High melt loss is the silent killer of profitability in aluminium recycling. You charge 100 tonnes of scrap. You pour 85 tonnes of metal. Where did the other 15 tonnes go? It went to dross, salt slag, oxidation, and dust....
Dosing inaccuracy is one of the most frustrating problems in die casting. The furnace is hot. The metal is ready. The die is clean. But the shot weight varies from 5.8 kg to 6.4 kg. Some shots flash. Some shots...
I want to tell you about a recycling plant in Thailand that was losing 11% of its ingot production to surface defects. They had tried everything: new moulds, new release agent, different casting speeds. Nothing worked. The problem was the...
Cracking in continuous cast aluminium ingots is not a cosmetic defect. It is a structural failure. A cracked ingot cannot be sold. It must be remelted, which costs energy, labour, and metal. If the crack is internal, it may not...
You have run the test. The result is above the limit. The customer is asking questions. The production manager is asking for answers. And everyone is looking at the furnace. The furnace is probably not the problem. I have spent...
Surface defects on aluminium ingots are not just cosmetic. They are a signal that something in your casting line is out of control. Cold shuts mean the metal is too cold. Oxide skin means the metal is exposed to air...
A die casting furnace that will not hold setpoint temperature is a serious problem. It affects casting quality, cycle time, and scrap rate. In my 25 years, I have traced this issue in foundries across China, Southeast Asia, India, the...
A furnace that will not reach setpoint temperature is not necessarily broken. It is telling you that heat is being lost faster than it is being added. The cause is usually one of six things: a damaged lining, leaky door...
Fix inconsistent aluminium melt quality. Causes: temperature, alloying, contamination, fluxing, degassing. 25 years of foundry experience. Inconsistent melt quality is one of the most frustrating problems in a foundry. One day the castings are perfect. The next day you have...
Fix an aluminium furnace that overheats frequently. Check thermocouple, controller, gas valve, air-fuel ratio, and safety limits. 25 years of foundry experience. A furnace that overheats frequently is not just wasting energy. It is damaging your refractory, oxidising your metal,...