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Novel casting process success for impellers
Increasing pressure to improve the performance of critical pumping equipment and reduce costly downtime is creating opportunities for a novel method for making one of a pump ’ s key components . Impellers play a crucial part in a pump ’ s overall efficiency but ensuring their blades are perfectly balanced and of a suitable surface quality , thickness and geometry to ensure a long service life , delivering maximum flow rates , is difficult to achieve using traditional casting processes . It is not unusual for blade thicknesses to vary , when impellers are made using sand moulds and although they can be dynamically balanced in air , that does not mean they will remain balanced during operation , when pumping a fluid . Improving the surface quality of the impeller ’ s blades is also difficult and expensive because protective shrouds severely restrict access . UK-based Castings Technology International realised its Replicast process could offer an alternative solution . The organisation , which specialises in helping castings companies to solve problems and improve production , has now further developed the process so that it can produce impellers that have inherently challenging narrow passageways . As a result , Replicast can now be used to produce correctly balanced impellers up to a metre in diameter , with high dimensional accuracy and superior surface finish . At first , it seemed that the lower cost of impellers made using traditional processes limited demand for Replicast impellers . However , that is changing following optimisation of the Replicast process , which has reduced the cost of impellers by around 30 %
Greenfield foundry contract in China and a shift of focus among pump users and manufacturers towards the total cost of pump ownership and ‘ up time ’. At least one manufacturer has moved from focusing on a casting ’ s ticket price to how much it costs to buy the raw casting , process it and install it in a pump . The switch makes Cti ’ s impellers far more attractive since they have significantly lower , to zero , nonconformance costs , require little or no ‘ detailing ’ and far less finish machining , thanks to the company ’ s near-net-shape process . Replicast uses ceramic shells formed around sacrificial replica patterns , made directly from CAD designs using additive manufacturing technologies or machined from polystyrene . Tests have shown that pumps using Replicast impellers are 10 % more efficient than impellers made by traditional methods , which means pumps can be smaller , further reducing material and manufacturing costs . www . castings-technology . com
Driving global sales at John Winter
How ‘ planned ’ is planned maintenance ?
Terry Davis , National Technical Manager at Brammer has advice for readers how best to prepare for scheduled downtime and ensure maintenance activities are fully resourced , carefully planned and efficiently executed . Due to a combination of increased production demands , changing lifestyles and more advanced technology allowing predictive maintenance , in most factories the traditional annual shutdown is a thing of the past . “ If you do what you ’ ve always done , you ’ ll get what you ’ ve always got ’!” Manufacturers are encouraged to look at legacy methods and schedules of maintenance to see whether they ’ re still best practice . “ Consider the role of condition monitoring , analye mean time to failure and known equipment life cycles in putting together an efficiency maintenance plan , engaging with equipment operators and integrating with other members of the team , including cleaners . Look at belts , pulleys , chains , lubricants and bearings in particular to highlight the art of engineering and the importance of maintenance planning ” Mr Davis adds . www . brammer . com
Omega ’ s Mark Fenyes at the signing ceremony with the board of directors of Tycon Alloysare ’ s holding company .
Based in Shenzhen , Tycon Alloysare is a leading producer of high grade steel valves and pumps and was one of Omega Foundry Machinery ’ s first customers in China , having purchased its first mixer in 1997 . Subsequently , the foundry has continued to expand and due to its current restrictive site , has decided to move to a new location approximately 200km away . The foundry will be a state-of-the-
BIFCA courses confirmed
The British Industrial Furnace Constructors Association is organising a series of one day courses during the second half of 2016 . On 22 September , the theme is burner technology , an introduction to induction hardening will be given art building and will encompass the latest environmental technology , including a thermal reclamation plant for alkaline phenolic . This is believed to be the first installation of this process in China . There will also be semi-automatic fast loop moulding , automated pouring and cooling lines and a floor moulding area . The foundry is expected to start production by the end of 2016 . www . ofml . net
on 6 October and on 20 October , furnace and burner controls is the subject for discussion . All three courses will be held at the National Metalforming Centre , West Bromwich . www . bifca . org . uk
Andrew Tagg .
UK-based John Winter has appointed industry expert Andrew Tagg to its global technical sales team . He brings almost 40 years ’ experience in the foundry industry , including 11 years as a global technical consultant for John Winter and other companies in the industry . Before becoming a consultant , Andrew Tagg was Technical Director at Thyssen Krupp UK and Grede in Wisconsin . In his latest role , Mr Tagg is responsible for leading sales activity in North America , Mexico , South America , Israel and India , as the company focuses on driving sales in those markets . www . johnwinter . co . uk
Enhanced machining capability for Maycast-Nokes
Precision non-ferrous castings producer Maycast-Nokes has taken delivery of a Haas UMC-750 universal machining centre . With full five axis ( simultaneous ) machining capability , this equipment not only increases the company ’ s manufacturing capacity but also provides CNC programmers with the means to machine more complex parts . Operating from a modern site in Halstead , north Essex , the company is fully equipped with the latest technology to produce machined lost wax / investment castings and precision sand castings of the highest standard . Maycast-Nokes works across multiple sectors , ranging from defence and aerospace to environmental and marine . www . maycast . co . uk
Cast Metal & Diecasting Times April / May 2016