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Tilt casting machine AK01

Tilt Casting: Proven Technology taps into New Markets

Metal Foundry Brückner invests in Kurtz Tilt Casting Machine AK01

The company Brückner from East Thuringia approached Kurtz Casting Solutions with a special request. The company itself has decades of experience with gravity casting. Due to a new customer inquiry, there was a need for more precise filling and maximum quality. Kurtz Ersa supplied the right solution with a tiltable casting machine.

A customer relationship between Kurtz Ersa and a foundry often begins with a special customer inquiry. In this specific case, the company “Metal Foundry Brückner” received an inquiry for five different cast parts weighing between three and five kilograms in the summer of 2023. As their new customer held out the prospect of an annual order volume of at least 2,000 pieces each, the previous manufacturing process using sand casting was called into question and the company considered manufacturing with a permanent mold. Permanent mold casting is ideal for producing large quantities economically. As the cast parts are produced in outstanding, reproducible quality, this type of manufacturing is particularly suitable for parts that have to meet highest standards of dimensional accuracy. This was the case for Brückner's new customer, as the cast parts in question had to meet high quality requirements for drive technology in boat building.

Kurtz AK01: Tilting casting machine in use at the Brückner metal foundry

Brückner lands the deal

The strengths of the Metal Foundry Brückner are short delivery times, high quality, and flexibility. The main areas of application for the cast parts manufactured by Brückner are pump technology, electrical engineering, the furniture industry, as well as railroad technology. In October 2023, the Metal Foundry Brückner was able to convince their customer after several preliminary discussions and also by presenting their references and received the order for the first three cast parts for boat building.

Brückner proposed to produce the cast parts using the tilt casting process. The main advantage is the controlled filling via the tilting movement of the machine. The mold is filled at a moderate speed, thus reducing foaming. Less gate and feeder weight are required, which has a positive effect on the amount of aluminum required and results in a significant reduction in costs. Furthermore, higher unit weights with high complexity and with lower wall thicknesses can be realized more easily. The improved venting in tilt casting results in fewer air inclusions.

Team Brückner (from left): Dominic Schmidt, Michael Müller (Kurtz), Ina Schmidt, Dustin and Thomas Schmidt
Team Brückner (from left): Dominic Schmidt, Michael Müller (Kurtz), Ina Schmidt, Dustin and Thomas Schmidt
The new home of the Kurtz AK01 at the Brückner metal foundry in Zeulenroda-Triebes: production area for future castings using the tilt casting process
The new home of the Kurtz AK01 at the Brückner metal foundry in Zeulenroda-Triebes: production area for future castings using the tilt casting process

Up to 2023, Brückner always used the gravity casting process exclusively. The idea of expanding their own foundry to include tilt casting had been on the company's mind for some time. So far, however, orders for cast parts demanding this procedure and therefore justifying this investment where missing. A reliable tilt casting system with a monitored and controlled casting process not only increases the efficiency and quality of the parts produced, but also opens the door to new markets thanks to the expansion of the machine park.

Kurtz Ersa is taken on board

Tilted view of tilt casting machine AK01
Tilted view of tilt casting machine AK01

In December 2023, Brückner contacted Kurtz Ersa, described their needs, and communicated the exact casting requirements of their customer. An intensive exchange about the requirements for the tilt casting machine began, with the desire to be able to produce very quickly. In the new year, the realization of the project started at full speed. Numerous meetings between Brückner, their toolmaker and Kurtz Ersa were necessary to determine the optimal casting design. At the same time, the machine was produced at Kurtz Ersa's main plant in Wiebelbach. In mid-June 2024, the time had finally come: the new tilt casting machine was delivered to the Metal Foundry Brückner. The machine was aligned, anchored to the floor, and put into operation. Following the successful casting of the first samples in July, series production could begin seamlessly.

 

The Kurtz Casting Solutions team would like to express its appreciation for the excellent cooperation and trusting relationship during the project phase. We look forward to a long-term business relationship with many more projects of this kind.

The Metal Foundry Brückner is currently managed by the second generation of the family: Ina Schmidt and her husband Thomas. The company was founded in 1967 in Zeulenroda-Triebes in East Thuringia, located in the former GDR, by her father, master toolmaker Heinz Brückner. The Metal Foundry Brückner specializes in aluminum gravity casting with subsequent machining. It has its own fettling shop, a machining department, and a heat treatment system.

 

To the Website of Metal Foundry Brückner

 
 
 

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