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636-278-8700
FAX 636-278-3155
Riverside Ind. Centre
7000 W. Geneva Dr.
St. Peters, MO 63376
U.S.A.
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Testimonials
Reprinted with permission from FOUNDRY
MANAGEMENT & TECHNOLOGY
Buck Co. Cleans Up Its Aluminum and
Brass Casting Operations
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Buck Co., Quarryville, PA, a producer of aluminum, brass, ductile, gray
and malleable iron castings ranging from 4 oz to 40 lb, is realizing cost savings and
productivity gains in its casting cleaning operations with a new Mark 5 Rotary Media Drum
from
Fig. 1. Discharge view of the MD-50 Rotary Media Drum in the brass and aluminum foundry.
Didion International Inc., St. Peters, MO. "Buck Co.'s justification for
purchasing the machine was its capability to process very delicate castings and the
significant reduction in shotblast time," says Joseph Raff , Vice President,
Buck Co.
The unit is a patented shakeout that also blends and screens the return
sand, cleans and cools castings, and decreases shotblasting and cooling time. It
processes delicate aluminum and brass castings by rotating them on laser-aligned
trunnion wheels.
The machine shown in Fig. 1 separates sand from castings with no
sand carryover, conditions and screens the sand to minus 1/4 in., and separates
green sand from core sand in one efficient step. Green sand is blended, screened,
back blended and screened again in the first section of this dual-chambered machine.
Castings and sprues are scrubbed clean by a recirculating bed of media as they move
through the drum. To prevent system sand contamination, core lumps, core wires, and
tramp metal are automatically separated and discharged independently at a separate
location.
As Raff says, "The gentle rotation and media scrubbing provide a very
thorough cleaning, including pockets, allowing for reductions
in shotblast times. In fact, the new Media
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Drum has enabled us to shut down half of our blast machines, resulting
in more than 50% savings in power usage, shot consumption,
machine wear, parts, and maintenance. An average of 75% of our castings now go directly
to the finishing department."
The unit also helps reduce noise, heat, dust, and spillage by the enclosed
unit's containment system. The castings are cool enough to handle with gloves, since the
media acts as a heat sink, reducing the need for long cooling conveyors. The return green
sand is thoroughly homogenized, free of clay balls and core lumps. The sand is also
consistent in temperature and moisture, which greatly improves the system sand and
eliminates the need for additional equipment.
Fig. 2. Sand and aluminum castings to be processed.
In addition, the machine is variable in speed to allow the gates, runners,
and sprues to be automatically degated, which saves undesirable hard manual labor costs.
The returns are clean and ready to go back to the furnace. This saves extra handling
and extends refractory life, while increasing melting efficiency.
"This is Buck Co.'s third Didion Mark 5 Rotary Media Drum," explains
Raff. "After the huge success of the first two machines in the gray, ductile, and
malleable foundry, we were ready to incorporate the machine in our aluminum and brass
foundry. The results are more impressive when you consider these delicate non-ferrous
castings."
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| Copyright
© Penton Media, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio 44114 |
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