This outstanding technical framework took place on October 27th and 28th of October at the Bilbao Exhibition Centre. The technical program of the event compiled some of the most recent technological innovations for iron and aluminum casting technologies. Sustainability and intelligent manufacturing were the two main vectors of the meeting.
Under the slogan “An Attractive and Sustainable Industry of the Future”, the X International Technical Foundry Forum has brought together a significant number of technicians and specialists from the foundry industry (combining a face-to-face format with the possibility of an on-line participation in the event through streaming broadcast), who had the opportunity to access a first-row technical program thanks to the contributions of several leading companies and organizations from the sector.
The opening ceremony of the event was led by Amaia Martínez, Director of Technology Grupo SPRI (BASQUE GOVERNMENT), Marta Raton, Plant Manager of the foundry DRAXTON Atxondo and by Beatriz González, General Manager of the foundry BETSAIDE SAL and President of Fundación AZTERLAN. The three chairwomen showcased that the Foundry is an extraordinarily dynamic and innovative industry, committed to sustainability. Even though it is being currently affected by the transformation of the automotive sector, the energy and raw materials costs along with the supply-chain difficulties involved in many industrial sectors, the foundry industry relies on innovation which is its greatest asset to be more efficient and more competitive. The Managing Directors of these two outstanding foundry companies agreed that “this type of meetings are a very important source of technical knowledge for the sector, but above all, they offer a scenario to collaborate and share strategies and concerns between professionals and specialists from the industry”.
After the opening session Mr. Andrew Turner (General Secretary of the World Foundry Organization) offered a quick overview of the international situation of Foundry market, along with some insights and future perspectives. In his words “we should not be surprised by the rapid and profound influences that external events have on our industry. If these past few years have taught us anything, is that we need to be dynamic and we have to adapt to an ever-changing environment”. Similarly, Mr. Turner reinforced the idea that “we should be proud of an industry that remains strategic for worldwide economic and social development, generating currently close to 200 billion dollars of turnover, which is expected to increase to 250 billion by 2026. So, we are still a growing industry”. Faced with China’s positioning and large production capacity, the WFO representative also stated that the European foundry industry has the capacity to offer products and services with high added value and that is where it must find the space to grow and strengthen.
Focusing her presentation also on the future of the Foundry, in this case from a perspective related to the training of professionals and the attractiveness of the industry to incorporate young talent, the Forum counted with the participation of Dr. Pam Murrell, Chief Executive Officer of the CAST METALS FEDERATION (UK). “The average age of the foundry workforce is rising. There are not enough specific training programs to prepare or update professionals for foundry technologies and we find a strong entry of automation and robotic elements into the productive processes of the sector, clearly commitment to digitalization. The way to deal with this situation is to train new professionals for the sector and bring new capabilities to those who are already inside”. Dr. Murrell shared initiatives aligned with this strategy that are being carried out internationally in a clear search for worldwide synergies, which are mainly oriented “to develop a more attractive image of the industry”.
As an increasing trend in the last years the recruitment and development of talent, hand in hand with the incorporation of new manufacturing technologies and industry 4.0, have occupied a fundamental place among the presentations of the Forum. As indicated by the Director of Foundry Technologies of AZTERLAN, Dr. Susana Méndez, “digitalization strategies and the exploitation of process data are undoubtedly aspects that significantly contribute to improving the efficiency of foundries; however, they are also an important source to get new young talent”.
In the field of new technologies, virtualization, automation and the prediction of transformation processes were important aspects discussed at the technical meeting. The first of the presentations in this area was offered by Igor Pérez de Villalobos, from the ESI Group, who focused on the virtualization of heat treatment processes. Pérez de Villalobos conveyed to the audience the importance of “replicating the complete production process and its virtualization”, concatenating the virtual prototyping technologies of the different phases that are part of the manufacturing of components “as well as the development cycle of a product”. Focusing on the virtualization of heat treatment processes, through several examples covering different types of castings and metallic alloys, the representative of ESI Group showed the application of these technologies to perform microstructure predictions, dimensional controls, or analysis of the properties of the components.
Continuing in the field of virtualization and prediction, José Manuel Gutiérrez, modelling and simulation specialist in of AZTERLAN Metallurgy Research Centre, shared a presentation related to the development of new tools for process optimization and prediction of defects, based on the quality of the metal and on the state of critical process parameters in real production time. “Casting is a complex process that involves a large number of parameters of great variability. For this reason, even when we think we have taken the same steps and the process conditions are the same, we do not always get the same result”. To face this uncertainty, Mr. Gutiérrez presented the new development of AZTERLAN (Kasandra) aimed at anticipating the soundness of the cast components based on the specific characteristics of the metal, the real-time characteristics of the production process and the geometric characteristics of the piece (its thermal module in the different sections of the casting). “With systems generally oversized from the design, the variability of the process is normally covered by that over dimension, but currently it is about defining more robust and more efficient processes. With this new development we seek to contribute to improving the competitiveness of foundries (higher performance, assured quality results and direct cost savings), knowing whether we can reliably produce in current conditions or how we should be improving or adjusting those conditions for an optimum production process”.
In a similar way, based on the capture and exploitation of process and plant performance data, the Portuguese foundry AAPICO and the AZTERLAN Technology Centre, represented by Ms.Cristina Monteiro and Dr. Ana Isabel Fernández, presented the main outcomes of an outstanding project (DIGIMAT) in which through Advanced Process Control Tools, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Predictive Control Models have managed to “develop new customized materials, to be used to produce passenger vehicles safety parts” (specifically included in brake systems manufactured by the company Continental Teves). In the words of Dr. Fernández “within the DIGIMAT project we have developed a technology that allows us to detect the parameters that affect the specific final properties of the components to act from the manufacturing process in order to achieve customized materials, focusing on the specific properties we want to obtain”. Two new materials have been developed (one with a higher yield strength and the other one with improved machinability), thanks to the incorporation of a predictive model in the digital twin of AAPICO’s production process.
Continuing with casting materials (in this case lightweight alloys), Iñigo Loizaga, Director of Innovation of CIE Automotive, offered an overview of the evolution of the automotive sector through regulatory changes in environmental matters, which directly affect the production of castings. As exposed by Mr. Loizaga “the emission limits imposed to the automotive sector have a direct impact on the manufacturing of metalic components. Even though it seemed that the sector was going to increase the development of aluminum and light alloys, data show that the metal that has experienced the greatest growth in the passenger cars is steel”. In this direction, Mr. Loizaga conveyed to the audience a message of serenity indicating that “as important as innovating and keeping an eye on the evolution of the new emerging developments is to be able to identify which technologies, materials and innovations come really to stay, in order to get a better positioning on them”.
Following in the field of technologies associated with the transformation of lightweight materials, Mr. Martin Hartlieb (specialist from the company VIAMI INTERNATIONAL Inc.) presented the latest developments and experiences related to Rheocasting to make it suitable for industrial manufacturing. “Rheocasting is a well-known technology whose modernization, combined with the introduction of vacuum technology, allows to produce large aluminum components with ultra-thin-walled lattices”.
Further on, Mr. Sergio Orden (AZTERLANŽs researcher specialized in aluminum casting technologies) unveiled one of the latest developments of the Technology Centre to extract gases from molds using vacuum technology for the High Pressure Die Casting process (HPDC), which “helps to reduce the internal porosity in injected aluminum components, favoring the manufacturing of parts with thinner walls, improving the surface finish and facilitating the injection parameters”. The digitalization of the mold by means of advanced sensors “has allowed us to know and adapt the vacuum system to adjust the pressure and the flow required for the proper filling of the mold”. Several practical experiences from actual HPDC production parts were also presented with a successful implementation of this new development.
In line with the slogan of the meeting and the trending topic for the market, sustainability was, without any doubt, one of the main pillars on which many speakers focused their presentations.
Regarding the internal environmental quality of the foundries and in order to improve the H&S and working environment of employees, Mr. Enrique Pardo, Technical Director of FOSECO, presented a “new solution of water-based coatings aimed at reducing formaldehyde emissions”. An excellent explanation of the presence and generation of this gas, classified as carcinogenic, that is emitted during the drying process of the cores and painted molds in stoves. In a similar direction, Mr. Alberto Díez, head of R&D at ASK Chemicals, shared one of the company’s most recent developments: a cold-box binder system that allows the reduction of formaldehyde and phenol emissions in the sand. “Although sometimes it is difficult to see the economic advantage of these type of solutions, nowadays reducing emissions and improving the working conditions of the workforce offering a toxic-free working environment is gaining relevance and the regulatory system is getting as well more demanding for companies”.
Remaining in the field of sustainability and focusing on the consumption of raw materials and the generation of waste, Mr. Ander Elorriaga, technician from IHOBE (Basque Government Public Society for Environmental Management), highlighted the relevance of the metal sector in the Circular Economy Strategy 2030 of the Basque Country, where “50% of the environmental impact caused by consumed materials comes from the metal transformation industries. For this reason, we have specific strategies for this sector reinforcing the importance of the circular economy to achieve the decarbonization of the European economy”. Mr. Elorriaga shared during his presentation some of the instruments offered by European Union and the Basque Government to promote this transition.
Directly linked to the circular economy, Mr. Hector Trigueros, Innovation Engineer at BEFESA, and Idoia Ibarretxe, Industrial Director of INSERTEC, presented the results of the Bauxal project which is aimed at “reusing by-products from the aluminum industry, specifically, from saline slags, as an alternative material for refractory-grade bauxite”. They have been able to develop a prototype capable of producing 500 tons of bauxite refractories per year for different purposes (aluminum, steel and cast iron applications).
As expected, the X Foundry Forum also offered access to new developments and applications that other manufacturing technologies can offer to the foundry sector such as laser cladding, additive manufacturing or 3D printing.
As a new technology that offers complementary opportunities for the development of cast components, Mr. Marco Göbel (Laser Metal Deposition expert from the company TRUMPF) offered an overview of the advantages that this manufacturing technology can bring to the foundry to “produce cast components with enhanced functional characteristics, such as improved resistance to corrosion or wear, as well as additive manufacturing technologies that allow to obtain new geometries and/or functional parts that are difficult to achieve by the casting process”. With a similar message, Mr. Holger Barth, Product Manager for Additive Manufacturing of the HA Group, stated that “we are confident that additive manufacturing and 3D printing will have an important penetration, both in the casting process, and in the post-processes of the cast components”. As an innovation brought by the German company to the forum, Mr. Barth presented new developments in low emissions inorganic binders for additive manufacturing and 3D printing of sand molds “aimed to support the growth of this technology”.
Finally, the meeting concluded with the presentation of Mr. Christian Kunz, Head of Sales from the company MÖSSNER, who unveiled some state-of-the-art robots to perform different types of machining, sawing and deburring works. As exposed by Mr. Kunz, “the incorporation of robots into the post-manufacturing processes provide repeatability and accuracy, being a reliable alternative that bring significant benefits”.
Closing this important technical working frame Mr. José Javier González (General Secretary of the TABIRA Foundry Institute) highlighted the importance of sharing knowledge and new developments among companies from the whole value chain of the foundry industry, which are “committed to the growth and progress of the sector”.
Mr. González informed as well to the attendees of an outstanding program coordinated through the World Foundry Organization (WFO) for the next year 2022: “In May we will gather the managers and foundry owners from all over the world in New York at the World Foundry Summit, with the aim of sharing a strategic vision of the foundry industry. We believe that this working frame will help to connect the industry around the world and will be a great source of information and deliberation that can help our companies take better decisions in these tough times” and in October 2022 it will take place the 74th World Foundry Congress in Busan (Korea), event that was introduced by Mr. Sang-Mok Lee (Chairman of the Organizing Committee) along with some interesting information about the Asian foundry industry.
