Design and Implementation of a Continuous Aluminum Ingot Casting Line
This project constitutes a key phase in the comprehensive upgrade and optimization scheme for the Cast House of a facility specializing in aluminum profile production. The overall scheme involved the refurbishment and capacity enhancement of the existing 30 and 50-ton Tilting Melting and Holding Furnaces, alongside the installation of a new Continuous Casting Line for Ingots and Billets.
Prior to the project's execution, the plant faced several operational challenges, including: significant safety hazards within the melt shop, excessive downtime for batch casting operations, high specific energy consumption (SEC), and frequent breakdowns of the outdated casting line.
Upon successful commissioning, the overall efficiency (OEE) of the melt shop and casting unit saw a dramatic increase, and all previous operational and safety issues were eliminated. A dedicated Aluminum Ingot Continuous Conveyor Casting Line was designed and fabricated as part of this effort. This phase effectively marked the final milestone of the primary project to upgrade casting capacity.
Technical Challenge: Designing the Mold Feeding System
• After molten aluminum is tapped from the Tilting Furnaces, it is directed toward the casting station via the main Launder.
• At the end of the launder path, the molten metal flows into a Tundish or Splitter Channel, where it is bifurcated into two separate streams. Each stream acts as a Feeder for one of the conveyor lines carrying the molds.
• At the point where the molten aluminum exits the tundish, a precise Flow Control System was required. This mechanism needed to fill the aluminum ingot molds based on the Conveyor Speed, ensuring minimal dross/waste and the highest level of operational safety.
A general view of this mechanism is shown in the image below.
A general view of the 30-ton furnace is shown in the figure below.
The construction of the mold feeder mechanism required innovative design solutions. High operational heat in the environment was a critical parameter, significantly impacting the performance and longevity of the mechanism's dynamic components. Ultimately, a thermally optimized design was developed and successfully implemented.
The operational principle of this mechanism and the process of the cast aluminum ingots exiting the line are demonstrated in the videos below.