BMW announced its Landshut, Germany, casting facility will be emission-free in 2010 using inorganic binders, but opinions differ on the role the binders play in the industry.


Shannon Wetzel, Senior Editor


transition, which is being conducted on a product-by-product basis, has been ongoing since August 2005, when the BMW facility, which produces 1.8 million castings a year, decided to use a single inorganic binder system. “In-


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MW’s Landshut, Germany, metalcasting facility will complete its transition to a new inorganic core produc- tion system this year. The


organic sand core production positions us at the forefront of the [metalcasting] industry,” said Wolfgang Blümlhuber, head of BMW’s Landshut plant. “We see inorganic sand core production as key to competitive operation, particu- larly in highly industrialized countries with stringent environmental regula- tions, where manufacturing costs are correspondingly high.” The Landshut magnesium and alu-


minum casting facility, which produces engine components, structural com- ponents and chassis parts for BMW, expects to reduce its emissions of combustion residues by 98% with the implementation of the inorganic core binding system. “Typically, a core binder has 0.25


lbs. of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) per ton of metal poured,” said George Crandell, vice president of operations for Technikon LLC, McClellan, Calif. “Inorganic binders will take emissions to [near] zero.” BMW is calling the plant an emission-


free metalcasting facility. But how is the rest of the industry tackling its HAPs?


Bumps in the Road The standard binders used in sand


molding and coremaking are made up of organic materials. The ther- mal decomposition and evaporation of the materials present due to the introduction of molten metal emits HAPs. Increasingly stringent air toxic emission regulations has created a need for binder materials that produce fewer pollutants. One way to be in compliance is to switch to a binder made of inorganic materials, which does not emit HAPs during pouring, cooling or shakeout. But, according to some, such a switch requires sig- nificant process changes to maintain current production.


A BMW Landshut employee inspects an inorganic core. BMW is anticipating a 98% reduction in emissions with the switch to inorganic binders. The plant will completely decommission its current waste air treatment systems this year.


MODERN CASTING / February 2010 “Most of what has to change is


the core and mold making method,” said Keith McLean, president of HA International LLC, Westmont, Ill. “Met- alcasters are still mixing sand with a binder and still putting sand into a cavity. What changes is sand prepara- tion practices. Sand reuse, cure speed, moldability and venting may all be significantly different and typically are not enhanced with inorganics. Larger operations might have to buy more equipment to maintain the produc- tion rate they are used to because of cure speeds.” Volker Knobloch, Consolidated En- gineering Co. International, Kennesaw, Ga., has been involved in testing how inorganic binders work in core pro- duction and use. He has found that many of the methods and equipment currently used with cores made with organic binders don’t work well with cores made with inorganic binders. “When we performed a test here at


our facilities for de-coring, traditional de-coring did not work,” Knobloch said. “So some new method must be devised. One large metalcaster says it has succeeded but will not say how. There are various parameters to look at, including how long should the cores be stored? Was the solution by improving the equipment, or did they make the cores stronger with organic additions?” According to Knobloch, inorganic


binders are sensitive to moisture, and the cores must be kept in a controlled environment to maintain their integrity. Thermally reclaiming the sand could lead to cases of the inorganic binder burning. Humidity can lead to quality issues, as well. “Inorganic binders are more sensi-


tive, more difficult to control,” Crandell said. “Switching involves a lot of pro- cess controls, which can be daunting.” But at least one industry veteran


thinks switching to inorganics is sim- pler than it sounds. Jim Furness, presi- dent of Furness-Newburge Inc., Ver- sailles, Ky., has been working for pol- lution prevention in the metalcasting industry for 35 years and claims low- emission binders have been success-


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