Over the last few years, we have worked even more closely together with foundries located in Finland. The consumption of refractory materials in foundry processes is often lower than that of the steel industry due to the smaller molten material production capacity. As a result, the lining of the ladles is replaced less frequently – usually a few times per year.

Concept

We have developed our ladle lining service concept in order to make our customers’ lives easier and to secure their production processes. Our service ensures that the customer always has lined and ready-to-use ladles available in their production. This way, they can focus on their core business – the production of cast products – without worrying about the disposal of the waste material from the ladles, lining material inventory levels, lining work or sufficient drying times.

Process

Our comprehensive service covers the entire lining process, which usually takes a couple of weeks.

The ladle lining process begins with transporting the decommissioned ladle from the foundry to our location in Ylivieska. Next, the ladle is taken apart with the help of machine chiselling. Finally, the clean steel shell is prepared for casting by installing a cast mould and, if necessary, with metalwork.

After the preparatory work comes the casting. Before choosing a material, we learn about the customer’s foundry process by looking at the typical parameters, such as temperatures, ladle maintenance methods and possible development needs. The lining material is always selected and tailored to be the best fit for the customer’s process, taking into account thermal shock tolerance and mechanical wear, among other things.

After casting, the ladle is taken to the drying furnace. The drying temperatures and times are usually selected based on the lining strength and the material being used. For drying, we use pre-optimised temperature curves with which we can achieve steady increases in temperature and the best possible final results. After drying, the ladle is ready to be sent back to the customer.

Environmental friendliness

Our concept is also environmentally friendly. As the chiselling and lining procedures can be carried out at the same property without the need for additional transport and storage of materials, the carbon footprint is reduced. The utilisation of old waste materials as raw materials for mix production reduces the carbon footprint even further and increases the recycling rate.

Try it out!

Our lining concept has attracted much attention from the foundry industry (although our concept can, of course, be used in other metal industries as well). The concept is off to a successful start, so we encourage all of our customers to try out our service; if, for some reason, it does not meet expectations, going back to the previous lining methods can be easily done with our help.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you are interested in introducing our concept into your production.