As a primary innovator in the foundry industry globally, Foseco regularly publishes information on new products and enhancements, process developments and new techniques, and state-of-the-art papers on new thinking in foundry practice.

With the commencement of the international GIFA 2023 exhibition scheduled to begin in little over two months, Foseco have released a number of new products recently that will be on display for the first time. Covering more than 900m² in Hall 12, the Foseco stand will feature many innovations for non-ferrous foundries including melt treatment, crucibles and refractories, aluminium melt shop, innovative sand core binder solutions for HPDC and methoding and coatings for aluminium foundries.

On the ferrous side products for the iron and steel foundries on display include feeding systems, solutions to improve casting cleanliness, coatings, binders, new products for the melt shop, flow control and furnace refractory linings.

Below are some of the products that visitors can expect to see.

Melt treatment
In recent years, Foseco have added a number of features and technologies to their 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 programmes 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. Foseco’s 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.

Automated SMARTT MTS treatment technology

Crucibles and refractories
Foseco continuously improves their crucible technology to provide solutions that reduce energy consumption, increase output, and improve production efficiency.

Enertek ISO crucibles 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 are 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.

Foseco will highlight their 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.

Enertek crucibles

Aluminium melt shop
The use of energy-efficient dosing furnaces in aluminium foundries is seen by many as the best available technology today. Foseco 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, Foseco have developed the Wasco water-soluble binder and coating. 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 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. Foseco 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 are 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.

Feedex NF1 feeding technology for aluminium foundries

Feeding systems
Recent rises in energy and waste disposal costs is driving demand among iron and steel foundries for new feeding systems that improve process costs and casting yields, while minimising casting defects.

With the development of Feedex FEF, Foseco now offer a complete range of feeding products that are either fluoride emission free or fluoride free. Available in all product geometries from the standard Feedex range, Feedex FEF is another milestone on Foseco’s sustainability roadmap. And, alongside Kalminex 2000 FF and the fluoride-free Kalminex SD formulation, it means Foseco now offer a complete range of fluoride-free feeding systems.

The Feedex FEF product range will be showcased with best-in-class application examples

Other products include the patented Feedex VAK, which is specifically designed to meet the demands of more challenging castings, where neck modulus is critical to ensure casting integrity, Feedex K, which expands spot feeding with collapsible metal core technology beyond horizontal green sand applications to provide optimum feeding of isolated sections on vertically-parted moulds and case studies demonstrating the SCK (sleeve construction kit) product range for jobbing iron and steel foundries. This modular product range enables foundries to optimise casting yield and reduce fettling costs on large steel and iron castings.

Visitors will also be able to try out Foseco’s feeder calculator tool, which provides step-by-step assistance in selecting the perfect feeder sleeve from our extensive product range.

Solutions to improve casting cleanliness
Using the latest advances in additive manufacturing, Foseco are developing the Stelex Optiflow3D range of filters, which feature novel filter structures that were previously impossible to implement. The range will initially be available in gyroid and Voronoi structures, and with a range of pore sizes, but development work is continuing to evaluate the filtration performance of the wide variety of structures now available, as well as their impact on casting types and alloys.

Stelex Optiflow3D technology offers the opportunity to tailor filtration performance to the specific casting, including those which may not have been suitable for filtration in the past, e.g., high-capacity filters are expected to allow filtration of large iron and steel castings.

The Hollotex EG runner for steel casting complements the existing system used to run iron castings. Lightweight and easier to cut, this innovative solution is easier, safer, and quicker to apply than conventional refractory systems. Casting quality can thus be improved by eliminating or reducing refractory erosion and cooling during mould filling.

Coatings
The Semco family of fast dry (FD), colour change (CC) and formaldehyde free (FF) water-based coatings takes aim at some of the most pressing challenges facing foundries today by reducing energy consumption, optimising drying times, improving core/casting performance, and reducing emissions to create a more sustainable working environment in foundries.

Meanwhile, Semco IC coatings help to reduce the risk of wear to new lead-free bearings from coating particles that are left over in engine components from the casting process. The coatings are designed to significantly reduce the amount such coating residues, while any coating particles that do remain are softer than the bearings.

Controlling the preparation and application of coatings is the most important prerequisite for eliminating coating-related defects. Foseco’s new continuous Intelligent Coating Unit (ICU) is designed to eliminate such defects from the outset. Real-time coating density measurement ensures consistent application for shorter drying times and reduced coating consumption – while enabling significant productivity gains. And, in a world first, Foseco will showcase the first handheld density meter that can instantly display the current density or coating in use.

Acticote 3D is a range of refractory coatings designed to overcome the limitations of moulds and cores produced by additive manufacturing (3D printing), including lower sand compaction and surface finish. To address these issues, the Acticote 3D range provides excellent surface coverage, smoothing out the step-like surface inherent to 3D-printed cores and moulds, and so ensuring casting surfaces are smooth and free from discontinuities and improves the interface between the molten metal and the sand surface, preventing metal penetration and sand burn-on defects associated with lower sand compaction.

The range of Acticote 3D coatings support varied application methods, with rheological properties adapted for both dipping and flow coat applications. The selection of refractory filler combinations is also optimised to casting application.

Finally, Acticote TS is an insulating coating that provides better control of solidification at lower castings weights, while maintaining excellent surface finish, free of common defects. It thus allows foundries to improve the metallurgical properties of current castings, while also developing designs that minimise casting wall thickness to further reduce total weight while improving yield and reducing energy consumption

Binders
A recently-developed biopolymer-based binder for foundries, based on proven Ecolotec concept, will be on display. Cores produced using this binder were characterised by excellent strength, high-dimensional accuracy, and excellent surface. The castings made with these cores were sound and dimensionally accurate, while surface quality was at least equivalent to that of conventionally-manufactured components based on binders made from purely fossil fuel raw materials.

New products for the melt shop
Rotoclene is a new process for producing the highest quality, inclusion-free steel for casting. The process uses rotary action to stir the metal and disperse fine argon bubbles through the melt. These bubbles are highly effective at catching any inclusions and bi-films, floating them to the melt surface, where they are trapped in the slag layer. The rotary action also homogenises melt temperature and eliminates cold spots. This allows the steel to be poured at lower temperatures, reducing shrinkage and promoting finer microstructures. This is all possible in a standard bottom pour ladle.

Steel metal treatment with the new Rotoclene process

Having cleaned the steel, it is important to avoid further inclusions developing in the melt during pouring – the job of the Hollotex shroud filtration system. Combining the benefits of Stelex filters with shrouding technology, the Hollotex shroud allows pouring of large castings quickly and effectively, without the turbulence that creates these oxide inclusions.

Finally, on display will be new temperature sensing and analysis equipment from Vesuvius’ Sensors and Probes division. The Ferrolab V thermal analysis system provides real-time measurement of %Ceq, %C, %Si, and the nucleation status of the iron. This provides the operator with the insight needed to take immediate corrective action, within predetermined process specification, to protect the quality of the iron. Benefits include reduced scrap rate, as well as improvements in the quality and consistency of castings.

Flow control for steel ladles and auto-pour iron
The Vapex FosFlow is an alternative nozzle system for bottom pour ladles for steel and runners/tundishes for casting iron. The system allows nozzle change from the bottom, without any refractory maintenance. Nozzle change is thus achieved more quickly and safely, important when time is key or a different inner diameter of the nozzle is needed.

Vapex FosFlow is an alternative nozzle system for bottom pour ladles for steel and runners/tundishes for casting iron

Two new mixes of our Viso stopper technology, which extend stopper life and/or eliminate the need for preheating, will also be introduced. Viso stoppers are the ideal choice when using a Kaltek ladle lining, allowing foundries to reduce their environmental footprint and cut CO2 emissions.

Furnace refractory linings
The portfolio consists of high-quality Kellundite lining systems, suitable for melting a wide range of steels, in combination with an optimised sintered profile that allows enough powder at the back to run the furnace safely.

The cupola portfolio consists of high-quality Ramwell ramming mixes and Hydra-Max low cement castable lining systems, enriched with silicon carbide and graphite aggregates, to improve slag resistance.

For more information contact Foseco South Africa on TEL: 011 903 9500 or visit https://www.vesuvius.com/en/our-solutions/en-za/foundry.html