ABOUT US PRODUCTS SERVICES NEWS CONTACT CAREER DOWNLOADS IMPRINT ProductsCastingOpen mould casting Open mould ingot casting Open mould ingot casters have been around as long as one can remember, and they are a common sight in most casthouses. The design has hardly changed in years, until Hertwich R&D has taken on the challenge of designing a much improved caster. The new design meets longtime existing customer demands and comes with some clear advantages such as an easier to control melt supply and pouring system as well as water-free cooling during the metal solidification phase. Production Ingot weight 6 - 8 kg 10 - 16 kg Ingots per hour 1.450 1.250 Cast rate up to 12 t/h up to 20 t/h Pouring system with casting launder Melt supply Melt is supplied by a tiltable launder section with a flow controlling plug. The tilting geometry is optimized for minimum melt turbulence during casting (No oxide formation). Advantages over a casting wheel are less dross generation and no abrupt change in ingot height. Cooling Primary cooling is done by water or air. The main advantage of an air cooled system is that the mould temperature can be set above the boiling point of water (typically between 150 - 250 °C). Thus, the moulds are guaranteed dry when first filled and there is no danger of explosion. Ingots freeze slowly and the temperature gradient between ingot center and surface is small, resulting in uniform shrinkage during solidification without formation of cracks. For secondary cooling again two methods - water and air cooling - are available. Secondary water cooling is well suited for all climate conditions. Ingots are moved through a closed water cooling tunnel with spray nozzles for intensive water cooling. Secondary air cooling is best suited for cold climates, whereby the thermal energy is available for heating the casthouse building. Air cooled caster, secondary cooling with water Air cooled ingots (plain surface, free from cracks) Packing Equipment Cross stacking of ingot layers is onto footing ingots. Single or double stacks can be assembled. Two separate ink jet marking unites are employed for marking each ingot as well as each ingot layer (the outermost ingot of each layer). The printed information includes alloy code, cast number etc. The automatic strapping systems are designed to allow strapping with metal band (steel or aluminium), PET band or combinations thereof. Stacks can be marked on the side with a three colour code, using cross or vertical colour stripes. Each completed stack is weighed. Automated application of the weighing ticket onto the completed stack, as an alternative to manual application. Packing equipment Contact Follow us © 2021 HERTWICH Engineering GmbH | SMS group | Data Protection Notice | Imprint