Published

Solutions for any size and set-up: Slovakian foundry switches to StrikoMelter to save energy and reduce downtime.

Slovakia based ALW Slovakia s.r.o. (further on ALW SK), an automotive component specialist producing Aluminium and Zinc alloy parts, has taken receipt of two StrikoMelter shaft melting furnaces from StrikoWestofen as part of plans to modernize its melting technology.

ALW SK’s automated High Pressure Die Casting lines produce components such as LED light coolers, rear view mirror holders and hydraulic pump flanges. Its focus on quality and efficiency have earned the small foundry a big reputation for short-lead-time delivery of superior parts, alongside a high-profile end customer list. Parts manufactured in ALW SK can be found in cars of brands such as Porsche, BMW, Toyota, Škoda, Audi, VW, Volvo, Daimler-Benz, Jaguar, Land Rover, Ford, Peugeot, Tesla, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, and others.

ALW SK has traditionally used crucible tilting melting furnaces to prepare the melt for their high-pressure diecasting machines. But seeking greater energy savings and process stability, as well as increased melting capacity to support growth, the Slovakian business has opted to replace existing technology with two new StrikoWestofen StrikoMelter shaft melting furnaces.


Making an energy-saving decision to change

StrikoWestofen’ s StrikoMelter shaft melting furnaces are energy-efficient by design. They combine preheating, melting, and holding in one unit, using exhaust gas from the molten material at the bottom of the shaft to gradually heat cold charging material loaded into the shaft. This minimizes the time the aluminium needs to spend in the melting chamber significantly reducing natural gas consumption and avoiding metal loss.

 

Ing. Martin Andrejko, foundry technologist, commented: “Already the first months of operation of the StrikoWestofen shaft melting furnaces indicate we’ve made the correct decision to modernize the melting technology in ALW SK, especially in terms of optimizing metal yield and on the reduction of natural gas consumption to melt 1 ton of aluminium compared to the previous melting technology.” 

 

 

Ing. Josef Valenta, Ph.D., director of ALW Slovakia s.r.o. added: “Energy saving is important for us as a business, both from a cost perspective and in terms of our appeal to the automotive market where brands are increasingly looking at the sustainability credentials of their suppliers. If we cut consumption, we cut our carbon footprint. Our aim is to significantly reduce the energy we consume per tonne of molten Aluminium. Based on what we’ve seen from StrikoWestofen we fully expect to achieve this with our new shaft melting furnaces”.


Another reason ALW SK has decided to adopt StrikoMelter is to overcome process stability issues that have affected production in the past with the crucible melting furnaces. The delivery of liquid metal from the melting shop to the casting machines in the required quality, quantity, and time, is an important factor in the entire casting production chain at ALW SK.

“As any foundry will tell you, melting furnace downtime is very cost intense”, said Josef. “As well as holding up production, which results in missing output targets, the longer a high-pressure diecasting machine waits for liquid metal the more energy is wasted. Having to reheat metal once production restarts adds to this problem.

Our strong reputation for delivering high-quality parts quickly means the furnaces we use must help avoid scenarios like these. We know that StrikoMelter shaft melting furnaces have excellent uptime and will support our goals in this respect.”

 

A view to the future – data-driven efficiency

Improving casting cell stability is also a task ideally suited to the use of digital solutions. Something ALW SK had in mind when specifying their new investment. StrikoMelter is digitally enabled as standard, which means at any point in the future ALW SK will easily be able to harness the data collection and monitoring capabilities of Monitizer | DISCOVER – giving them even greater awareness and control of their melting process.

 

Christophe Lacourt from StrikoWestofen said: “ALW SK is certainly not alone in seeking to reduce energy consumption and enhance productivity through improved process stability. We work with foundries of all shapes and sizes, from small set-ups to major multi-national groups, to identify and deliver furnace technology and digital solutions that will help. We are confident that StrikoMelter will deliver exactly what ALW SK is looking for as part of its modernization mission.”