatment of the
iron different methods for desulphurization
and magnesium treatment are
available.
Küttner has designed the dry gas
cleaning system so that internationally
required limits for dust, CO and SOx can
be reliably achieved. This is ensured by
special process technology with complete
combustion, cooling and particle
separation in a cloth filter system.
By using a hot blast process approximately
30 % of the energy of the off-gas
of the cupola is used. It is increasingly
important to use the remaining energy
and a variety of solutions based on thermal
oil and steam systems are available.
Solutions for the heating of furnaces for
core drying and painting but also for
vaporisation of curing chambers are implemented
at site. Blast drying systems
are efficient in humid tropical regions.
Examples of multi-site intergrated solutions
have been implemented between
neighbors from the paper industry,
laundries and food manufacturers having
a need for process heat. The environmental
benefits as well.
10 t/h Long-campaign cupola furnace with pressurized siphon and holding
furnace (Photo: Küttner)
Hall 16, Stand 26
www.kuettner.com
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

EIRICH
Molding sand preparation for foundries of all sizes
Evactherm process: For many years, eco-friendly technology developed by
Eirich, Hardheim, Germany, has been the best option available to foundries
that are looking for top quality molding sand at an affordable cost. The mixing,
cooling and bentonite activation steps all take place in a single machine. Preparation
under vacuum prevents ambient climatic conditions from having any effect
on the molding sand. The sand has uniform quality and the temperature of
the prepared sand remains constant. More than 60 “vacuum mixers” have been
installed worldwide. Depending on size, the systems have a throughput rate of
6 - 300 m³/h. The mixing, cooling and activation process takes 70 s. The residual
moisture of the return sand is less than 0.5 % and the sand is cooled under
precision control to 40 °C. Besides the best possible bentonite activation without
prior ageing, there are other advantages as well. Consumption of bentonite
and auxiliary materials can be reduced. Elimination of the sand cooler and
other subsystems cuts dust extraction air volumes nearly in half. Fines remain
in the molding sand and do not have to be captured and disposed of as filter
dust at considerable expense. Entrained fines are deposited in a condenser and
the condensate is cycled back to the preparation process via the water scale.
Modular tower system design with integrated façade: The entire sand preparation
system is factory mounted on individual platforms. Modular design significantly
reduces installation and commissioning time. The advantages are
immense, particularly on modernization of existing sand preparation systems
including projects that are carried out while normal operations continue. Furthermore
Eirich has developed a comprehensive set of modular control solutions
designed to safeguard quality and increase productivity. The spectrum
ranges from entry-level versions to preventive molding sand management featuring
a model catalogue, formulation calculation and additive calculation
functions which work from a set of model-based parameters. Eirich control
systems offer proactive management and control of molding sand properties,
particularly in combination with the QualiMaster AT1 online sand tester (used
to determine the compactability and shear strength control parameters), Sand-
Report software (continuous acquisition, analysis and archiving of production
data) and SandExpert (additional calculation of all model-based formulations
using production plans). Teleservice (remote monitoring), Condition Monitoring
(online diagnostics) and IMD (Intelligent Material Distribution) modules
are also available. All production and system data can be transferred to higher-level
production data acquisition systems for further processing.
Molding sand aerator – also as a retrofit: The sand aerator improves the flowability
of the molding sand in the molding box and increases compactability
at the molding machine. Casting quality is better and post-processing costs are
lower. The aerator consists of an aerator tool and a sand collection unit. It is
installed along with a belt conveyor on the prepared sand line downstream from
a mixer. In addition to on-conveyor installation, between-conveyor or head-on
configurations are also possible. It is designed for all standard conveyor sizes,
takes up little space and can easily be adapted to existing conveyors.
Eirich sand preparation systems installed as complete or partial solutions are
highly versatile and can be adapted to different molding technologies and sand
parameters. They supply sand to molding lines made by all manufacturers. The
portfolio includes material handling, pre-treatment, return sand storage, sand
preparation and transfer to the molding line. Eirich can supply individual machines
or turn-key sand preparation solutions.
Hall 17, Stand A 38
www.eirich.com

A selection of innovative Chemex
feeders (Photo: Chemex)
CHEMEX
Telefeeder technology for Aluminium
sand casting
A newly developed feeder material by
Chemex, Delligsen, Germany, makes
it possible: The approved and patented
telefeeder technology can now also
be used for aluminium sand casting.
This innovation allows for a significant
reduction of the melting, fettling
and parting costs, which means that
castings can be manufactured more
cost-effectively.
Up until 2014 technological and economic
circumstances made it impossible
to apply the innovative, modern
feeder technology in this sector. The
new feeder material from Chemex –
specially developed to meet the requirements
for aluminum casting – enables
this sector to benefit from the
advantages provided by the telefeeder
technology, from which the iron and
steel casting sector has benefited for
the past approx. 20 years.
Apart from the common open cylindrical
feeders, Chemex now also supplies
the entire range of telefeeders to
the aluminium casting sector in modules
starting from 0,8-8,5 cm. In so doing,
Chemex makes an important contribution
to the competitiveness of the
foundry industry.
Hall 12 - Stand C 50
www.chemex.de
TREATY
SALE
DUFERCO CARSID,
2 MILLION
TPA IRON
& STEEL
MAKING
AND SLAB
CASTING PLANT
FEATURING:
• Blast Furnace - Capacity
2 Million Tonnes Per
Annum- Refurbished 2007
• Pulverised Coal
Injection Plant -
CMI / Paul Wurth
• Basic Oxygen Steel
Making Plant -
170 Tonnes Converters
• Continuous Caster -
Voest Alpine Twin Strand
LOCATION:
Charleroi,Belgium
• Continuous Caster - Demag Single Strand
• Electric Ladle Furnace - 160 Tonnes Capacity
• Sinter Plant - Delattre / Levivier
• Torpedo Cars and Locomotives
• Vibratory Screens – Skako
FOR SALE AS A WHOLE OR IN
LOTS - EARLY INSPECTION
RECOMMENDED
To view and bid on the lots, please visit:
http://www.go-dove.com/en/events?cmd=details&event=561021
For further details on technical specification or to arrange an inspection contact:
STEVE TRIBE Tel.: + 44 (0) 7836 688453 steve.tribe@liquidityservices.com
In association with
94 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

LAEMPE
World market leader for core
shop equipment
Laempe & Mössner GmbH, Barleben,
is a German based international supplier
of core shooters and solutions
for core shops in the foundry industry.
Present in all relevant branches,
e.g. automotive, truck or railway industry,
Laempe & Mössner covers all
areas of core making. State-of-the-art
production equipment and technologies
assure the quality of the systems
of the company, whilst high flexibility
characterizes production and logistics.
Fundamental for the success are
the qualified and motivated employees.
Laempe & Mössner has about 300
employees worldwide at two German
locations in Barleben (headquarters)
and Schopfheim. With over 25 representatives
worldwide as well as direct
distribution Laempe & Mössner generates
an annual turnover of 65 million
Euros (2013).
At GIFA 2015 Laempe & Mössner focuses
all its interests on resource-efficient
production. Among other exhibits,
the company will present a product
range from lab machines to high-performance
core shooting machines. The
machines will show innovations that
do not only meet the increasing demands
on tool weight and precision in
tool guidance but also provide easier
operation and optimized control technology.
Hall 15, Stand F 2
www.laempe.com
Top of the Range: Extremely fast
cycle time thanks to solid design –
the LHL-series (here: LHL50) automatic
core shooters can cope with
the most challenging tasks (Photo:
Laempe)
MONITORING-SYSTEM
THOR V3.0
- 5.7” T S D
- R S
- D L
NEW HAMMER AF1470
- S ,
- N M
- G P
- I W O
O.M.LER 2000 H
- L ( E )
DÜSSELDORF, DEUTSCHLAND
16.-20. JUNI 2015

INSULCON GROUP
High temperature resistant
products
During the last 35 years, the Insulcon
Group (Insulcon and Kermab) has
grown into the leading supplier of high
temperature resistant products with
thermal shock-, chemical and wear resistance
and/or high thermal insulation
properties for industrial energy
savings.
Insulcon was founded in 1980 and
with the experience since then of over
160 dedicated, specialized professionals
in heat management, the company is
confident to be the matching partner:
as manufacturer, adviser and as trouble
shooter. Innovative tailor-made solutions
are available for almost any application.
During THERMPROCESS 2015
the Insulcon Group will show:
» HT Composite; a thin but strong,
> 1,350 °C, extreme thermal shock
resistant composite, composed out
of high temperature resistant ceramic
endless fibers and matrices, based
on metal oxides like AL 2
O 3
, mullite
or SiO 2
. Available in each required
thickness starting from 0,5 mm.
» Insulvax 1600 P shapes (1,600 °C)
manufactured by vacuum forming
high performance refractory fibres,
blended with specially selected organic
and inorganic refractory binders.
» Refrex heat shields, zone dividers,
mono en multi tube bellows and dust
free LTM hot face finish (REL system)
up to 1,400 °C.
» Wearflex tube seals and expansion
joints; flexible connections in air, flue
gas pipes and duct systems found in
all kind of industries
» Wearflex insulation covers; tailor-made
prefabricated insulation
mattresses of all kind of shapes and
in all kinds of dimensions.
» High temperature resistant textile,
manufactured in our Temse (B) industrial
high temperature textile plant
(Keramab N.V.)
» Hot spot repair and hot endoscopy
inspection services. Repair and/or inspection
of damaged refractory (LTM)
linings during full operation!
Keramab N.V. (part of the Insulcon
Group) is one of the leading manufacturers
of high temperature resistant
(textile) products up to 1,260 °C.
In our state of the art textile plant in
Temse, Belgium, a wide range of insulation
and sealing end products are being
custom made, such as twisted ropes, fibre
ropes, braided and knitted packings,
woven and knitted tapes, sleeves and
cloths. All Keramab products are available
in a wide range of dimensions and
various raw materials.
Whether made from E-Glass, HT-
Glass, ceramic fibres, body soluble fibres
or silica, with or without a special coating,
Keramab’s high temperature textiles
are always high quality and the best
solution to all gaskets and sealing applications
within the industry.
Hall 9, Stand D2
www.insulcon.com
www.keramab.com
Head office of the Insulcon Group in Steenbergen, The Netherlands: Warehouse,
production facilities and offices (Photo: Insulcon)
please visit us:
METEC 2015 hall 5 booth D 26

DRACHE UMWELTTECHNIK
Transport crucibles for aluminium
foundries
Transport crucibles for liquid aluminium
in foundries can have an essential
impact on the quality of the liquid metal.
Hydrogen pick-up and abrasion of refractory
material must be prevented to
avoid contamination of the melt.
Drache Umwelttechnik, Diez, Germany,
offers transport crucibles which
match even the highest quality demands.
The precast crucibles are manufactured
from Drache’s genuine refractory
material Drache fused silica, which
is characterized by its excellent non-wetting
properties, erosion resistance, thermal
shock resistance as well as resistance
again aluminium foundry alloys, combined
with a relatively low thermal conductivity.
Transport crucibles made by Drache
are always precast, fully dried and fired.
They are shipped as a ready-to-use,
moisture free part, which can be installed
immediately with no need for
further thermal treatment.
All crucibles are fully customized to
match the individual needs of the
foundry. In addition to the crucibles
themselves, Drache offers the full package
of installation services, including
the installation of a highly efficient insulation
as well the precast Drache fused
silica liner into existing steel housings.
Furthermore, beyond the crucibles
and installation services, Drache can
offer preheating stations as well as
highly efficient holding stations with
very low power consumption, keeping
the Aluminium liquid inside the crucibles
between two casts.
Hall 12, Stand C 22
www.drache-gmbh.de
Precast Drache fused silica transport
crucible for aluminium foundries
(Photo: Drache)
3
By order of Alcoa Australia & Alcoa Inc.
SALES
ALUMINUM ROLLING
& STRIP MILLS, CASTING
LINES AND PROCESSING
EQUIPMENTIMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE
LOCATIONS: Point Henry, VIC; & Yennora, NSW; Australia
and Various Locations in USA & Canada
Australia Equipment
ALUMINUM ROLLING
MILL, INGOT SCALPERS,
ALUMINUM
PROCESSING EQUIP.
To view and bid on the lots, visit: http://tiny.cc/go-dove_CPTI
USA Equipment
ALUMINUM
CASTING LINES
To view and bid on the lots, visit: http://tiny.cc/084cyx
USA & Canada Equipment
ALUMINUM STRIP MILL,
GLASS LINE, BILLET
SAW & TRIM PRESSES
To view and bid on the lots, visit: http://tiny.cc/ra5cyx
For further information, please contact:
BILL GUINANE
Telephone: +61 (0) 404 800 397
bill.guinane@liquidityservices.com
Punkt-Sp_Federdorn_85x128_sw_eng.indd 1 18.03.15 10:01
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 97

SUYASH SOLUTIONS
Analysis of molten white iron
before pouring
Suyash Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Pune, India,
specializes in manufacturing carbon
cups, thermocouple tips, oxy
probes, samplers, carbon silicon analysers
(CSA) & temperature measuring
instruments for molten grey cast iron
& steel.
The patented super cup (carbon cup)
is the most economical way for instantaneous
and dependable analysis of
molten grey cast, ductil iron or white
iron before pouring. CSA detects CE, C
& Si in 45 s with unmatched accuracy.
CSA has got facility to measure molten
metal temperature also.
Hall 11, Stand 9
www.suyashsolutions.com
Modern bright annealing furnace (Photo: FK Industrieofen + Schutzgastechnik)
FK INDUSTRIEOFENBAU
Bright annealing furnace for
tubular heating elements
FK Industrieofen + Schutzgastechnik
GmbH, Hagen, Germany, will attend
again the THERMPROCESS fair
during the time from 16. – 20. June
2015. The company will show its innovative
concepts which are the
guideline of the company for more
than 40 years.
“The whole spectrum of the heat
treatment technology out of one
hand” – following this guideline, you
get information about the most modern
heat treatment technologies, special
inert gas generators for DRI (direct
reduced iron) technologies, as well as
modern technologies for generating
inert gas.
This time the company will exhibit
a modern bright annealing furnace for
tubular heating elements. The tubular
heating elements will be transported
through heat resistant tubes made of
special heat resistant steel. The annealing
temperature will be approximately
1,150 °C. The tubes are filled with inert
gas (N 2
and/or H 2
). The inert gas remains
in the tubes during the annealing
process, because inlet and outlet of
the tubes are closed with special elastic
gaskets. The extreme low inert gas consumption
of max. 0,1 Nm³/h guarantees
excellent annealing results under
economic top conditions.
Modern pneumatic tensioning devices,
installed on the automatic feeding
device, guarantee a fast loading
and even feeding and transport of the
tubular heating elements into the furnace.
The feeding speed is adjustable
by use of a frequency converter. The
standard annealing furnaces are designed
with 2 up to 30 annealing channels
in accordance with customer´s
needs. The standard furnaces have a
throughput from 5 kg/h up to
300 kg/h. An additional cooling of the
tubular heating elements by means of
cooling water is not necessary. The
cooling tubes dispend the radiant heat
directly to the atmosphere. Due to the
number of tubes it is possible to reach
a large heat dissipation which makes
an additional cooling with water unnecessary.
The amortization time of the annealing
furnace is very short due to energy
savings and savings in inert gas and
water.
Halle 9 B 29
www.industrieofen-schutzgas.de
98 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

Installed thermal reclamation plant (Photo: FAT)
FAT
Thermal reclamation of
no-bake sand
Since 1973 the company FAT, Niederfischbach,
Germany, supports the
foundry industry with equipment. FAT
is able to provide the complete product
range for mold production and sand
reclamation in the no-bake sector.
Environmental protection, economic
use of resources and higher getting
demands on casting quality makes a
continuous development in processes
necessary for foundries. Economical
and sustainable recycling is becoming
more and more important.
By using a thermal reclamation the
organic binder, which is still on the
sand (LOI), gets burned. The system
ensures compliance with the German
“air quality regulations”. It has a thin
sand hight in the oven, therby every
sand grain has contact with the flame
and fine sands can be regenerated. The
reclaim sand has a loss of ignition
(LOI) of up to 0,1 %.
A decision for a thermal reclamation
offers following possibilities:
in bypass, generating new sand from
reclaimed sand. This generated new
sand can be added flexibly to the reclaimed
sand, which means a reduction
of LOI or treating reclaimed sand,
which should be removed to dump.
This thermal re-claimed sand can be
used as new sand.
A thermal reclamation is a chance to
minimize the costs for new sand as well
as the quantity and costs of used sand
which must be disposed. The acquisition
costs for new sand and the disposal
costs can be reduced by up to 95 %.
With costs of
» 40 € per t new sand and
» 40 € per t waste sand
a thermal reclamation produces potential
saving, of
» about 100,000 Euro/year in case of 8
t new sand per day
» about 240,000 Euro/year in case of
16 t new sand per day
» about 680,000 Euro/year in case of
42 t new sand per day
The maintenance-friendly system
does not need foundations and can be
integrated in existing plants respectively
processes.
Hall 15, Stand H 14
www.f-a-t.de
GLOBAL ONE STOP SOLUTIONS FOR CASTING & ROLLING UNDER WORLD LEADING BRANDS
&
www.alpinemetaltech.com VISIT US AT METEC | HALL 04, BOOTH 4E18

Titel Key_Casting 2014.fh11 23.05.2013 12:35 Uhr Seite 1
Probedruck
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
Titel_Key Casting 2015.indd 3 29.04.15 09:16
EUROMAC
(Photo: Euromac)
Foundry plants and core making
equipment
Euromac S.r.l., Marano Vicentino, Italy,
has served the foundry industry for
more than 50 years, originally under
the company name “CPF”.
Its speciality is the manufacture of
green sand molding lines, core making
machines and associated sand plant,
metal handling and treatment equipment.
The technical office, supported by
3-D model software, designs the entire
lines & machineries, takes care of every
detail thanks to the cooperation with
customer’s technicians and with the
purpose to find solutions suitable for
the foundry production requirements.
In the factory in Marano Vicentino,
Euromac takes care of all the production
phases. The facility is completed
with high specs CNC machines & high
performance workstations.
Its sales network covers most of the
states all over the world, in particular
Europe, Mexico, Brazil, North Africa,
Russia and India.
Furthermore Euromac is focused on
the South American market where a
branch facility has been built in Brazil.
Euromac America Latina carries out the
manufacturing and the assembl ing of
the same equipment produced in Italy.
Euromac’s philosophy is to pay special
attention to details and the individual
needs of the customers.
Manufacturing Program:
» Core making machines and robot
production cells (shell process, croning,
cold and hot box; inorganic processes)
» Automatic green sand molding lines
» Core sand preparation, mixing and
distribution plant
» Shell molding machines, complete
of automatic gluing systems
» Gas generators for isocure (Amine),
CO 2
SO 2
and betaset
» Amine scrubber towers
» Hydraulic molding machines
» Pouring, treatment and automatic
metal transfer and handling plant
for ladles
» Metal treatment plant with ferroalloys
dosing or cored wired inoculation
for nodular cast iron.
» Decore machines
Halle 16, Stand H 22-05
www.euromac-srl.it
The KEY to Casting Industry and Suppliers 2014
The KEY
to Casting Industry
and Suppliers THE KEY
TO CASTING INDUSTRY SUPPLIERS
2015
2015. 14,8 x 21,0 cm, 68 pages
ISBN 978-3-87260-180-3
Order your free sample copy!
2014
The Key to Casting
Industry 2015
The KEY to Casting Industry 2015 is a comprehensive English-language reference work,
a navigation aid through the international supply markets for the foundry industry.
Internationally active suppliers and equipment manufacturers
present themselves in a clearlystructured form.
GIESSEREI-VERLAG GMBH Postfach 10 25 32 · D-40016 Düsseldorf
Tel. +49 211 69936-264 · E-Mail: annette.engels@stahleisen.de · www.giesserei-verlag.de
The_Key_Casting_1_3_Q_D.indd 1 01.06.15 14:01
100 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

KMA UMWELTTECHNIK
Energetic air purification
through innovative heat
pump technology
Die casting processes generate huge
amounts of gases and vapors, which
consist of aerosols and fine smoke particles.
Due to the occupational safety
and environmental protection, these
must be removed from the work area.
For some foundry this is not an easy
task, because each foundry is designed
differently and standardized solutions
do not always provide the optimum
solution for individual plants.
KMA Umwelttechnik GmbH, Königswinter,
Germany, is specialized since
more than 25 years on the development
of energy-saving and environmentally
friendly methods of exhaust
air purification in foundries. KMA offers
to each exhaust air problem the
best solution. Today´s most energy efficient
method of exhaust air treatment
is the recirculating air mode. Due to the
high filtration efficiency of the KMA
electrostatic precipitators the purified
air often gets discharged back to the
workplace. Thus, the air circulates in
the hall and compared to the exhaust
air mode excessive heat loss can be
avoided during the heating period. Accordingly,
this method offers the greatest
potential for energy savings. However,
certain production processes or
the company´s corporate philosophy
in general does not always enable a recirculating
air mode. In addition, peripheral
devices – such as sprayers, furnaces
and presses – sometimes limit the
space around the die casting machine.
Therefore, installing extraction devices
such as hoods sometimes become impossible.
But even in such cases an energy-efficient
air purification solution
needs to be placed.
This view is what KMA Umwelttechnik
is standing for and that’s the reason
why they developed for such applications
an energy-efficient air filtration
system, which operates in an exhaust
air mode. The new system with a highly
efficient heat recovery system enables
by the use of 1 kW of energy (electricity)
to achieve more than 20 kW of
heat output due to utilizing the waste
heat. The high efficiency is based on an
innovative heat pump technology,
which will be introduced at the GIFA
exhibition 2015.
Hall 11, Stand H 73
www.kma-filter.de
RWP GmbH, Bundesstraße 77, 52159 Roetgen, Germany
Tel. +49(0)2471 1230-0
www.rwp-simtec.de

WEBAC
Customer success in mind
For many years Webac Gesellschaft für
Maschinenbau mbH, Euskirchen, Germany,
has been a reliable partner for
its customers, satisfying needs and requirements,
delivering quick and safe
solutions and providing the very best
quality.
In addition, the company offers innovations
from all the divisions of its
product range.
The product range of Webac:
» molding sand preparation plants
» core sand preparation plants
» sand regeneration plants (mechanical
and thermal)
» sand coating plants (also with proppants)
» No-bake molding systems
» High performance continous mixers
Webac Sandmixer WSM for molding sand preparation plants (Photo: Webac)
Hall 17, Stand A 41
www.webac-gmbh.de
A. CESANA
New Dosing-Flux
A. Cesana company from Pero in Italy
will launch, at Gifa 2015, a new dosing
system called “Dosing-Flux” to perform
automatic addition of powdered
or granulated fluxes during transfer of
molten aluminium alloys.
The system is automatic and can be
placed either on a fixed or on a moving
station. Ideal as a retrofit on rotor degassing
machines or as a flux feeder for
transfer launders.
The dosing system eliminates the
manual addition problems.
Benefits include:
» Flux usage reduction.
» Improved and reproducible aluminium
quality thanks to the controlled
flux dosage.
» Reduced manual labour and improved
safety by keeping operators
out of the hazardous areas.
The “Dosing-Flux” system performs automatic addition of powdered or granulated
fluxes during transfer of molten aluminium alloys (Photo: A. Cesana)
The system is easily accessed for refilling
and maintenance. For the control of
nearly empty level in the hopper, Dosing-Flux
is equipped with a capacitative
sensor control. Ideal for all foundries,
casthouses and recycling plants.
Hall 12, Stand A 33
www.acesana.com
102 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

FAGUS-GRECON
Fire protection in the casting
industry
Gases and fumes occur in many areas
in the metalworking industry. These
have to be removed by suction from
the workplace. Gases and fumes pose
a risk in exhaust pipes and filters.
Deposits in the exhaust pipe are extremely
dangerous. In addition to metal
parts, grease or wax can also condense
in the pipe. The process of
gravity casting contains additionally
proportions of the binder and the
blackening. When casting with lost
form polystyrene enters the air and
condenses in the pipe. The resulting
fire loads in the pipes are often underestimated.
The deposits can be ignited
by sparks or hot particles. This results
in glow nests or a fire in the exhaust
pipe. The fire extends in the conveying
direction. This process can last over a
long period of time.
Besides deposits in the exhaust pipes
a filter fire holds another risk. The exhaust
air can consist of many different
components. A very complex material
mixture can accumulate in the filter.
Depending on material, the accumulated
dusts can be flammable.
A fire in pipes or filters usually leads
to a shutdown for several days. Next
to the actual damage a delay in delivery
or even the loss of clients is imminent.
An individually tailored concept based
on a spark extinguishing system creates
remedy. The spark extinguishing
system detects and extinguishes sparks
before an actual fire starts.
The goal of a spark extinguishing
system is to detect the fire in its earliest
development. The selected extinguishing
medium is based on the material.
If the material is extinguishable with
water, a water extinguishment is the
cheapest option. For metals which
cannot be extinguished with water
(aluminum, magnesium and zinc) an
Filter with burn marks (Photo: Fagus-Grecon)
Argon-extinguishing system is an option.
Halle 15, Stand D 37
www.grecon.com
DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY
16. - 20. JUNE 2015
Please visit us at:
Hall 15 / F23
T
ConviTec GmbH
vibration machines and conveying technology
Project planning
Manufacturing
Service
YOUR COMPETENT PARTNER IN THE FIELDS VIBRATION MASCHINES – MATERIALS HANDLING – PLANT CONSTRUCTION
ConviTec GmbH - Mühlheimer Straße 231 - D-63075 Offenbach - Germany - +49 (0) 69 / 84 84 897-0
www.convitec.net
Convitec_210_148.indd 1 22.05.15 08:52
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 103

KLEIN ANLAGENBAU
Competent partner of the
foundry industry
Almost five decades of experience in
international plant engineering make
Klein Anlagenbau AG, Niederfischbach,
Germany, the competent partner
in the area of pneumatic conveying
systems, core sand preparation, sand
reclamation and peripheral foundry
equipment. The business activities of
Klein range from consultation to project
planning and execution; engineering
services, manufacture, installation
and start-up as well as training of operating
staff and after-sales services complement
this profile.
For modern core production the company
offers complete systems with the
main component, the unique core sand
mixer Statormix. Thanks to the special
design of this mixer with its horizontal
shaft and the two-chamber mixing
principle, most homogeneous core sand
mixtures are achieved in short mixing
times. This does in particular apply to
the preparation of inorganic sand-binder
mixtures, consisting of liquid and
powdery components. The preparation
of inorganic mixtures in a Statormix has
proven that considerably less binder is
consumed to achieve bending strengthes
comparable to those achieved with
conventional mixers.
Remarkable features are the tightness
of the mixer closure and very
short mixing cycles, contributing to
avoid moisture loss of the mixed batch.
The core sand mixer is equipped with
an integrated cleaning system by
means of which the mixer interior can
be kept clean very well. With three different
mixer sizes capacity demands of
up to 9 t/h can be met. More than 400
core sand preparation systems with
Statormix are operated worldwide.
During GIFA 2015 Klein will present
a complete core sand preparation plant
for inorganic binders, including a sand
conditioner for cooling/heating and
dedusting the sand, additive tanks
with disaggregation unit and dosing
screw, a pneumatic conveyor for additives,
a weighing system for the recipe
ingredients, a binder dosing system
and a core sand distribution system.
The energy-saving pneumatic conveyor
SP-HL was especially conceived
for the transport of granular bulk material
such as foundry sands. Visitors of
the companys booth in hall 16 will see
a tandem conveyor SP-HL in action,
where two conveyors feed sand into
one conveying pipe. With tandem installations
like that conveying capacities
of more than 20 t/h can be
achieved. More than 1000 SP-HL conveyors
are operated worldwide. Remarkable
features of the SP-HL are its
high performance with energy savings
of about 40 % compared to conventional
conveyors, its gentle transport
that saves the grain structure of the
sand as well as the minimal wear of the
conveying pipes and last but not least
its small space requirements.
In addition to the exhibited conveying
system for foundry sand, Klein also
supplies pneumatic conveyors for all
other materials handled in a foundry
such as bentonite, carbon dust, filter
dust, different additives etc.
Hall 16, Stand C11
www.klein-ag.de
Klein Anlagenbau AG develops and manufactures pneumatic conveying systems, core sand preparation systems and
used sand reclamation systems as well as peripheral foundry equipment (Photos: Klein)
104 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

OPTRIS
Infrared camera for temperatures
of up to 1,800 °C
The optris PI 1M thermal imaging camera
is the latest innovation in the camera
range of Optris GmbH, Berlin, Germany.
In addition to the well-known
advantages of Optris infrared cameras,
such as their compact size, USB interface
and license-free software, the new
PI 1M is the only model on the market
that features a continuous temperature
measurement range of 450 °C to
1,800°C, a frame rate of up to 1 kHz
and a choice of optical resolution/
frame rate modes. “The camera is designed
for measuring the temperature
of metal surfaces, graphite or ceramic,”
explains Torsten Czech, Product Marketing
Manager at Optris GmbH.
The optris PI 1M has an extensive
temperature measurement range of
450 °C to 1,800 °C. Unlike those of
other thermal imaging cameras in
this class, this range is continuous,
i.e. it can be used without subdivisions.
That means it no longer needs
to be switched for many applications,
making the camera much more versatile.
The highly dynamic CMOS detector
allows a maximum optical resolution
of 764 x 480 pixels at a frame rate
of 32 Hz. The ultra-compact infrared
camera can be switched to 382 x 288
pixels at 80 Hz or 27 Hz and 72 x 56
pixels at 1,000 Hz for fast processes.
“That way the camera can be operated
as a fast pyrometer,” adds Czech. “The
middle pixel can be displayed via a
0-10 V analog output with an adjustment
time of 1 ms in real time, which
Optris infrared cameras have frame
rates of up to 1,000 Hz for fast processes
(Photo: Optris)
puts it on a par with our high-performance
thermometers.”
Halle 9, Stand B49
www.optris.de
CONTINUOUS MESH
BELT ATMOSPHERE
FURNACE SYSTEMS
PLATE HEAT
TREATING SYSTEMS
BASKETLESS HEAT
TREATING SYSTEMS (BHTS®)
ALUMINUM STRUCTURAL
COMPONENTS HEAT
TREATING SYSTEMS
CONTINUOUS BAR PRODUCT
HEAT TREATING SYSTEMS
FLEXIBLE BATCH CAR
BOTTOM HEAT
TREATING SYSTEMS
ROTARY HEARTH
HEAT TREATING SYSTEMS
PRECISION AIR QUENCH
(PAQ)SYSTEMS FOR
ALUMINUM
CAN-ENG FURNACES
ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS TO LAST
CAN-ENG Furnaces International Limited is a leading designer and manufacturer of thermal
processing solutions. With 50 years of experience and installations worldwide, CAN-ENG
understands your business and its unique demands.
To learn more about CAN-ENG Furnaces International Limited’s Engineering, Design & Manufacturing
capabilities please visit us at GIFA in Düsseldorf, Germany, June 16 - 20, 2015 stand10G41,
www.can-eng.com or email furnaces@can-eng.com
P.O. Box 235, Niagara Falls, New York 14302-0235 www.can-eng.com | T. 905.356.1327 | F. 905.356.1817
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 105

StrikoWestofen engineers regularly evaluate the dosing system data recorded
and provided to them by the customers to take the needs of the companies
into account when developing the new series of dosing furnaces (Photo:
StrikoWestofen)
STRIKOWESTOFEN
Dosing technology redesigned
Still under wraps: the StrikoWestofen
Group, Gummersbach, Germany, will
be surprising everyone at the GIFA
2015 in Düsseldorf with a completely
redesigned series of dosing furnaces.
According to the globally active
manu facturer of thermal process
technology, this marks the company’s
entry into the next stage of development
in dosing technology –
with numerous advantages for light
metal foundries. The new dosing furnaces
are to set new standards in the
fields of design, heating, efficiency,
controllability and operational safety
in particular.
How to reduce costs, save resources
and make work easier: aluminium
foundries are very experienced in the
constant optimization of their process
procedures and technologies. The StrikoWestofen
Group is no exception
here. For years now, the worldwide
manufacturer of thermal process technology
for light metal casting has been
well-known as an expert and a pioneer
for energy-efficient dosing and melting
solutions. In order to fulfil this
commitment in the future too, StrikoWestofen
is presenting the results of
its recent development work at the international
trade fair for the foundry
sector GIFA 2015 in Düsseldorf: a completely
redesigned series of dosing furnaces.
StrikoWestofen is also presenting
new options for the ProDos 3 control
to the specialist audience at the fair.
“We are proud to be a German company
at the forefront of development
whose innovations set new standards
for dosing furnaces in light metal casting.
Especially so considering that the
requirements – for the casting of structural
components for example – have
been steadily rising,” explains StrikoWestofen
General Manager Rudi
Riedel. “After years of development,
the GIFA is always precisely the right
context for presenting our innovations
to experts worldwide.” The focus
at StrikoWestofen was on offering a
new technology for aluminium foundries
with further improvements in
terms of availability, energy efficiency,
operation, operational safety, space
requirements and sustainability. This
is because even higher dosing precision
and easy controllability contribute
to saving resources and making life
easier for the personnel in foundry
companies.
The performance and availability of
dosing furnaces and the maintenance
effort they require can only be realistically
demonstrated by values measured
in practical operation. “5,000
Westomat sold mean 5,000 opportunities
to build on the experience of
our customers, which was valuable
and inspiring for our product development.
This is why good cooperation
with customers and manufacturers
of foundry machines is so
important for successful development”,
Riedel explains. For this reason,
the engineers from StrikoWestofen
regularly evaluate the
data coming from dosing systems.
These are recorded while the foundry
systems are in operation and are provided
to us by our customers. As these
values are based on the experience
gained with various in-situ parameters,
they give us information on the
optimum conditions in combination
with the foundry system used as well
as data showing the requirements of
a foundry company. “Among other
things, our new series profits from an
innovative type of heating, improved
insulations and an excellent, even
more functional design. Happily, we
were able to gain the services of an
internationally well-known machine
designer for the development of the
design” – that’s how much Peter
Reuther is prepared to reveal in advance.
In addition, our new developments
allow companies to make another
step towards doing more
sustainable business.”
Hall 11, Stand D 38
www.strikowestofen.com
106 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

CLARIANT
Eco-friendly Geko LE and Ecosil LE green sand molding
additives
Clariant, Muttenz/Basel, Switzerland, a world leader in specialty
chemicals, is gearing up to reveal its support for a greener foundry
industry at GIFA 2015. Visitors at the booth of the company can
look forward to a showcase of Clariant’s unique sustainable emission-reducing
casting additives
Geko LE and Ecosil
LE, already enabling more
eco-friendly production of
steel and iron castings by
We look after every
grain of sand
Pneumatic conveying
technology
For dry, free flowing, abrasive
and abrasion-sensitive material
several major European automotive manufacturers.
Over 50 % of green sand castings produced in Europe in 2013 were
used in road vehicle production. The technology is used for molding
a vast array of vehicle components, including engine blocks, gearboxes,
drive shafts, suspension arms, and brake discs. It is characterized
by its flexibility, low cost as molds do not have to be pre-treated, short
cycle times and lower weight castings.
Ecosil LE and Geko LE significantly reduce emissions generated in
green sand mold casting. They build on the unrivaled precision,
smooth processability and surface finish, and easy shake out associated
with Clariant’s Ecosil lustrous carbon former ranges and Geko bentonite
boosters for green sand castings. Used together or individually,
Ecosil and Geko play an important role in mold production and
during the subsequent separation of casting and mold material.
Adding to the ranges’ sustainability value, customers choosing
those products have the assurance of Clariant’s responsible mining
approach, and long-term supply continuity guaranteed by Clariant’s
investment in its own bentonite mines and production facilities located
close to customers worldwide.
“Ecosil LE and Geko LE reinforce the market-leading position of
Clariant’s customizable Ecosil and Geko ranges, valued by the global
foundry industry for more than 25 years. As the only low emission
solution, they can help foundries comply with highly demanding
environmental regulations and standards. Customers also report a
significant reduction in additive quantity requirements.
The result is a one-of-a-kind efficient molding sand system that
supports manufacturers’ investment in becoming greener without
any compromise on mold quality or the surface finish of castings,”
comments Lorenzo Sechi, Head of Sales Foundry Additives Europe &
Middle East at Clariant.
Hall 12, Stand C 13
www.clariant.com
Ecosil LE and Geko LE
drastically reduce emissions
and help foundries
comply with highly demanding
environmental
regulations and standards
(Photo: Clariant)
Core sand preparation
technology
Turn-key systems including sand
and binder dosing and
core sand distribution
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
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 107

MAGMA
Quality
Yield
Virtual experimentation using Magma 5 establishes the best compromise
between required quality and costs (Photo: Magma)
Fully optimize
At GIFA 2015, Magma GmbH, Aachen,
Germany, will present the next generation
of simulation software for process
optimization of all casting applications.
On its stand in Hall 12, the
company will demonstrate how casting
process simulation with Magma 5
contributes to foundry profitability
through optimization at all stages of
casting manufacturing.
In Düsseldorf, Magma will show the
new software version Magma 5.3 with
fully integrated capabilities for virtual
design of experiments and optimization,
and including extended capabilities
for all casting processes. For the
first time, Magma 5 5.3 makes virtual
experimentation and automatic optimization
on-screen possible. Robust
process conditions and optimized
solutions for casting layouts and part
production can be determined before
the first casting is produced. The software
is designed to find the best possible
conditions for runner dimensions,
gate positions and also for both the
position and optimum size of feeders
and chills. Foundrymen can use simulations
in a virtual proving ground to
pursue different quality and cost objectives
simultaneously.
The company will present new options
for the simulation of all casting
processes and cast alloys, the optimization
of heat treatment processes, and
the optimization of the entire core production
process. Moreover, Magma
will provide insights into future developments
for high pressure die casting
and continuous casting. The use of
Magma results for a fast and easy exchange
of information, within a company
and for intensive communication
with customers, will be presented
interactively based on real examples.
A key focus of Magma’s GIFA presence
is on opportunities for further education
in the MagmaAcademy for foundrymen,
casting designers and casting
consumers.
Hall 12, Stand A 20
www.magmasoft.de/en
JUNG INSTRUMENTS
Universal sand testing machine
and high volume sampler
for dust measurement
The innovative, computer-controlled
universal testing machine for molding
sands by Jung Instruments, Viersen,
Germany, enables the reproducible determination
of a large variety of mechanical-technological
parameters
– independent of the operator. The
robust, time- and space-saving unit is
designed and manufactured acc. to the
guidelines of the Association of German
Foundrymen (VDG) and bundles
many functions of a sand test lab. State
of the art technology combined with
ease of use and user-friendly operation
allows for a reliable quality control
of molding materials and helps
you avoid unnecessary costs of defective
products.
The new dust collection device Gravikon
VC 25 II is designed for stationary
sampling of dust at work places with a
controlled flow rate of 22.5 m 3 /h. The
sampler combines new technologies in
operation and flow control with proven
and recognized dust collection. With
the original interchangeable sampling
heads of the former VC 25, type
Ströhlein, the collection of the inhalable
and respirable dust fraction acc. to
EN 481 is guaranteed. The filter cassettes
for filter diam. 150 mm enable
easy handling and safe transport and
shipment to the lab for subsequent
gravimetric and analytical evaluation.
Hall 13, Stand B 30
www.jung-instruments.com
108 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

COLD JET
Aero foundry edition - recommended
cleaning technology
A major issue for the foundry and forging
industries is the downtime caused
when cleaning permanent aluminum
molds, core boxes and vents, die
cast machines and tooling, shell core
molds, semi-solid castings and conveyors.
Cold Jet, Loveland, USA, has
developed an all new foundry edition
– a comprehensive application solution
that addresses all the needs for
the foundry industry.
The foundry edition systems are full
pressure dry ice cleaning systems packaged
with accessories that will provide
the best clean for the foundry environment.
They are performance class machines
utilizing the advanced sureFlow
pellet technology, featuring an isolated,
insulated hopper with advanced
agitation, internal pressure regulator,
full pressure dosing system, stainless
steel rotor and are equipped with
foundry-friendly accessories. They
guarantee the best pellet integrity,
maximum cleaning aggression and the
most reliable blast stream on the market.
Additional features and accessories
include an upgraded stainless steel rotor
for improved durability; a high performance
applicator with sealed electrical
switches, tough outer shell, designed
water release channels and dual triggers
to protect against moisture, grit and
drop damage; a urebrade blast hose
with fire sleeve to protect from high
temperatures and ensure continued
blast flow; Sureflow quick disconnect
fittings that are ultra-light and aerodynamic
to ensure full particle flow and
maximum performance; a low noise
foundry nozzle that is axisymmetric to
allow you to clean at a distance from the
contaminant without sacrificing pellet
integrity; and a protective machine cover
to provide a barrier around the machine
to shield the feeder system from
foreign contaminants and further protect
the investment.
Dry ice cleaning with the Cold Jet
aero foundry series offers significant
improvement in cleaning times (up to
60 %) as well as reduction of damage to
equipment and resulting scrap product.
Cold Jet aero foundry series offers
significant improvement in cleaning
times (up to 60 %) as well as reduction
of damage to equipment and
resulting scrap (Photo: Cold Jet)
Hall 16, Stand A 24
www.coldjet.com
KNIGHT WENDLING
Part of the solution
Knight Wendling, Düsseldorf, Germany,
is a leading consulting firm in the
cast metals industry. Over 40 years of
experience, an extensive worldwide
network and in-depth market expertise
enable the company to provide
a comprehensive range of consulting
and engineering services
Strategic consulting comprises mergers
& acquisitions, due diligence and
joint-venture projects. In the field of
“merger & acquisition /due diligence
– strategic partnership” the firm has,
in the last 10 years, been involved in
about 80 of such projects for financial
and industrial interested parties working
either on buyer or seller side. This
represents approximately 20 % of all
closed deals in the casting industry.
Operational consulting offers creative,
practical yet sustainable solutions to
technical as well as operational issues
in the complete range of foundry processes.
Knight Wendling performs Interim-
and Turn-around Management
as part of their range of services. Within
the scope of the increasingly important
market globalisation, the firm
also provides for international/global
casting competence analysis. International
investment groups have consulted
Knight Wendling’s extensive
operational and strategic expertise
for operational audit & evaluation of
business potential, turnaround management
as well as for benchmarking
analysis and in-depth products’, technology
and market studies.
Together with sister company Gemco
Engineers the company is dedicated to
build long-term relationships with the
mission to make customers successful.
Clients can be found among international
key-players in the automotive
Benchmarking KPI (Image: Knight
Wendling)
industry, heavy machinery, railway,
wind energy, and many other business
sectors.
Hall 16, Stand C12
www.knightwendling.de
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 109

FTL FOUNDRY EQUIPMENT
Foundry Plant & Equipment
For 50 years, FTL Foundry Equipment
Ltd, Willenhall, UK, has been
designing and supplying technically
advanced molding and material
handling systems in a cost-effective
way. Visitors to GIFA will again get a
chance to witness some of FTL’s latest
innovative technology for no bake and
green sand molding plants, reclamation
and material handling systems.
At GIFA, FTL will be highlighting its
know-how and expertise in offering
complete turnkey projects, providing
plant design, consultancy, through
to project management. On display
will be a range of its No Bake Equipment
with FTL’s full range of foundry
material handling equipment to give
increased productivity and improved
casting quality.
FTL has designed and installed
equipment in many notable foundries
in the UK and is building a well-earned,
respected reputation in foundries all
around the world in particular repeat
orders from Turkey Russia, Scandinavia,
Europe and the Middle East having
commissioned and installed a variety
of plant and equipment in those regions
over the years. As UK foundries
consolidate their position, overseas
customers are investing in new production
capacity or converting from older
greensand production to chemically
bonded molding. FTL has an extensive
range of chemically bonded sand mixing,
molding and reclamation equipment
for them to choose from. From
simple manual handling, semi auto or
fully automatic molding plants with
30tph mixer & linear molding plant
with rollover strip (Photo: FTL)
versatile mold shuttle, loop or carousel
molding and auto rollover strip machines
to the latest design.
Hall 15 Stand H15
www.ftl-foundry.co.uk
KÜTTNER
One stop cast iron pipe production
In 2014, Küttner Centrifugal Casting
GmbH, a joint venture with Düker
(both Karlstadt, Germany) has been
completely integrated at Küttner, Essen,
Germany. In the production of
ductile iron pressure pipes Küttner
is able to offer the melting operation
up to centrifugal casting, everything
from a single source, as well as the engineering
for the complete pressure
pipe manufacturing plant including
the fitting foundry.
Ductile iron pressure pipes in nominal
sizes 80-1200 mm are produced in
Delavaud-centrifugal process in which
the molds are spinning in a water bath.
This process enables the production of
up to 80 pipes per hour for smaller diameters.
Highest process accuracy and
optimum material logistics or liquid
iron logistics are basic requirements for
a consistent quality and a continuous
production.
The Delavaud centrifugal casting
machines are equipped with an automatic
pouring system, which allows a
flying exchange of ladles during the
solidification cycle. A precise dosage of
liquid iron allows the production of
very small wall thicknesses of class C40
with the best possible material efficiency.
The liquid iron is introduced via
runners into the mold. Two runners
are alternately in use, allowing cleaning
and maintenance of the standby
runner during the operation. The runners
remain fixed, while the machine
carriage moves with the mold. Into the
mold a sand core is inserted, which
models the pipe sleeve. An optical sensor
on the bell end of the mold detects
the incoming liquid metal and triggers
the traveling motion of the machine
DeLavaud centrifugal casting machine
(Photo: Küttner)
carriage. In the end position, the pipe
is automatically extracted from the
mold and the casting cycle starts again.
The Delavaud centrifugal casting machines
are just one component of a fully
automated production line: from
casting, heat treatment, mechanical
processing, coating inside and outside,
etc. Küttner integrates the centrifugal
casting machines into existing production
lines or provides the engineering
and supply of completely new plants.
Hall 16, Stand G 26
Hall 4, Stand C 28
www.kuettner.com
110 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

RÖSLER
Gamma 400 G – improved blast performance,
higher uptimes and easier maintenance
Shot blasting for surface cleaning and surface preparation
represents an indispensable manufacturing
phase in many metal-processing industries. Generally,
blast turbines are the most expensive component
of many shot blasting system, requiring significant
upkeep in terms of maintenance and wear parts.
By simply turning the Y-shaped throwing blades
in the new Gamma 400 G turbines around, both
blade sides can be utilized resulting in a doubling
of the uptime compared to conventional blast
turbines (Photo: Rösler)
At the GIFA exhibition in Düsseldorf, Rösler,
Untermerz bach, Germany, will present its newly developed
and extremely versatile Gamma 400 G blast
turbine which will be setting new standards in cost
efficiency. For example, compared to conventional
turbines the Gamma 400 G offers a 100 % higher
uptime and a significantly improved blast performance
together with drastically reduced maintenance
costs.
Rösler GmbH is international market leader in the
production of surface finishing, shot blasting machines,
painting systems and preservation lines as
well as process technology for the rational surface
finishing (deburring, descaling, sand removal, polishing,
grinding…) of metals and other components.
Besides the German plants in Untermerzbach and
Bad Staffelstein, the Rösler Group has branches in
Great Britain, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Belgium,
Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Romania, Russia,
China, India, Brazil, South Africa and USA.
Hall 16 Stand G 40
www.rosler.com
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 111
Anzeige_CT_P_International_022015.indd 1 11.05.2015 14:24:08

Gemco realized the expansion of the iron foundry of Georg Fischer in Kunshan, China (Photo: Gemco)
GEMCO ENGINEERS
Complete foundry solutions
Gemco Engineers, Eindhoven, The
Netherlands, counts for more than 35
years of worldwide experience in the
foundry industry and offers dedicated
foundry solutions for iron, steel, aluminum
and all other castable metals. The
company’s track record includes the
realization of over 100 Greenfield and
Brownfield foundries worldwide. Gemco
operates from offices in The Netherlands,
Germany, China, Mexico and
Russia. An extensive global network of
foundry experts cover all foundry disciplines
and provides a full range of services
from process- and feasibility studies,
(concept-) engineering, design, and
planning and project management of
smaller as well as bigger projects up to
overall contracting and turnkey realization
of foundry projects. Further services
encompass, among other:
Engineering and Management of
Foundry Projects:
» Master-planning capital investments
(greenfield / brownfield / modernizations)
» Operational and financial feasibility
analysis
» Energy and logistic simulations/process
integration and interface engineering
» Risk management and project control
» Contracting and turnkey deliveries
Dedicated Installations:
» For improvement of ergonomics
» For improvement of safety and environment
» For efficiency improvements
Gemco Engineers is an independent
company and makes use of the latest
technology and engineering tools
such as 3-D design and Foundry Logistics
Simulation, emphasizing on
Efficiency, Energy and Environment.
Clients can be found among international
key-players in the automotive
and truck industry, mining, dredging,
oil & gas, rail, heavy machinery, wind
energy and many other business sectors.
Recent and current projects include
foundry modernizations in Europe
and the USA and new foundries
in Mexico and China.
Hall 16, Stand C 12
www.gemco.nl
Advertisers‘ Index
ABP Induction Systems GmbH 43
AGTOS Ges. für technische Oberflächensysteme mbH 71
Alpine Metal Tech Holding GmbH 99
Hannover-Messe ANKIROS FUARCILIK A. S. 79
ASK Chemicals GmbH 45
Bühler AG 11
Büro für angewandte Mineralogie 44
CAN-ENG Furnaces 105
ConviTec GmbH 103
Gustav Eirich GmbH & Co. KG 2
Eltra GmbH 80
Euromac spa 61
FRIEDRICH Schwingtechnik GmbH 92
Giesserei Verlag GmbH 48, 72, 100
112 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

HÜTTENES ALBERTUS
The HA Group – innovative
and multifaceted
Casting has been for centuries and
will remain in the future one thing
above all else: an innovative process.
The Hüttenes-Albertus Group, Düsseldorf,
Germany, has set itself the goal to
be a reliable and inventive partner to
all foundries – worldwide and with all
products and services that are required
for advanced and efficient casting processes.
At GIFA 2015 Hüttenes-Albertus will
be represented by its very own GIFA
foundryman. He will guide the visitors
over the HA Group stand in hall 12 and
will show them the way to various exhibits,
presentations and demonstrations.
The world’s leading foundry fair is
the ideal platform to present the latest
developments and trends relating to
foundry chemistry. Visitors can expect
numerous exhibits – from very small
and filigree parts to huge castings.
Based on these displays the results of
intensive research and technological
progress can be discussed in detail.
More than 30 subsidiaries and trading
partners of the HA Group will be represented
by technical and sales experts at
the GIFA stand, to answer all questions
and provide comprehensive advice.
The major challenge in our time is
the compatibility of high productivity
with environmentally friendly raw materials
and „green“ casting processes.
The Hüttenes-Albertus Group accepted
the challenge and will present various
innovations and developments regarding
organic and inorganic binder systems
and foundry auxiliary materials.
When developing environmentally
friendly and economical products
Hüttenes-Albertus did not only focus
its efforts on inorganic binder systems
– even if this will surely be a major topic
of interest at GIFA. Further progress
was also made in the field of established
organic processes. Cold-Box systems
with reduced emissions and carbon
are important keywords.
In the product category coatings specific
emphasis is laid upon the new impregnation
coating against the casting
defect “white film”, which can occur
on casting surfaces. Interested visitors
can certainly find out more about this
innovation at the HA stand but they are
also welcome to attend the lecture at
the Technical Forum. A further presentation
will be held about the latest innovations
in feeder technology, where
HA’s GIFA
foundryman
(Image: HA)
great advancements
have been
made regarding
aluminium sand
casting.
The HA Group
is known to lay
value on the education
of new
young talents and
therefore gladly
supports the initiative
„metals4you“.
Interesting experiments and
demonstrations will be carried out on a
separate stand. The aim is to familiarize
the young groups of visitors with the
exciting world of foundry chemistry.
The team of experienced chemists and
analysts was overwhelmed by the participation
in past years and expect even
more young visitors this year.
Overall GIFA visitors can expect much
action at Hüttenes-Albertus‘ stand – be
it the machines, animations or exhibits.
Hall 12, Stand C 50
www.huettenes-albertus.com
GLAMA Maschinenbau GmbH 59
GoIndustry (UK) Limited 94
GTP Schäfer GmbH 97
HOMA Hochstromtechnik GmbH & Co. KG 67
Hüttenes-Albertus Chemische Werke GmbH 118
ICE
Insert
INFUSER DEUTSCHLAND GmbH 15
Jasper Ges. für Energiewirtschaft & Kybernetik mbH 30
JÖST GmbH + Co. KG 111
KELLER H.C.W. GmbH 47
Targi Kielce S.A. 94
Klein Anlagenbau AG 107
Helmut Klumpf Technische Chemie KG 70
KMA Umwelttechnik GmbH 87
Küttner GmbH & Co. KG 39
Liquidity Services Global Solutions Pty Ltd 97
Metef Srl 23
Monometer Holdings Ltd 90
O.M.LER 2000 S.R.L. 95
Refratechnik Casting GmbH 37
Regloplas AG 93
Retsch Technology GmbH 81
RÖSLER Oberflächentechnik GmbH 49
Konrad Rump Oberflächen technik GmbH & Co. KG 91
RWP GmbH 101
S&B Industrial Minerals GmbH 9
Space Srl 63
Rudolf Uhlen GmbH 70
VELCO GmbH 96
VETTER Krantechnik GmbH 55, 56
VHV Anlagenbau GmbH 89
Heinrich Wagner Sinto Maschinenfabrik GmbH 31
WEBAC Gesellschaft für Maschinenbau mbH 88
Eugen Weil 14
WOKO Magnet- und Anlagenbau GmbH 38
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 113

K BROCHURES
Heat treatment solutions
6 pages, English
This brochure sets out the range of materials and complementary products developed
by Mersen for thermal applications, for example, resistors, insulating elements,
walls and channels. The materials used include graphite, carbon and carbon
composites, rigid carbon and carbon foam insulation materials, etc.
Information: www.mersen.com
Laser welding
8 pages, English
A product catalogue presenting laser welding systems offered by joke Technology.
Product photos and descriptions, technical data, fields of application as well as descriptions
of additional features of the products are provided. Also accessories such
as work positioners or magnetic clamping balls are covered by the brochure.
Information: www.joke.de
Two-platen die casting machine
8 pages, English, Italian, German, Spanish
A brochure setting out the range of two-platen die casting machines offered by
Italpresse-Gauss. It lists the key advantages of the toggle-free casting machine
design and contains a table of technical data for all machine types as well as various
photos and drawings illustrating the components and the outstanding features of
these machines.
Information: www.italpresse.it; www.gaussautomazione.it
Rotary bed regenerator
4 pages, English, German
A product brochure detailing the functioning principle and the advantages of the
EcoReg® rotary bed regenerator developed by Jasper. Photographs and drawings
illustrate the process flow and explain the key components of this regenerator design,
which is custom-built for gas, oil and coal dust furnace systems.
Information: www.jasper-gmbh.de
114 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

Vibrating and conveying solutions
24 pages, English, German, French
A brochure summarizing the range of vibrating and conveying solutions offered by
ConviTec. This includes equipment like shake-out systems, casting coolers, picking
conveyors, sand regeneration systems, polygonal screens, conveyor belts, vibrating
machines as well as the associated drive, control and visualization systems.
Information: www.convitec.net
Mobile metals analyzer
6 pages, English
A brochure describing the performance features and innovative aspects of the analyzer
system Q4 Mobile offered by Bruker. The mobile optical emission spectrometer
is designed for all fields of application in metal sorting and analysis, such as incoming
goods inspection and mix-up tests.
Information: www.bruker.com/oes
Universal sand testing machine
4 pages, English
A brochure presenting a new sand testing instrument developed by Jung Instruments.
Due to its comprehensive functionalities and wide-ranging analysis options,
the instrument may replace an entire sand test lab. The brochure provides an overview
of the technical parameters, benefits and specifications of the instrument.
Information: www.jung-instruments.com
Cast, forged and welded parts and constructions
16 pages, English, German
A comprehensive brochure outlining the range of activities and services provided by
Cast-Con Engineering, a company specialized in the construction, optimization and
supply of castings, welded constructions and forgings for plant engineering applications
as well as melting plants.
Information: www.cast-con.de
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 115

K INTERNATIONAL FAIRS AND CONGRESSES
Fairs and Congresses
Metallurgy/Tube/Aluminium 2015
June, 8-11, 2015, Moskow/Russia
www.metallurgy-tube-russia.com
GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS, NEWCAST
June, 16-20, 2015, Düsseldorf/Germany
www.gifa.com
Aluminium China
July, 8-10, 2015, Shanghai/China
www.aluminiumchina.com/en
China Diecasting 2015
July, 8-10, 2015, Shanghai/China
www.diecastexpo.cn/en
Foundry China 2015
September, 8-10, Beijing/China
http://bit.ly/1KnYvBj
55th International Foundry Conference
September, 16-18, 2015, Portorož/Slovenia
www.drustvo-livarjev.si
Next Metef scheduled
for 2017
Metef, expo of customized technology
for the aluminium and innovative
metals industry, and its siding shows
Foundeq, Metalriciclo and Alumotive
move to odd-numbered years.
This choice was announced by
Giovanni Mantovani, General Manager
of trade fair organiser Veronafiere, and
aims at meeting the needs of the adhering
companies by showcasing the specialization
of the Italian and European
firms in the aluminium and innovative
metals industry in a single event scheduled
for June 21-24, 2017.
In force of this process, Metef will invest
on a communication plan that involves
a further development of Metef’s
project, approaching new markets and
offering real business opportunities to
the companies that invest on the expo.
This is why from 2015 Metef is organizing
a series of Road Shows and B2B
meetings in different reference markets
to boost promotion by the potential
visitors of the show’s next edition, that
is international specialized operators,
technicians and purchasing managers
as well as foreign institutional de le -
gations in order to side the e xhibiting
companies in an uninterrupted
relationship path in view of the expo.
The fair cooperates with Amafond – Italian
association of companies which produce
machinery, plants, furnaces products
and services for the foundry
industry.
Visitors watch a multi-piston squeeze
molding machine at Metef 2014
(Photo: Veronafiere)
“It’s a crucial decision having a major
evolution value for Metef in the light of
the economic context of the Italian and
European manufacturing industry. This
change will make us focus even more on
promoting the event abroad with ad
hoc projects and in dedicated markets
aimed at bringing international operators
to our show” – says Giovanni Mantovani.
Veronafiere along with Amafond,
Assomet – Italian Association of
Non-Ferrous Metals Industries, Assofond
– Italian Foundries’ Association,
Anfia– Italian Association of the Automotive
Industry, Assofermet - National
Association for the distribution of Iron
& Steel products and ferrous and non
ferrous scrap collection, and AIB – Industrial
Association of Brescia, which
represent some of the business sectors
present at the exhibition, will work together
to consolidate the expo 10-edition
experience thus offering real business
opportunities to the exhibiting
companies.
“We have satisfied the needs of our
exhibitors and of the international
technical and scientific communities
who asked for the show to be in a different
period from that of other sector
events thus allowing potential foreign
operators to visit the exhibition and
come to know the Italian sector excellence
products, which have showed the
international players their capability to
offer innovative and customized solutions
in quick time”, explains Giovanni
Mantovani.
Metef has gone through the structural
changes of the global economic system
and the aluminium global production
chain and has adjusted its contents
and communication strategies to the
new evolving situations. In this respect,
the expo has magnified its efforts and
commitment to represent and protect
the interests of the small and medium
converting enterprises upstream the aluminium
and innovative metals production
chain. These sectors are the real
propellers of the downstream application
development and account for the
largest share of the entire sector’s workforce
in Italy and Europe.
www.metef.com
116 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015

PREVIEW / IMPRINT K
Preview of the next issue
Publication date: 4 September 2015
Selection of topics:
Strong bath movement is possible
with the new furnaces in the Frischhut
foundry allowing rapid material corrections,
e. g. a subsequent carburizing
increasing the flexibility of foundries
with a large product range (Photo:
BDG/R. Piterek)
R. Piterek: Towards smaller batch sizes with product flexibility
The fittings foundry Frischhut in Neumarkt-Sankt Veit, Bavaria, Germany, has invested three million Euros in more flexible and energy-saving
production. The company is thus well equipped for the future. Maintenance Manager Max Altmannshofer played an important part in the
modernization process – a caster with a penchant for extreme sports
S. Borgs; W. Stets: Porosity in ductile cast iron and its influence on mechanical properties
The most common defects in ductile cast iron are porosities or microscopic shrink holes as a result of shrinkage. As part of a research project
funded by AiF, a German Research Network for SMEs, the negative impact of increasing porosity on the mechanical properties of samples
made of ductile cast iron was quantified
Interview: Designing optimal production processes
Complex casting concepts require accomplished foundry expertise, the necessary technical equipment, extensive experience, and a high
degree of interdisciplinary competence. How suppliers face this challenge was the issue of an interview with Jörg Brotzki, a member of the
senior leadership at ASK Chemicals, Hilden, Germany, a manufacturer of foundry chemicals and auxiliaries
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:
Gies se rei-Ver lag 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
Cir cu la tion:
Ga briele Wald
Pro duc tion Man ag er:
Burk hard Star kul la
Layout:
Peter Büchele
Ad ver tis ing rate card No. 26 from 1.1.2015
Pub li ca tion: Quar ter ly
An nu al sub scrip tion rate (incl. post age)
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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.
© 2015 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, re served.
Pho to me chan i cal re pro duc tion (pho to copy,
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
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 117

PREVIEW / IMPRINT K
Preview of the next issue
Publication date: 4 September 2015
Selection of topics:
Strong bath movement is possible
with the new furnaces in the Frischhut
foundry allowing rapid material corrections,
e. g. a subsequent carburizing
increasing the flexibility of foundries
with a large product range (Photo:
BDG/R. Piterek)
R. Piterek: Towards smaller batch sizes with product flexibility
The fittings foundry Frischhut in Neumarkt-Sankt Veit, Bavaria, Germany, has invested three million Euros in more flexible and energy-saving
production. The company is thus well equipped for the future. Maintenance Manager Max Altmannshofer played an important part in the
modernization process – a caster with a penchant for extreme sports
S. Borgs; W. Stets: Porosity in ductile cast iron and its influence on mechanical properties
The most common defects in ductile cast iron are porosities or microscopic shrink holes as a result of shrinkage. As part of a research project
funded by AiF, a German Research Network for SMEs, the negative impact of increasing porosity on the mechanical properties of samples
made of ductile cast iron was quantified
Interview: Designing optimal production processes
Complex casting concepts require accomplished foundry expertise, the necessary technical equipment, extensive experience, and a high
degree of interdisciplinary competence. How suppliers face this challenge was the issue of an interview with Jörg Brotzki, a member of the
senior leadership at ASK Chemicals, Hilden, Germany, a manufacturer of foundry chemicals and auxiliaries
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:
Gies se rei-Ver lag 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
Cir cu la tion:
Ga briele Wald
Pro duc tion Man ag er:
Burk hard Star kul la
Layout:
Peter Büchele
Ad ver tis ing rate card No. 26 from 1.1.2015
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 Coun tries: 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.
© 2015 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, re served.
Pho to me chan i cal re pro duc tion (pho to copy,
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
Casting Plant & Technology 2/2015 117