Al Jaber Iron Steel Foundry Case Story - DISAMATIC 2110 MK3
Based in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, the Al Jaber Iron & Steel Foundry uses a DISAMATIC 2110 MK3 vertical greensand moulding line for the production of steel castings for use in projects elsewhere in the Al Jaber Group of Companies as well as for external customers.
UAE foundry makes steel castings on a DISAMATIC
The Al Jaber Group of Companies has been a major driving force in the development over the past thirty years of the United Arab Emirates from a desert landscape to a modern nation bringing quality of life unimaginable to past generations.
Together with other Al Jaber Group companies in the fields of general contracting, industry, trading and logistics, the Al Jaber Iron & Steel Foundry plays a major role in this development by supplying a wide range of iron and steel castings for use in Group infrastructure projects as well as for a number of globally known external customers.
Cost-effective castings production
“The Al Jaber Iron & Steel foundry started production in 1998 using a complete vertical greensand moulding line from DISA,” says Mr Sushil Kumar Saxena, Plant & Commercial Manager. “Our choice was motivated partly by the fact that vertical greensand moulding could be used for the production of both iron and steel castings. Equally important, however, was that the DISAMATIC is significantly more cost-effective in terms of speed and precision than other processes for the mould sizes we needed. In addition, the precision of the DISA vertical greensand moulding process gives a superb finish.”
The foundry process
DISA designed a complete sand plant including a DISA SAM 6 mixer, which delivers the sand to a DISAMATIC 2110 MK3 moulding machine with core setter. The moulds are transported and cooled on a 35 m cooling line connected to a DISACOOL casting and sand cooling drum. After the DISACOOL the castings proceed to a DISA DTC shot blasting machine. The complete sand plant system is controlled by a standard DISA centralized control system.
For melt supply, the foundry has three melting furnaces and a 10 ton holding furnace enabling a melt rate of more than three tons an hour.
Higher casting temperature
Steel castings pose two challenges with regards to sand quality and to proper cooling down due to the relative high pouring temperature of 1,630°, some 200° higher that of iron alloys.
“We use a high-quality, clean quartz sand that contains no coal dust, thus making it perfect for vertical greensand moulding of steel castings,” says Mr Palani, Production Manager. “The 35 m cooling line in combination with the DISACOOL ensure the appropriate cooling prior to cleaning.”
High performance and expert service
“We use the DISAMATIC moulding line for the production of a wide range of castings weighing from 200 g to 25 kg,” explains the Production Manager. “The DISAMATIC runs at up to 275 moulds an hour and has maintained a continuously high uptime since it was first commissioned.”
The Al Jaber Iron & Steel Foundry values the service supplied by DISA and, according to Mr Palani, the fact that the foundry has been served by the same DISA service technician over the entire lifetime of the plant is an example of the strong partnership between the two companies.
“It is very important for us to have a supplier service organization available where they know our plant and our needs inside out.”
From wear parts to an ornamental fence
The Al Jaber Iron & Steel Foundry produces a wide range of steel and hardened steel castings consisting of carbon steel, stainless steel, low and high alloy steel and manganese steel.
Products range from grinding balls, container corners and automotive castings to castings for the building, mining, cement and oil industries, hardened steel wear parts for excavation equipment – for example for Caterpillar – and even ornamental fences.
“One of our most prestigious orders was for the ornamental fence round the most exclusive hotel in the world, the seven-star Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi,” Mr Sushil Kumar Saxena relates. “It was here that the precision and finish of the DISAMATIC process really came into their own right.”
Customer satisfaction is essential
The Al Jaber Iron & Steel Foundry serves a long line of customers outside the Al Jaber Group.
“All of our customers are extremely demanding with regard to quality, cost and timely delivery,” the Plant & Commercial Manager explains. The foundry operates a stringent quality assurance policy and all castings are produced according to international and individual customer specifications.
“The DISAMATIC 2110 moulding machine together with the rest of the moulding line has made an invaluable contribution to the success of the Al Jaber Iron & Steel foundry by enabling us to produce steel castings of the exact quality required by our many different customers at globally competitive prices,” Mr Saxena concludes.