Download - Introducing Mechatherm International
ALUMINIUMGLOBAL
EXPERTS.FURNACES & CASTHOUSE EQUIPMENT
RECYCLINGHEAT TREATMENTCONTROL &
AUTOMATIONCASTHOUSE TECHNOLOGY
MECHATHERM / 5
www.mechatherm.com
ESTABLISHED1973
Mechatherm International Ltd is a world leading company of
industrial engineering experts specialising in the design, supply
and commissioning of furnaces and casthouse equipment for
the aluminium industry.
Operating in numerous countries across all continents and
with a large portfolio of clients, Mechatherm is known for its
advanced casthouse technology and competency in executing
international turnkey projects.
Our engineers have, between them, over 150 years’ experience
in developing and refining bespoke solutions to satisfy our
client’s individual requirements.
CASTHOUSETECHNOLOGY
Our core products are melting and holding furnaces
- either standard plant or custom designed to suit
individual production requirements and processes.
We also specialise in scrap handling systems, VDC
casting machines and water cooling plants and
practice integrating third party refining equipment
in to our casting lines such as degassing and
filtration units.
Mechatherm project manage complete “turn
key” installations worldwide as well as part supply
contracts whereby our client may only require
engineering design, critical components or
commissioning.
Our state-of-the-art equipment is engineered and
constructed to serve rigorous foundry conditions.
Mechatherm are global experts in our field with
a dedicated team offering unrivalled experience,
knowledge and support. Should you have any
requirements we would be happy to discuss them
with you.
W Flexible approach
W Practical solutions
W Integrating your experience & our expertise
W Robust equipment
W Operator friendly
W Easily maintainable
W Advanced 3D modelling software
W Extensive portfolio of satisfied clients
W Full turn-key or part supply - worldwide
W Experts in furnace technology and practices
W State-of-the-art equipment
W Standard plant or custom designed
Mechatherm has vast experience in supplying casthouse machinery and equipment to the aluminium industry.
MECHATHERM / 7
www.mechatherm.com
RECYCLING
Mechatherm has several bespoke and innovative
designs of aluminium melting furnaces to recycle
the many different scrap forms in the secondary
market sector. All our melting furnace designs and
configurations are custom engineered to suit the
individual requirements of our clients. We have
many successful worldwide installations to process
clean and heavily contaminated scrap.
Our melting furnaces integrate many features and
practical solutions to give a very operator friendly
and easily maintainable operation. Our furnaces
are robustly engineered to meet the arduous and
aggressive conditions in foundries. Our casing and
furnace structures are manufactured from heavy
duty platework and support structure to minimise
deflection, distortion and mechanical damage from
operations. Our designs are generated and verified
by 3D solid modelling and Finite Element Analysis
software packages.
Standard features of our melting furnaces include
automated thermocouple retraction systems,
pouring spout opening covers, accurate pressure
control, adjustable door panels, sealing systems
and accurate air/fuel ratio control combustion
systems.
Our hydraulic door lifting system and positive
clamping system is very well proven. We have
many installations working with the latest low NOx
regenerative burner technology giving low gas
consumptions and emission levels to comply with
the latest environmental standards.
Mechatherm have a collaboration with ALTEK to
supply the aluminium industry with cutting-edge
tilting rotary melting furnace (TRMF) technology.
Together we offer the combined process experience
of ALTEK with the worldwide casthouse and remelt
furnace reputation of Mechatherm. A complete
range of TRMF’s are available from 2T to 30T
capacity, fuelled with gas, oil or oxy-fuel burners.
Mechatherm has become a specialist supplier
of multi-chamber furnaces for the recycling of
contaminated scraps. These furnaces feature a
dry hearth chamber where contaminated scrap is
heated to burn off all coatings. The smoke from
the burnt off coating is recirculated in front of the
main gas burners to incinerate the waste products
and create an energy source which reduces gas
consumption. The cleaned aluminium scrap is then
pushed into the molten metal bath to be efficiently
dissolved in a molten metal stream recirculated
from the main chamber. Light scrap swarf and
chips are also dissolved in a separate vortex well off
the main chamber.
Whether it’s to recycle clean or varying grades of contaminated scrap Mechatherm has the solution.
MECHATHERM / 9
www.mechatherm.com
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CASE STUDY:
Mr Fong-Der Shyu, General Superintendant China Steel Aluminium Company.
MECHATHERM WORK WITH PASSION AND COMMITMENT, THEY ARE VERY KNOWLEDGABLE, PROFESSIONAL AND THEY WORK HARD. THEY WORKED WITH US FROM MORNING TIL MIDNIGHT. WE BECAME ONE TEAM, WE WORKED TOGETHER AND WE LEARNT MUCH FROM THEM. SO IT’S EFFECT PROVES THAT WE HAD MADE THE BEST CHOICE.
MECHATHERM / 11
MECHATHERM COMPLETES A TWO PHASE PROJECT AT CHINA STEEL ALUMINIUM COMPANY(CSAC – KAOHSIUNG, TAIWAN)
Mechatherm International Limited have completed a
two phase casthouse modernisation and expansion
project for China Steel Aluminium Limited (CSAC) at
Kaohsiung in Taiwan.
Phase one of this project comprised a 60T dual
chamber melting furnace (for melting contaminated
scrap), an 80T clean scrap melting furnace, a 75T
tilting holding furnace and a fully automated 75T
VDC casting machine. Phase two comprised two
80T melting furnaces, two 75T holding furnaces and
a 75T VDC casting machine to the same design.
The 60T dual chamber furnace features a
combined melting rate of up to 10 tonnes per
hour of contaminated and clean scrap mix. Scrap
contaminated with paints or lacquer is charged onto
a dry hearth section in one chamber, where the
paints and lacquers are burnt off. The scrap is then
pushed into the molten metal bath at the rear of the
chamber where it is melted in a constant stream
of hot metal flow recirculating from the main clean
aluminium chamber. Heating is provided by gas fired
twin head regenerative burners.
The three 80 tonne melting furnaces remelt aluminium
ingots at 22 tonnes per hour each. Features of the
furnaces include a full width clamped door, regenerative
burners, shared under-hearth electro-magnetic stirrers
and monolithic refractory linings.
The melting furnaces are loaded by three rail-bound
Mechatherm 20T rotating charging machines built
to withstand high impact during loading and high
temperatures inside the furnaces. The rapid loading
minimises door-open times and ensures low heat
losses and faster production.
After melting, the molten metal is transferred to the
holding furnaces. Their tilting systems are integrated
into the overall automation system controlling the
casting machines and mould metal level control.
Mechatherm also supplied all the transfer launders
between furnaces and machines. The in-house
designed casting machines interfaced with the
customers own rolling ingot moulds. The machines
each included casting cylinders with ceramic coated
rams and traversing mould carriages with extending
pit barriers, automatic clamping and self-sealing water
connections.
Automated mould metal level control systems were
fitted to the casting machines. These Mechatherm
systems comprised a distribution launder, from which
lasers and actuators were mounted to sense the
relative level of the metal in the moulds. Metal flow to
the moulds is automatically and accurately controlled
via a spout and motorised stopper pin assembly.
All the Mitsubishi PLC gear control software,
hardware and control panels were supplied by
Mechatherm and custom engineered in-house.
The whole system also featured a unique Level
2 automation and control system tailored to our
clients specification, the requirements of which
was interpreted into a unique process line using
Mechatherm in-house technology. All software was
simulated in the UK, before being transferred into
the site equipment in Taiwan for final commissioning.
The clients existing site operation remained
undisturbed whilst commissioning engineers
adjusted the function and behaviour of each
machine to correspond with the specification.
The result is a fully automated plant operating
upon the direct command of the client’s
standard operating procedure.
Mechatherm has over 40 years company experience in supplying heat treatment and re-heat furnaces for the aluminium industry.
HEAT TREATMENT
www.mechatherm.com
MECHATHERM / 13
We supply a wide range of batch and continuous process
solutions to include homogenising furnaces, slab heating
furnaces, coil and foil annealing furnaces, solution heat
treatment furnaces, cooling chambers and charging
machines.
We work very closely with our clients to develop our
equipment configuration to suit production requirements,
plant availability, operating cycles, location of plant and overall
plant layout.
Complex multi-zone furnaces have been supplied for
precision heat treatment of aerospace and automotive
components manufactured by rolling, extrusion and forging
processes. Depending on the holding temperature, product
configuration and furnace chamber size, tolerances of +/-5ºC
or even +/-3ºC can be guaranteed. Mechatherm furnaces
feature generously sized recirculation ducting and high
powered fans to achieve rapid heat up times and uniform
tolerances. Reversing air flow via either dampers or VFD
controlled fan motors also ensure more uniform heating.
Many references have been supplied with heating power from
direct gas firing, indirect radiant tube gas firing or electrical
resistance elements. Inert gas atmosphere furnaces with
cooling systems also form part of the Mechatherm product
range where required.
Mechatherm in-house designed automated charging
machines ensure complete compatibility with the furnace
and rapid loading times.
CONTROL &AUTOMATION
Our controls team, borrowing from a rich heritage of successful projects
all over the world, tailor each system to each client’s individual needs;
At each step, verifying and validating against exhaustive internal and
external requirements. The results of this effort can be summarised in
four simple mantras:
CONNECTED PLANTS
devices, operators and machines seamlessly integrated into
higher level business systems
TRACKED PERFORMANCE
exhaustive monitoring of countless key system metrics
identified through our decades of experience
GUARANTEED RELIABILITY
intrinsically fault tolerant system design married to proven and
trusted software libraries
SAFETY EVERYWHERE
lessons learned from European safety legislation changes are
offered to all our clients, all over the world.
Our industry leading team have the ability to complement our product range with state-of-the-art control systems.
MECHATHERM / 15
OURASSOCIATESMechatherm are proud to be supported by a network of dedicated and shared offices, agents and collaborating/partner companies, which allows us to provide a first class world-wide service.
We currently have licensees in the following territories:
CHINA Dalian Changrong Furnace Industrial Co. Ltd - Dalian www.en.cr-furnace.com
INDIA Associated Industrial Furnaces (P) Ltd - Kolkata www.associated-furnaces.com
MEXICO Nutec Bickley - Monterrey www.nutecbickley.com
RUSSIA NPC Magnetohydrodynamics - Krasnoyarsk www.npcmgd.com
SOUTH AFRICA Engineered Thermal Systems (Pty) Ltd www.etsystems.co.za
THAILAND Hulbert International (Thailand) Co. Ltd - Thailand
MECHATHERM INTERNATIONAL LTD. Hampshire House, High Street, Kingswinford, DY6 8AW
t: + 44 (0)1384 279 132 / f: + 44 (0)1384 291 211 e: [email protected] / www.mechatherm.com / /