One aim of any foundry is to be able to meet the requirements of their customer easily and efficiently. Yet, the reality of traditional induction furnace designs often limits material selection to similar grades of material on each individual furnace body. This has quite often led to foundries being clasified into specialised areas without the ability to diversify away from the established grades offered.
However, the Mag Melt ‘C’ crucible furnace from Meltech has proved itself to offer something different – versatility. Designed with a simple drop coil mechanism, the induction coil raises up around the crucible during the melting operation and can be retracted again once the desired temperature is reached. By removing the crucible from the pedestal for pouring, it can be replaced with another to change the grade and material type – both quickly and efficiently. Eliminating any downtime associated with relining or worries about cross contamination from unwanted elements.
This flexibility has enabled the successful use of the Mag Melt ‘C’ in a wide range of applications, including art foundries, precious metal processing and industrial castings. Available in sizes from 5kg to 400kg capacity, this style of crucible furnace provides a one stop solution to many casting facilities. The furnaces are of a simple but robust design and are fully shunted to meet the latest regulations for magnetic field emissions. With a built in spill tray and also the option of a lip fume extraction ring.
Recent installations have highlighted this versatility with both completely new installations and also the incorporation of this style furnace to the current melting set-up by adding a new furnace body and a set of furnace selector switches.
A 300kg capacity furnace system combined with a Pulsar IGBT inverter was recently installed into one of Europe’s leading bronze producers to replace their existing oil fired system. The company says this resulted in a much improved overall melt time and also increased casting capacity. This particular furnace was designed for a variety of grades of bronze and copper while also allowing the melting of aluminium grades.
Induction melting has long been recognised to offer a greener and faster alternative to traditional gas or oil fired furnaces of a similar capacity. This results in an improvement in overall efficiency, decreased energy costs and an increased production capability for the foundry. Metallurgically, the overall alloy cleanliness is also vastly improved, while the stiring effect from the induction process also creates a more consistent and uniform alloy metallurgy.
The application areas though are not limited to replacement of gas or oil fired furnaces. The Mag Melt ‘C’ range can also be paired with an existing induction inverter to streamline equipment and minimise outlay. Or they can be offered as part of a new Pulsar IGBT melting system to replace older more inefficient and rigid induction melting systems.
Having a proven track record on a host of applications, a number of companies have now also invested in twin MMC furnace systems. These have either been coupled with a single power unit with mechanical furnace selector switches and different size bodies. Or they have paired with a Pulsar IGBT Powershare to allow for simultaneous operation of both furnaces; catering for either larger castings or for the option of continuous metal supply.
This versatility in operation and application makes the Mag Melt ‘C’ a simple but effective solution in the quest for ultimate flexibility in non-ferrous materials.
Contact: Meltech Ltd, Tel: +44 (0) 1440 710603, email: [email protected]