Global foundry industry to gather in Düsseldorf for GIFA 2023

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Foundry Corporate News GIFA

04. April 2023

Pressemitteilung | Reading time: min | Bildquelle: Foseco

The global foundry industry will assemble in Düsseldorf, Germany, in June for GIFA 2023 – the leading international trade show for the foundry sector. Taking place in the halls of Messe Düsseldorf on 12-16 June, the show and associated technical forum promise the ideal chance to experience the latest trends and innovations in foundry technology and solutions.

Covering more than 900m² in Hall 12, the Foseco stand will feature many of our recent innovations for non-ferrous foundries, including:

Melt treatment.
Crucibles and refractories.
Aluminium melt shop.
Innovative sand core binder solution for HPDC.
Methoding and coatings for aluminium foundries

Visit our global team of experts at Stand No. 12A01/12A02 to discover how we can help solve the most pressing challenges facing the foundry industry today.

Melt treatment

In recent years, we have added a number of features and technologies to our FDU and MTS automated aluminium melt treatment technologies. These advances provide foundries the opportunity to gain new perspective on and control of their treatment process.

Our SMARTT degassing software offers various programs for rotary degassing; the operator must simply define a target melt quality. Based on ambient conditions, melt temperature, rotor design, and alloy composition, the software then calculates the best treatment practice to achieve that goal. Optimisation modes are also available to reduce inert gas consumption, minimise degasser wear, or provide fastest degassing and treatment speed. Treatment parameters are automatically relayed to the FDU MTS equipment, while a customised report system records all parameters.

Granulated fluxes can be added through the automated MTS and provide many advantages, such as improved melt fluidity during casting, reduced inclusions, and improved mechanical properties. Our new range of granulated fluxes includes COVERAL, SIMODAL, and NUCLEANT fluxes, which cover the principal foundry operations of cleaning, drossing, modification, and grain refinement. They have been specially formulated for use in conjunction with FDU and MTS to keep smoke and fume to a minimum.

The MTS dosing mechanism uses a gravimetric load cell to ensure highest dosing precision for best metallurgical results, as well as repeatability and traceability. Shaft and rotor design are also continuously improved to offer high efficiency degassing with long service life. The resulting dross is low in aluminium, which improves material efficiency of the process for higher yield and lower costs.

Crucibles and refractories

We continuously improve our crucible technology to provide solutions that reduce energy consumption, increase output, and improve production efficiency. Recent innovations on display at GIFA 2023 will include:

ENERTEK ISO crucibles, which utilise a highly-insulating, proprietary Vesuvius coating to significantly reduce heat loss and decrease energy use in induction melting or continuous casting applications.
DURATEK crucibles, designed to provide extended life, especially in highly-corrosive conditions. The latest DURATEK SUPERMELT crucibles possess superior fracture toughness, high temperature strength, and oxidation resistance to ensure long life in aggressive aluminium melting operations.

We will also highlight our refractory lining range, including ALUGARD low-cement castables, KELLUNDITE dry vibratable linings – ideally suited to coreless induction melting furnaces – and TRIAD no-cement castables, which contain a new aluminium ‘non-wetting’ additive that provides excellent resistance to corundum development across a wider temperature band.

Aluminium melt shop

The use of energy-efficient dosing furnaces in aluminium foundries is seen by many as the best available technology today. We are now able to supply a new INSURAL multi-part and highly-insulating lining, which comes ready to install, and combines energy savings with long service life and resistance to oxide build up. Installation can be achieved in less than three days with no ongoing hydrogen issues. Due to a totally dry installation process, no sintering of the lining is necessary. Energy savings can be as high as 17%.

Innovative sand core binder solution for HPDC

A key limitation of the high pressure die casting process (HPDC) is the inability to produce complex, hollow castings, at high volume, and in a cost-effective and sustainable way. This is due to the difficulty in producing suitable cores. Standard sand cores cannot be used, as they are difficult to remove after casting and do not provide adequate surface finish. Salt cores are more suitable, but are expensive to produce and present other operational limitations.

In response to this challenge, we have developed the WASCO water-soluble binder and coating, which we will showcase at GIFA 2023. This innovative binder system demonstrates high bending strength and has been used successfully in both liquid and semi-solid HPDC processes, even in severe conditions. With the use of an appropriate coating, WASCO-based sand cores can exceed 1000N/cm² and are thermally resistant up to 750°C. Post-casting removal is achieved simply by flushing with water, preventing any risk of damage or crack initiation.

Methoding and coatings for aluminium foundries

The methoding area at GIFA 2023 will highlight the optimal use of foam filters, die coating, and feeding systems in sand and gravity die casting applications.

Applications will be shown for aluminium and copper base castings, demonstrating excellent yield combined with improved casting quality. We will also highlight the FEEDEX NF1 range of exothermic feeders designed for both aluminium and copper applications. This sleeve material is highly exothermic, provides quick ignition, and has high strength. Due to its excellent feeding performance, manual application of exothermic powders is also avoided, reducing emissions.

The new range of DYCOTE SAFEGUARD products will also be highlighted. These long lasting, nano-ceramic coatings are designed to achieve significantly longer service life compared to traditional die coatings, leading to reduced interruptions for touch-up – and therefore increased productivity. This new die coating requires only a single spray, resulting in significant time savings and ease of operation. Multiple mixers and spray guns as in the past are no longer necessary.

Finally, new case studies that describe a filter and sleeve combination with conventional running and gating systems used in high quality, technically demanding applications will be displayed. All relevant exhibits will also feature simulations using the most recent version of the Foseco Pro Module for MAGMASOFT.