designed for manufacture with inorganic cores. The inorganic binders used


in the BMW permanent mold casting facility are based on water-soluble alkali silicates. BMW cures the system with heated tools, which flush the core system with hot air to remove moisture and optimize curing times and the storage stability of the cores. To accompany the intro-


duction of inorganic sand core production, BMW devel- oped core shooting tools and equipment that do not require venting systems. The casting facility also devised a way to increase the cooling intensity during the casting process, which decreased solidification times and reduced the length of the manufacturing cycle by 10%. The Landshut plant also developed simulation technol- ogy and tools for the inorganic binder system. “We will be able to fully amortize the investment in tools and equipment, along with our development costs, in the space of a few years at most thanks to increased productivity, and thanks to savings on tool maintenance, tool and workshop air extraction systems and waste air treatment systems,” Blümlhuber said. BMW expects tool maintenance


costs to be cut in half and produc- tivity to increase 10% at the Landshut facility. A wide variety of needs must


At BMW’s Landshut plant, inorganic binders have prolonged the life of its tooling. A corebox for a water jacket core made with an inorganic binder system handles 2,500 shots before cleaning, compared to 1,500 shots with the coldbox process.


“Over the last ten to 15 years, there


have been significant advancements in bio-based binders,” Hoertz said. “We’ve been able to create new sys- tems that allow metalcasters to meet their environmental performance goals. These new systems are faster, stronger, and deliver higher produc- tivity than traditional organic binders,


be met in each metal casting operation, notes Scott Hoertz, vice president/general man- ager at Ashland Performance Materials, Dublin, Ohio. “High volume automotive production provides an environment in which new technology requir- ing specialized equipment can be cost justified. This cost benefit equation is different for typical jobbing foundries as they may be running a wide variety of castings using a number of different processes,” said Hoertz.


Improving on Tradition Another way to reduce HAP emis-


sions is to improve the organic binders already long-established in metalcast- ing facilities.


MODERN CASTING / February 2010


“Two or three years ago, I said no, [inorganic binders] don’t work. But now, I think they work.” —Volker Knobloch,


Consolidated Engineering Co. Inc.


and I think that trend will continue.” According to McLean, organic


binders work so well that for a typi- cal metalcasting facility to switch to inorganic, benefits for the environ- ment would have to be on an order of magnitude. “Nobody is jumping on inorganic systems because they like their performance,” he said. “They are going there for one simple reason, and that is environmental.” Binder suppliers are working to


reduce emissions produced by organic binders. The bio-based binders Hoertz mentioned replace petroleum, a staple in typical organic binders, with other more environmentally friendly materials. “Ashland has focused on improving sustain- ability of its petroleum-based binder systems by incorporat- ing renewable organic raw materials,” Hoertz said. Biodiesel binder systems, common in Europe, have been developed to reduce emissions, while tetraethyl- silicate binders designed to reduce odors are catching on, according to McLean. Hybrid systems also are under development to reduce odor and emissions while allowing the productivity and flexibility inherent in organic binders. “Over the last 30 to 40 years,


the backbone chemistry of organic binders [has been] the same,” said Doug Trinowski, vice president of technology for HA International. “To describe


the environmental profile 40 years ago compared to those today would indi- cate great progress. But organics will not get us to zero emissions.” Metalcasting facilities have to weigh


the environmental benefits, cost of investment and impact on productivity before committing to a change in their binder systems. “The only question is can you


make the incremental improve- ments in organic emissions fast enough to comply, or will you have to make the switch to inorganic?” McLean said. “The better organics become from an environmental standpoint, the tougher it is going to be to make that decision.” For plants like BMW’s Landshut


facility, which is located close to resi- dential areas, the emission reduction was a strong enough motivator to in- vest in the switch. Now, 300,000 parts later, the success of inorganic binders at that facility proves the feasibility of their use, at least in similar high volume production metalcasting operations. “Two or three years ago, I said


no, [inorganic binders] don’t work,” Knobloch said. “But now, I think they work.”


MC 31


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