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ASK: Optimizing Environmental Protection and Occupational Health and Safety, Increasing Productivity

GIFA topic: Innovations for greater sustainability in the foundry industry

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Protecting the environment and employees from emissions: This is one of the biggest challenges currently in the foundry industry. ASK Chemicals uses its innovative product portfolio to help customers produce sustainably – with additional advantages for economic efficiency and quality. Foundries can therefore meet stringent regulatory requirements, without having to make big investments in additional filter and exhaust systems.

ASK Chemicals helps to improve environmental protection and occupational health and safety and optimized economic efficiency by developing more powerful and environmentally-friendly solutions. Innovative technology platforms, such as ECOCURE BLUE and INOTEC, as well as product packages, such as the Low Formaldehyde System (LFS), offer answers to typical challenges of the foundry industry regarding emissions.

ASK’s sustainability approach is to reduce the emissions of phenol, formaldehyde, VOC and aromatic hydrocarbons (BTX) and to increase the effect of its products.

“Innovative and more sustainable products ensure the competitiveness of a company in the long term,” emphasizes Dr. Jens Müller, Global Head of Research & Development at ASK. “Countries in East Asia, especially China, are also increasingly investing in innovative processes and sustainable products.”

INOTEC - The Completely Emission-Free Binder System

The patented inorganic binder technology is currently the optimum in terms of environmental protection. The INOTEC procedure for aluminum casting developed by the Hilden company is characterized by an impressive environmental balance and increased productivity in production processes. It is completely free of emissions. No additional measures are required to filter or treat the exhaust air.

Together with the development partners from the automotive industry, ASK Chemicals is working on making it possible to use inorganic binders as a forward-looking technology in the future for iron and steel casting on an industrial scale.

Using LFS to Comply with New Formaldehyde Limits
Increased regulatory requirements – such as the amendment to the TA Luft [Clean Air Guidelines] – concern, for example, formaldehyde emissions in the exhaust air of foundries. In Germany, these must be reduced to a quarter by no later than February 2020.

ASK Chemicals is supporting its customers here with the Low Formaldehyde System (LFS). This is a package of ECOCURE BLUE LFS binder, MIRATEC LFS coating and VEINO LFS additive specially tailored to the respective requirements. Users can therefore precisely comply with the new emissions limits and improve occupational health and safety without having to invest in secondary measures, such as scrubbers or RTOs.

Innovations with a Holistic Approach
The new ECOCURE BLUE, which combines efficiency with a significant reduction in emissions, stands for the holistic approach of product innovations at ASK Chemicals. With the phenolic resin ECOCURE BLUE, ASK Chemicals has introduced the first label-free, Cold Box part 1 component in the history of binder chemistry. It saves up to 66% of BTX emissions and reduces the required amount of binder by up to 22% .

Given this success, ASK Chemicals has expanded the ECOCURE BLUE families: ECOCURE BLUE is now called ECOCURE BLUE Pure, and there is also ECOCURE BLUE ULTRA, which contains even less formaldehyde than ECOCURE BLUE PURE. The product family is complemented by ECOCURE BLUE ICE, which can withstand storage at temperatures as low as -18 degrees.

New PU No-Bake Reduces Phenol Emissions
Modern foundries are increasingly relying on the PEP SET process due to the processing properties, the better casting results and higher productivity. ASK Chemicals has recognized this trend and is now presenting a new solution at GIFA for reducing phenol emissions in the PU No-Bake process: The new generation of the self-curing PEP SET binder system on a polyurethane basis – PEP SET SILVER.

This is characterized by a particularly low proportion of environmentally-friendly monomers, especially phenol. In practical applications, it is shown that the phenol concentrations in the regenerate are significantly reduced with the help of PEP SET SILVER. In addition to advantages for the environment, this also means a clear plus for economic efficiency, because the landfill costs are also reduced. In addition, employees as well as residents in adjacent residential areas will appreciate the use of the new technology due to the reduced smoke pollution.

ASK Chemicals will be presenting this and other solutions on the topic of environmental protection from June 25-29 at GIFA 2019 in hall 12, stand A22.

Company Info

ASK Chemicals GmbH

Reisholzstrasse 16 - 18
40721 Hilden
Germany

Telephone: +49 (0)211 / 711 03 85

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