Aluminum

Spotlight: Extrusion

Altec in Jefferson, Indiana has tested C³’s infusion-treatments on their aluminum extrusion "dummy blocks" (see image, right) which are used as a piston to force softened aluminum through a small die at high pressures and temperatures.   The blocks are typically inspected and replaced after two weeks whereas C³ treatment has extended the block life cycle to no less than 6 weeks.  The resulting savings from fewer expensive parts replacement, reduced maintenance costs and increased production are documented and being recognized by other extruders throughout the United States.   Acknowledgement has been so swift that C³ has had to develop additional production methods for the substantially increased number of blocks received to be treated. The letter at right describes Altec's experience with C³'s surface treatment.

Altec has also discovered that C³ treatment on their shear blades, used for cutting thick aluminum, increases the metal release of material that sticks on the surface.  This has further increased production levels.

 

Spotlight: Die Casting

Delaware Machinery in Muncie, IN uses C³’s infusion-treatments on their stainless steel ladles which are being filled with 30 pounds of molten aluminum at 700°C. The ladles are used to pour the molten aluminum into die molds at a rate of 30 pours per hour. The customer was only able to get 1,200 pours of use out of each ladle after its surface had been treated with a painted on ceramic coating.

Delaware Machinery began using C³’s infusion-treatments on their stainless steel ladles and recently reported (January 2005) that the same ladles have surpassed 58,000 pours.

What is even more impressive is that during this 58,000 plus pour lifetime, the customer did not have to perform any maintenance on the C³ treated ladles, whereas all competitive coatings required frequent cleaning.

A visual example of the effectiveness of C³’s treatment on core pins used to hold the die mold in the proper position is shown below. These pins typically are replaced after 3,500 shots of molten aluminum; a pin that received the C³ treatment was still usable after 200,000 shots of aluminum.

Figure 1: Pins Removed from the same Die Mold






Untreated Pin removed from the die mold at 3,500 shots of aluminum.






C³ treated Pin removed from the die mold at 200,000 plus shots of aluminum.

C³ has also greatly extended the life and performance of shot sleeves and cold chambers, shot “tips”, wheel molds, ladles and tools that are used to feed die molds with molten materials.

Die mold cavities produce superior quality castings with less scrap and less maintenance downtime due to the C³ infusion-treatments applied into the die mold’s surface.