The steel and foundry industry has been a major contributor to global manufacturing, producing a hugely vast range of materials, appliances and products. It’s an enormous industry, and crucial for meeting the intense production demands that exist in the current climate. Industrial furnaces, whether electric arc or coreless induction, reach extremely high temperatures in order to melt down the metals. Steel casting uses moulds to shape and form molten metal into pipes and tube fittings, automotive parts and machinery components.
In 2020, the revenue generated in the iron and steel casting industry was in excess of USD 145 billion. Moreover, even with the detrimental effects of COVID-19, there is still an estimated compound annual growth rate of over 5.4% from 2021 to 2027. In Europe, the CAEF, or The European Foundry Association, is responsible for the overall production of metal castings. Founded in 1953, the CAEF is now an alliance of 23 national foundry associations from 22 European countries. European production accounted for 16.8 million tonnes of the 112.7 million tonnes of castings produced globally.
When discussing furnace safety, this just doesn’t just refer to the health and safety of staff working with them, but also an induction furnace’s operational capabilities as well. These large, expensive pieces of equipment are required on a daily basis working at maximum efficiency and capacity. With the steel and foundry industry being so demanding, it’s crucial to ensure that they operate consistently and avoid breakdowns. Here we’ll discuss the benefits of mica insulation for furnace safety.
Working with incredibly high temperatures and potentially volatile materials on a daily basis means that when it comes to industrial furnaces, considerations around safety are of critical importance. …
In order to meet changing customer needs and rising demand for more choice, faster turnaround and better quality, many industries need to constantly look to innovative ways to increase efficiency. For many in manufacturing and similar industries, having effective high temperature thermal insulation for equipment and machinery is key to achieving this. A (relatively) recent innovation in high temperature insulation is microporous technology. …
In our previous blog post, we examined in detail five thermal insulation materials and their physical and thermal properties. In this post, we’re going to get into official thermal classification of insulating materials, their importance when it comes to selecting the right type of insulation and the applications of the materials in each classification.
High temperature insulation is vital in many manufacturing applications such as continuous processing, where operating temperatures should be controlled to achieve maximum efficiency and consistency, and foundry and steel, where effective thermal insulation can help to extend the life of equipment and provide additional safety measures. …
Some metals dissipate heat more effectively than others, and this thermal conductivity is essential in a range of applications. Thermal conductivity is the measure of a metal’s ability to conduct heat. What this means is that that the metal acts to cool temperatures, through a process of dissipation.
With rotary kilns, thermal management is the key to improved productivity and reduced downtime, leading to savings in both energy consumption and the cost of repairs and maintenance.
In most manufacturing processes, after raw materials, the most costly element involved is energy, which is why thermal insulation is critical. When it comes to the bottom line, thermal insulation is a valuable investment. It helps reduce a business’s operating costs and its carbon footprint, and drive the efficiency of its processes.
