Mold and Casting Table Maintenance Management System at Aluar: A Key to Quality Billets and Saving Costs

Abstract:

It is well known that mold and casting table maintenance has a direct impact on the internal quality and surface quality of billets. In this paper, the evolution of the main key performance indicators (KPIs) associated with the main consumables of the Wagstaff Air slip billet casting technology is shown, such as molds, casting rings, transition plates and thimbles. The strategies taken to preserve a high standard of quality whilst monitoring the associated costs, are discussed. An automated Mold and Casting Table Maintenance Management system has been developed in house to make available the relevant information from the casting table servicing at the casting pit and at the mold room. A case study is described where this tool allowed us to reduce costs, keeping a high quality standard of the casting table maintenance, ensuring the internal quality of the final product.

• Periodical: Materials Science Forum (Volume 693)
• Pages: 208-216
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.693.208
• Online since: July 2011
• Authors: Leonel S. Batalla, Oscar A. Godoy, María Victoria Canullo
• Keywords: Billet Quality, Casting Table, Consumables, Costs, Maintenance, Management System, Mold

References

[1] M.V. Canullo and R. Acuña Laje: Metallurgical Quality of Aluar Billets, Ten Years of Increasing Quality (Extrusion Technology Conference (2008)).

[2] J.D. Schloz: Advanced 6xxx Alloys - Challenges in Casting and Extrusion Process (Extrusion Technology Conference (2008)).

[3] Wagstaff Air-slip training course at Aluar (2010).

[4] Wagstaff Equipment Maintenance Manual.