News

World's first emission-free foundry

Issued at 2010-02-13



The light-alloy foundry at BMW's Landshut Plant has become the world's first foundry with emission-free sand core production. The new sand core production method for gravity diecasting, sees conventional organic binders replaced by highly eco-friendly inorganic binders, which generate virtually no pollutant emissions. The introduction of this innovative production method allows the light-alloy foundry to reduce its emissions of combustion residues by 98%. The plant has recently completely decommissioned its former waste air treatment systems.

The Landshut foundry produces around 1.8 million aluminium and magnesium castings a year, with a total weight of 45,000 tonnes. The product range includes engine components such as cylinder heads and crankcases, structural components and chassis parts such as suspension strut supports, tailgate frames, corner castings and casting nodes for the front and rear axle. Around half the castings produced are gravity die cast using sand cores.

The foundry uses 120 tonnes of sand daily in sand core production; 90% of this volume is recycled.

The BMW Group can now boast it is the world's first manufacturer to use inorganic sand cores in volume production of all engine core components. The inorganic binders used are based on water-soluble alkali silicates (i.e. a water/silica sand solution), resulting in significantly reduced resource consumption.

"Inorganic sand core production positions us at the forefront of the foundry industry," says Dr Wolfgang Blümlhuber, head of the light-alloy foundry. "We see inorganic sand core production as key to competitive operation, particularly in highly industrialised countries with stringent environmental regulations, where manufacturing costs are correspondingly high."

The light-alloy foundry first introduced this reduced-emission production process for use in the manufacturing of aluminium crankcases and cylinder heads for six-cylinder diesel engines.

In addition to the environmental aspect, the process also has economic and ergonomic benefits. The strength of the resulting light-alloy components is enhanced by the improved, faster solidification of the liquid aluminium during the casting process, as it cools from a temperature of approximately 750º C. The BMW Group is using this light-but-strong design potential as a way of producing energy-saving, fuel-efficient engines capable of higher peak cylinder pressures and increased power density.

To accompany the eco-move, the foundry developed new core shooting tools and equipment. The casting equipment has become less complex, since the previously required venting systems can be dispensed with. At the same time, the cooling intensity during the casting process can be increased, thus reducing manufacturing cycle times by around 10%. The simulation technology used in the process and tool development was also developed in-house.

"We will be able to fully amortise the investment in tools and equipment, along with our development costs, in the space of just a few years at most thanks to increased productivity, and thanks to savings on tool maintenance, tool and workshop air extraction systems and waste air treatment systems," says Dr Wolfgang Blümlhuber, head of the BMW light-alloy foundry. Specifically, the productivity increase works out at around 10 per cent. Tool maintenance costs will be reduced by half.


Source: Foundry Trade Journal



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