An eighteen-million-pound investment in a new iron foundry at its Dronfield (UK) site has seen Wm Lee challenge equipment suppliers to find new ways of meeting exacting specifications in a bid for increased capacity and more flexibility – particularly in terms of melting requirements.
Thinking outside of the box and inspiring suppliers to buy-in to the foundry’s ongoing journey for further improvement, especially in terms of capacity and energy efficiency, often results in ambitious demands. However, far from bemoan this approach, global induction melting technology specialist Inductotherm Europe Ltd relishes the chance to find alternative resolutions for customers, making them the ideal melt shop partner for Wm Lee’s new foundry, developed in 2025 and now fully operational.
A TIGHT SQUEEZE
With opening discussions in 2023, it was evident that the existing mothballed 3500kW Inductotherm Dual Trak® and two five-tonne furnaces would not be sufficient to meet the future melting needs of the proposed Savelli auto pour moulding line – 6,875kg/hour. Affordability was of course important, but by far the biggest headache for all parties was the space limitations. The size of the new moulding line and existing building constraints left limited floor space for the melt shop, a solution needed to be found. Any new proposed melting equipment would need to fit next to, and in line with, the exiting Dual Trak within a 4.5m gap, if there was any chance the mothballed equipment was to be reinstated and play a part.
A further complication being that the plan included the ductile iron being delivered to the Savelli auto pour via an 800kg ladle on a single track, resulting in limited unitisation of each furnace!
Speaking about the installation, Tim Redding, area sales manager at Inductotherm, said: “Wm Lee has always been driving to push our melting equipment to its maximum potential, always looking to squeeze that little bit extra. That is why it is so interesting working with the team there. They sometimes push us outside our comfort zone to come up with appropriate solutions.”
Numerous visits, meetings and calculations ensued, followed by several calculations on production rates and costings. Undeterred, the teams at the foundry and at Inductotherm’s Droitwich headquarters combined their decades of experience to solve the dilemma. “In the end rebuilding, futureproofing and recommissioning the existing 3500kW Dual Trak and adding a new 3500kW Power Trak® would yield 8.2t/hour with the reduced utilisation from each of the three independent furnaces,” Redding explains. “Once we reached an understanding of the equipment specification, it was just a case of getting it to fit.”
The available space between the existing furnace and a structural support was 4,545mm. The space required to fit a five-tonne body in the frame was 3,971mm, but this didn’t include separation walls between each furnace and the end of the new furnace. Radical thinking was required for the extraction aspect connecting to the equipment.
In terms of the inverter, there was no existing space for the transformer, pump modules and hydraulic pack, let alone the new 3500kW Power Trak.
Redding explains how this dilemma was overcome: “Fortunately, they had big plans to redesign the area behind the furnaces. Rejuvenation of the old substation area was key for the plan to work. This gave us space for the hydraulics, pump module and possibly the transformer, but the VIP® was still a problem.
“There was a two-metre width available, however it had to include door openings for any servicing work. Usually, a Power Trak of this size demands a double-sided cabinet with a width of 2,136mm, plus the room to open any doors, adding another 940mm to each side – a total width requirement of four metres! Even with double opening doors, we were still 1.2m short on the minimum width required,” Redding recounts. “Our only option was to design a single-sided bespoke cabinet, to accommodate the space.”
Although this latter point seems obvious, Inductotherm has spent decades building and protecting its reputation as being “the best”, this is based on adhering to “tried and tested”, meaning the company’s robust design principles are respected and remain impervious. Pooling their “group knowledge” and thanks to technology advancements, they were able to redesign the 3,500kW VIP to be single-sided, without compromising reliability, longevity and accessibility for maintenance.
“Being a part of such a substantial installation has been a steep learning curve but exciting,” says Sam Gilbraith of Wm Lee, who will be responsible for the Savelli line foundry. “We modified the entire melt system despite being restricted for space.” Taking into account the limitations behind the furnaces, where the ladles feed the auto pour, Gilbraith explained: “We have a sweeping bend and a new trolley system with two pouring vessels – one to pour and one on standby, so we never stop feeding the autopour. It is very efficient and we are witnessing more consistent results. Throughout the installation process we had to make constant adjustments and even moved the existing VIP by six inches – quite a task, but together we did it.”
By late spring 2025, the furnace installation work began, with any minor adjustments made on site to accommodate third-party equipment, and by late summer the installation was complete. Combining the Inductotherm melting capability with an HWS autopour also ensures consistent pouring control.
In December 2025 sintering was completed, and the full installation was stress tested in readiness for the Savelli line to be commissioned.
In recent weeks the Savelli line has ramped up to full 24/7 production, which will increase capacity at the foundry by 250t/week.
THIRD-PARTY TEAMWORK
“We’ve had a combination of Italian, British and German engineers on site – all working together to construct and design the new foundry, including a significant amount of infrastructure work,” Gilbraith says. “High rise water towers, conveyors running underground and all utilities work, so much more than is apparent looking at the finished system. We are impressed with how our suppliers worked with us and with each other to enable us to achieve 24/7 production in just over two years from inception.” It has been a particularly exciting project for the young foundry engineer, who has been with the foundry for seven years and who is in the latter stages of his degree. “We have built this foundry in a phenomenal timescale,” he says. “We have squeezed things in all over the place, but we have made it work and are proud of this foundry.”
In addition to the new horizontal moulding line and melt shop, the project has also included new Laempe core making equipment, with two LL20 core shooters and centralised LVM sand preparation plant and distribution system with greater capacity and lower maintenance needs.
FUTURE PROOFING
Wm Lee is now benefitting from resilience through multiple melting units, with the new state-of-the-art plant providing high end technology and increased energy efficiency. Traditional hydraulic operation has been replaced with Siemens electromechanical drives with kinetic energy recovery, significantly reducing operating power requirements.
The key to the success of the installation is the significant amount of flexibility between various parties throughout the 18-month project.
For Inductotherm many jobs are bespoke, but this complex project tested the ability of all concerned to suspend what is usually accepted as “the norm” and find a truly customised solution to improve efficiency, prevent bottlenecks and keep the metal flowing now and into the future. Something that everyone concerned can be truly proud of.
Contact: Tim Redding, Inductotherm Europe Ltd, Tel: +44 (0) 1905 795100, email: [email protected] web: www.inductotherm.co.uk