CALDE® SOL Technology Reduces Commissioning Time, Saving Energy
After good results applying CALDE® SOL cast in partial repairs in channel holders, our teams have decided to make a full front lining of this type of furnace using this technology. The CALDE® SOL CAST T95, which is a special no cement castable (and binder) was successfully installed at our client Fondium in Singen (Germany) in a 105 tons holding furnace.
Dirk Holland, Technical Director Foundry EMEA, says: “At the beginning it was not so obvious to go for this decision, because it had never been done before. Due to the team's long and good experience with this product range we were in a position to make this large step of a full channel holder lining with the CALDE® SOL cast technology.”
Reduced commissioning time by around 50%
One of the main advantages of this new technology is the reduced commissioning time. Another important point is that, instead of water, a ready to use sol binder is added to the mix so that no potential water contaminants can negatively influence the product characteristics.
Foundry Sales Engineer Erik Kurtscheid explains: “This new technology allows a much quicker dry-out. We are theoretically able to reduce it by around 50%. The standard drying time of regular cement bonded castable for the Fondium 105 tons channel holder is 8 days. We have now reduced it down to 5 days, and even 4 days might be possible.” In total, around 40 tons of CALDE® SOL CAST T 95 and more than 1,500 litres of CALDE® Sol-Binder have been used for this installation with two pump mixers.
Extended product shelf life
Another upside is the extension of the product shelf life. “With the CALDE® SOL technology, we more than doubled the shelf life, which it’s usually around four months. This increase enables us to serve clients also in remote locations.
Strengthening our partnership with the client
“We were able to get our furnace started within the expected short commissioning time thanks to the high professionalism of all involved. We are very pleased with the results”, says Robert Greibig, Melting Shop Manager of Fondium Singen.
“The channel holder is a key refractory equipment. This successful application demonstrates how we constantly invest in new solutions to improve our offering, building a strong partnership with our customers,” finalizes Eric Siegel, Account Manager for Fondium Singen.