New filling funnel and pneumatic filling system for Westomat dosing furnaces from StrikoWestofen
To improve the process reliability and operational safety of Westomat dosing furnaces the StrikoWestofen Group (Germany) has now developed a new filling system. It operates on the overpressure principle and guarantees maximum operational safety and quality of the melt for all sizes of Westomat. In addition, the well-known manufacturer of thermal process technology offers a new filling funnel which has a three times longer service life and allows more rapid filling. The new filling funnels are available as of immediately from the “Service and Spare Parts” department of StrikoWestofen.
Industrial accidents often have serious consequences, especially in the foundry sector. In case of an accident the liquid metal at temperatures of up to 800 degrees Celsius can cause damage to the foundry system or even serious injury to persons. To increase occupational safety during the filling of Westomat dosing furnaces, StrikoWestofen now offers a new pneumatic filling system. This is suitable for all sizes and – like the dosing system of the Westomat furnaces – it works on the overpressure principle. Pressure is applied to transport the melt through a riser tube to the filling funnel, thus guaranteeing a constant flow rate and reproducible processes during filling with aluminium. Thanks to the new system, it is no longer necessary to tip ladles at a great height using a lift truck. This minimizes a potential source of danger and increases occupational safety considerably. The system is designed to allow treatment of the melt with impellers. In addition, it can be transported into the dosing system with no further transferring. The closed system also prevents the melt from cooling. For this reason, the melt does not need to be superheated as strongly in the melting furnace, thus reducing the energy consumption considerably.
Cast iron filling funnels for maximum quality of the melt
To further increase the filling process of Westomat dosing furnaces, StrikoWestofen also offers a new filling funnel made of cast iron. This is available for Westomat sizes of 450 to 1,200 and 1,200 to 3,100 kg and can be installed on all dosing furnaces regardless of the filling system applied. The optimized design improves the flow behaviour and reduces oxide formation in the melt through the shorter time of contact with the surrounding air. The risk of obstruction with freezing of the melt is effectively counteracted by the high flow rate. The danger of contamination of the melt by refractory solid particles is minimized as refractory lining is no longer necessary. “When developing our new filling funnel, we paid special attention to the service life and to maximum handling simplicity in everyday use,” explains Holger Stephan, head of the StrikoWestofen “Service and Spare Parts” department. “The cast iron material and the absence of refractory lining triple the service life of our filling funnels. In addition, the system is easier and quicker to clean, allowing us to reduce downtimes permanently.”
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