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Foundry Corporate News Topic Melting Shop

Always the right dose

StrikoWestofen offers new riser tube for WESTOMAT® dosing furnaces

 

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Maximum energy efficiency, material yield and dosing precision: these characteristics have described the Westomat® dosing furnaces from the StrikoWestofen Group (Wiehl, Germany) for a number of years now. To further improve these quality standards as well as the process reliability, the well-known equipment manufacturer has now developed a new ceramic riser tube with a steel flange. This allows easy installation and a precise fit and guarantees a long service life. The new riser tube is available from the StrikoWestofen "Service and Spare Parts" department with immediate effect. On request, it can be mounted in all newly delivered furnaces, too.

The dosing process in systems belonging to the Westomat® series is based on an overpressure in the interior of the furnace. This gives the riser tube an important function. The riser tube is constantly filled with melt up to the so-called "top stop position" - i.e. until just before it overflows. From there, it supplies the mould or casting machine with melt as required. This allows Westomat® dosing furnaces to save up to two-thirds of the energy required by automatic ladle systems. The technology also guarantees a high-quality melt with no oxide inclusions.

Simplified installation and long service life

To increase the process reliability of its dosing systems even more, StrikoWestofen has developed a new ceramic riser tube with a steel flange. The flange allows easy installation and a precise fit. In contrast to the riser tubes with conical connections used up to now, the flange connection prevents incorrect positioning in the melt. It is no longer necessary to cast the tube in heat-resistant refractory either. This makes long drying and installation times unnecessary. Any leaks occurring between heat-resistant refractory and conical casting are ruled out from the start. This increases the dosing precision permanently. "Our new riser tube is made of heavy-duty aluminium titanate. The durability, high-precision manufacture and absolute resistance of the ceramic material to pressure allow us to achieve a service life which is up to three times higher than that reached by comparable products available on the market," explains Holger Stephan, head of the StrikoWestofen "Service and Spare Parts" department.

Permanent dosing precision

The riser tube is a significant factor in the calibration of the dosing furnace. It is important for the system to be sealed completely by means of a high-temperature seal. Inaccuracies in production, in the orifice size or even changes in the diameter occurring during furnace operation impair the dosing process permanently. "The precise manufacture and the high-quality material used for our riser tubes guarantee a constant and highly exact hole diameter with no washing out. This is the only way to guarantee the dosing precision throughout the entire service life of the riser tube," Holger Stephan explains.

Around-the-clock spare parts service

StrikoWestofen provides comprehensive after-sales service to ensure the continuing efficiency of the furnace systems. Trained technicians ensure the supply of spare parts and the execution of maintenance work in tried-and-tested OEM quality at over 25 locations worldwide. In this way, the leading manufacturer of thermal process technology guarantees a long and efficient service life for its melting and dosing systems.

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