Casting Plant
Foundry Department in its structure has iron foundry with a specialistic position to spheroidization and steel foundry. In addition, Department has its own pattern shop.
- Technology and preparation of production
Technology Department of Foundry provides professional support to production, supervision of realized processes and implementation new technologies and innovations in technological lines. Highly qualified and experienced engineers use in their work experience and the latest achievements of science and technology. In their work they use software such as CAD/CAM and edit documents in electronic and hard copy. Proper selection of molding materials or the size of risers allows for significant eliminating the disadvantages of shrinkage and to optimize the manufacturing process.
- Fabrication of patterns
Foundry Division has its own pattern shop, which are made models of casts produced here. Pattern shop has the possibilities to make models of wood and also, by the unit production – of polystyrene. Own models, and models of clients which are not used for current production are recorded and stored in a specially prepared stock.
- Melting of metal
By the use of electronic devices there is carried out constant control of the process of melting the metal and its most important parameters. The Plant produces many species of cast iron and cast steel in accordance with European standards for chemical composition and mechanical properties.
In addition, company has specialized position to spheroidization of cast iron. Spheroidization process consist of introduction to the cast magnesium supplements along with other elements, which changes the structure of iron and crystallization of ballgraphite. Obtained like that grades of spheroidal casts iron are characterized by significantly better performance. Thanks to its properties ductile iron were used to make crankshafts for engines, components with high demands on the hardness and the dynamic exploitation, safety equipment features and more.
In 2010, the Foundry Department implement Hadfield steel production technology. Austenitic manganese steel containing 11% Mn and a high carbon content (Hadfield steel) are wear-resistant cast steel. Those cast steel plays an important role in various industries such as metallurgy, petrochemical and chemical industries and ceramics. Austenitic manganese steel with Mn content of 11-21% are used for parts operating at high pressures, bending stresses and areas exposed to dynamic impact. Under the influence of local pressures and impacts the surface of cast is curing over 500 HB, which is causing a high resistance to consumption. They are mainly used for components exposed to grinding under high pressures, such as:
– Baskets, teeth of diggers,
– Boards crushers, crushers hammers,
– Caterpillars of tractors, tanks and tracked vehicles,
– Railway turnouts or tramway
– Prison bars.
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Castings forming
Castings forming line includes all operations connected with the preparation of casting molds, molding sands and cores. Currently in Huta Zabrze castings are produced using a molding sands based on furan resins. In the limited extents also applies forming in cement and synthetic masses.
• Furan masses
Basic component of mass is the natural sand containing quartz grains (warps), which provide heat resistance and adhesive deciding for binding abilities. Bonds in the form of resins have properties to the natural chemical bonding at ambient temperature. There is also applying lot of protective additives on the surface of molds and cores. Furan resins cured by cold are added to mass with additional reagents and hardener. Electronic control allows adjustment of the binder and control level of the fast catalyst and slow catalyst. By use the controls it can also monitor ambient temperature, temperature of mass, determine a program of using bonds, control time of curing and check the status of valves and mass flow.
- Forms breaking and castings cleaning
Casting are knocked from forms on the shock grid, than consumed mass goes to the regeneration system of belt conveyors.
Castings are cleaned from the remains of the casting by hand and by two OWD cleaners with metal pellets, which ensures high-quality surface.
- Heat treatment
Heat treatment of castings is done in computer controlled annealed furnaces. The maximum dimensions of the heat treated elements 5m X 2.40m x 1.8m. In addition, there are made prints of the course and process parameters.
Mechanical and technological properties of steel and iron casts are related to the microstructure fundamentally dependent on the heat treatment. Therefore performed a variety thermal treatments using physical and chemical phenomena occurring during heating and cooling the metal to lead to the formation of structure with the most desirable structural components which give it its specific mechanical properties.
For the purpose of machining can be made normalizing or soft annealing in result that the structure distinguished by its lower hardness and strength, but quite considerable toughness, which facilitates the shavings machining.
Finished goods, subject to considerable stress, do not have sufficient strength and hardness. In order to improve these properties, while obtaining good ductility and toughness, is used thermal improvement, consisting of hardening and tempering at high temperatures.
The products such as machine parts, exposed to abrasion, should be distinguished by very high hardness. Then, it is used a high hardness which characterizes the structure generated by heat treatment.
Foundry Department also has a special position for the surface hardening of treadmill order to obtain high hardness and strength of the wheels.
- Machining
Foundry Division has the ability to complex machining their castings in accordance with the requirements of customers in the Department of Mechanical Engineering equipped with a rich stock of machine.
- Surfaces preparation, protection and painting
Castings are protected against corrosion in accordance with the requirements of customers. In offer is hand-painting and also with the use of specialized painting chamber located on the Department of Mechanical Engineering.