Moto Honda’s partner, Metalfino selects two StrikoMelter melting furnaces to set-up its own melting capacity
To make significant improvements in productivity and to future-proof operations making them ready for a rapidly growing aluminium market, Brazilian industrial supplier Metalfino da Amazonia Ltda. in Manaus, Brazil, decided to develop melt capacities in-house. To do this they opted for two StrikoMelter furnaces from Norican technology, StrikoWestofen.
Close consultation with Metalfino's biggest client Moto Honda (Japan), which already operated three StrikoMelter technologies, convinced them that these high-tech melting furnaces would be the right choice. The company was impressed not just by the StrikoMelter's excellent energy consumption efficiency, metal yield and system availability, but also by the excellent teamwork between Metalfino and StrikoWestofen during installation and commissioning. So much so that Honda Senior Vice President Yukimitsu Shiga attended the inauguration ceremony for the StrikoMelters in December 2018 in person.
Brazilian industrial supplier Metalfino da Amazonia Ltda. casts two different types of standard alloy using 30 die casting cells for Moto Honda. To secure its position in the growing aluminium sector and to increase productivity, the company decided to take the next step and revamp its fusion process. To do this, Metalfino turned to state-of-the-art melting technology from Norican technology StrikoWestofen (Gummersbach, Germany).
The perfect solution for Metalfino
Metalfino previously purchased liquid metal from local suppliers, and re-melted returns and ingots using old hearth-type melting furnaces supplied by local manufacturers. To improve its own melt capacities, the company installed two StrikoMelter melting furnaces more than doubling its melting capacity, which were commissioned in December 2018 in a ceremony attended in person by Honda Senior Vice President Yukimitsu Shiga.
StrikoWestofen customised the furnaces exactly to the customer's needs. Metalfino’s melting furnaces are equipped with a furnace weighing system and a shaft filling level laser, which continuously monitors the filling level in the furnace shaft. When there is no more charging material in the upper shaft area, the feed process starts automatically. This means that the Metalfino site at Manaus can now melt 4,000 kilograms of aluminium per hour.
Winning teamwork
An additional steel structure was needed to accommodate the waste gas system of the new furnaces – the roof of the production hall was not designed for the loads involved. This was a challenge that demanded teamwork: StrikoWestofen carried out engineering planning for the supporting frame, which Metalfino then manufactured.
Alongside the features of the StrikoMelters themselves like low energy consumption and high metal yield, it was also this special level of service that impressed Metalfino. "For such a crucial investment in our future, it was important for us to have an expert partner by our side," explains Oldair Silva de Arruda, Production Manager at Metalfino. "We knew the Norican Group offered integrated solutions and special support. And we see our cooperation with StrikoWestofen as a shining example of that support".
In fact, cross-team cooperation also played an important role in the decision on the preferred melting technology: extensive consultation between Metalfino and colleagues from its main client Moto Honda, which already operated three StrikoMelter systems, influenced the decision in favour of these modern melting furnaces.
"We are pleased that our trustworthy and consistent support helped us win Metalfino's order," says Burkhard Schäck, Area Sales Manager Equipment Sales Support at StrikoWestofen. "Through our global network of strong partners, in this case 'HeatingParts' in Manaus, we also ensure that our customers always receive expert support – during local working hours and in their local language."
