Eurometal S.A., a company of the Eko-Świat group, ordered a new multi-chamber melting furnace for the expansion of its aluminum casthouse in Klomnice, Poland. This is part of an extensive investment strategy aimed to increase production capacity at the facility.
The new furnace will be integrated into the existing production chain — beginning with scrap recycling through billet casting and extrusion down to machining of components. Supplied by Hertwich Engineering, part of the SMS group, the new Ecomelt PR-100 multi-chamber melting furnace will feature a preheat ramp designed for a capacity of 100 tons per day (approximately 30.000 tons per year).
The new melting furnace will mainly process clean and painted extrusion and sheet scrap, as well as smaller amounts of briquetted sawing and machining chips. To achieve the required alloy composition, charged material will be supplemented by clean primary and secondary aluminum as needed. Liquid metal from crucibles can also be added.
Scrap will be charged onto the dry ramp in the melting chamber by means of a rail-guided charging machine. Due to the design of the charging machine, the working environment is protected from the furnace atmosphere during the charging process.
The scrap will be preheated for around 30 minutes to a temperature of approximately 500°C using intense hot-gas flow. In this way, organic compounds are transformed into combustible gases, which are reused within the heating system of the main chamber. This enables some 50–70% of the energy (otherwise supplied by natural gas) to be substituted by the energy content of organic compounds.
After preheating, the decoated material is pushed from the ramp into the melting bath in the melting chamber, where it is melted by the submerge-melting process to avoid oxidation and melt loss. An electromagnetic side channel pump provides the melt transfer between both furnace chambers, as well as an adequate melt circulation in the main chamber to assure uniform temperature and alloy distribution.
Subsequently, the melt is transferred to holding furnaces or crucibles by means of an electromagnetic tapping pump.
In addition to suppling the melting furnace, Hertwich will also supply a rail-guided skimming machine, as well as a flue gas treatment plant to comply with emission regulations in place.
The state-of-the-art recycling furnace can be operated by a single operator per shift (including charging, skimming, and melt transfer). Along with the low energy consumption values (450 to 550 kWh/ton) and the notable, high-quality metal yield, this plant provides significant economic advantage
The new melting furnace is scheduled to start operation in spring 2021.
Founded in 1990 as Eko-Świat, Eurometal S.A. is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The company is a powerful player in the supply of high-precision rolled aluminum products (coils, strips, sheets), extrusion profiles, tubes, machined components and foundry alloys for the automotive industry.
The company operates three locations in Poland — Klomnice, Wola, and Bogumilow. At its locations in Stalowa Wola and Bogumilow, Eurometal S.A. operates casthouses for the production of strips, extrusion billets and automotive alloys. In addition, Eurometal S.A. operates a cold rolling mill, strip processing lines, and several extrusion presses. The company’s three plants are being continuously extended and modernized to expand Eurometal’s market position within the automotive, transport, construction and electronics industries as well as on the market for renewable energy.