SMART FOUNDRY
SMART FOUNDRY
Production using the new blast machine begins!
Mission accomplished – this was the announcement the “New Blast Machine” project team were delighted to make in spring 2017 after two years’ hard work. It represents another milestone for the SMART FOUNDRY, putting it in a position to blast the full range of parts more effectively and much more quickly. For customers, it means shorter throughput times and improved surface quality.
Following completion of the building construction and roof insulation works by the end of winter, at the end of March the first blast wheels driven by eight turbojet turbines were commissioned. In the new blast machine, up to 16 tonnes of cast items with a maximum cluster diameter of four metres can be blasted. The new blast machine thus replaces the existing machine, the limits of which had been reached due to increasing component sizes and higher surface quality requirements.
The new system offers new possibilities for the SMART FOUNDRY to treat complex customer parts as required. Depending on the component design, the eight blast wheels are individually controlled and the time intervals defined for the desanding and blasting process stages. This enables the required surface quality to be achieved for each component on completion of the process time – and fewer resources are used since the blasting material is aimed exclusively at the component.
The blast machine was constructed directly adjacent to the existing production plant, in very restricted conditions, so the design of its layout demanded a high level of creativity. In order to achieve maximum capacity with optimum part throughput, a crane system was decided upon, enabling a move to a different shed without setting down the cast parts. This enabled the system to be seamlessly integrated into the material flow without affecting the ongoing operations during construction works. If the plant had been established on a greenfield site things could not have gone more smoothly!
Restructuring the Kurtz Eisenguss business
The Kurtz Eisenguss underwent a reorganisation on 29.08.2017: Carolin Kurtz (Purchase & Sales) and Graziano Sammati form a dual leadership of the management board. This restructuring will enable the SMART FOUNDRY to achieve the growth objectives it has set itself, while achieving the best possible quality!
A look behind the factory gates!
This is how iron casting works in the SMART FOUNDRY.
Watch the video clip to see how an Industrie 4.0 foundry works.
New Kurtz Ersa Image Film
“And … action!” was the instruction from the film crew to be heard at all kinds of different locations at Kurtz Ersa in spring. The film team was out and about on a mission to produce the new Kurtz Ersa image film. With “speed” as a leitmotiv, the film shows what Kurtz Ersa stands for: innovation, drive and high-tech processes. With a range of scenes and fast editing sequences the clip shows in just over 2 minutes what it is that characterises Kurtz Ersa. Enjoy watching it!