By Olaf M. Kramer, Heinrich Wagner Sinto Maschinenfabrik GmbH
“Everything from one single source” is the credo of the brass & bronze foundry Josef F. Filthaut, at Iserlohn, Germany. The family-managed company has had more than 90 years of experience in the process of sand casting and lost wax technique and produces high-quality castings made of light and heavy metals.
With the highest level of craftsmanship, the Filthaut brass foundry manufactures art castings in single and small batch production such as sculptures, grave ornaments, memorial tablets, crests, emblems, company signs and a lot more.
Industrial castings are the second source of income of the company. Typical products of this sector are fittings, safety relief valves, pump housings, machine parts, friction rings or marine propellers.
In addition to their production programme, the Filthaut foundry also provides complete solutions thanks to their own pattern making and the in-house treatment of the castings.
Expertise gained during many decades, real passion for the skills and craftsmanship of the metal foundry are just some of the many qualifications of our employees. Continuous investments, and modern manufacturing plants, are the factors of success of the 2-generation company. For example, the sand preparation plant and the melting technology have been modernized completely within the last few years.
The growing demand for small series and the vision to diversify their services in the future encouraged Christina Filthaut, head of the foundry and daughter of the proprietor Michael Filthaut, to strengthen the company in the field of the sand moulding technology.
The Filthaut family thus aims to produce in a sustainable manner high-quality castings that convince the sophisticated customers with regard to reproducibility, quality and price.
The target of the Heinrich Wagner Sinto engineers was to integrate modern moulding technology as simply as possible into the existing foundry process. The ideal solution for this requirement was the moulding machine FDNX. This moulding machine operates with the proven “Aeration” compaction process, i.e. the moulding sand is supplied into the moulding cavity by means of an air flow. The air escapes through slotted vents in the drag and cope. Hydraulic pressing then gives the mould cod its required stability. The hydraulic pressure is generated by a hydroconverter that is supported by a pressure amplifier. The result is mould cods with horizontal mould partition and a high mould quality.
The FDNX machine does not require a foundation. There is no spill sand as the moulding process is completely closed and the dust emissions are minimal. The design principles allow the machine to operate in a manual environment or to upgrade it gradually to a fully automatic moulding plant with an output of up to 90 moulds per hour (without core setting) by means of modular plant technology. At present, more than 70 FDNX moulding machines and moulding plants are being operated worldwide.
The machine is available in two versions for cod sizes of 450 x 350 x 150/150 mm and 500 x 400 x 180/180mm.
The moulding machine is extremely compact requiring a space of just 5m2 and operates with low noise emissions (approx. 75 dBA), low energy consumption and operating costs. For these reasons, the machine has been on show at the “ecoMetals Trails“ at GIFA 2015 and attracted lots of visitors to the HWS booth.
Mrs Filthaut gives a résumé: “ … the step from a purely manual moulding technology to modern machine moulding was an important step for us into the future. Our aim is to realize the wishes and ideas of our customers efficiently with individual solutions in a flexible, high-quality and reliable way from the first pattern making until readiness for series production.
The moulding machine FDNX allows us to respond now even more flexibly to customers’ requests. If we reach our capacity limits, we will be able to increase production at any time at short notice by fully automating the line. The machine fully satisfies us with regard to the moulding technology. It surprised us that we could even mould sensitive cement (gypsum) patterns in highest quality. The FDNX is always working reliably. Our employees confirm that the workplace conditions have improved significantly through the new machine. We are confident that we will strengthen our market position and attract new customers with this investment.“
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