ASK Chemicals GmbH

GIFA 2019: More efficiency in the process chain gives an edge over the competition

Hilden, June 3,2019 – Efficiency and quality are key competitive advantages. If you want to reduce costs, increase productivity and at the same time offer a high-quality product, you have to keep an eye on the entire value chain. Potential levers can be found in many places here, for example in the selection of suitable raw and auxiliary materials, but also by taking appropriate measures to reduce emissions. At GIFA 2019 from June 25 to 29, ASK Chemicals will present solutions that make a valuable contribution to increasing efficiency (Hall 12, Stand A22).

Foundry processes are complex. Sands and binders, release agents and coatings, feeders and filters, rejects and post-processing, input quantities and much more – there are numerous levers with which costs can be saved and productivity increased. "With our efficient solutions, we support our customers in optimizing their total cost of ownership, i.e. the cost-effectiveness along their entire process chain," explains Dr. Volker Böhm, Chief Business Development Officer at ASK Chemicals. "This is how we help them to maintain and increase their competitiveness in a sustainable way."

The total cost of ownership is the sum of all costs associated with an asset, including ongoing indirect or direct expenses. The calculation quickly shows the advantages of the efficient use of raw materials along the entire value chain.

In addition to the key aspect of efficiency, other aspects are relevant for a sustainable future, explains Dr. Böhm: "Our products ensure that our customers are also on the safe side when it comes to new requirements for occupational safety and environmental protection.

Replace process steps or raw materials
One example is the hybrid additives offered by the Hilden-based company with its VEINO ULTRA product family. At GIFA 2019, ASK Chemicals will be presenting the new VEINO ULTRA 4874, the latest addition to the range, which makes it possible to dispense with coating.

Hybrid additives offer numerous advantages depending on the field of application. For example, they increase material efficiency – less material is needed to achieve the same performance. They also help prevent veining and other casting defects, reducing post-processing and scrap costs. In addition, hybrid additives reduce material input elsewhere by making the use of expensive special sands partially or completely unnecessary.

Increase efficiency
One approach that the Hilden-based company has been successfully pursuing for many years is to optimize the efficiency of its products to such an extent that two effects are achieved: Not only do customers need less product to achieve the desired performance but what's more, fewer emissions are released. An example of this are the emission-reduced ECOCURE BLUE binders. Foundries can work with less resources or materials without having to make concessions with regard to strength, reactivity or casting results. On the contrary, the formulation of the product even reduces emissions – especially VOC, BTX, phenol and formaldehyde.

Reducing reworking
An important lever for increasing efficiency in engine casting is the avoidance of coating residues in the casting, as the requirements for residual dirt content in engines are constantly on the rise. The removal of coating residues is time-consuming and cost-intensive, but with MIRATEC TS this additional processing is no longer necessary. This innovative coating offers excellent protection against veining and penetration defects and also contains special peel-off additives. Thanks to this formulation, the coating is almost automatically detached from the component after casting, solidification and cooling. This enables OEMs to meet their high requirements without additional investment in equipment or loss of productivity.

Reduce cleaning intervals and increase productivity
The use of release agents is already standard practice today. They help to ensure that the sand core can be easily removed from the core tool. Of course, this also affects the tool: Increased efficiency of the release agent translates into lower contamination and wear of the core tool. Here, the formulation of the release agent is of critical importance. Modern ECOPART release agents are environmentally friendly and label-free, reduce application cycles and thus have a positive influence on downstream cleaning intervals — while even protecting the tool.

ASK Chemicals is presenting this and other efficiency enhancing solutions at the GIFA in Düsseldorf from June 25-29, 2019 in Hall 12, booth A22.

Further information about GIFA is available at www.gifa.ask-chemicals.com.

•  Press release ASK Chemicals: Efficiency

Aachen and Hilden, May 2019. MAGMA GmbH, specialist in virtual optimization of casting processes, and ASK Chemicals GmbH, one of the world's leading suppliers of foundry chemicals and consumables, are involved in a joint development project on binder decomposition in sand cores and associated gas formation. The aim is to provide the MAGMASOFT® users with validated data on quantitative prediction of process-relevant effects for ASK products. With a new database, joint customers should be even better supported in the interpretation of the venting behavior of sand cores and the prediction of core gas-related casting defects. 

During the casting process, gases form and expand in cores and molds amongst others due to the decomposition of binder components and other volatile components. This is closely related to the basic sand binder mixture used and its compaction as well as its specific gas permeability. Different volumes of gas are produced at different times depending on the type and quantity of the volatile components, the thermal exposure and the respective decomposition behavior. Relatively high gas pressures at the interface to the melt can result in gas inclusions in the casting. In the cases of complex cores or even core packages, it is difficult in practice to determine if core gases are the cause of defects due to the numerous and diverse influencing factors.

Newly developed simulation models in MAGMASOFT® virtually depict gas formation, gas flow, and venting through core prints or the penetration into the melt. This functionality enables accurate prediction of the risk of defects due to gases from cores and molds. The availability of practical quantitative data already during simulation-based design of castings and cores therefore contributes significantly to the prevention of defects.

ASK Chemicals and MAGMA have agreed on a collaboration as part of a development project to quantify the decomposition behavior and gas formation of different ASK binder systems. To this end, ASK Chemicals will carry out extensive research in their laboratories and Technical Center. Respective laws of decomposition behavior and resulting gas formation will be quantitatively determined for different binder systems and heating characteristics. Product-dependent kinetic models will be derived from these data that will make the formation of gas volumes and the resulting effects in MAGMASOFT® quantitatively predictable.

"For MAGMA, this project is an important step in the direction of 'robust process design for casting technology'. The possibility of systematically avoiding core gas-related casting defects through quantitative consideration of different ASK binder systems already at the project planning stage represents a significant benefit for our customers," confirms Dr.-Ing. Jörg C. Sturm, Managing Director of MAGMA GmbH. "We are pleased to have gained a competent development partner with ASK Chemicals, who are interested in quantifying the behavior of their binder systems during casting."

"With the possibility to predict the behavior of our products with any core geometries during casting, we can support our customers in a more targeted manner. Comprehensive customer service therefore already has the highest priority for us in the planning stage of production processes," confirms Jörg Brotzki, Executive Vice President Europe at ASK Chemicals. "The user-friendly integration of our data in MAGMASOFT® is thus decisive for the quality of planning."

Both partners will present the first results of the joint development project at the GIFA trade fair. The collaboration is designed for the long-term.

ASK Chemicals at the GIFA trade fair Hall 12 A22
MAGMA at the GIFA and METEC trade fairs  Hall 12 A19/20 and hall 4 E29

•  Website ASK Chemicals