Anyone who thought ASK Chemicals was a pure chemicals company is mistaken. In addition to the chemical production sites in Europe, Asia and America, the riser production in Germany, Spain and Turkey as well as the core manufacturing site in Fuldabrück/Moosburg- Germany, our production facility for metallurgical products is located in Southern Germany.
More sparks fly at the ASK Chemicals Metallurgy location than in many foundries.
At up to 1,700 degrees Celsius, Germany’s only ferrosilicon manufacturer produces metallurgical products in large submerged arc furnaces in Hart an der Alz. These products include master alloys and inoculants, particularly mold inoculants, and cored wires. The high temperatures are necessary to produce the main raw material for the alloys, namely liquid ferrosilicon, which is made out of quartz sand.
Tailor-made as opposed to off-the-shelf
By systematically adding various alloying elements, ASK Chemicals Metallurgy can adapt a wide range of FeSi-based alloys to meet customer specifications.
As a result, most of the products manufactured in Bavaria are tailored to customer requirements. Foundries that use and trust metallurgical products from ASK mostly manufacture superior and safety-relevant castings, some of which have to withstand extreme physical strain. These parts could be found for example in the production of various engine and vehicle components for the automotive sector, highly durable parts for wind turbines and machine construction in general.
“Our customers are very much aware of the fact that the use of individual metallurgical additives that are in line with customer needs is decisive in the manufacture of highly durable castings,” confirms Thomas Feichtner, Global Business Line Manager for the Metallurgical Products division at ASK Chemicals. “Our customers are convinced that tailored solutions add more value than ‘off-the-shelf’ products, and we agree. It may take time to develop solutions with our application technology, but in the end, the results are always worth it.”
Sending expertise from Unterneukirchen around the world- a global company with strong regional ties
The experienced team of metallurgists at ASK Chemicals cooperate closely with customers around the world to develop tailor-made solutions and accompany the introduction of these products to the ongoing production process. In the course of this, customers benefit from the extensive experience and proven expertise of the six team members.
ASK Chemicals Metallurgy is a responsible manufacturer with strong regional ties that produces in accordance with German and European standards.
The company strives to obtain resources and charge materials from regional sources whenever possible. Quartz, one of the primary charge materials used in the company’s production, comes from the Bavarian Forest, for example; the barium sulphate is sourced from the Black Forest. While this is a sign of the company’s ties to the region, it is also an expression of its social responsibility and offers tangible advantages such as delivery security and flexibility.
“We are able to plan our production without long lead times and can thus also avoid long transport routes from Asia for example. We can respond to market demands at short notice. This greater flexibility allows us to handle peaks in production without having to retain large inventories. Advantages that we naturally pass on to our customers.”
In conversation:
Three questions for Berat Yavuz, Head of Technical Service at ASK Chemicals Metallurgy
Mr. Yavuz, what would you say is the main feature that sets ASK Chemicals Metallurgy apart from its competitors?
I am convinced that our global technical service is what sets us apart, as our metallurgical consultation, with its depth and quality, is unique worldwide. This is certainly due to the fact that instead of offering off-the-shelf products, we provide customer-specific solutions that allow our customers to manufacture superior castings.
Mr. Yavuz, does ASK Chemicals have new products in the pipeline?
In the field of mold inoculation, we are currently introducing the next generation of our successful GERMALLOY and OPTIGRAN inoculants. These are characterised by their perfect shape and the resulting minimal weight tolerances and high specificity. In the field of cored wires for compacted graphite iron, we are currently cooperating intensively with plant manufacturers and customers to guarantee the raw material’s limited tolerances are met with the utmost precision.
Mr. Yavuz, environmental protection and resource efficiency are matters that are becoming more and more important for foundries. How do your products contribute to this?
In the field of metallurgy, the reduction of emissions and resource efficiency are not being enforced as rigidly as they are in foundry chemistry or riser technology, for example. We nonetheless consider ourselves pioneers in this field and want to do our part. To give you an example: We are currently involved in a number of projects in cooperation with renowned customers in the field of cored wire technology. This is a highly efficient technology that allows targeted extraction at the plant and reduces raw material consumption and emissions at the same time.
