ALUMINIUMGLOBAL

EXPERTS.FURNACES & CASTHOUSE EQUIPMENT

RECYCLINGHEAT TREATMENTCONTROL &

AUTOMATIONCASTHOUSE TECHNOLOGY

MECHATHERM / 5

www.mechatherm.com

ESTABLISHED1973

Mechatherm International Ltd is a world leading company of

industrial engineering experts specialising in the design, supply

and commissioning of furnaces and casthouse equipment for

the aluminium industry.

Operating in numerous countries across all continents and

with a large portfolio of clients, Mechatherm is known for its

advanced casthouse technology and competency in executing

international turnkey projects.

Our engineers have, between them, over 150 years’ experience

in developing and refining bespoke solutions to satisfy our

client’s individual requirements.

CASTHOUSETECHNOLOGY

Our core products are melting and holding furnaces

- either standard plant or custom designed to suit

individual production requirements and processes.

We also specialise in scrap handling systems, VDC

casting machines and water cooling plants and

practice integrating third party refining equipment

in to our casting lines such as degassing and

filtration units.

Mechatherm project manage complete “turn

key” installations worldwide as well as part supply

contracts whereby our client may only require

engineering design, critical components or

commissioning.

Our state-of-the-art equipment is engineered and

constructed to serve rigorous foundry conditions.

Mechatherm are global experts in our field with

a dedicated team offering unrivalled experience,

knowledge and support. Should you have any

requirements we would be happy to discuss them

with you.

W Flexible approach

W Practical solutions

W Integrating your experience & our expertise

W Robust equipment

W Operator friendly

W Easily maintainable

W Advanced 3D modelling software

W Extensive portfolio of satisfied clients

W Full turn-key or part supply - worldwide

W Experts in furnace technology and practices

W State-of-the-art equipment

W Standard plant or custom designed

Mechatherm has vast experience in supplying casthouse machinery and equipment to the aluminium industry.

MECHATHERM / 7

www.mechatherm.com

RECYCLING

Mechatherm has several bespoke and innovative

designs of aluminium melting furnaces to recycle

the many different scrap forms in the secondary

market sector. All our melting furnace designs and

configurations are custom engineered to suit the

individual requirements of our clients. We have

many successful worldwide installations to process

clean and heavily contaminated scrap.

Our melting furnaces integrate many features and

practical solutions to give a very operator friendly

and easily maintainable operation. Our furnaces

are robustly engineered to meet the arduous and

aggressive conditions in foundries. Our casing and

furnace structures are manufactured from heavy

duty platework and support structure to minimise

deflection, distortion and mechanical damage from

operations. Our designs are generated and verified

by 3D solid modelling and Finite Element Analysis

software packages.

Standard features of our melting furnaces include

automated thermocouple retraction systems,

pouring spout opening covers, accurate pressure

control, adjustable door panels, sealing systems

and accurate air/fuel ratio control combustion

systems.

Our hydraulic door lifting system and positive

clamping system is very well proven. We have

many installations working with the latest low NOx

regenerative burner technology giving low gas

consumptions and emission levels to comply with

the latest environmental standards.

Mechatherm have a collaboration with ALTEK to

supply the aluminium industry with cutting-edge

tilting rotary melting furnace (TRMF) technology.

Together we offer the combined process experience

of ALTEK with the worldwide casthouse and remelt

furnace reputation of Mechatherm. A complete

range of TRMF’s are available from 2T to 30T

capacity, fuelled with gas, oil or oxy-fuel burners.

Mechatherm has become a specialist supplier

of multi-chamber furnaces for the recycling of

contaminated scraps. These furnaces feature a

dry hearth chamber where contaminated scrap is

heated to burn off all coatings. The smoke from

the burnt off coating is recirculated in front of the

main gas burners to incinerate the waste products

and create an energy source which reduces gas

consumption. The cleaned aluminium scrap is then

pushed into the molten metal bath to be efficiently

dissolved in a molten metal stream recirculated

from the main chamber. Light scrap swarf and

chips are also dissolved in a separate vortex well off

the main chamber.

Whether it’s to recycle clean or varying grades of contaminated scrap Mechatherm has the solution.

MECHATHERM / 9

www.mechatherm.com

www.mechatherm.com

CASE STUDY:

Mr Fong-Der Shyu, General Superintendant China Steel Aluminium Company.

MECHATHERM WORK WITH PASSION AND COMMITMENT, THEY ARE VERY KNOWLEDGABLE, PROFESSIONAL AND THEY WORK HARD. THEY WORKED WITH US FROM MORNING TIL MIDNIGHT. WE BECAME ONE TEAM, WE WORKED TOGETHER AND WE LEARNT MUCH FROM THEM. SO IT’S EFFECT PROVES THAT WE HAD MADE THE BEST CHOICE.

MECHATHERM / 11

MECHATHERM COMPLETES A TWO PHASE PROJECT AT CHINA STEEL ALUMINIUM COMPANY(CSAC – KAOHSIUNG, TAIWAN)

Mechatherm International Limited have completed a

two phase casthouse modernisation and expansion

project for China Steel Aluminium Limited (CSAC) at

Kaohsiung in Taiwan.

Phase one of this project comprised a 60T dual

chamber melting furnace (for melting contaminated

scrap), an 80T clean scrap melting furnace, a 75T

tilting holding furnace and a fully automated 75T

VDC casting machine. Phase two comprised two

80T melting furnaces, two 75T holding furnaces and

a 75T VDC casting machine to the same design.

The 60T dual chamber furnace features a

combined melting rate of up to 10 tonnes per

hour of contaminated and clean scrap mix. Scrap

contaminated with paints or lacquer is charged onto

a dry hearth section in one chamber, where the

paints and lacquers are burnt off. The scrap is then

pushed into the molten metal bath at the rear of the

chamber where it is melted in a constant stream

of hot metal flow recirculating from the main clean

aluminium chamber. Heating is provided by gas fired

twin head regenerative burners.

The three 80 tonne melting furnaces remelt aluminium

ingots at 22 tonnes per hour each. Features of the

furnaces include a full width clamped door, regenerative

burners, shared under-hearth electro-magnetic stirrers

and monolithic refractory linings.

The melting furnaces are loaded by three rail-bound

Mechatherm 20T rotating charging machines built

to withstand high impact during loading and high

temperatures inside the furnaces. The rapid loading

minimises door-open times and ensures low heat

losses and faster production.

After melting, the molten metal is transferred to the

holding furnaces. Their tilting systems are integrated

into the overall automation system controlling the

casting machines and mould metal level control.

Mechatherm also supplied all the transfer launders

between furnaces and machines. The in-house

designed casting machines interfaced with the

customers own rolling ingot moulds. The machines

each included casting cylinders with ceramic coated

rams and traversing mould carriages with extending

pit barriers, automatic clamping and self-sealing water

connections.

Automated mould metal level control systems were

fitted to the casting machines. These Mechatherm

systems comprised a distribution launder, from which

lasers and actuators were mounted to sense the

relative level of the metal in the moulds. Metal flow to

the moulds is automatically and accurately controlled

via a spout and motorised stopper pin assembly.

All the Mitsubishi PLC gear control software,

hardware and control panels were supplied by

Mechatherm and custom engineered in-house.

The whole system also featured a unique Level

2 automation and control system tailored to our

clients specification, the requirements of which

was interpreted into a unique process line using

Mechatherm in-house technology. All software was

simulated in the UK, before being transferred into

the site equipment in Taiwan for final commissioning.

The clients existing site operation remained

undisturbed whilst commissioning engineers

adjusted the function and behaviour of each

machine to correspond with the specification.

The result is a fully automated plant operating

upon the direct command of the client’s

standard operating procedure.

Mechatherm has over 40 years company experience in supplying heat treatment and re-heat furnaces for the aluminium industry.

HEAT TREATMENT

www.mechatherm.com

MECHATHERM / 13

We supply a wide range of batch and continuous process

solutions to include homogenising furnaces, slab heating

furnaces, coil and foil annealing furnaces, solution heat

treatment furnaces, cooling chambers and charging

machines.

We work very closely with our clients to develop our

equipment configuration to suit production requirements,

plant availability, operating cycles, location of plant and overall

plant layout.

Complex multi-zone furnaces have been supplied for

precision heat treatment of aerospace and automotive

components manufactured by rolling, extrusion and forging

processes. Depending on the holding temperature, product

configuration and furnace chamber size, tolerances of +/-5ºC

or even +/-3ºC can be guaranteed. Mechatherm furnaces

feature generously sized recirculation ducting and high

powered fans to achieve rapid heat up times and uniform

tolerances. Reversing air flow via either dampers or VFD

controlled fan motors also ensure more uniform heating.

Many references have been supplied with heating power from

direct gas firing, indirect radiant tube gas firing or electrical

resistance elements. Inert gas atmosphere furnaces with

cooling systems also form part of the Mechatherm product

range where required.

Mechatherm in-house designed automated charging

machines ensure complete compatibility with the furnace

and rapid loading times.

CONTROL &AUTOMATION

Our controls team, borrowing from a rich heritage of successful projects

all over the world, tailor each system to each client’s individual needs;

At each step, verifying and validating against exhaustive internal and

external requirements. The results of this effort can be summarised in

four simple mantras:

CONNECTED PLANTS

devices, operators and machines seamlessly integrated into

higher level business systems

TRACKED PERFORMANCE

exhaustive monitoring of countless key system metrics

identified through our decades of experience

GUARANTEED RELIABILITY

intrinsically fault tolerant system design married to proven and

trusted software libraries

SAFETY EVERYWHERE

lessons learned from European safety legislation changes are

offered to all our clients, all over the world.

Our industry leading team have the ability to complement our product range with state-of-the-art control systems.

MECHATHERM / 15

OURASSOCIATESMechatherm are proud to be supported by a network of dedicated and shared offices, agents and collaborating/partner companies, which allows us to provide a first class world-wide service.

We currently have licensees in the following territories:

CHINA Dalian Changrong Furnace Industrial Co. Ltd - Dalian www.en.cr-furnace.com

INDIA Associated Industrial Furnaces (P) Ltd - Kolkata www.associated-furnaces.com

MEXICO Nutec Bickley - Monterrey www.nutecbickley.com

RUSSIA NPC Magnetohydrodynamics - Krasnoyarsk www.npcmgd.com

SOUTH AFRICA Engineered Thermal Systems (Pty) Ltd www.etsystems.co.za

THAILAND Hulbert International (Thailand) Co. Ltd - Thailand

MECHATHERM INTERNATIONAL LTD. Hampshire House, High Street, Kingswinford, DY6 8AW

t: + 44 (0)1384 279 132 / f: + 44 (0)1384 291 211 e: sales@mechatherm.com / www.mechatherm.com / /