Evaluating a Chinese aluminium furnace manufacturer comes down to six things: the factory, the reference list, the service network, the spare parts chain, the certifications, and the financial stability. Price is not on that list. Price is what you com...

Gas porosity is the most common internal defect in aluminium die casting. It shows up as round, smooth cavities on X-ray. It causes leaks in structural parts. It ruins machined surfaces. And it costs foundries millions in scrap every year. In my 25 ye...

A380 and ADC12 are the two most common aluminium die casting alloys in the world. They look similar on a spec sheet. They behave differently in a furnace. If you run both alloys on the same line — as many foundries do — you need to understand the tempe...

Rotary furnaces are the workhorses of aluminium recycling. They handle contaminated scrap, dross, and low-grade material that other furnaces cannot process economically. But they are also energy-intensive. In my 25 years, I have seen rotary furnaces co...

A preventive maintenance schedule is not a document you file away. It is a habit you build. In my 25 years, I have seen foundries with 20-year-old furnaces that run like new, and foundries with 5-year-old furnaces that break down every month. The diffe...

In early 2024, I received a call from a foundry manager in Guangdong Province. His plant supplies aluminium die castings to several automotive OEMs in China and Southeast Asia. Their main product is a structural component for electric vehicles — a moto...

In late 2023, I was contacted by a die casting plant in Rayong, Thailand. They supply structural components for electric vehicles — battery trays, motor housings, and front shock towers. Their main customer is a Chinese OEM that has invested heavily in...

In mid-2023, I received a call from a foundry manager in Malaysia. His voice was tense. “Our 3-tonne gas-fired reverb furnace is failing. The lining cracked after only 14 months. We have patches everywhere. The shell is getting hot. We need h...

In early 2023, a mid-sized foundry in Jiangsu Province contacted me. They run two gas-fired reverberatory furnaces, each with a 5-tonne capacity. They melt around 25 tonnes per day of ADC12 and A380 for automotive and industrial castings. Their energy ...

In late 2022, I received an email from a foundry manager in Indiana, USA. He had found my blog through a search for “aluminium furnace maintenance checklist.” His message was short: “Our maintenance costs are out of control. We run two gas-fired reverb...