Scrap rate, throughput, alloy recovery and raw materials are all areas of the casthouse which usually get substantial attention as means of either increasing profits or reducing costs. However, furnaces, which are often overlooked by the casthouse, can also deliver surprisingly high savings. Moreover, these potential savings can only magnify as energy costs and pressures to reduce carbon footprint increase. This paper gives an insight into where savings can be achieved by a casthouse with proper furnace operation. Knowledge of how a furnace should be operated is often neglected but as this paper tries to highlight, developing this knowledge can be extremely worthwhile.

Producing low-dross ingots has been a long-term goal in aluminium cast houses. The patented CASTfill technology [1] is a low-dross and high-productivity pouring system developed to fulfil this demand. This paper describes the research methods used during the development of CASTfill; now in service at Boyne Smelters Limited (BSL) since August 2009. The importance of combining scientific modelling and testing procedures with process operability, maintainability and durability to ensure the success of new technology in a production facility is also highlighted. Ingot assessments showed that the latest CASTfill design greatly reduced dross generated during mould filling. Improved ingot packaging and reduced variation of ingot weights were also observed as the results of a more tranquil flow of molten aluminium through CASTfill and its uniquely modular design.

Achieving in-specification melt analysis first time has been the Holy Grail of many cast houses for a number of years and for a good reason. For many producers, the furnaces are the bottleneck of the value added casting process and removing that hurdle means big dollars. A six sigma project was carried out at the Bell Bay smelter aimed at reducing the time it takes to bring a furnace within chemical specification and highlighted that “in-spec first time” is more achievable than many think. This paper covers the steps having an impact on alloy recovery and suggests a “best practice” to be followed in each area. As is shown, consistently following these guidelines through robust controls can generate a significant increase in throughput of value add facilities in your cast house.