FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Buena Park, California – May, 2012 – The International Aluminum Extrusion Technology Conference, or “ET” as it is known within the industry, is one of the most attended extrusion conferences in the world. Hosted just once every four years, the conference has developed a strong position within the aluminum extrusion community. This year, an abstract submitted by Almex’s Research and Development group was selected for presentation in the “Billet Process and Equipment” technical track.
The complete paper, including conference proceedings, can be purchased from the ET Foundation. The abstract of the presented paper is given below:
It is well known that the extent of the ceramic ring overhang (CRO) as well as the chemical and physical properties of the lubricating oil used during D.C. Casting of billets have a strong influence on the surface finish as it relates to the presence of common surface defects such as laps, dimples, drags and tears. The present paper reports the results of a study involving the use of a conventional casting Lubricant A against a lower viscosity casting Lubricant B when casting 10 inch diameter AA 6061 alloy billets. The paper also describes the effect of reducing the ceramic ring overhang (CRO) from 1.5 mm to 0.25 mm (0.06 inches to 0.01 inches). The CRO is found at the interface between the top of the graphite ring and the bottom of the ceramic ring. During the course of the study, the design and dimensions of the graphite ring and mold tang length were kept constant. In addition, the casting process parameters were also kept constant. The paper illustrates that the individual lubricating oil properties combined with increased CRO can directly impact the billet surface roughness. The paper presents comparative illustrations of the as-cast billet surface finish.
In addition to presenting the study and subsequent paper, Almex also invited industry participants to visit the company’s exhibition booth. The space emphasized the environmentally friendly concepts of Almex’s Minicast™ Aluminum Remelt Casthouse. The Minicast product line, essentially a mini version of a complete production-sized plant, features eco-friendly technologies for remelting of scrap aluminum with minimal economic and environmental costs. As most participants to ET Conferences are extrusion oriented businesses, Almex’s MiniCast™ solution provides a tangible solution to scrap revert programs, long distance scrap tolling concerns, and the far too real fears of extruders regarding lack of raw material (billet) supply.
Download a PDF version of this article, here.