Independence from gas market developments with electrosintering

The energy market is under severe pressure: The uncertainty in the supply of gas has prompted the German government to activate the second stage of the gas contingency plan. As a result, the prices for gas and other energy sources are rising relentlessly – both of these aspects make reliable planning of daily foundry operations much more problematic. ABP Induction can provide foundry operators with its own technical know-how to help them in this situation: Crucible induction furnaces in foundries can be converted so that gas is no longer required for presintering, as this important work step is carried out using electricity as a source of energy.

Electrosintering as a solution to more independence from the gas price and the availability of gas

Electrosintering as a solution to more independence from the gas price and the availability of gas

Foundries that have opted for induction furnaces from ABP have already taken the first right step towards sustainable and CO2-reduced production. The concept of inductive heating of metals using electric current can now be completed by the use of electrosintering. With this conversion, gas as a source of energy can be further minimized. The sintering stencil is heated electrically instead of using gas.

Ongoing production is not affected by the changeover, so there are no long system downtimes. When the furnace is relined in the foundry, the conversion can be carried out by the ABP experts during this process. As a result, electricity is used for sintering instead of gas – the plant operator is no longer dependent on further developments on the gas market, both in terms of price as well as the availability of gas.

Foundry operators interested in converting from gas to electrosintering at their own facility can contact ABP Induction’s service team directly. Just send an email to service.de@abpinduction.com and the team will get back to you with more information.

EcoLine: The new entry into the ABP furnace world

ABP Induction presents a new entry into the furnace world: EcoLine is rounding out their portfolio to provide the perfect entry into the foundry market for small companies, research institutes or even engineering offices wanting to set up their own production.

The ABP EcoLine is here.

With this move, ABP is targeting customers in countries characterized by the fact that companies operating in those markets primarily look for an economical solution which offers a balance between a reasonable investment, high reliability, and appropriate production capacities. “These are markets that feature a broad base of small, often family-run operations that require economical solutions for small-scale production with different types of metals,” explains Patrick Lück, Sales Support Engineer at ABP and responsible for the development of the new EcoLine together with Byron McCall, General Manager for ABP in South Africa.

Compact design

It also addresses other target groups that have an interest in small, easy-to-use furnace systems with comparatively small production capacity. “One example might be research and development facilities looking for small systems to produce experimental alloys, or training facilities to train new foundry employees in the basics of metallurgy and furnace operation,” explains Byron McCall. EcoLine is also of particular interest to start-ups and engineering firms that want to set up their own production facilities in order to become more independent. “With the development of EcoLine, we are responding to the wishes of customers from these target groups: quickly available and easy to commission, inexpensive to operate and purchase.”

The ABP EcoLine can be configured from now on.

What makes the EcoLine furnace stand out? It is the missing link in ABP’s product portfolio that offers exactly these potentials. While there will be some sizes in the 300 to 2,000 kilogram capacity range that EcoLine and the well-known FS series have in common, the requirements and complexity of the systems are different. “EcoLine is based on the proven and well-known FS series, but is implemented in a simplified way for non-specific, cross-industry use. The straightforward design is indicative of what the EcoLine is for: melting!” says Byron McCall.

We have made things particularly simple for customers so that they can get up and running with it as quickly as possible: “EcoLine is modular, so a certain size and performance range can be covered – and the lead times from order to delivery are very short,” explains Patrick Lück. One key feature, he says, is the plug-and-play concept, which allows customers to install and commission the system themselves. “We want everything to be as simple as possible: The customer can put the right furnace together using our web configurator, have it installed by the customer’s team of technicians, and also commission and operate the furnace themselves,” he says. ABP will make instructions available for this for the customer.

The customer thus benefits from the experience of the entire Group organization: ABP offers a homogeneous, well-rounded melting solution that combines experience and new technologies into a broad-based system. “In the spirit of creating good and lasting relationships with its customers, ABP wants to start this relationship earlier, from the very beginning, so to speak,” says Patrick Lück: “Customers who have had positive experiences with their first system will usually take the next step with the same supplier. EcoLine offers great potential for this.”

Further information is available at ecoline.abpinduction.com.

To configure your own EcoLine, visit abp-ecoline.com.