Alu Menziken Group, based in Switzerland, built a new greenfield production site on 20,000 square meters in Satu Mare, Romania, that includes two extrusion presses and an aluminium casthouse.
The Alu Menziken Group consists of Alu Menziken Extrusion AG, with plants in Reinach and Menziken, Switzerland; as well as Alu Menziken Euromotive GmbH, in Ranshofen, Austria; and Satu Mare (picture), where it created 250 jobs.
Cometal Engineering SPA, based in Montichiari, in the Italian province of Brescia, is a well-known leader in engineering, manufacturing, and the installation of casthouses and extrusion lines. It was the turnkey supplier of the Alu Menziken casthouse in Romania. Cometal took the lead and supplied the foundry, and the two extrusion lines' complete handling systems, upstream and downstream, one for a 60-meganewton (force) press and a 10-meganewton press.
Inside Alu Menziken's new facility in Satu Mare, Romania.
The casthouse has a capacity of 42,000 metric tons annually, producing 5-inch, 7-inch, 9-inch, and 12-inch diameter billets. The scope of Cometal's supply includes:
- 85-ton capacity twin-chamber tilting melting furnace with automatic charging machine and automatic skimming machine
- 32-ton capacity tilting holding furnace
- A complete vertical casting machine with casting tables
- Related cooling system
- Loghead and tails cutting line
- Two 45-ton capacity homogenizing furnaces, with one cooling chamber and automatic log stacker
As a partner and supplier, Cometal Engineering recommends the latest and best technology for the aluminium extrusion sector, using its accumulated experience from more than 40 years in the field and continuous investment in research and development in this area. Convinced of Pyrotek's high-performance solutions, Cometal turns to Pyrotek for the best technology in launder systems, filtration, degassing and refining.
"Working closely with the customer has been a key to being a significant partner with Cometal," says Paolo Ottelli, Pyrotek Aluminium Division Sales Manager, Vigevano, Italy. "The strong teamwork inside Pyrotek was key – between Pyrotek Italy, Pyrotek Sweden, Pyrotek Milton Keynes (U.K), the Blansko Engineering Centre, and the SNIF division."
Pyrotek Highlights
Pyrotek Italy will supply approximately 12 metres of interconnecting launders, a 26-inch SIVEX® ceramic foam filter (CFF) box, and a variety of INSURAL™ 140 refractory shapes for the billet casting tables, which were engineered by Cometal.
The Pyrotek SNIF division supplied a SNIF SHEER NEO P-80I degassing and refining system. "The immersion-heated SNIF degasser, with the latest SNIF NEO nozzle technology, has been providing efficient and thorough hydrogen removal," says Tim Hennig, SNIF Regional Sales Manager, Elmsford, New York.
The CFF filter box has a precast refractory liner and uses SIVEX CFF. A programmable logic controller (PLC) operates the lids and dams, preheat system, and ensures the requested inclusion removal is successful.
The interconnecting launder system, made with Pyrocast FS73 refractory, uses complex precast sharpes. The special-designed joints eliminate leaking. All the insulating materials are adapted to extreme temperature changes and thermal stresses, in addition to providing non-wetting properties, allowing for easy cleaning by operators. It's the same for the Pyrotek tabletop refractory, which includes precast refractory components that distribute the molten aluminium to mould positions on the billet casting table.
Posted in Article, Feature, General News.
Tags: Aluminium, Casthouse, Engineering Services, Europe, Expendable Refractories, Filtration, Foundry, Pyrotek SNIF, Refractories, Troughs and Launders.