The transport of molten metal has always been one of the trickiest and most hazardous phases of the entire foundry process. Starting with this assumption, ProService has conceived a new handling system which is not only a mere improvement of the traditional methods, but which, at the same time, is also a resource and a mean for the optimization of the foundry process.
Usually, the conveying of molten metal consists of loading, unloading and ladle transport operations from the melting area to the pouring one. ProService has planned and manufactured an aerial handling plant equipped with a special equipment for the translation, the uplift and the tilting of the ladle in conditions of complete safety. Furthermore, the plant recognizes and constantly controls, sequence by sequence, the ladle position. Therefore, it is possible to predetermine with precision some paths between the loading and unloading areas (melting furnaces – pouring furnaces). Finally, the movements are manually controlled by the so called “deadman” control.
Thus, the plant for the molten metal handling manufactured by ProService has all the advantages of an automatic machine, with also an extreme flexibility, that is, on the other hand, a typical feature of the manual machines, given by the “deadman” movements control system.
Briefly, our plant for the aerial transport of molten metal has the following benefits:
• In terms of safety:
- It removes every risk of melt leak during the transfer to the pouring furnace, since the taking and emptying positions of the ladle are fixed and in line with the furnaces;
- It safeguards the operator responsible for the emptying of the ladle into the pouring furnace, since this one can be carried and emptied at a distance;
- It avoids the uncoupling operations of the ladle from the lifting equipment;
- It avoids the isolation of the ladle handling area;
- The inverter/encoder system prevents the ladle from swaying during the movements.
• In terms of process optimization:
- It simplifies at most the handling of the ladle, reducing the distances and avoiding a wrong positioning and interferences with other devices;
- It speed ups the transfer operations in order to limit the cycle time;
- It makes completely flexible the definition of the ladle paths phase;
- It removes the possibility of mistakes by the operator responsible for the ladle handling.
Other pictures: molten metal conveying, detail of the ladle