CASTING MANUFACTURING CAPABILITIES
EQUIPMENT
Melting equipment
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double-crucible induction melting furnaces unit EGP 1000 S (1 t/h)
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double-crucible induction melting furnaces unit EGP 3000 S (3 t/h)
Moulding and core making equipment
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automated moulding line OMEGA (UK)
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moulding machine models 234, 235,236
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core making machines LL 10, LL 20, LL 24
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cold hardening mixture mixer SPARTAN
Surface cleaning equipment
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tumbling and shot blasting drums
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shot blasting chamber
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snagging grinding machines
Heat treatment equipment
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furnace CHD 8-16
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annealing furnace
Casting methods
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sand clay mixtures (casting weight from 0.5 kg to 25 kg)
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liquid-glass mixtures (casting weight from 25 kg to 2 tons)
Quality control
Mechanical and physical testing of moulding sand mixtures:
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gas permeability
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moisture
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green and wet strength
Alloy microstructure testing (microscope MIM-6)
Chemical composition analysis of the ladle sample (SPECTROMAX)
Check test piece analysis
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tensile and rupture strength testing (tensile testing machine R-20)
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yield strength testing
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impact testing (pendulum impact testing machine MK-30))
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hardness testing (hardness testing machine TSh-2)
Incoming material control analysis (hydrometer, viscosimeter)
PRODUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY
The company applies multilevel control system (from alloy spectral and chemical composition analysis through to finished part measurement).
CORE MAKING
ULK has a moulding line with auto-set process technology, which at present produces cores (with weight from 50 kg to 500 kg) manufactured of cold hardening mixtures for heavy castings. Core making machine produces cores for their further setting in the open moulds. The core making machine operation is fully automated. Core making machines are equipped with advanced automation and control systems and provide a core weight range from 0.1 kg to 30 kg. Cores are manufactured of cold hardening mixtures.Cores are mainly applied for inner hollow cavity and passage (hole) shaping. At mould pouring the cores are surrounded all around with the melt, so they are to hold and show high gas permeability, strength, yielding, as well as easy shakeout, which are all provided with a selection of the corresponding core mixture and structure.
MOULD PATTERN
Mould pattern is a part of casting tooling, which includes all process tools and devices required for casting pattern in a print shape. Besides the mould pattern, it also applies moulding flasks (half-part moulding boxes are manufactured of moulding sand mixtures), as well as various tools and devices (sand filling frames, covers, pins, clips, which form the mould pattern, i.e. full tooling set required for temporary mould casting). Besides removable flask moulding type, there is also flask moulding type. A flask (chill mould) serves as a frame for moulding sand mixture.
MOULDING COMPLEX OMEGA
Moulding line for cold hardening mixtures is designed for the production of castings with weight up to 2 tons manufactured of cold hardening mixtures in accordance with furan process technology. This line was built up by the company experts on the basis of the core making line L100Kh redesigning and overhauling. The line productivity is 15-20 moulds/hour.
HEAVY CASTING MANUFACTURING AREA
Castings with weight from 2 to 20 tons are produced in the heavy casting manufacturing area. Quite easy and well-proven casting method, which provides stable results, is applied here. It is equipped with a sand slinger, which enables to manufacture castings by both floor and flask mouldings. The moulds are manufactured of sand clay mixtures with further drying and painting.
MELTING MANUFACTURING AREA
Castings of the following types:
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gray cast iron SCh15 – SCh25
The most widely used cast iron is gray iron. Its application is not limited only to engineering industry, it can also be used in sanitary engineering and plumbing systems, as well as construction and building structures. The gray cast iron advantage lies in the fact that its structure contains carbon, which major part or it fully is found in graphite. Graphite presence in the gray cast iron structure improves lubricating conditions while friction, which in its turn enhances the antifriction properties of this cast iron. In addition, gray iron is characterized by such manufacturing advantages as low temperature on crystallization, yielding on liquid state achievement and low shrinkage. Such advantages turn gray iron (SCh) in the most favourable material for iron casting. In terms of engineering industry, gray cast iron is used for casting of machine bed and other different working parts.
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ductile cast iron VCh45 – VCh50
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carbon steel 20L – 50L
MACHINING AND PRODUCT FINISHING MANUFACTURING AREA
While casting machining it is shaped with its final geometry, required accuracy and surface finish, which are specified in the drawings and specifications for the finished product. It is the most labour intensive process in the engineering industry.
MAIN CASTING STAGES
ENGINEERING, MOULD DESIGNING AND MOLD MAKING
Drawings and 3D simulation are designed by a team of highly qualified designers and engineers. Moulding patterns are constructed by pattern makers of high qualification and skills. In our production wooden mould patterns are used more frequently, in mass production metal mould patterns are used.
MOULDING (MOULD FILLING)
Cold hardening mixture filling is performed with a screw mixer SPARTAN of the line OMEGA. Silica and regenerating sand-based mixture combines with special resins and hardeners, then gets in the mould pattern and concentrates. Further it is followed by the mixture solidification process (about 15 minutes). The solidified pattern is removed from its mould and is forwarded to painting, whereas an empty mould is passed to refilling. The solidified pattern is painted with a special anti-stick coating and is dried in a special furnace (about 20 minutes), then it comes out on the conveyor belt for assembly and core setting.
CORE SETTING
Prepared and dried cores are carried to the assembly manufacturing area. The cores are set in the half-part moulding boxes, which is followed by the half-part boxes assembly (cope and drag) with a manipulator. Finished shaped boxes are pressed with specific loads and are forwarded to the metal pouring manufacturing area.
MOULD PATTERN ASSEMBLY
As a rule, a pattern consists of two moulding flasks – upper (cope) and lower (drag). The flask surfaces facing each other (parting lines) are planed and are sometimes ground in order to ensure firm adherence and integration of the flasks. While moulding for flask transportation and turning over, there are handles (on small flasks) or lifting trunnions (on big/crane flasks). In the flask walls there are air holes for gas output, which is formed while mould filling. Moulding sand mixtures in big flasks are held and enclosed with crossbars.
METAL MELTING
Castings of the following types:
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gray cast iron SCh15 – SCh25
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steel ST35, ST45, ST30GSL, ST20GL
In recent years our company makes castings of alloy and carbon steels. We also produce castings of high complexity for the railway industry.
METAL POURING QUALITY CONTROL
Alloy microstructure analysis is conducted in the laboratory (chemical composition control).
METAL POURING
One of the most important conditions to provide casting of high quality is correct casting system arrangement and organization. Gating system serves for smooth and gradual supply of the liquid alloy in the mould cavity and casting risering while crystallization process. While mould filling, the cores are usually surrounded all around with the molted metal. Therefore, they are to show high gas permeability, strength, yielding, as well as easy shakeout, which are provided with a selection of the corresponding core mixture and structure.
CASTING SHAKEOUT AND EXTRACTION
After the casting cooling the moulding pattern is broken (shaken out), and the casting is removed from the mould.
CASTING MACHINING
Degating (including runners, risers, flashes and gates removal or fettling, as well as surface cleaning) is performed with special-purpose tools, shot blasting machines and units, as well as with hydraulic, sand-water and tumbling drums.
In order to obtain the required structure and mechanical properties, as well as stress relief, the castings are very often subject to heat treatment – heating and cooling strictly according to the required and specified operations or modes (duration and temperature) in the heat treatment furnaces.
Thereafter, the castings are cleaned, checked and machined again. The finished castings are forwarded to the finished product stores, then they are dispatched and shipped to our customers.
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