Aluminium International Today September October 2018

ALUMINIUM 2018 PREVIEW

ROLLING TECHNOLOGY

AUTOMOTIVE

INDUSTRY 4.0

www.aluminiumtoday.com September/October 2018—Vol.31 No.5

THE JOURNAL OF ALUMINIUM PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING

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CONTENTS 1

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FUTURE ALUMINIUM PREVIEW

9

The broad-based aluminium tariff imposed by the USA

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19

25

COVER

Editorial Editor: Nadine Bloxsome Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855115 nadinebloxsome@quartzltd.com

Volume 31 No. 5 – September/October 2018

ALUMINIUM 2018 PREVIEW

ROLLING TECHNOLOGY

AUTOMOTIVE

INDUSTRY 4.0

Production Editor: Annie Baker www.aluminiumtoday.com September/October 2018—Vol.31 No.5

LEADER AND NEWS

THE ALUMINA CHRONICLES PRIMARY The role of aluminium smelters in decarbonising our future

SUSTAINABILITY ASI strides ahead with responsible aluminium certification programme

ROLLING

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Assan Alüminyum: Investing in high value-added products

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An Industry 4.0 compliant quality management system

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Tenova supplies roll grinding machine to JW Aluminum

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Mill at Tianjin Zhongwang Aluminium Co. Ltd. expanded

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Selective roll cooling for AFC

THE JOURNAL OF ALUMINIUM PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING

Sales

Sales Director: Ken Clark kenclark@quartzltd.com Tel: +44 (0)1737 855117

Advertisement Production Production Executive: Martin Lawrence

A LU M I N I U M I N T E R N AT I O N A L TO DAY S E PT E M B E R / O CTO B E R 2 0 1 8 V O L . 3 1 N O 5

Sales Manager: Nathan Jupp nathanjupp@quartzltd.com Tel: +44 (0)1737 855027

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AUTOMOTIVE Leading-edge innovations fuel transformation of global

auto industry

Managing Director: Steve Diprose Chief Executive Officer: Paul Michael

47

Automotive lightweighting with aluminium closures

Circulation/subscriptions

49

UAE aluminium is growing on automotive demand

Elizabeth Barford Tel +44 (0) 1737 855028 Fax +44 (0) 1737 855034­ email subscriptions@quartzltd.com Annual subscription: UK £245, all other countries £265. For two year subscription: UK £440, all other countries £480. Airmail prices on request.

Single copies £45

Cover picture courtesy of FIVES

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Industry 4.0: Evolution, not a revolution

56

Sourcing high purity aluminium online

Supporters of Aluminium International Today

Maximising efficiency and safety of crane operations

62

Closer look: Molten metal explosions

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ALUMINIUM INTERNATIONAL TODAY is published six times a year by Quartz Business Media Ltd, Quartz House, 20 Clarendon Road, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 1QX, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855000 Fax: +44 (0) 1737 855034 Email: aluminium@quartzltd.com Aluminium International Today (USO No; 022-344) is published bi-monthly

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SAFETY

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22-23 MAY 2019 • SHERATON WARSAW • POLAND

INDUSTRY 4.0

PRODUCTS & PROJECTS PROCESS MODELLING Plant capacity modelling considerations

FURNACE TECHNOLOGY & HEAT TREATMENT Temperature profiling systems support growth

HANDLING Superflex strops lifts Constellium’s business

ASSOCIATION UPDATE Focus on: EPMA

ALUMINIUM 2018 PREVIEW

TOMRA to spotlight sensor-based sorting STAS acquires technologies

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DIRECTORY + PROFILES

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TRAINING COURSES

Taster page / Exhibitor profiles September/October 2018

07/09/2018 14:38:59

2 COMMENT

INDUSTRY NEWS

Novelis to acquire Aleris Novelis has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Aleris Corporation, a global supplier of rolled aluminium products.

“Acquiring Aleris is the right opportunity at the right time as they are set for transformational growth. The significant investments they’ve made in the high-demand, high-value aerospace and automotive segments

have resulted in favourable longterm, global contracts.

These investments, coupled with a diverse and talented workforce, will add tremendous value to our organisation and allow us to deliver the highest quality innovative aluminium solutions to our customers,” says Steve Fisher, President and CEO, Novelis Inc (pictured).

Steve Fisher, President and CEO, Novelis Inc.

Aluminium industry gathers It’s that time of the year again... while Christmas cards are already appearing in shops, that’s not what I am referring to!

It is of course, the esteemed ALUMINIUM 2018 Show, taking place from 9 - 11 October at the Messe Düsseldorf.

I was honoured to be asked to put together a special Show Newspaper for the event, so as well as this issue, keep an eye out or visit the team on Booth 11E55/02 to collect your free copy. It contains information on the products and solutions on display, as well as in-depth interviews and a specific focus on innovative technologies.

Speaking of technology, I will also be hosting the Digital Manufacturing session at the Forum on Wednesday 10th October. Access for visitors to this special area (12F40) is free of charge, so come along and hear all about the latest technologies assisting aluminium manfuacturing and we will be announcing the next Future Aluminium Forum, which will take place in Warsaw, Poland in May 2019.

Back to this issue and it is bursting with feature articles, with a special focus on rolling, aluminium in automotive, Industry 4.0 and safety.

We also introduce a new, regular column called the Alumina Chronicles, which this time gives an in-depth look at the aluminium tariff imposed by the USA. I hope you enjoy the issue see you in Düsseldorf! nadinebloxsome@quartzltd.com September/October 2018

Nadine sept oct.indd 1

The future of mining The Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma’aden) and GE have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding to explore opportunities to deploy GE’s industry leading digital solutions across Ma’aden’s diverse mining operations, including sites focused on gold, copper, aluminium, and phosphate.

GE will provide Ma’aden with digital transformation advisory and applications, as well as leadership and training opportunities for Ma’aden’s employees across the Kingdom.

To maintain its world leading competitive position across a number of commodities, Ma’aden is pursuing a number of partnerships in order to capture the opportunities found in digitisation and inno-

vation, and will invest in the application of pioneering technologies in its operations in the Kingdom in order to remain ahead of the competition and reinforce the company as a global mining leader. GE’s digital mining solutions will look at specific areas within Ma’aden including solutions that make adaptations for improving ore grades; reduce fuel and energy costs and usage; improve equipment reliability and availability; reduce maintenance costs; and increase productivity and efficiency across operations.

Bill Ruh, President & CEO, GE Digital continued, saying, “We are partnering with organisations across heavy industries around the world to bring digital solu-

tions to their operations. The scale and impact of organisations such as Ma’aden is enormous, and we know that the optimisation and increases in efficiency will have a major impact on the company and the country. By working together to develop solutions that are tailored for the sector and environment in which they will operate, we can ensure truly positive outcomes.”

Fort William progressing The owner of the Fort William aluminium smelter has said preparations to build a new plant producing alloy wheels for the automotive industry at the site are progressing well.

GFG Alliance was granted planning consent for the project – expected to create hundreds of new jobs – earlier this year and aims to start building work soon.

A spokesman for the multinational firm said: “We’ve erected project offices next to our aluminium smelter, with five full time project-management staff already in post and a further eight due to join the team over the coming months.

“We are undertaking site clearance work and steadily working

our way through conditions attached to our planning approval, which was granted in January.”

He added: “We’re having some very encouraging conversations with vehicle manufacturers regarding market demand for the wheels we aim to make … and we’re very excited by their positive response

to our plans.

“Detailed design work for the new plant is continuing and we’re benefiting greatly from the expertise of senior personnel at the alloy wheels plant we acquired recently at Chateauroux in France, who are working very closely with the UK team.”

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INDUSTRY NEWS 3

Caustic soda shipment Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) has received the first shipment of caustic soda for its under-construction Al Taweelah alumina refinery.

Caustic soda and bauxite are the two most important raw materials in alumina refining. Stocks of these materials are initially required for the carefully-planned sequential commissioning of Al Taweelah alumina refinery.

EGA began importing bauxite in June. EGA has also begun stockpiling hydrate, another raw material required to commission Al Taweelah alumina refinery.

Al Taweelah alumina refinery is the first to be built in the UAE and only the second in the Middle East.

First alumina from Al Taweelah alumina refinery is expected during the first half of 2019.

NEWS IN BRIEF Arconic/Boeing contract Abdulla Kalban, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of EGA, said: “Whilst construction continues in many areas of Al Taweelah alumina refinery, we are steadily moving into commissioning completed equipment and sections. Importing the first of these raw materials is an important milestone in this immense effort to develop alumina refining as a new industrial activity in the UAE.”

First shipment: Bel Air Alufer Mining Limited has announced that production has commenced at the Bel Air bauxite mine in Guinea and the company has achieved First Ore on Ship on schedule, on budget and with zero lost time injuries.

Surface mining started at the end of June 2018 and material was stockpiled in advance of commissioning on the 3rd August 2018. Having successfully tran-

sitioned from Construction into Operations the team will now focus on ramping up to steady state production of 5.5 million tonnes per annum.

Bernie Pryor, CEO, commented, “We are very proud to reach this milestone. Building a mine within such a short timeframe on a greenfield site, on time, on budget and with an exemplary safety record is a rare achieve-

Mecfor unveils AGV Mecfor proudly unveiled one of its most innovative projects to date, the AGV TEAM: The first automated guided vehicle designed and

made in North America and destined specifically for the worldwide primary aluminium production industry.

ment. I would to thank all of the stakeholders in Bel Air; our shareholders for financing the project, our team and contractors on the ground for their hard work and dedication and the Government of Guinea and local communities for their ongoing support. We will now implement the ramp up and look forward to Alufer becoming a fully-fledged bauxite producer in the coming months.”

The vehicle is able to manoeuvre in completely autonomous fashion within complex environments posing numerous challenges, such as strong magnetic fields, dust, wide temperature variations and constant interactions with workers and other equipment.

“With this technological investment, Mecfor is positioning itself for the aluminium refinery of the future while opening the door to other, similar equipment tailored for different industries in which operations are conducted in hostile environments,” said Éloise Harvey, president of Mecfor. “At the same time, we are reaffirming our position as a leader in our sector and contribute to Quebec’s position as a trailblazer in new technologies.”

Rio Tinto: ASI certified The certification means Rio Tinto will be the only company selling aluminium that customers can be assured has been produced to the highest environmental, social and governance standards, placing Rio Tinto at a competitive advantage.

The certification reinforces Rio Tinto’s commitment to responsible mining and metals production by providing material traced through a ‘chain of custody’.

Rio Tinto Aluminium chief executive Alf Barrios said: “This demon-

strates Rio Tinto’s commitment to the highest international production standards and offers customers the ability to provide end consumers with the confidence that the aluminium in their products has been responsibly produced.”

Arconic has signed a new longterm contract with Boeing to supply aluminium sheet and plate for all models produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

The new agreement builds on Arconic’s collaboration with Boeing for wing skins on all of its metallic structure airplanes and includes polished fuselage skins and wing ribs. In addition, Boeing awarded Arconic new business for the supply of structural plate used on a variety of other applications, including wing ribs for carbon fibre platforms such as the 787 and 777X.

EGA: Safety incident An investigation has been launched after two workers died during routine maintenance operation at Emirates Global Aluminium site in Dubai.

EGA said in a statement that its emergency response procedures were activated, and the relevant authorities in Dubai were notified and have been providing support at Jebel Ali. The company said the men were working at an industrial furnace, which was shut down for routine maintenance and was not operational at the time.

Ardagh: Steel to Alu

Ardagh Group has recently completed the conversion of its Rugby (UK) beverage can manufacturing plant from steel to aluminium.

“The conversion of the Rugby plant has further enhanced Ardagh’s manufacturing footprint. Operating two highlyefficient aluminium beverage can plants in the UK, at Wrexham and Rugby, supported by our recent investment in our Deeside ends plant, positions Ardagh to offer leading beverage customers greater choice and flexibility in future,” says Oliver Graham, CEO Ardagh Metal Beverage.”

September/October 2018

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4 INDUSTRY NEWS

Water in a can Tesco is the first supermarket in the UK to sell water in cans rather than plastic bottles.

The retailer is now offering spring water in 500ml aluminium cans at its 700 stores under the CanO Water brand, which started two years ago in London.

“Aluminium cans have the highest recycling rate of any product out there and a recycled can could be back on the shelf as another one in just 60 days,” says CanO Water co-founder Ariel Booker.

He hopes that his cans will rival industry giants, while their minimal design and cult social media following will attract a younger generation.

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Danieli secures data

October 09 - 11 ALUMINIUM 2018* ALUMINIUM is the world’s leading trade show and B2B-platform for the aluminium industry and its main applications.

Held in Düsseldorf, Germany www.aluminium-messe.com

October/November 29 - 01 Danieli has announced that it will utilise cybersecurity blockchain solutions to secure data on its networks.

The move is likely to set precedent for other large corporations looking to deploy cybersecurity blockchain solutions to defend against new cyber threats.

Danieli has signed a partnership with cybersecurity start-up Naoris.

Following an initial cybersecurity consultation, the companies have agreed to collaboratively imple-

ment blockchain-based cybersecurity solutions across part of Danieli’s data servers worldwide.

It is estimated that the cost of an average data breach exceeds €3m, rising above €300m for major breaches (where 1 million to 50 million records are lost), according to IBM. A robust cybersecurity system is therefore essential for blue chip organisations such as Danieli in order to protect significant amounts of sensitive company and client data.

Constellium: Smart Lab Constellium Valais and the Haute École d’Ingénierie of HES-SO Valais-Wallis have joined forces to create the first industrial and academic lab for applied research and development in Valais, Switzerland.

Digitalisation is a challenge for all manufacturing companies today. For Constellium Valais and the Haute École d’Ingénierie HES-SO Valais-Wallis, it was natural to join forces and gather competencies around digitalisation concepts to further master industrial process-

September/October 2018

Nadine sept oct.indd 3

The International Committee for Study of Bauxite, Alumina & Aluminium (ICSOBA) The conference will review the status of bauxite, alumina and aluminium industries in the world with emphasis on Brazil.

Held in Belem, Brazil www.icsoba.org

November 11 - 13 ARABAL 2018 The Arab International Aluminium Conference (ARABAL) is the premium platform for the aluminium industry in the Arab world.

Held in Kuwait www.arabal.com

13 - 16

es. This partnership includes the creation of a “Smart Process Lab”, an applied research and development laboratory. A joint financing approach between Constellium Valais, the Haute Ecole d’Inge-

nierie and tier funds is supporting this 2M CHF five years collaboration. Both Management teams will be closely involved in the launch of the Lab in order to move forward quickly and effectively.

ERG aluminium plans Eurasian Resources Group has reiterated its commitment to strengthen its aluminium business with a number of new initiatives including the development of a joint venture to roll out aluminium poles, the introduction of hydropower as a means of producing “green” aluminium, and the manufacturing of 3D-printing powders.

Given current manufacturing volumes and trends, the Group

2018 DIARY

envisages that it will soon be able to use all alumina produced by ERG for its own aluminium production in Kazakhstan.

The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, recently completed a tour of a number of key industrial facilities in the Pavlodar region, where ERG is a major investor and employer. Mr Nazarbayev identified technological modernisation and increased output of high

value-added products as Kazakhstan’s main priorities. Accordingly, ERG announced that it is currently working on a joint venture to produce as many as 50,000 to 80,000 aluminium poles – notably in liquid form – that it will then aim to sell to other countries. Aluminium poles are used in the extrusion process, whereby the extruded aluminium profiles are then used to produce building materials and fittings.

Metal-Expo’ 2018 Metal-Expo provides a perfect opportunity to know the latest achievements of the industry for it is attended by the leading ferrous and non-ferrous producers, as well as heavy-engineering and metalworking companies from many world countries.

Held in Moscow, Russia www.metal-expo.ru/en

December 02 - 07 12th Australasian Aluminium Smelting Technology Conference This year’s theme is ‘Sustainable and Responsible Aluminium Production Growth’.

Held in Queenstown, New Zealand www.12aastc.com

*Pick up a free copy of Aluminium International Today at this event

For a full listing visit www. aluminiumtoday.com and click on Events Diary Aluminium International Today

07/09/2018 14:40:23

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6 FUTURE ALUMINIUM FORUM 2019

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Applying Industry 4.0 to aluminium production

Following on from the success of the inaugural Future Aluminium Forum, the Organiser’s, Quartz Business Media, are pleased to announce that the event will be moving to the Sheraton Warsaw Hotel in Poland on 22-23rd May 2019.

FUTURE ALUMINIUM Aluminium manufacturers are constantly looking to improve the efficiency of their production processes and are relying upon increasingly sophisticated digital technologies to streamline their operations.

In such a fast-moving world, characterised by complex Internet-based manufacturing systems, the Future Aluminium Forum 2019 is a must-attend event for aluminium professionals who want to unravel the mysteries and get to grips with the complexities of Industry 4.0.

The Forum is a live discussion of the issues surrounding innovation and will endeavour to cover all bases, including the all-important subject of machine learning, digitalisation, disruptive technologies, information sharing, process safety and control.

Speakers from academia, across the aluminium industry and the world of aluminium production technology will explain the key concepts behind the digitalisation of aluminium manufacturing. Myths will be exploded, ideas challenged and terminology explained.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? The Future Aluminium Forum is primarily concerned with Industry 4.0 and other advanced technologies that are impacting global aluminium manufacturing. The conference focuses on ‘the factory of the future’ and linked technologies, such as artificial intelligence.

It is the ideal event for senior level aluminium executives, chief technology officers and specialists with an interest in the application of new technologies to the aluminium manufacturing process.

The Forum’s key audience consists of those with a leading role in process technology excellence, industrial innovation, research and development, digital transformation and value acceleration, process simulation and engineering education and development.

22-23 MAY 2019 • SHERATON WARSAW • POLAND

DELEGATE REGISTRATION NOW OPEN Register online to subscribe to the Future Aluminium Forum membership package, which will include a subscription to Aluminium International Today, the Aluminium International Today Directory, relevant news alerts and admission to the Future Aluminium Forum.

STANDARD RATE: £990pp

EXHIBITION If you are interested in promoting your products and services to an international audience from across the aluminium manufacturing supply chain, then this is a unique opportunity to position your brand alongside leading experts in this field.

There are very limited opportunities available and these will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

TABLE TOP EXHIBITION SPACE £1,950

TO SPONSOR/EXHIBIT: Ken Clark, Sales Director Nathan Jupp, Sales Manager

T: +44 (0) 1737 855117 T: +44(0) 1737 855 027

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CONFERENCE: Nadine Bloxsome, Programme Director

T: +44 (0) 1737 855 115

nadinebloxsome@quartzltd.com

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07/09/2018 14:41:24

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THE ALUMINA CHRONICLES 9 5

Mr. Michael Bless, Chief Executive Officer of Century Aluminum Company; United States Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross; Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin; and Mr. Dusty Stevens, a worker at Century Aluminum, at the ceremonially re-start of the aluminium smelter of Century Aluminum Company at Hawesville, Kentucky, on August 22, 2018. Courtesy of Century Aluminum Company, 2018.

The broad-based aluminium tariff imposed by the USA

By Richard McDonough* The broad-based tariff on aluminium imports into the United States of America, implemented by executive order of President Donald J. Trump, may eventually have long-term impact on the aluminium market. Today, that is uncertain.

What is clear is that this broad-based aluminium tariff, along with an additional broad-based tariff on steel, is having a short-term impact on the aluminium market.

Prices have increased for many purchasers of aluminium in the United States. Some end-users of products made of aluminium are also seeing price increases.

And, as most industry leaders are quite aware of, these broad-based American tariffs on aluminium and steel have initiated a wide-ranging trade war that now affects products as diverse as agricultural feedstocks to motorcycles and from fabrics to appliances.

The broad-based aluminium tariff may

result in a few businesses being able to increase their profit margins and/or increase their sales in the short-term. Or, the tariff may change market conditions by encouraging the establishment of aluminium import quotes for major suppliers of the metal into the United States.

Tariffs implemented by executive order in the United States have generally been limited in duration. In many cases, the tariffs allow market leaders within the United States to stabilise their market shares rather than increase their market shares long-term.

To fully change the market for aluminium production within the United States alone would require substantial capital investments in new aluminium smelters, likely public policy decisions to subsidise the cost of electricity to the existing and new aluminium smelters, the recruitment and training of workers willing to do manufacturing work within the aluminium industry, and long-term contracts from

customers that guarantee purchases from existing and new aluminium smelters.

More likely would be a firm policy decision that the aluminium industry within the United States is actually a consolidated industry within the United States and Canada or the United States, Canada, and Mexico. With either both countries or all three countries combined together, decisions on capital investments, costs of electricity, worker recruitment and training, and long-term purchase contracts would be different from decisions made based on a market composed of the United States alone.

Beyond Canada and Mexico, the United States would also need to determine if the nation will choose to include or wall off through tariffs other countries that produce aluminium.

Until these policy decisions are made by the United States government, it is unlikely that most decisions on capital investments, costs of electricity, worker

*US Correspondent Aluminium International Today

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September/October 2018

07/09/2018 14:42:37

10 THE ALUMINA CHRONICLES

recruitment and training, and longterm purchase contracts will be made by industry leaders.

The main goal of both the broad-based aluminium tariff and the associated broad-based steel tariff was to “secure sufficient domestic production capacity of these vital metals for defence – for planes and tanks and for critical infrastructure,” according to Mr. Leo Gerard, International President of the United Steelworkers.

This union includes tens of thousands of workers in the aluminium industry.

When the broad-based aluminium tariff went into effect on March 23, 2018, several nations were exempted from this tariff. Among those initially exempted were America’s trading partners through the North America Free Trade Agreement – Canada and Mexico – as well as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, the European Union, and South Korea.

countries share the longest unprotected border between any nations in the world.

Quite literally, the United States and Canada cooperate and share military resources to such an extent that joint defence of both countries has been the operational policy of Canadian and American political and military leaders for decades.

While the stated goal of the broadbased tariff on aluminium involves military preparedness, the reality is that this tariff is impacting much more than domestic production capacity of aluminium for the armed forces.

In the short-term, many industry leaders will simply ride the wave of the market.

Some will prosper. Some will see costs increase.

Almost all will remember the actions of those with newfound market power.

If that power is utilised in ways that are

Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin, United States Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, and Mr. Michael Bless, Chief Executive Officer of Century Aluminum Company, cut the ribbon to ceremonially re-start the aluminium smelter at Hawesville, Kentucky, on August 22, 2018. Courtesy of Century Aluminum Company, 2018.

The exemptions for Argentina, Australia, Brazil, and South Korea have since been made permanent.

The broad-based aluminium tariff became effective on imports from Canada, the European Union, and Mexico as of May 31, 2018.

While the United Steelworkers – and many others - support the broad-based aluminium tariff, this union has explicitly stated that Canada should be excluded from any tariffs. The union – and many others in a variety of industries – has cited the deep integration between the business supply chains in Canada and the United States.

Beyond economic reasons, others have cited the military relationship between the two nations as reason to allow tariff-free trade between Canada and the United States.

The militaries of both countries are coordinated together in ways unseen between most other nations. Both September/October 2018

Tariffs Richard.indd 2

perceived to help the military supply chain within the United States – the key goal of the aluminium tariff – many will accept that market leaders responded to a request to help the United States.

If, however, that power is utilised in ways that are perceived as harmful to one’s business, those business leaders will be unlikely to forget who caused that pain.

Short-term, purchasers of aluminium may feel forced to purchase from specific aluminium suppliers.

Long-term, those same purchasers of aluminium may decide to make very different decisions based on the actions of those with the newfound market power.

As noted, those long-term impacts are uncertain at this time.

To understand the short-term impact of the broad-based tariff on aluminium, we looked at three locales, including Russia, China, and Canada.

As in Russia, Ohio; China, Maine; and

www.aluminiumtoday.com

Canada, Kansas.

These American communities bear the names of three of the countries affected by the aluminium tariffs.

Canada, Kansas, is a small, rural community at a crossroads between the cities of Hillsboro and Marion in the Flint Hills. About a mile north is Marion Lake, a reservoir that provides flood control to area communities and recreational opportunities for both local folks and visitors.

A few miles west of Canada is the headquarters and factory for Wheatbelt, Inc. This business manufactures a variety of rolling shutters using aluminium. In operation since 1981, the company builds window shutters as well as shutters for doors, skylights, kiosks, serving windows, and screen porches, among other uses.

“A company’s profit is that last dollar and whatever is lost in sales drops any profit,” stated Mr Roger Hofer, President of Wheatbelt. “Now we have a 10% tariff for our sales to a big, old customer in Canada [the country]. I’m thinking he will go to a Canadian producer of rolling shutters.”

Mr Hofer concludes, “We put a tariff on Canadian aluminium, and they put on a tariff on it when we send it back. Nuts!!”

Russia, Ohio, is a village located in western Ohio. Approximately 650 people live in this community. One school building houses all public school children in grades K through 12. A branch library of the Shelby County Libraries is also located in the village. Several manufacturers are located in Russia.

Superior Aluminum Products is one of those manufacturers. The business has been directly impacted by the broadbased aluminium tariff, according to Mr Doug Borchers, President of Superior Aluminum Products.

“The tariff actually impacted Superior Aluminum long before the effective date…During the month of April, the price of aluminium on the open market went from less than 90 cents per pound up to $1.14, a cost increase of over 25 percent even before the 10 percent tariff went into place in June,” stated Mr Borchers. “Thankfully, a fair amount of our aluminium was purchased on future contracts, where our pricing was locked in for six months, so we have minimised the 35 percent price increase somewhat, but, nevertheless, I’d estimate our costs have gone up at least 15 percent. It also caused short-term worries about supply.”

Mr Borchers noted the low production capacity to meet the demands for aluminium within the borders of the United States. “If every aluminium smelter in the entire United States were running at 100 percent efficiency, 24/7, we could still only supply 30 percent of the raw Aluminium International Today

07/09/2018 14:42:39

12 THE ALUMINA CHRONICLES

www.aluminiumtoday.com

The aluminium smelter of Magnitude 7 Metals in Marston, Missouri. Courtesy of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, 2018.

aluminium that is needed in the country.

We simply don’t have the infrastructure here to make the aluminium we need, and to change that requires three to five-year projects to build new plants, assuming they could get the raw materials here to make it in the first place!”

He stated that the broad-based aluminium tariff is hurting many within the United States. “… To put a penalising tariff on aluminium coming into the United States mostly hurts our own economy.

Especially when the effects of retaliatory measures affect other American industries, which has already started. It won’t change the proportion of aluminium imported versus made here, because we’re already consuming all we can make in the United States. Prices for items like cars, buildings … appliances, equipment, and even beer will all be artificially inflated while this tariff is in place.”

“My hope is that this is a short-term escalation or disruption. I hope things stabilise soon,” stated Mr Borchers.

“It is very clear to us in the aluminium industry that the answer is not tariffs if we want to be more self-sufficient in the United States,” concluded Mr Borchers.

“It should be tax incentives to bring new aluminium smelter facilities on board. We are attacking the problem from the wrong end.”

China, Maine, is located in the central part of the state. While this region is dotted with small towns and rural communities, its economic well-being is tied into the overall global economy.

The largest trading partner for Maine is Canada. Nordic countries, Ireland, and the United Kingdom are also major trading partners with the state. In addition, countries in eastern Asia are also active in trade with Maine, especially in the area of seafood.

“While overall job growth in Maine has been approximately 3% from 2009 to 2017, jobs related to trade grew almost 26% (25.9%) during the same time period,” explained Mr Garvan Donegan, Director of Planning and Economic Development at the Central Maine Growth September/October 2018

Tariffs Richard.indd 3

Council. “Approximately, 1 in 4 jobs in Maine are now related to the global economy.”

The Central Maine Growth Council is a regional economic development nonprofit organisation that directly helps four local municipalities (Fairfield, Oakland, Waterville, and Winslow) as well as the central region of the state. In addition, this organisation is active with others in statewide initiatives to generate economic growth.

One of the tools utilised to enhance economic growth is available through the local Foreign-Trade Zone.

“Our job is to help businesses,” stated Mr Donegan. “In anticipation of the impact of the tariffs, we’re looking at ways we can utilise incentives through the programs of the Foreign-Trade Zone as one of the ways to blunt the impact of tariffs.”

“Our talks with local businesses affected by the tariffs are also facilitating broader discussions,” continued Mr Donegan, “on re-thinking the logistics and supply chains for these businesses.”

Beyond tools available through the programs of the Foreign-Trade Zone, businesses affected by the broad-based aluminium tariff also have the option to ask for an exclusion from the tariff.

As noted by the United States Commerce Department, “A separate Exclusion Request must be submitted on each distinct type and dimension of aluminium product to be imported.” In other words, a business manufacturing cans cannot simply ask for an exclusion from the broad-based aluminium tariff for all cans. Instead, the manufacturer must file separate exclusion requests for every specific type (size, dimension, and other differentiations) of aluminium can it produces.

Among those that can request an exclusion are manufacturers of aluminium.

ALCOA, for example, has filed several exclusion requests.

While a business can ask for an exclusion from the broad-based aluminium tariff, manufacturers of aluminium products in the United States are able to object to that exclusion request. Century Aluminum, for

example, has filed several objections to exclusion requests.

Of course, the impact of the broadbased aluminium tariff is not limited to Canada, Kansas; Russia, Ohio; and China, Maine.

The impact of this tariff has also been felt – to varying degrees – by some of the largest users of aluminium in business products and by a number of the largest industries that utilise aluminium in production.

The aviation industry is one of the largest users of aluminium. Airbus, one of the two largest airplane manufacturers, directly employs approximately 2,000 people in the United States. Thousands of additional workers in aerospace supplier companies derive employment from purchases of products by Airbus from those suppliers.

“Airbus has no comment on diplomatic matters or bilateral trade disputes.

However, we believe that global commerce is facilitated by reducing barriers to trade, and that there are no winners in trade wars. With regard to the impact [of the broad-based aluminium tariff] on Airbus, that is still being analysed…This is, in any event, an industry-wide issue and not unique to Airbus.”

The automotive industry is also one the largest users of aluminium. General Motors (GM), one of the largest automotive manufacturers, is also reviewing the impact of the aluminium tariff: “At GM we are still assessing the full impact of the recent and proposed trade and tariff actions. There’s no question we’ve experienced headwinds from rising prices on steel and aluminium that are largely a reaction to recent changes in trade policy. We have long supported policies that promote a level playing field for trade around the world.

Ultimately we would hope that would be with no tariff or non-tariff barriers between key trading partners. The global automotive supply chain is very complex and integrated. We need to assess all of these actions in their entirety – including the announced steel and aluminium Aluminium International Today

07/09/2018 14:42:39

14 THE ALUMINA CHRONICLES

www.aluminiumtoday.com

Wheatbelt, Inc. is located a few miles west of Canada. Canada, Kansas.

Courtesy of Wheatbelt, 2018.

The Arvida Aluminum Smelter, AP60 Technology Centre of Rio Tinto is located at the Complex Jonquiere in Saguenay, Quebec in Canada. Courtesy of Rio Tinto, 2018.

Century Aluminum Company operates an aluminium smelter in Hawesville, Kentucky Courtesy of the United States Geological Survey, 2013.

tariffs on Mexico/Canada/Europe, countryspecific retaliatory actions, NAFTA 2.0, China talks and Section 232 investigation on autos and auto parts. These actions are inter-related and must be viewed holistically.”

Rio Tinto is one of the world’s largest producers of aluminium. On August 1, 2018, Mr J-S Jacques, Chief Executive of Rio Tinto, commented on the impact of the broad-based aluminium tariff on the company: “Just to set the scene, the bulk of the aluminium produced in Canada is sold in the U.S. and we are supplying one third of all the aluminium consumed in the U. S., so we are clearly watching this whole trade situation, or potential trade situation, between the U. S. and Canada very, very carefully. Today, we don’t have any problem whatsoever. Remember you need to look at it through the lens of a consumer in the U. S. If you are a consumer in the U.S. you want to have access to a low-cost reliable source of aluminium. You could argue some of them want to have a green access to source, to have access to green aluminium as well, and the best aluminium you can think of is coming from our smelters in Canada. I mean, they are not in the first quartile of the cost curve, they are in the first decile of the cost curve. They are hydro based, and then on top of it when you think of the joint venture we signed with Alcoa and Apple to develop the inert anode technology, we are a few years away from having a purely green product there. At the end of the day from the consumer’s point of view in the U.S. I have no doubt, because the supply chain is so integrated between the U. S. and Canada, that common sense will prevail. Now back to your question about the premium and the duties, the way the pricing formula works is that there is no material impact for us at this point in September/October 2018

Tariffs Richard.indd 4

time, and you saw it in the margins that we presented in the presentation today.

The impact that we have in aluminium, which started last year and Chris (Mr. Christopher Lynch, CFO) did refer a few times in his speech, is about the inflation, which has nothing to do with it. From the purely trade standpoint today the whole situation in relation to NAFTA, between the U. S. and Canada, had no material impact on our business at all.”

The Coca-Cola Company and The Boston Beer Company are among a number of consumer product businesses that are raising prices. In the cases of these two companies, the increases in price affect soda and beer products, respectively.

Part of these price increases is reportedly because of the broad-based aluminium tariff, though the actual amounts of the price increases due specifically to the tariff have not been publicly disclosed.

Since this broad-based tariff on aluminium imported into the United States was first announced, several businesses have disclosed plans for substantial capital investments in aluminium production facilities. While these announcements may have followed the disclosure of tariff plans in Washington, it is likely that the capital investment plans had been under review and involved negotiations with governmental entities and utilities for some months or longer prior to actual announcements.

On the day after the signing of the new tariffs by President Trump, Magnitude 7 Metals announced plans to re-open an aluminium smelter in Marston, Missouri.

The smelter had closed in 2016. The company reported that it anticipates hiring 450 people for jobs at this aluminium smelter.

“We’re excited about the potential that the Marston facility holds, and we look forward to becoming a valuable member

of the community,” stated Mr Bob Prusak, Chief Executive Officer of Magnitude 7 Metals. The company plans to produce primary and high purity aluminium at the smelter. At full capacity, according to the company, this smelter is expected to support the production of up to 263,000 metric tons of aluminium per year.

According to a news release from the Missouri Department of Economic Development, “A critical component to the company’s decision to re-open the smelter in Marston was their ability to negotiate energy costs that would allow the company to compete in the global aluminium market. The company was able to reach an agreement with Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc., which is owned by and provides wholesale power to six regional and 51 local electric cooperative systems in Missouri, Iowa and Oklahoma.”

Mr David Tudor, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Associated Electric Cooperative, spoke highly of the re-opening of the aluminium smelter by Magnitude 7 Metals (M7M). “With hard work and creativity, Associated and M7M have reached an agreement that is good for the Bootheel [a section of southeastern Missouri], creates new jobs, and is good for M7M and Associated’s members.

“This agreement will enable M7M to start operation and begin adding jobs in southeast Missouri immediately,” continued Mr. Tudor. “Associated’s members will benefit through the more efficient use of available generating capacity, which helps offset the cost of service to all members.”

On April 4, 2018, Governor Matt Bevin of the Commonwealth of Kentucky announced that Century Aluminum Company would invest approximately $116.5 million for improvements at its operation in Hawesville, Kentucky.

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Superior Aluminum Products is located in Russia. Russia, Ohio.

Courtesy of Superior Aluminum, 2018.

China is a rural community in the central part of Maine.

Aluminium is a critical element in the American economy. Bauxite, the most common ore of aluminium, is the official state rock of Arkansas. Courtesy of Mr. Jim McDaniel and the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture, date uncertain

to build upon the momentum generated within the sector in recent years,” stated Governor Bevin.

Two hundred and fifty additional jobs are anticipated to be created through this investment, according to the Commonwealth.

Century Aluminum Company, the Commonwealth stated, “will use its investment to upgrade its smelting technology and to train new and existing employees to use the new equipment.

The Hawesville operation produces high purity metal required for the defence, aerospace and electrical industries. The improvements to the facility will allow the company to remain competitive in the marketplace and increase capacity.”

About four months after the announcement that Century Aluminum Company would invest approximately $116.5 million in its operation at Hawesville, the company held a ceremonial re-start of its smelter on August 22, 2018.

“We’re thrilled to be joined by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross as we strengthen our economic footprint in Hawesville and bring back hundreds of jobs to Western Kentucky,” stated Mr Michael Bless, Chief Executive Officer of Century Aluminum Company. “The Trump administration’s trade policies have provided much needed relief to America’s primary aluminium workers – levelling the playing field and ensuring that the U.S. primary aluminium industry maintains its competitiveness on the world stage. Today’s restart will allow us to return to 100 percent capacity in the months ahead while upgrading our smelting technology to ensure we remain competitive long into the future. We want to publicly thank President Donald Trump and Secretary Ross for their leadership on this issue.”

“I’m pleased to celebrate Century Aluminum’s reopening of the first of three pot lines that will in turn support America’s manufacturing independence and enhance our national security,” said Mr Wilbur Ross, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. “The aluminium sector has September/October 2018

Tariffs Richard.indd 5

weathered the hardships caused by unfair foreign trade practices. For too long, the government ignored repeated warnings of the impact on the U. S. aluminium sector and its ability to support our armed forces. President Trump’s initiatives are addressing the very problems previous leadership failed to confront with the urgency that these threats presented. This administration remains steadfast in our Made in the U.S.A. commitment.”

For a number of years, Mr Bless of Century Aluminum Company has advocated for the government of the United States to deal with “the global supply glut caused by the government of China’s continued unfair subsidisation of additional capacity expansion in China.”

On October 29, 2015, Mr Bless stated, “We are working actively with the industry and the U. S. government to address this situation, which must be rectified.

Our collective goal is no more than fair trade and transparent markets and equal conditions for all industry participants.”

“Overcapacity and overproduction continue to subsist in great quantities in China,” stated Mr Bless on October 27, 2016, “[thus] negatively impacting rational producers and markets in the rest of the world.”

On August 2, 2017, Mr Bless spoke of a continued “global supply surplus in primary aluminium.” He continued, “Enforcement of global trade laws, in our strong opinion, is necessary to level the playing field and ensure that all producers live up to their international obligations.

It is only through a market in which all parties compete according to the same rules, that fair conditions can be achieved.

We are confident our operations would thrive in such an environment, and are greatly encouraged by the leadership of the Trump administration in demanding this result.”

“We at Century have long held the belief that the U.S. primary aluminium industry can be competitive and can win as long as a level playing field exists,” Mr. Bless

stated on March 1, 2018, the day that the ten percent broad-based aluminium tariff was announced by President Trump. “The fact that we finally have such a strong supporter of U.S. manufacturing and U.S. industrial workers in The White House is gratifying. I am privileged, on behalf of our employees and the communities they support, to thank President Trump for his strong leadership.”

According to the United States Department of Commerce, 23 aluminium smelters have been shut down in the United States since 2000.

“In looking at the numbers, the U.S. aluminium industry produced only 744,000 metric tons last year,” according to Secretary Ross. “U.S. demand for aluminium has been growing, but that demand has not been filled by U.S. producers. Imports accounted for almost 90 percent of the U.S. market last year.”

“On a global scale, U.S. aluminium production accounted for less than 1 percent of world output,” Secretary Ross continued. “And while U.S. production has steadily declined since 2000, China’s output of aluminium has increased by 1,390 percent, from 2.4 million metric tons in 2000 to a whopping 36.2 million metric tons in 2017. China’s output last year was 49 times higher than U.S. production, and almost all of it was substandard, and subsidised — produced by state-owned enterprises.”

Secretary Ross concluded, “For the first time in decades, we are changing the trajectory of the industry. Many have painted our efforts to create a level playing field and ensure the continued viability of the aluminium industry as the starting of a trade war. But ...manufacturing companies and workers… in thousands of rural communities have been fighting unfair foreign trade practices for decades.

But our leaders have never fought by your side. This is not a new fight. This is a case of the U.S. government finally standing up for American workers, American families, and America’s national security.” � Aluminium International Today

07/09/2018 14:42:42

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The role of aluminium smelters in decarbonising our future Will our quest to decarbonise lead us to an energy-rich future, and what role can primary aluminium smelters play? Geoff Matthews*, Future Aluminium Forum Advisory Board member, says there is significant commercial opportunity for smelters as we seek a low emissions future, but warns that flexibility is key.

I recently visited a smelter where proudly displayed on the middle of the boardroom table was a very large piece of coal. The person escorting me in said, “that’s there to show politicians what an aluminium smelter needs to run on.”

The statement took me by surprise, and hours later I was still processing all of what it encapsulated. For such a simple statement it encompassed so much, and while it is wrong on several levels, the statement probably sums up where we sit as an industry today, and the problems we are facing.

I believe we are at a cross roads; with some wanting to stay in the past, some wanting to move forward, and others hoping things will remain the same. Given the decade we have had since 2007, and the changes going on around us, I think all three positions are somewhat understandable.

Just over 25% of our industry is blessed with being able to make low carbon emissions aluminium from geothermal and hydro generated electricity, and they are trying to distance themselves from the 75% who can’t. You can’t really blame them.

But it means we now have green, brown

and black aluminium.

While this is going on, the industry bodies are trying to distract the market away from the 75%, by focusing on the decarbonising effect that aluminium can play in the light-weighting of just about everything, its recyclability, and by

certifying good stewardship. And so they should, these are extremely important points.

But this begs the question; what are we doing about the 75% who are reliant on fossil fuels and nuclear for power generation?

According to the IEA, under the New Policies Scenario � Electricity generation is the rising force among worldwide end-uses of energy, making up 40% of the rise in final consumption to 2040 – the same share of growth that oil took for the last twenty-five years and marks the end of the boom years for coal. � Renewables capture two-thirds of global investment in power plants as they become, for many countries, the least-cost source of new generation � Natural gas becomes the largest single fuel in the global mix in the Sustainable Development Scenario (providing action is taken to minimise leaks of methane) � Improvements in efficiency play a huge role in taking the strain off the supply side: without them, the projected rise in final energy use would more than double. � In the European Union, renewables account for 80% of new capacity and wind power becomes the leading source of electricity soon after 2030. *Global Head of Strategy at Energia Potior Ltd Aluminium International Today

Primary energia potior Geoff.indd 1

September/October 2018

05/09/2018 16:06:36

20 PRIMARY

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WIND ENERGY CAPACITY IN GERMANY

NET WIND ELECTRICITY GENERATION IN GERMANY

60 18 16

50

14

Gigawatt (k)

Megawatt (k)

40

30

20

12 10 8 6 4

10 2 0

0 1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

2011

2013

2015

2017

Source: British Petroleum

2011

2013

2015

2017

Source: European Commission

While installed capacity graphs are impressively reassuring, actual month by month generation statistics illustrate the true nature of the problem While installed capacity graphs are impressively reassuring, actual month by month generation statistics illustrate the true nature of the problem.

EnergiaPotior.com EnergiaPotior.com

An Energy Rich Future? Some (strange) facts about the renewable energy around us. � It has been estimated that if all the sunlight energy striking the Earth’s surface in Texas alone could be converted to electricity, it would be up to 300 times the total output of all the power plants in the world. � Studies of the available wind energy resource (using existing wind generation technology) puts the potential at between 10 and 20 times the world’s total annual energy consumption. � The energy potential of the ocean’s waves and tidal flows is roughly three times the global electricity supply in 2008. � The heat energy contained in the upper six miles of the earth’s crust is estimated to be 50,000 times larger than the amount contained in all the world’s oil and gas reserves combined.

After-all, as my colleague Dr. Mark Dorreen says, “someone needs to use the high CO2 aluminium.” As recent events have shown us, aluminium has a price corridor it needs to operate within to stay relevant as a material. It’s the 75% that keeps the 25% within that corridor.

Too much scarcity would drive the price to the point that the world would look to competing materials to fulfil the roles that aluminium plays today. This can be worse than oversupply in some ways, as once some applications change to other materials, there may be no coming back for aluminium.

Furthermore, I don’t believe that the magnifying glass of public scrutiny has yet fallen on some of the claims of low CO2 aluminium. There are a few who are exclusively using hydro, while forcing others on the same grid to burn coal. It won’t take long before the public decide this is not a sustainable position.

There is a potential upside for smelters in this position however, and that is if a smelter in this situation were to modulate energy consumption, it would enable an increased percentage of renewables to be used in the rest of grid. In this case, it could be argued that the aluminium being produced is ultra-low CO2 aluminium, as

not only is the aluminium being made from renewable generation, the smelter is also helping with the overall decarbonisation of the grid; ‘double–green’ so to speak.

Lastly, the statement I referred to in the opening paragraph also alludes to the historical purchasing and political power that comes with size. There is no doubt that

It’s possible that no one on the planet will be unaffected by the changes to our energy systems over the next 20 years aluminium smelters are huge generators of economic activity, and have been the biggest users of electricity on the block, so to speak. But with decarbonisation, will the needs of a few override the wishes of the many?

As an industry we have flown under the radar for a very long time, but now some of the biggest brands on the planet, and some of our biggest customers, are starting to weave a sustainability story that involves us. Aluminium smelting cannot afford to ignore or be isolated from its consumer base when it comes to decarbonisation.

I believe the answers for aluminium smelting (indeed all large electricity users)

Currently we are building capacity to compound a problem that we haven’t yet got solutions to September/October 2018

Primary energia potior Geoff.indd 2

will be to embrace the change going on around us, and look for the opportunity that lies in becoming an integral part of the energy transition.

I have no doubt that grid-connected aluminium smelters, which can modulate energy consumption, can play a role in helping with decarbonisation.

A generational change At the Future Aluminium Forum held in Milan earlier this year, I said the energy use of primary aluminium production will have to change, because everyone and everything else around us will have, and our consumers will expect us to as well.

Electricity, the second largest cost input into making aluminium, is undergoing a rapid transition towards zero carbon emissions. Under all climate friendly future scenarios, including those of the International Energy Agency (IEA), electricity generation becomes largely CO2 free by 2060 .

Only a short time ago the naysayers would shake their heads and say the capital cost for a transition to renewables was too high.

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05/09/2018 16:06:37

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However, the problem of intermittency of generation is still with us, and is not currently matched by the tools required to balance it out across the grid.

Wind power accounted for 18% of installed electricity capacity in the EU in 2017, but only 11.6% of the annual generation.

We are currently ‘technologically short’ when it comes to technologies that can help with demand response. Or put another way; we are currently building capacity to compound a problem we haven’t yet got solutions to.

When you consume power is fast becoming as important as how much you consume. Demand response will become king.

This is where modulating aluminium smelters can help with decarbonisation.

Whoever solves the problem wins It is unthinkable to believe that the power pricing and contracts we enjoy today can remain intact. In fact, it may be detrimental for aluminium smelting to do so.

The electrification of industry that is predicted to go hand in hand with the increased use of renewables, also has the potential to challenge the privileged

leverage-position aluminium smelting now enjoys as a large-user.

Other sizable players are predicted to come into the electricity market. Players who can use flexibility of consumption as leverage, alongside their size. In fact, decarbonisation can’t happen without it.

Historically, industry has used fossil fuels as a direct source of energy, as electricity generation from fossil fuels was inefficient and therefore too expensive for most industrial processes, especially for process heat, which accounts for the bulk of industry CO2 emissions.

A staggering 75% of the total energy used in industry is for process heat, with over 50% of this being for medium to low grade requirements (under 400°C).

Currently less than 10% of the total process heat requirements of industry is being met by electricity. Renewable power generation offers industry the prospect of electrification.

This means competition from other industries for each kilowatt-hour is set to increase, but it won’t be for the most expensive kilowatt, or even competition for contracted kilowatts. It will be for zero or negatively priced kilowatts, as there will be times in a grid heavy with renewables

(and plenty of them) when there is too much generation in the grid.

New players will be eyeing this overgeneration and sensing opportunity like sharks sensing blood in the water.

Will aluminium smelting sit on its hands and let new players enter the market and absorb all the low-cost power? You would hope not, as bolt-on modulation technology exists today that would allow smelters to out-manoeuvre any new players before they even enter the market.

If I were designing a heavily renewables supplied grid from scratch today, I would have an aluminium smelter as a cornerstone partner. Not only does a smelter provide resilience and stability to the grid, it can also act as a virtual power plant to liberate energy back when there is under-generation, as well as soaking up the excess during over-generation.

This grid-balancing role is critical if we are to successfully decarbonise the energy grid, and in doing so, provide industry itself with a pathway to decarbonisation through electrification.

However, as I said at the Future Aluminium Forum; technology only enables the solution, it is people that ultimately solve the problem. �

LET’S TALK !

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For more information, see: www.es-series.com

-

RTST-2018-04-040-AnzeigeAluminium2018-e.indd 1

DĂźsseldorf / Germany 9 - 11 October 2018 Visit us: Hall 11 / Booth 11i65

Refratechnik Steel GmbH Schiessstrasse 58 40549 DĂźsseldorf Germany Phone +49 211 5858 0 aluminium@refra.com www.refra.com

01.08.18 10:03

SUSTAINABILITY 25

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ASI strides ahead with responsible aluminium certification programme Dr. Fiona Solomon* & Thad Mermer**

The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative’s (ASI) certification program is the only comprehensive voluntary sustainability standard initiative for the aluminium value chain. It drives responsible production, sourcing and stewardship of aluminium through uptake of the ASI Standards, which are applicable throughout the industry.

JOIN US at ALUMINIUM 2018: Dr. Fiona Solomon will be speaking on the implementation and impact of ASI to-date during the Recycling session at 15:10 on Wednesday October 10. ASI will also hold a lecture in the new ALUMINIUM Forum, which is freely accessible inside the trade fair halls. Join us to learn more about our work and how you can get involved.

Since the launch of the ASI Performance Standard and Chain of Custody Standard in December 2017, ASI has been working on several fronts to promote measurable and continual improvements in the key environmental, social and governance impacts of aluminium production, use and recycling. In particular, over the past few months, we have achieved milestones in several key areas that will enable further significant progress in the near future.

Here is a snapshot of where things stand in our work program (see also Fig. 1).

First ASI Certifications issued Since the program was launched at the end of 2017, ASI has already issued 3 ASI Performance Standard Certifications and one Chain of Custody Standard Certification. The latter certification is particularly significant as it represents the start of the availability of ASI Aluminium since the value chain stages are included in the certification.

Of ASI’s current 67 members, 34 of these will be seeking certification for some part of their operations within the next 2 years. Many of these members

67 members as of August 2018 Downstream General Supporters Supporters Industrial Users

Production & Transformation

34 members in Production & Transformation and Industrial Users membership classes to seek certification within 2 years

element Al

13

23 self assessments

open for Performance Standard

Civil Society

7 Accredited Auditor Firms operating in 55 countries

Associations

12 Registered Specialists covering critical sustainability aspects

education Al training/webinars 13

15 self assessments

11 educationAl videos online for

70 participants trained at ASI in-person training sessions

open for Chain of Custody Standard

members, auditors and stakeholders

Current Certifications

3

1

ASI Performance Standard Certificates issued

Number of facilities covered by the ASI Certification, listed by supply chain activity and country of operation

ASI Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard Certificate issued

Number of facilities covered by the ASI Certification, listed by supply chain activity and country of operation

1

Bauxite Mining

Australia

1

Bauxite Mining

Australia

1

Alumina Refining

Canada

1

Alumina Refining

Canada

5

Aluminium Smelting

Canada

4

Aluminium Smelting

Canada

7

Aluminium Re-melting/Refining

Canada

-

6

Casthouses

Canada

Aluminium Re-melting/Refining

3

Semi-Fabrication

Austria, Canada

6

Casthouses

Canada

Austria

1

Post Casthouse

Canada

1

Material Conversion (Production & Transformation)

-

Material Conversion (Industrial Users)

1

Other manufacturing or sale of products containing Aluminium

Austria

Note: A particular facility may be engaged in multiple supply chain activities (e.g., smelting and casthouse)

Fig 1. Infographic: A snapshot of ASI in numbers

*CEO, ASI, **Communications Manager, ASI Aluminium International Today

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26 SUSTAINABILITY

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55 countries

Fig 2. ASI Accredited Auditors’ Geographic Scope

have already started their certification journey by initiating self-assessments for the ASI Performance Standard (23 self-assessments) and Chain of Custody Standard (19 self-assessments) in elementAl, our cloud-based assurance platform.

Critical mass of ASI Accredited Auditing Firms Without the backbone assurance element of auditing firms, there can be no progress on certification. To date, ASI has accredited seven auditing firms that can cover all aspects of the ASI Performance and Chain of Custody Standards and which operate in 55 countries, covering all major world regions (see Fig. 2).

Specialists fill knowledge gaps A further means of support for members seeking certification is offered by ASI’s current list of twelve registered specialists.

The range of expertise offered by the current roster of specialists is as broad as the issues addressed by the Performance Standard itself, including CSR, governance, finance, law, sustainability, biodiversity management, protected areas, human rights, labour rights, child labour, due diligence, HSE, disputes and complaints, procurement, stakeholder consultation, material stewardship, management systems, energy management, indigenous peoples rights, free prior and informed consent (FPIC), air emissions e.g. GHG).

This expertise extends to all the relevant value chain stages: bauxite mining, alumina refining, aluminium smelting, cast-house, and remelting.

September/October 2018

ASI sustainability.indd 2

Building capacity of auditors and members Ensuring that members and auditors are fully informed on the specific characteristics of the ASI Standards and assurance system is underpinned

by ASI’s educationAl learning program, which comprises both in-person training sessions, as well as online webinars.

ASI’s one-day in-person training is required for auditors from ASI Accredited Certification Bodies to complete before conducting audits in the ASI Certification System. A modified version of the training for members provides the background knowledge necessary for approaching the audit process, and non-members with deeper insights into the ASI program.

Over 150 participants have taken part in the ASI training sessions held in Montreal, Paris, Perth, Shanghai, Shenzhen City, and Berlin. Before the end of 2018, four more training sessions will be held in Chicago, Melbourne and Dubai.

The second prong of the educationAl learning program is the online platform, which offers webinars with core knowledge of the ASI Standards, as well as touching on special topics such as due diligence and audit report writing. The online platform now also features interviews with ASI stakeholders, who provide insights into their unique perspectives and share their first-hand experience with the ASI certification process and the aluminium sector as a whole.

ASI also partners with external organisations to hold webinars that introduce potential tools for use during the certification journey, such as the

Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (with IBAT Alliance).

Outreach in a key global aluminium market: China To support a global uptake of the ASI Standards especially in regions of great importance to the aluminium value chain, one of ASI’s key areas of focus for outreach is in China. To this end, we have established a bilingual ASI China Contact person based in Beijing, and have added a page on our website dedicated to Chinese language documents and information.

A third element of our China outreach is an official profile on WeChat, which is used to share ASI’s current news and communications and initiate conversations with China-based stakeholders.

Coming soon: Monitoring and evaluation of impact The challenge of demonstrating impact is central to the design of the ASI certification program. The adoption of the ASI standard by actors in the aluminium value chain is a means to achieve responsible production, sourcing and stewardship of aluminium: it is not an end in itself.

ASI is developing its monitoring and evaluation plan, which sets out the ASI Theory of Change as well as the proposed indicators for ASI’s expected outcomes and desired impacts. The overarching M&E program, implemented via the plan will capture the most important changes brought about by value chain actors that have adopted ASI standards, and identify gaps and issues that need further attention. � Aluminium International Today

07/09/2018 14:43:34

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MATERIAL HANDLING SOLUTIONS FOR YOUR INDUSTRY Combilift is the leading supplier of customised handling solutions with guaranteed improved storage capacity, safer product handling and increased productivity.

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Assan Alüminyum: Investing in high value-added products Assan Alüminyum, one of the three largest aluminium foil producers in Europe, continues to expand in the flat rolled aluminium industry, while keeping its focus on becoming more environmentally sustainable in all of its processes. The company produces new projects that reduce its waste and its energy consumption significantly each year. The company has acquired a renewable energy power plant two years ago, in order to reduce its carbon footprint. The in-house recycling facility also contributes to the company’s sustainability strategy.

Celebrating the 30th anniversary of its establishment this year, Assan Alüminyum, a subsidiary of Kibar Holding, has become one of the fastest growing flat rolled aluminium producers in Europe, with its installed capacity now reaching up to 300 thousand tons per year. The company exports to more than 70 countries and 4 continents, mainly to West Europe and to North America.

Short-term investments completed Assan Alüminyum has installed two new casting lines in record time that have started production in the first half of last year, and a state-of-the-art foil mill, which has started production at the end of 2017. Five new coil and six new foil annealing furnaces and a world-class, high-precision grinding machine are also part of the completed investment. A high-precision coil-tocoil aluminium slitting line has also been installed and complements the high-capacity coil coating line.

With these new expansions, the company now has 19 continuous casting lines and 10 foil rolling mills.

Especially with the addition of the new foil rolling mill, the company is now able to concentrate more on high value-added flexible packaging products. The General Manager of Assan Alüminyum, Göksal Güngör, who is also currently serving as the President of Global Aluminium Foil Rollers Initiative (GLAFRI) notes: “We firmly believe that aluminium, with its superior qualities such as lightness, excellent barrier properties, flexibility and durability, will play a key role in the future of many other industries.

Aluminium International Today

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Therefore, while we monitor the current situation of global trade closely, we see this as temporary and continue to invest in the bright, sustainable future that our industry promises the world. Our 1500 dedicated employees are the ones who give us the strength to expand further

with no hesitations.” The company offers its products to a variety of sectors such as packaging, distribution, construction, consumer durables, automotive and HVAC. Striving to become more global Assan Alüminyum has recently established

its fully owned subsidiary, Kibar Americas, in Chicago, Illinois, through which the company aims to serve its North American customers. While through Kibar Americas, Assan Alüminyum currently provides services such as sales, supply chain, before and after sales technical support, it is also evaluating opportunities to grow in the North American market in the medium term. Güngör states: “We differentiate ourselves through our core values of reliability, flexibility and innovation. With our global culture, we work closely with our business partners, providing them with creative, tailor-made solutions, to become their localized solution partner. Hence our motto: Creating the Future Together, as our team is only complete when our business partners are also part of it.”

A new large-scale investment being planned out In addition to its recently completed investments, the company is currently planning a large-scale investment, consisting of a direct chill (DC), hot rolling facility. The negotiations are ongoing for this investment project, which is estimated to have a total value of 900 million dollars and to accommodate approximately 650 additional employees. This new facility aims to serve strategic industries, such as defense, aerospace, marine and other transportation and specialized packaging.

The investment also includes an integrated port and R&D Center. With the ability of producing high-grade alloys, the company will be able to create further added-value through high performance products.

September/October 2018

05/09/2018 16:09:46

30 ROLLING

Innovative and open for change The company’s focus on Research & Development (R&D) is also a significant contributing factor to its consistently high customer satisfaction and continuing growth trend. Assan Alüminyum’s officially certified R&D Center is dedicated to continuous progress through process innovations, which sheds light on the industry through many papers and proceedings published and presented at specialised global conferences throughout the years.

Most of the R&D projects are triggered by customer requests and expectations, ultimately developing customised and betterperforming products for its customers. With its strong R&D, the company aims to reinforce its position as one of the global pioneers in the continuous casting technology, both in terms of production capacity and technical know-how.

Uses renewable energy While half of the world’s population lives in cities, increased manufacturing as a result of excess consumption rapidly exhausts the world’s resources. Renewable energy plays an ever more significant role in effort to leave a better world for future generations. As the company’s sustainability principle of “producing the future, without wasting it” suggests, Assan Alüminyum constantly reduces its carbon footprint by producing less waste, less emissions and less energy. The company produces new projects that reduce its waste generation and its energy consumption significantly each year. The company also aims to become more environmentally sustainable by producing renewable energy, in the power plant it has acquired two years ago, at a rate that is equivalent to its electrical energy consumption in both of its production facilities. �

September/October 2018

Rolling assan.indd 2

Aluminium International Today

05/09/2018 16:09:49

FIVES TECH + FIVES TEAM

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Fives experienced experts assist customers from the designing phase of the project to the equipment commissioning and throughout the equipment lifecycle. With over 60 years of experience, the Aluminium teams have developed pioneering technologies and services to maximize the global performance of the smelter, to reduce its environmental impact and to enhance operators’ safety.

www.fivesgroup.com

32 ROLLING

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QES™ - An Industry 4.0 compliant quality management system Today’s rolling mills generate a cornucopia of data during each step of the different manufacturing processes. All this data can be used for different tasks, from monitoring the manufacturing process, online release decision, and to optimising the manufacturing and quality assurance processes. However, large amounts of data pose various challenges.

Based on innovative technology all quality

and process data coming from the different process steps of a rolling mill are integrated into one system.

Know-how, which is generated by applying statistical analysis methods, will become part of a continuous improvement cycle by being translated into rules and applied online.

It starts with a data warehouse solution that addresses the specific requirements of a rolling mill. Just storing everything is not the complete solution. Storing everything will result in a huge amount of data, including all erroneous data, which has a negative impact on the efficiency.

Therefore, rule-based validation processes are used to ensure an efficient data management and prevents the typical problem of “garbage in/garbage out”.

Hereafter the data is prepared for the different data driven applications as there are e.g. online coil release applications or offline data analysis applications.

Quality deviations are not necessarily show at the production step where they occurred!

Therefore probably the most important part of the data preparation is the genealogy – the tracking of the process and quality data throughout the entire production chain and for each production step!

Finally the data packages are compressed without any loss and stored for all process steps of the mill.

This specific preparation and storage of data allows the user to get answers to queries in seconds addressing all different process steps from the liquid phase to the finishing.

It is not rocket science: It is normally not just one but a combination of variables contributing to quality deviations.

E.g. some are from casting process and

at the same time from hot mill and maybe in addition the process settings at the cold rolling. Each variable contributes with a different weight factor to the deviation in quality. This is an indication for severity and also a clear direction for corrective actions.

QES™ DataCorrelator module automatically provides all the necessary information as a transparent decision tree. The decision tree is automatically calculated using neuronal networks and indicates all weighing factors for different levels of the tree, which can be used for setting of rules thresholds. The module even automatically provides a proposal for a new rule set which can be used in the quality decision in each process step. In the following example, customer claims are used to generate new rules or a complete new “if/than” rule set.

Knowhow which is once generated is no

longer lost after a period of time, but will be permanently stored in the rule set of the mill. Knowledge can be retrieved from the system easily for future ‘on the spot’ analyses or for continuous adaptation to changed conditions.

Additional applied QES™ software modules for automatic product (heat/ slab/coil/sheet) release or grading and for re-assignment, statistical process control including the intelligent expertise management system allow establishing a comprehensive quality management solution.

For the first time this system configuration now offers continuous adaptation to everchanging requirements of markets and especially high-end customers. And this is not only related to frequently changing product specifications, but also to smaller orders down to 1 product lots, which need a very flexible and short adaptation of

Fig 1. PDW – one data source for all data driven applications

Quinlogic GmbH, www.quinlogic.com September/October 2018

rolling quinlogic.indd 1

Aluminium International Today

07/09/2018 14:44:30

ROLLING 33 5

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Process signals product quality

Automatic rule extraction

If...

If...

If...

then... then... then...

Customer claims quality grading

else else else

Fig 2. Automatic generation of rules by “Machine Learning Algorithm’s“ for the rolling mill

process and quality control. Unforeseeable process disturbances are today much more critical but can be handled if the process conditions are transparent and accessible for all users in the system online.

Fast and positive acceptance by all quality system users in the mill, can only be achieved if the system fulfils all ergonomic and today’s usability requirements. Easy to use allows each quality and production engineer to maintain and operate the

Aluminium International Today

rolling quinlogic.indd 2

Fig 3. Continuous quality improvement in rolling mills

system completely autonomously. This includes new generation and maintenance of specifications, norms and customer specific requirements. Besides the quality targets all modifications have to include the economical view, which means to analyse and report exactly the produced output, the internal downgrades and the verified claims.

Before new quality specifications are applied in the mill, a sophisticated off

line simulation can predict how the new settings will perform. It calculates not only the “in specification” production but also makes sure that no similar product, out of specification responsible for a customer claim, will be delivered again.

Modifications can be implemented and tested in minutes. Therefore users can follow the changes of the market or specific customer requirements with flexibility and extremely fast. �

September/October 2018

07/09/2018 14:44:31

34 ROLLING

IRTC41 Dubrovnik, Croatia

15-19 October 2018 • 30% Software discount offer • Half price offer for previous delegates

41st International Rolling Technology Course The world’s leading course for the flat rolling process

Presenting the major aspects of hot & cold flat rolling • Modelling for Hot, Cold & Foil Rolling Processes • Hot & Cold Tandem Mill Control Design • Metallurgy of Sheet Products • Lubrication & Cooling • Mill Thermal Analysis • Flatness & Profile Analysis • Mill Vibration Phenomena • Online Models & Adaption • Mill Automation Concepts • Rolling Mill Actuators • Design of Integrated Control Systems • Scheduling of Reductions & Tensions • Control of Thickness, Width, Profile & Flatness For more information, please visit www.hatchkiosk.com/irtc or contact us on irtc@hatch.com.au

Tenova supplies roll grinding machine to JW Aluminum Tenova has been contracted by JW Aluminum to supply a roll grinding machine for work rolls and back-up rolls, a chock changer for work rolls and back-up rolls and a chock tilter for its expansion plant at Goose Creek, South Carolina (USA).

Within its aim to increase its production in South Carolina plant with the installation of proven, state-of-the-art equipment utilising green technology, JW Aluminum chose Pomini – the Tenova brand leader in production of roll grinders – for its references in aluminium applications, worldwide and in the USA. Pomini Tenova equipment will be installed at the end of 2019 to support the launch of the new equipment, foreseen in early 2020.

Moreover, the Pomini Tenova roll grinder will also be used on rolls from other, existing rolling mills on the same site.

This order is of particular significance because of the importance of the customer and the demands of aluminium applications. Additionally, there are several upcoming projects in the aluminium industry in North America and, with this award, Pomini Tenova is sending an umpteenth signal of strength and competence.

JW Aluminum manufactures specialty flat-rolled aluminium products for the building and construction markets, fin stock used by the heating and cooling industry, light gauge converter foil for the flexible packaging industry and honeycomb foil for the aerospace industry. As domestic supplier, the company has to cope with a highly competitive market. � Contact www.tenova.com

September/October 2018

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05/09/2018 16:25:20

EVERTZ HYDROTECHNIK

20 Years

1998 - 2018

Selective Roll Cooling Systems for Aluminium Hot & Cold Rolling Mills The best solutions for your application with our latest Spray Valve Technology:

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36 ROLLING

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Finishing mill at Tianjin Zhongwang Aluminium Co. Ltd. expanded Production of the complete range of aluminium hot strip grades now possible.

Chinese aluminium producer Tianjin Zhongwang Aluminium Co. Ltd. operates two high-capacity aluminium hot rolling lines supplied by SMS group in Tianjin, near Beijing. One of the two lines in 1 + 1 + 3 configuration, so far comprising two reversing roughing stands and a three-stand finishing mill, received a further finishing stand by SMS group in early 20108 and was thus be expanded to a 1 + 1 + 4 plant configuration. After the shutdown period of only 23 days, the first coil was successfully rolled ahead of schedule.

The first aluminium hot coil rolled in the expanded finishing mill Being in position one of the finishing train, the new, high-performance stand accomplishes the major part the forming work. As like the three existing stands, the new stand F1 is of 4-high design and features latest automation and control systems, such as CVC®plus (Continuously Variable Crown), roll shifting technology, a rolling technology package specifically designed for aluminium hot rolling and the X-Pact® electrical and automation systems by SMS group. The technology package includes a wide range of technological features such as hydraulic actuation systems and cooling, lubrication, measuring and cleaning systems designed to achieve the required mechanical properties and an excellent strip surface quality.

September/October 2018

Rolling SMS.indd 1

Along with the installation of the additional finishing stand, SMS group modified related plant equipment to make is suitable for the new and higher product quality requirements for the increased line capacity. Especially for low-temperature rolling, a newly developed blow-off and suction system has been installed in the exit section of the finishing mill. The mill in its present stage of expansion provides the line the high flexibility needed to roll the complete range of aluminium hot strip grades in widths up to 2,900 millimetres and thicknesses between 2.2 and 12 millimetres. Tianjin Zhongwang Aluminium was very happy about the fact that the high-capacity hot rolling line could resume regular threeshift production only three days after commissioning. �

The first aluminium hot coil rolled in the expanded finishing mill

Aluminium International Today

05/09/2018 14:05:47

ALUMINIUM Materials handling andɅliftingɅsystems

Storage systems

Centrifugal blowers

Ship loaders/unloaders

Bath and carbon recycling plant systems

Dense/solid phase and other conveyingǾsystems Potfeed e.g. HyperDense Phase SystemsǾ(HDPSTM) Dosing devices

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Pot process control systems Electrolysis handling equipment Carbon: rodding and anode handlingǾsystems; baking furnace liftingǾsolutions

2017-08-01 10:03 AM

Optimised Selective Roll Cooling State of the Art Header Designs ■ Robust ■ Bespoke ■ Longer service life Class leading Valve performance ■ Maximum flow rates ■ Maintenance friendly ■ Increased cooling efficiency Perfect spray solutions ■ Bespoke spray angles ■ Improved product quality ■ Energy cost savings

Lechler Ltd. ∙ 1 Fell Street · Newhall · Sheffield S9 2TP, United Kingdom · Phone (+44) 0114 2492020 Fax (+44) 0114 2493600 · info@lechler.com · www.lechler.co.uk

ROLLING 39 5

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Selective roll cooling for AFC Latest design and application advances to ensure better performance and availability.

As the demands placed upon rolling mills to produce faster, harder grades of material at a cost efficient price increase, the demands placed upon the ancillary actuators increase accordingly. The design philosophy at Lechler for its Selectospray Roll Cooling Solutions (SRCS) is to produce robust, maintenance friendly systems that allow the Mill Engineering team to focus the available maintenance time on all other ancillaries. The Lechler range of valves and associated header designs provide a total solution to meet the demands of the forward thinking producer.

Valve concepts Generically, the design process for a Selectospray valve focuses on three main areas: � Free flowing � Compact size � Ease of maintenance Type of

Taking each design feature in turn, free flowing valves are crucial to ensure longevity, availability by minimising the potential for a build up of particulate within a valve body, or nozzle orifice.

At the heart of the Lechler Valve design process is its CFD software (Computational Fluid Dynamics). The utilisation of the software allows for sequential design iterations which optimise flow within the valve. The removal of all obstacles to clean flow that can generate internal micro eddies within the coolant flow stream is critical to performance. Any separation of the coolant boundary layer gives rise to efficiency losses and turbulence. These free flowing design concepts ensure a class leading flow in terms of litres per minute, per zone.

The target of compact design, gives a multitude of benefits, the most significant of which is ultimately the achievable cross sectional area of the spray bar. Here, smaller is better for optimised positioning of the spray bar within the mill envelope.

A smaller spray bar can be positioned where larger designs simply will not fit.

Here a low cross sectional area enables the application engineering design team to position the spray bar such that all zone cooling sprays are perpendicular to the roll barrel surface, giving a symmetrical spray footprint, resulting in an efficient and homogenous cooling effect. By removing flow effecting material from Aluminium International Today

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Filtration

Pulsing

Valve pitch

coolant required required

Recommended

Application

valve

Emulsion

250μm

No

50

Modulax

Hot aluminium

Emulsion

250μm

No

25

Mini Modulax

Hot aluminium

Emulsion

250μm

Yes

50

DSA

Hot aluminium

Emulsion

250μm

Yes

50

ISA

Hot aluminium

Emulsion

250μm

yes

25

Mini DSA

Hot aluminium

Kerosene

<25μm

Yes

50

EVA

Cold Aluminium

Kerosene

<25μm

Yes

25

Mini Eva

Cold Aluminium

Kerosene

>25μm

Yes

50

DSA

Cold Aluminium

Kerosene

>25μm

yes

25

Mini DSA

Cold Aluminium

Table 1.

the valve body the process of design to manufacture is integrated, achieving slim line wall contours that ensure the bulk of the valve cross section is being utilised to enhance the flow profile within the limits of the zonal spray requirements.

A design methodology to always consider the maintainability, with a complimentary concept of minimising

full life costs of a Selectospray product ensure that the end user is maximising mill availability. All Lechler valve designs enable accessibility from the front of the spray bar, thus removing the requirement to remove the spray bars from the mill stand. This feature of the Lechler valve range allows for only consumable items such as seals and ‘O’ rings which require inspection at interim maintenance periods. This is carried out in a minimum timeframe which ultimately enhances the mill availability.

Appropriate valve selection In aluminium rolling, it is the process, the process requirements, and the cooling philosophy that determine the valve selection process. Table 1 shows the selection process based upon the type of coolant used, the filtration standard at site, the automation requirement to pulse September/October 2018

05/09/2018 14:08:25

40 ROLLING

or not, and the minimum nozzle pitch required.

The Lechler valve range has class leading flow per valve and in some cases this allows the designer to select a “Mini” valve at larger pitches where a standard 50 mm valve would be used. This ability gives rise for the potential of reduced spray bar heights and the accompanying optimisation of spray bar position within the mill window. Typical values for flow rate @ 7 Bar are 159 l/min for the standard range of valves and 59 l/min for the mini range of valves For hot aluminium, the Modulax range of valve is unsurpassed in terms of flow capacity, versatility and maintenance friendliness. Its ability to be contamination tolerant makes the Modulax the ideal choice for emulsion cooling in hot applications.

The simplicity of the design when combined with a small number of moving parts which provide full cabinet protection makes it the preferred choice for maintenance management.

For contamination tolerance with the additional requirements for pulsing, the electromagnetic DSA and Mini DSA provide all the benefits of the Modulax valve but now enhanced by the pulse facility giving the customer benefit of a greater turndown ratio, only limited by the nozzle flow capacity and the spray control philosophy.

For cold aluminium, utilising Kerosene or rolling oil, the electric EVA & Mini EVA provide unrivalled flow in a compact package. When coupled with its new offset pin design this means that once again maintainability is enhanced by removing the need for time consuming alignment of the electrical connections. The unique offset pins mate with a central and an annular contact, which when combined with the dovetailed spray nozzle remove a significant amount of maintenance “setting” making the units effectively “fit and spray”.

September/October 2018

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Header design Each of the Valve types within the Lechler range has its own “typical” corresponding header design. Each design concept has been developed utilising the same CFD package applied to the valve design, here looking to control the flow velocities of the coolant from the pipe supply through the internal coolant chambers to the delivery of the coolant at the valve inlet ports. Each change in cross section through which the coolant flow has to pass through is designed to allow for minimal disruption to the flow with a controlled rate of velocity change improving the pressure distribution along the length of the spray bar.

The design philosophy at Lechler is always to optimise the Selectospray system to meet the specific demands of the customer. The optimisation process takes all the relevant parameters of flow, space availability, number of rows, coolant feed interfaces and cooling spray philosophy into account.

With this data an initial proposal of position can be determined within the mill window. Here Lechler has a significant advantage in the next iteration of optimisation, due to the fact that Lechler is a nozzle manufacturer. The spray nozzles used in a Selectospray system are not limited to the standard catalogue range of nozzles, which means that the designers have the ability to change offset, spray and inclination angles to achieve the best spray pattern possible. Resulting in, the required zonal overspray pattern to ensure full roll width coverage.

To compliment the target of ease of maintainability, the spray bars are manufactured from stainless steel to ensure long service life and hence reducing full life operating costs. Where required these designs can incorporate roll change rails, which are designed using FEA (Finite Element Analysis) to determine the safe loadings and deflections within strict structural integrity parameters.

Availability When all aspects of the Selectospray design and value engineering are integrated, the end user is in control of a spray actuator that has been customised and optimised for the specific application.

The robust design principles and quality of materials used, give the Selectospray roll cooling systems a long lifespan in normal working conditions, providing a reliable system that will ensure that mill availability is not compromised.

To reinforce the foundation of good design and engineering, the correct use and an integrated maintenance plan are key in ensuring that the consistent performance levels of the Selectospray system to meet the production capacity demands.

Maintenance plans can start with the basic annual service and inspection at site, in line with recommended service intervals. Consumable components such as seals and ‘O’ rings, can be replaced, prior to significant wear that could give rise to performance losses.

Where possible the system design will have incorporated a level of interchangeability whereby a bottom header is identical to a top header, and in these cases the holding of a single spare header can ensure that maintenance time is reduced to just the substitution of a spare header for one that has been in service. This will allow a full refurbishment process to take place, either at the site maintenance department, or after many years a return to a Lechler service centre.

To facilitate the spares service and support of the Selectospray system, Lechler have a global support and service network, with facilities in USA, China, and India and at the design and manufacture facility in the UK. Only these service centres can supply a Warranted Lechler Maintenance service. Genuine Lechler service spares can be purchased from any Lechler Affiliate company, or via the global network of Agents. � Aluminium International Today

05/09/2018 14:08:32

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AUTOMOTIVE 43

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Leading-edge innovations fuel transformation of global auto industry In an ever-evolving global economy, the landscape of automotive consumer demand is changing at a rapid pace, underpinned by increasingly stringent government standards for safety, fuel economy and environmental impact. For automakers, staying competitive has never been more critical.

By Pierre Labat* In response, global automotive suppliers are dedicating significant resources to research and development of products that are lighter and more fuel-efficient, thus reducing emissions without compromising performance, design, safety and strength. Novelis leverages aluminium’s unique properties to deliver sustainable lightweighting solutions for automakers designing vehicles that are highly appealing to consumers while meeting or exceeding strict government standards.

Novelis is the only aluminium supplier with automotive sheet production capabilities in all three major autoproducing regions – Asia, Europe and North America. The company works alongside its customers at every step, from program development to launch, creating

new products and processes to meet the industry’s needs.

But how do you plan to meet those needs in an industry that is evolving based on consumer preferences and changing government proposals on fuel economy?

The strict corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) requirements for passenger cars to achieve 54 miles per gallon by 2025 set forth by the Obama Administration, prompted automakers to build more fuelefficient cars. To do that, many automakers including Ford Motor Company, turned to aluminium as an innovative solution to lightweight vehicles. Ford went as far as making its best-selling F-150 pick-up truck an aluminium intensive vehicle, shedding 700 pounds, achieving best-in-class fuel economy and a five-star safety rating.

However, the current administration has

proposed significantly rolling back those standards in the US, potentially giving automakers less incentive to lightweight vehicles. Which leads to the question, will lightweighting remain relevant moving forward?

In short, the answer is “yes.” While a rollback of CAFE standards in the US could prompt a change in thinking, automakers must still think globally. As China and Europe, the largest automotive markets, move aggressively toward a zero emissions future, automakers will need to build with lightweight materials such as aluminium to adhere to stricter standards.

In addition, consumer preference for large trucks and sport utility vehicles that are lighter, perform better and include more in-vehicle technology are projected to drive sales.

*Vice President, Global Automotive for Novelis Inc. Aluminium International Today

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September/October 2018

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44 AUTOMOTIVE

Lightweighting – the future of mobility and sustainability As fuel economy standards, safety regulations and consumer preferences motivate automakers to pursue lighterweight vehicles; advanced aluminium alloys offer a comprehensive solution for internal combustion engines as well as the emerging electric vehicle (EV) market. A World Energy Council study finds that by 2020, one out of six cars sold in the world will have to be electric-powered in order to meet evolving emissions standards. For internal combustion engines, hybrids and other alternative fuel vehicles, aluminium is highly effective. In all instances, where aluminium is integrated in parts of an automobile’s structure in place of steel, weight reduction of hundreds of pounds is routinely achieved without compromising safety, agility or strength.

Some may argue that lightweighting is less important for EVs, but in fact reducing weight is key for electric vehicles, not only for vehicle performance (driving dynamics, crash performance) but also for the cost. Hofer Engineering GmbH, a leading developer for electric powertrains, conducted a study to assess the impact of car weight on energy consumption for a range of models, from compact cars to SUVs. They developed a realistic driving cycle of a total 340 km, on highways, cities and hills. The results showed that 100kg of weight savings can help save 1kWH/100km, which would be equivalent to approximately 560EUR of battery cost savings for an electric vehicle with a range of 500km. Based on that, weight savings

September/October 2018

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would cost less than six EUR/kg saved, which is economically attractive for EVs. Using aluminium to lightweight electric vehicles allows them to run farther on a single charge. This helps ease the concern of “battery range anxiety” which has been a significant barrier for new car buyers considering EVs. Aside from enhanced mileage achieved by lighter-weight automobiles, aluminium has a clear advantage in strength-toweight ratio compared to other materials.

Its superior energy absorption properties contribute to overall safety as it can be designed to fold predictably during a crash with the ability to absorb twice the level of energy as steel.

An example of this material substitution is the 2018 Jeep® Wrangler, which now incorporates lightweight, high-strength aluminium in place of steel parts used in prior models. This material substitution was done mostly in closure applications, which include doors, fenders, swing gates and windshield framing. The adoption of more aluminium in the design achieved a 200 pound weight reduction, enhanced the SUV’s performance and agility, and boosted fuel economy by approximately three miles per gallon. The switch to aluminium helped make it the most capable and fuel efficient Wrangler ever produced.

Investing to meet demand According to a Ducker Worldwide study, aluminium adoption in cars and light trucks in North America is projected to reach 565 pounds per vehicle by 2028 up

from approximately 390 pounds in 2015.

Globally, automotive aluminium demand is projected to nearly triple over the next eight years with the largest growth potential in China, as both domestic and global automakers increase aluminium penetration and production.

As the market leader, Novelis has a responsibility to its customers to invest in capacity in time to meet demand by providing ready-access to critical aluminium supply stocks. Earlier this year, the company announced new investments totaling $480 million on two major strategic initiatives. The first was a $300 million aluminium sheet manufacturing plant in Guthrie, Kentucky that will encompass 400,000 square feet and the capacity to produce as much as 200 kilotonnes of automotive aluminium sheet beginning in 2020. The second was a $180 million expansion that will double the automotive aluminium body sheet manufacturing capacity of its Changzhou, China facility. The company is investing in a continuous annealing solution heat treatment line that will add approximately 100 kilotonnes of capacity to plant operations.

Leading through technology As witnessed in other industries, technology is changing the automotive world at an unprecedented pace.

Alternative fuel vehicles and autonomous cars are creating new segments within the global automotive market. When combined with vehicle concepts that are in various stages of testing and design, and others that are still on the drawing board, the marketplace is being redefined in-depth.

The definition of a vehicle itself is also changing and companies throughout the manufacturing supply chain must innovate if they are to survive – and thrive – in a consumer environment that increasingly demands greater options for technology, fuel-efficiency and higher performing vehicles.

To that end, 40 percent of Novelis’ annual research and development budget is devoted to innovating solutions for automakers. The company’s engineers, metallurgists, chemists and scientists are constantly seeking high-strength, highlyformable lightweighting solutions such as the 6000 and 7000 series alloys that enhance the structural integrity of vehicles and improve performance.

Through ongoing work at its global R&D facilities, the company is the automotive industry’s standard bearer for aluminium innovation. Novelis’ research and development team has been granted 140 automotive-specific patents, with additional applications pending.

Aluminium International Today

06/09/2018 12:32:21

AUTOMOTIVE 45 5

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Fostering collaboration With more than 40 years of experience in the automotive industry, and recognizing each new vehicle model presents a unique challenge to manufacturers, Novelis has a rich history of innovation in customercentric partnerships that have been integral in making generations of new automobiles a reality.

In partnership with Ford and Jaguar Land Rover, Novelis created revolutionary closed-loop recycling systems that take back aluminium scrap from each company and insert it directly into the supply chain for manufacturing into the same products from which they were derived. The results are remarkable. For example, in a single month, Ford reclaims enough aluminium scrap to produce an additional 30,000 F-150 truck bodies.

Novelis’ Customer Solution Centers being developed in Detroit and Shanghai will further foster collaborative efforts with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), suppliers and other automotive industry partners in making next-generation vehicles a reality. That work will include reimagining the role of aluminium in their products more rapidly, as well as designing the best solution at the right cost.

This thinking is embedded in the Novelis culture and drives a partnership model

that balances the need for long-term fundamental research with close connection to the strategic plans of the businesses that use its products and services.

The future Lightweighting and the adoption of more aluminium into vehicle design will remain a part of the industry’s future. Mobility will shape the way we embrace technology and allow for higher

performance alloys with better joining capabilities. Those innovations and the capacity to deliver consistent quality products on a global scale will benefit automakers as they allocate more time and resources to electrification, connectivity and autonomy. But it won’t happen in a silo. The aluminium industry will need to collaborate in order to maximize the benefits of aluminium and accelerate its adoption. �

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AUTOMOTIVE 47 5

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Automotive lightweighting with aluminium closures Aluminium material substitutions help OEMs meet regulatory requirements while maintaining design integrity.

Roof

Trunk lid

Outer hood

Fender Doors Body side panel Aluminium material substitutions for automotive closures have the potential to rekindle the passion for innovative vehicle design. For automotive engineers who remember when design options were less encumbered by regulatory mandates, this is good news.

More versatile than other steelalternative lightweight materials, aluminum serves the needs of multiple masters by providing: � The strength required to comply with crash-related government standards � The light weight necessary to meet fuel economy mandates � The versatility to create the deep, sharp styling geometry designers have become accustomed to, using prohibitively heavier steels.

The expanding definition of closures Automotive OEMs worldwide define “closures” or “hang-on parts” in different ways, but the trend is toward broadening the definition of “closures” to include a wider number of automotive components.

In the context of this article, closures are all components not part of the inherent Aluminium International Today

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body structure, i.e., those parts welded or bolted on to the underlying structure of the vehicle. These include not only highly style-sensitive components such as doors, trunks, tailgates and hoods, but also a variety of crash management parts like door impact beams and structural parts like roofs.

Perhaps the most striking example of aluminium integration to date has been the Ford Motor Co.’s 2014 release of the F150, in which all body panels, representing 17 percent of its production components, were migrated to aluminium, for a net weight reduction of 676.3 pounds. While not every vehicle will reap the improved efficiency of the production volume of the F150, which is likely to be atypical, this demonstrates the versatility and potential of aluminium substitutions.

Optimising return on retrofit investments Any metal material replacement requires a redesign process that takes into consideration not only the differing performance characteristics of the original and substituted metals, but also the compatibility of the substituted metal component with all adjoining metals.

When comparing steel alternatives, every potential material substitution is best suited to a particular role. Some are most useful for interior components unexposed to the weather elements, while others are so cost prohibitive that they are practical only in the context of high-end, limited-run vehicles. Although aluminium is versatile enough for use in casting applications, and for both exterior and interior components, it is ideally suited to closures. Here, the return on investment in retrofitting metal-sheet-stamping equipment is most rapid. This is due to omission of difficult joining operations like riveting or welding aluminium to steel.

A growing number of OEMs are finding it attractive to widen the scope of their steel-to-aluminium closure substitutions, particularly for more popular vehicle models, because with a higher volume, the cost per unit falls, offsetting the higher initial investment costs compared to non-sheet aluminium applications (e.g. via die casting).

No other currently available steel alternative can achieve such significant weight reductions at a better cost.

September/October 2018

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2015-2020 Sources of mass savings from material substitution

520

500

CFRP Composites <1%

466

400 300 200 100

Magnesium 1%

585

600

120

84

139

165

212

258

306

340

SMC, Polycarbonite & Fiberglass 2%

397

Aluminium 57%

FR steel = 590Mpa TS 40%

0 1975

1980

1985

1990 1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

2025

2028 100 pounds saved

Net pounds per vehicle

Achieving compliance, finance and design objectives The challenge of rethinking automotive designs in the context of aluminium substitutions is being successfully met by automotive OEMs working in collaboration with aluminium processors experienced in optimising the potential of aluminium. By taking a systems engineering approach to

Source: Ducker Analysis 1Q 2017

design, aluminium suppliers can identify best-value aluminium solutions and share best practices at every step of the development process, helping compliance administrators, the financial team and designers each realise their specific goals.

In the years ahead, both steel and aluminum manufacturers will continue to work toward achieving ever-better

Molten Metal Level Control

strength-to-weight ratios as they develop materials capable of further extending automotive design possibilities.

For the near future, aluminium remains the metal of choice for North American OEMs seeking to meet increasingly stringent requirements around the world. �

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05/09/2018 16:35:24

AUTOMOTIVE 49 5

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UAE aluminium is growing on automotive demand Millions of times per year, an auto part rolls off a factory floor in the UAE. And every time it does, the UAE gains a leg-up in the multibillion dollar automotive industry.

The global auto industry is worth USD 91 billion and growing. Profits for automakers were at a 10-year high in 2016, and by 2021, the number of cars in the Middle East and Africa is predicted to double, with 3 million more cars rolling off production lines between 2017 and 2021.

Every sunroof or car door that is made in the UAE further cements the country’s role in the industry and diversifies the national economy.

But the supply chains of major automotive manufacturers are global, and an increasing number are turning to the UAE for some of the parts they need to build their vehicles.

Although the UAE accounted for just 16.5% of automotive exports in the GCC in 2015, industry dynamics have buoyed its share of exports through aluminium.

Emirates Global Aluminium is one of the world’s largest ‘premium aluminium’ producers, and it provides its UAE-made aluminium to downstream companies in the country. Just five years ago, some of the country’s 26 downstream aluminium companies began using EGA’s aluminium to produce automotive material for customers around the world.

Abdulla Kalban, EGA’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer said, “EGA is one of the world’s largest ‘premium aluminium’ producers and about 10 per cent of our metal is sold right here in the UAE to a growing downstream fabrication sector. Making auto parts is technically challenging because of the very high quality standards required for safety, so as a country we should be proud that UAE companies have entered this market.”

Gulf Extrusions, an aluminium extrusions company founded in 1976, produced more than 1,900 metric tonnes’ of high-precision machined alloy products for automakers from Q1 to Q3 in 2017. Realizing the emerging market opportunity for aluminium in the auto market, Gulf Extrusion formed REFCO Metals in 2010, a subsidiary dedicated to finished, downstream auto parts.

Aluminium International Today

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While REFCO Metals’ auto sales represent just 6% of Gulf Extrusion’s total sales in 2017, it is a record-high sales volume for Gulf Extrusion’s subsidiary, and it represents a 200% increase in the segment since REFCO Metals began producing auto parts in 2012. Today,

REFCO Metals serves numerous titans in the auto industry, including Land Rover/ Jaguar, Daimler, Mercedes, Volvo, BMW, Ford, Honda, Volkswagen, Nissan, Jeep, and Chrysler. Its products are shipped to China, Mexico, Italy, Germany, UK, France, Holland, Slovakia, and Poland.

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50 AUTOMOTIVE

When asked how the UAE could secure its future in the automotive industry, Christian Witsch, CEO of Gulf Extrusion said: “Technology moves quickly and maintaining our competitive advantage requires us to stay ahead of innovation in what is a very fast-moving market. To do that, we must explore new technologies and continue to provide world-class quality with cost effective products. The groundwork is laid; quality standards are high, and getting it right the first time means that we will save on costs and waste down the line.”

Taweelah Extrusion Aluminium Company (TALEX), on the other hand, is just beginning to ramp up production and vie for a role as an automotive extrusion parts supplier.

REFCO Metals currently employs 344 people to support production and processing for the automotive industry, and TALEX has 305 employees with its sights set on expanding its role within the automotive industry.

Aluminium is one of the most soughtafter materials in the automotive industry.

Lighter than steel, aluminium allows vehicles to run on less fuel, improving vehicle performance, reducing emissions

www.aluminiumtoday.com

and boosting fuel economy. According to the European Aluminium Association, aluminium may prevent as much as 70 million tons of unwanted CO2 CO2 in vehicle emissions from reaching the atmosphere. This makes a substantial contribution to reducing climate change.

On top of that, aluminium offers more protection in a crash than steel, absorbing twice as much of the energy in an impact.

Automakers are clamouring for the metal because as much as 90% of the aluminium used in a car can be recycled once the vehicle is worn out, bolstering environmental sustainability throughout its lifecycle.

Aluminium is now the second most used material in the automotive industry today, and the sector is growing quickly, as automakers choose the lightweight metal over traditional and advanced high strength steel (AHSS).

Demand for aluminium is projected to see compounded growth of 4% yearon-year from 2016 to 2020 says analyst Technavio.

This spells big business for aluminium exports in the UAE. Downstream companies have access to a source of aluminium that is 99% pure and

speciality alloys produced by EGA. EGA’s aluminium is among the highest average purities of any aluminium company in the world. These downstream companies also have access to the established port infrastructure of the UAE through which tens of thousands of tons of aluminium get shipped annually.

EGA was a pioneer in the aluminium industry when the company opened its doors in 1979. Today, the UAE’s aluminium industry employs more than 30,000 people.

As these companies expand their portfolios of products, they will work with automotive customers even more, developing products that further improve the performance and fuel efficiency of the vehicles their customers need.

The pace of automotive demand for aluminium is not slowing down. By 2025, aluminium will comprise more than 75% of the body of pick-up trucks, 24% of that of large sedans, and 22% of the body of SUVs, according to Ducker Worldwide.

Demand will grow more robust, and the UAE will become an even greater asset in furthering the operational and environmental goals of global automakers. �

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INDUSTRY 4.0 - OPINION PIECE 53 5

Industry 4.0: Evolution, not a revolution After attending the Future Aluminium Forum, Anthony De Meurechy, Aluro Managing Director, took it upon himself to explain his views on Industry 4.0 in our sector. Hot topic at the forum: The Fourth Industrial Revolution. Is this a revolution for the aluminium sector, though, or just evolution? According to De Meurechy, the term evolution currently remains sufficient.

De Meurechy does consider the enormous increase in technological possibilities a revolution. However, so far, there is no sign of any dramatic change in practice.

Companies are receptive to automation and process optimisation, but internal procedures still require a lot of work before attempting a full transition to 4.0.

From this perspective, De Meurechy explores challenges also faced by Aluro and within our network, and how to address them in the future. Among other aspects, he argues for a shift towards increased co-creation within the sector, the continuing effects of digitisation and the responsibility of management teams for successful implementation of Industry 4.0 at their companies.

I wouldn’t dare to simply call Industry 4.0, also often called the fourth Industrial Revolution, a revolution. An evolution,

mass production. More and more smaller batches are created at the request of customers. We cannot simply call this a rapid, sudden turnaround.

“Not much has changed in the industrial sector compared to, say, 50 years ago.”

Of course, the fact that mass production is decreasing has a major impact on how we will need to deal with production in the future. The automation processes of the past must be revised and robots must be deployed more flexibly with a greater level of adaptability to faster address smaller customer requests.

We can only call Industry 4.0 a revolution when we look at the enormous increase in technical possibilities. And we are not even close to being done. But I’m

“I BELIEVE THAT THE ONLY REVOLUTION IS THE ENORMOUS INCREASE IN TECHNICAL POSSIBILITIES.” that’s certainly true. One of the speakers at the Future Aluminium Forum in Milan used this phrase and strongly opposed the rest of the speakers doing so. The definition of revolution according to the Oxford Dictionary is a “A dramatic and wide- reaching change in conditions, attitudes, or operation” and I don’t believe that is the case for this Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The industrial sector, and more specifically the aluminium industry, is known for its conservative character. This is also clear when we compare it to, say, fifty years ago. Not a lot has changed since then. The only major change we can observe is an ongoing decrease in Aluminium International Today

Industry 4.0 Aluro.indd 1

still convinced we cannot call it a sudden turnaround.

Companies are far from ready for the great leap towards full automation. This is a gradual process. Companies first want to prepare their internal operations and consider automation the next logical step.

I believe this will be the case for many years.

Last year, I commissioned a market survey among companies in France. I wanted to check whether there was any interest in the new Aluro products.

The result? There is potential. But not at this time. Further automation is not yet a priority for most companies in the aluminium industry. Companies feel like

“THE TRUE EVOLUTION STARTS WITH MANAGEMENT. ITS SPEED WILL DEPEND ON THE PACE WITH WHICH THE MENTALITY OF THE COMPANIES CAN MATCH THE

”

IMMINENT REALITY.

September/October 2018

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54 INDUSTRY 4.0 - OPINION PIECE

18th Century

INDUSTRY 1.0 with steam power from the agrarian to the industry society

19th Century

INDUSTRY 2.0 Using electric power for assembly line and mass production

www.aluminiumtoday.com

20th Century

INDUSTRY 3.0 Computerisation of production

21st Century

INDUSTRY 4.0 Intelligent networking of humans, machines and products

“THE GREATEST CHALLENGE IS COLLECTING THE RIGHT DATA, EVALUATING IT CORRECTLY, AND USING IT TO REACH UNQUESTIONABLE, RATIONAL DECISIONS.” they first need to develop their internal organisation and encounter the first problem here. What does it actually mean? When is my company ready for further or full automation?

We cannot forget that automation through robots and cobots has existed for years. This automation was mainly used in mass production, which no longer exists in that capacity. Just think about the automotive industry.

Automation also means big data, the corresponding analysis, cloud computing, the popular Internet of Things, cyberphysical systems and cognitive computing.

We have been collecting and analysing big data for years, but what will we ultimately do with it? It is very difficult to rationally support decisions with hard figures and not at all as easy as it seems. What data can we learn from? Is the underlying data correct? Are we, as a company, able to fully understand and use this new technology? How can you, as a company, even get started?

An individual company needs to make an enormous effort, both in terms of time and capital, to join this revolution, as most people want to call it. The demand for cooperation between different companies in the sector has been discussed several times and everyone agrees that we can achieve better results more quickly if we work together. But the conservative side of our sector also reared its head.

Because every company has its secrets.

After all, you need to distinguish yourself from others. But who are these ‘others’?

Our competitors within our own sector, the aluminium industry? I believe that’s simply not the case. We can benefit from working together to determine how we can complement each other within our own sector and what we can do for each other to get ahead of competitors from other sectors. Of course, this would mean we’d need to open up to each other. The corporate culture in Belgium is incredibly closed; it’s every man for himself. But it is important to share more data with September/October 2018

Industry 4.0 Aluro.indd 2

customers, competitors, suppliers and the like in the future... How else will we be able to offer cross- border and complementary services?

Examples are remote troubleshooting of technical problems of equipment. You need to visit the site if you don’t have access to a machine. Safety and security will play an important role in this respect.

There are still plenty of options for extremely efficient maintenance of equipment. Simply by applying Industry 4.0. Manuals that are provided digitally to the customer. Machine components with a QR code that enable a customer to order components himself with one push of the button. A customer can carry out maintenance and service himself and, if this is not possible, remotely track and evaluate all activities of the machine.

Customers can even preventively predict when something will break down.

Collecting data is an essential part of this. An engineer will only need to visit a site when really needed. He will have everything he needs there: the right tools, components, inside support... He also knows immediately what hotel and plane ticket he needs to visit the customer as quickly as possible.

The service employee has everything he needs to visit the customer and quickly analyse and resolve the issue without wasting any time. Nowadays, we also have things like Google Glass. The engineer puts on the famous Google Inc. glasses, determines the exact location of the problem, and resolves it. If he doesn’t know the solution right away, he can tap the Skype icon floating in front of him and be transferred to a person specialised in the specific issue who helps him through the cloud. A fairy tale? No, this already exists!

“Simply applying the basics of Industry 4.0 leads to a significant optimisation of business problems and faster troubleshooting.“

Aluro, must also be ready for this future.

We must ensure that communication with and connections between people, machines and sensors through the Internet of Things can take place smoothly. Aluro is committed to enable its machines to collect the right data and to communicate with customer systems. Customers will be able to make decisions based on these data to independently optimise production and logistics processes and resolve quality issues. Aluro is already working on the complete automation of machines, both in terms of material processing and the development of control systems. This is done using robots, vision systems, data collection, artificial intelligence and all needed new and existing technologies.

It is clear that Industry 4.0 involves a lot of challenges and that everything starts with management. It is the responsibility of the management team to acknowledge and understand this shift and to incorporate it in the strategy of the company. Companies in the industrial sector, and especially those in the aluminium sector, must ask themselves a number of questions.

What to do with employees who will be replaced by automation in the future?

Human capital will need to have different capacities than it does now. Are there enough people with these capacities?

And what precisely are the economic benefits of Industry 4.0? Will these be in proportion to the enormous investments a company needs to make to implement Industry 4.0? When you know that only 7% of the companies in the aluminium industry have answered these questions for themselves and has currently included Industry 4.0 in their strategy, you can see that we still have a long way to go.

Industry 4.0 is coming. Not like a real revolution, but as a reality which slowly moves closer and will shape the future.

But the pace of this evolution depends entirely on how fast the mentality of the management can change and how fast solutions to problematic issues such as data security can be found. � Aluminium International Today

05/09/2018 14:33:24

Excellence in Strip Processing Technologies

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BWG Bergwerk- und Walzwerk-Maschinenbau GmbH Mercatorstr. 74 –78 47051 Duisburg, Germany Phone: +49 203 99 29-0 Fax: +49 203 99 29-400 E-Mail: info@bwg-online.de

Technology made in Germany. Since 1955. www.bwg-online.de

56 INDUSTRY 4.0

Experience – the key to the future Foil Doubling

13 J40

Foil Separating

Sourcing high purity aluminium online

Strip Slitting

High purity aluminium manufacturer Hydro is now listing its products with online materials search engine Matmatch. The new materials add to the 80,000 already available on Matmatch’s website, where the easily searchable database allows product and design engineers to easily find the materials they require and filter by physical, chemical and thermal characteristics.

Duplomat

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Kampf Schneid- und Wickeltechnik GmbH & Co. KG Muehlener Strasse 36-42 51674 Wiehl Germany fon +49 22 62 81-0 fax +49 22 62 81-201 aluminium@kampf.de www.kampf.de

September/October 2018

Industry 4.0 matmatch.indd 1

High purity aluminium from grades 4N to 6N will be listed on the database, which have 99.99 to 99.9999 percent purity. Hydro refines the aluminium by using 3-layer electrolysis and fractional crystallisation technology to remove impurities such as silicon, copper and iron as well as a wide range of minor elements.

These processes also reduce the alpha emitting materials such as uranium and thorium to a predetermined level.

“We chose to be featured on Matmatch’s database due to the global reach of our brand,” explained Mark Morton, Head of Sales and Metal Management at Hydro.

“We find that design engineers no longer want to trawl through catalogues or endless search engine results to find the right product for their application, so being featured on Matmatch’s database will allow our customers to find us much more easily. No matter where our customers are in the world, or what sector they work in, they’ll be able to find our high purity aluminium on the Matmatch database.”

The global high purity aluminium market is expected to continually grow, with super high purity aluminium from grades 5N to 6N being increasingly used in the semiconductor industry. In this industry, it is used for thin films and in the

process of sputtering, where a thin film of metal is deposited onto the surface of the wafer.

The target material, known as the sputter target, must be extremely pure as any impurities will reduce the conductivity of the material and cause defects in the thin film.

High purity aluminium is also processed into sputtering targets for the flat panel display industry and is also a starting material in the production of high purity alumina used to produce synthetic sapphires.

Many different sizes and shapes of the material are listed on Matmatch’s database with tailor-made chemical specifications to fulfil the needs of the customer. The material is sold in the form of pigs, sheet ingots, round billets, small and large ingots, small pyramids and made to measure shapes.

The Matmatch website also lists materials from suppliers such as Alcoa, ThyssenKrupp and Plansee. If you’re interested in high purity aluminium, visit the Matmatch search engine here, or if you would like your materials to be noticed by design and product engineers across the world, then visit our site for suppliers here. � Aluminium International Today

07/09/2018 09:06:45

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By continuously improving and developing technologies for metal treatment, dross reduction and weight optimization, HMR’s concept ensures cutting-edge technology for mobile transfer equipment.

Soon Industry 4.0 and autonomy will drive our design towards remote operated equipment for aluminium transfer.

Visit our stand at Aluminium 2018 fairs In Dusseldorf to get updated on the next generation equipment.

HMR’s customers will benefit from the development towards autonomy and green energy solutions.

HMR Hydeq AS | N-6884 Øvre Årdal, Norway | e-mail: hmr@hmr.no

www.hmr.no

SAFETY 59 5

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Maximising efficiency and safety of crane operations in smelters

By Vianney Boyer*

Ten years have gone by since Fives designed and commissioned the first Pot Tending Machine 3D driving simulator.

At present Fives proposes Simulators for both Furnace Tending Assembly and Pot Tending Machines.

In addition, this solution has been enhanced by adding an adapt-to-skill feature in cranes’ control system.

The role of the simulator is to train new recruits as well as experienced operators, even before entering the potroom or the furnace area. The main goal of this virtual machine is to help trainees gain self-confidence, accuracy, rapidity and a suitable level of dexterity to start production, drive safely and efficiently the Pot Tending Machine and the Furnace Tending Assembly.

Three new generation Simulators will be delivered in the coming months when nine are already in operation. This crane simulator allows operators to optimise

productivity, greatly increase potroom safety and significantly reduce the corrective maintenance on tools. Endowed with additional functions, the original Simulator is now equipped with a double screen on which the instructor can chose to generate either a 3D virtual potroom or a furnace area, head tracking realistic 3D projection and the new 360° virtual reality which increases the user experience and allows for realistic training of floor operations such as aluminum tapping.

Training extended to maintenance team In fact Fives‘ multipurpose Simulator is a virtual crane in terms of electrical panel and physical 3D model but it also includes a PLC uploaded with the same program as real life cranes. This PLC is easily connected to level 2 system. Thus, training of maintenance team can be extended from crane driving to program

structure and troubleshooting hints.

Specific scenario such as emergency situations or breakdowns are included in the training program. All together, this significantly reduces investigation time when breakdown occurs in potline and improves teams’ reactivity whatever situation will be faced.

Fives’ complete solution The multipurpose 3D Simulator is now part of a complete Fives’ productivity package, which includes the “Skill2Perf” software solution.

Skill2Perf improves global operation performance and cranes availability by adjusting machine parameters to operator profile.

As an example, until now, when damages occur on one tool we were used to adjust the parameters by reducing the global speed of the crane. This adjustment was done once whoever operator will use

*New Technology Development Manager at Fives ECL, France Aluminium International Today

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60 SAFETY

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potrooms and the furnace area. At the end of the training sessions, full reports are generated for future reference.

the crane later. In fact an efficient setting for one driver is not always appropriate for another one.

Thanks to Skill2Perf feature, the system knows exactly the operator dexterity and related optimum parameters can be applied on the crane. It will adjust on the fly, and depending on the person installed in the cabin, the crane settings change accordingly.

All parameters can be managed by this system from horizontal movements speed and acceleration, hydraulic settings to software clearance interlocking the tools entering the pots.

When driver have proven his dexterity, higher speed and lower clearance will be allowed.

There are two main advantages of this solution. It reduces breakdowns and damages by ensuring smooth driving experience to operator. It increases overall machine efficiency by using higher settings when operator skills allows it.

From simulator…

Simulator principle: The trainee is put inside a real life crane control cabin equipped with the same interface than smelter cranes (joysticks, buttons, touch screen…). A virtual 3D potroom environment such as building structure and pots as well as other equipment and people likely to interact with crane are shown to trainee on the dual screen. In addition to 3D glasses and in order to display accurately operator’s point of view in real life, a specific system analyses the operator’s head location and adjust the projection accordingly to cancel the disadvantages of the flat screen.

Each simulator is tailor-made based on simulated plant potroom details such as positive risers and fume ducts geometry and crane design. All of this allows obtaining a real speed feeling and real point of view when tools are entering the pot thereby the operator experiences enhanced virtual driving conditions very close to real life.

Different comprehensive training programs for new recruits but also for long time drivers who have gained bad habits over several years of driving, have been created to facilitate step by step the improvement of operating skills. A typical training program begins with simple driving exercises to help the operators to master the basic crane controls and avoid being disoriented when combining cabin rotation and cranes translations: long travel translation, cross travel translation, rotation or combination of movements. When a sufficient level of dexterity has been reached, the driver can start operating the virtual crane and perform virtually the operation such as September/October 2018

Safety fives.indd 2

…to the potroom Based on results obtained by trainee when practicing on the simulator, the parameters are adjusted accordingly in Skill2Perf module. Those initial settings will be used in potroom when this operator will be operating the crane from the cabin.

Those parameters are likely to evolve based on experience in potroom during operations.

The possibility to change cranes operating parameters day after day allows all over the year the highest productivity with operator’s efficient settings and highest availability by reducing damages.

crust breaking or gauging. Final step is the complete anode change including safety concerns and interaction with other equipment such as vehicles, cranes and operators on the ground floor.

The replay function can also help the pilot to better understand his mistakes and improve his skills more quickly, using inside or outside views.

Trainees are graded after each exercise by the simulator, which files the diagram of each cabin rotation and cranes translation. Thus the trainer and the trainee have a global view of the progress achieved and competences still to be achieved so as to determine if the trainee is ready or not to work in the

Maximising efficiency and safety Already in use in smelters around the world, plants already equipped highlight that the PTM simulator shortens the required training time by at least 30 per cent, for both trainee and instructor. More importantly, the cranes’ availability rate is greatly increased because they are not offline for practicing purposes. This is most important at the smelter’s start-up when the crane’s workload is high and pots need to be more frequently attended. The self-service simulator is available 24/24 without disturbing production and do not require full time trainer.

Newcomers’ driving mistakes and production process disturbances are consequently reduced. This contributes to a more efficient operation at the smelter’s most critical time but it also significantly cuts down the number of expensive breakdowns and damages to pots and machines. This leads to saving of several hundred thousands of dollars every year in parts only, and a significant increase of the PTM availability rate.

Pilots are not only told what to do but are taught how to react when facing safety risk situations. Therefore, the multipurpose driving simulator greatly contributes to increasing the safety of the smelter.

Operations are smooth, taking advantages of efficient and realistic training on simulator in addition to parameters setup precisely in accordance with operator profile.

Conclusion Here is the reality: Producing more and faster in a safer environment. Fives’ solution including the multipurpose driving Simulator and Skill2Perf module is definitely a clear lever to reach a better efficiency and minimise production disruptions. � Aluminium International Today

05/09/2018 15:09:41

62 SAFETY

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Closer look: Molten metal explosions

By Alex Lowery* Molten metal explosions have historically caused the greatest financial losses for aluminium companies. Our industry’s history is littered with companies who have closed forever after an explosion.

Molten metal explosions have caused companies over $175 million in equipment and facility damages and loss revenue over the past five years. The vast majority of these explosions could easily have been prevented if the aluminium companies had followed industry best practices toward safety.

The Aluminum Association in USA has been the leader in researching and educating companies on the hazards of molten metal explosions. More than 40 years ago the Aluminium Association began studying why molten metal explosions occur and how to prevent them. It was determined that explosions occur for several reasons.

The most common reason is the mixing of water or other contaminants with molten aluminium on bare substrates of steel, concrete or stainless steel. The second reason why explosions occur is when molten metal comes into contact with a paint or coating that has not been approved through the Aluminium Association’s research studies. The Aluminum Association’s recently updated “Guidelines For Handling Molten

Aluminium” shows all their research on this matter. The guidelines are considered the industry’s best safety practices.

Most companies use this document as a reference for their workers. For the first time, the Guidelines identify four coatings that were tested and passed Aluminium Association backed studies that “have been identified as having the ability to prevent explosions from bleedouts into the pit during DC casting”. These are the Wise Chem E-212-F, Wise Chem E-115, Carboline Multi Gard 955CP, and Courtaulds Intertuf 132HS products.

This hopefully will clarify that other coatings currently in the marketplace, for example Chemglaze and Lord’s E212, may, as far as I know, have never been tested by the industry and should not be recommended to be used anywhere near molten metal in our industry. If it has been tested and approved I would welcome correcting in my next publication. In addition, with the coating Rustoleum Red, it was noted that it “did not prevent explosions”. The elimination of untested coatings in our industry would make those casthouses that may use them currently, safer, as well as protecting workers from injuries and fatalities.

For over 35 years, Wise Chem products have been synonymous with the prevention of molten metal explosions

worldwide. A majority of aluminium companies require Wise Chem coatings in their facilities. Wise Chem E-212-F and E-115 are applied to steel tooling, concrete casting pits, stainless steel tooling, factory floors and concrete pits under furnaces.

Companies rely on the long history of the products and unique characteristics that allow them to maximise production. Wise Chem’s light colour allows companies to easily determine if maintenance is required. There is no need to stop production to closely visually inspect the coating surface for damage if the coating was black in colour.

Many companies applied Wise Chem during construction of their foundries and casthouses. Overtime, with molten metal bleed outs the coating will eventually wear away exposing the dangerous substrate underneath. This is when maintenance of the coating surface is required. “Have you Wise Chem’ed lately?” is a question maintenance personnel hear regularly from management. They acknowledge the importance Wise Chem plays in preventing the destruction of their equipment and facilities from molten metal explosions.

Industry testing has shown an explosion can occur with a minimum bare area of 6.25 sq. cm has exposed the substrate (e.g., steel, stainless steel). Periodic maintenance should be schedule on a regular basis or after a bleed out. Then regularly scheduled recoats are done every 16 months for casting pits and 12 months for tooling. This time could be shortened depending on the frequency and amount of molten metal contact.

Wise Chem products are sold and serviced by Pyrotek throughout the globe.

Sadly a few reports of companies trying to counterfeit Wise Chem coatings have surfaced. There have been other reports of companies attempting to match the Wise Chem color and lying to the owner that “It’s Wise Chem” when it is not.

Assume the product is counterfeit if it is not purchased directly from Pyrotek.

Ask the contractor or equipment manufacturer for proof of purchase from Pyrotek. Final confirmation can always be done by contacting your local Pyrotek sales engineer.

Why do companies still forgo the

*General Manager, Wise Chem LLC September/October 2018

Safety Alex.indd 1

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07/09/2018 09:18:41

SAFETY 63 5

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use of Wise Chem in their foundries and casthouses? Are they are unaware of the hazard? They shouldn’t be. The growth of social media and 24 hours news results immediately catapults a casthouse blowing up into a national story publicised throughout the world. Are they are unaware of Wise Chem? Pyrotek has locations and sales engineers throughout our industry educating and servicing Wise Chem customers. Do some companies believe having high water casting pits are less likely to have explosions then low water casting pits? This is incorrect. High water pits are more dangerous because when an explosion occurs it is closer to the work floor resulting in a wider distribution of the explosive force. Explosions in low water pits occur at the bottom of the pit and the explosive force is directed upward like a gun barrel resulting in minimal damage compared to a high water pit explosion.

Could companies be choosing not to use Wise Chem for financial reasons?

On Tuesday, April 3, 2018 an explosion occurred destroying a casthouse in China.

The local government stated the explosion occurred when “uncontrolled aluminium liquid flooding into a cast well”. The cast

well and tooling were not coated with Wise Chem. History has shown us numerous similar incidents where explosions were prevented when Wise Chem was used.

Choosing not to use Wise Chem coatings in your foundries and casthouses

is risking the destruction of your facility and possibly your company. This Chinese proverb may answer why some companies foolishly chose not to use Wise Chem coatings, “Biggest profits mean gravest risks.” �

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Aluminium International Today

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mail@drache-gmbh.de September/October 2018

07/09/2018 09:18:43

64 PROJECTS & PRODUCTS The aluminium industry is constantly embarking on new projects and developing new products. In this regular feature, Aluminium International Today presents the latest announcements in these areas.

If you’d like the opportunity to be considered for publication, please contact: nadinebloxsome@quartzltd.com

Impol awards final acceptance to SMS group for modernised aluminium cold rolling mill

www.aluminiumtoday.com

Can-Eng Furnaces selected for North American Expansion Can-Eng Furnaces International Limited was recently awarded a contract from an India based conglomerate to design, manufacture, install, and commission an Aluminium Automotive Casting Heat Treatment system for their new green field North American expansion in South Carolina.

Can-Eng was chosen for this project largely due to the unique Modular Design concept,

which offers efficient product, process, and production flexibility for our partners new line of Die Cast Light Weight Aluminium Automotive Components. This Solution Treatment, Water Quench and Artificial Aging system are arranged to provide both T5, T6 and Homogenising Processes. The new system will service three distinct aluminium product groups with unique treatment cycles.

Lasered Components boosts output 10-20% with TRUMPF investment Lasered Components Ltd, a Braintree-based specialist in laser-profiled sheet-metal parts, has recently installed three TRUMPF TruLaser 5030 fiber machines, with the most recent arriving in March 2018.

Replacing machines of a different make, the trio of TRUMPF models are offering 10-20% more speed across all materials, along with higher levels of machine reliability, ease-of-use and product consistency.

After successful modernisation of the 40-yearold aluminium cold rolling mill by SMS group at the Slovenska Bistrica facility, the Slovenian aluminium producer Impol Group Slovenia has awarded the final acceptance to SMS group.

The previously performed acceptance tests had proven that the rolled products are now fulfilling even stricter quality criteria.

With this upgrade, Impol Group Slovenia has invested in the future viability of the facility and has brought about significant improvements of the cold rolling mill’s capability. The strip width and thickness range was enlarged and the maximum coil weight increased. By new setting and control systems, strip quality was improved, particularly regarding the achievement of closer thickness and flatness tolerances. A new strip blow-off system minimises oil residues and provides a homogeneous strip surface.

exlabesa commissions SMS Group to supply two light-metal extrusion presses exlabesa has awarded SMS group the contract to supply two 35 MN extrusion presses. The extrusion presses are to be installed at the production locations in Doncaster, UK, and in Minden, Germany. Each extrusion press is planned to be designed for a production capacity of around 10,000 tons of aluminium profiles. exlabesa’s plant in Doncaster, UK, will be upgraded as a result of this investment. The new 35 MN extrusion press will replace the existing 20 MN extrusion press. The new press will be used primarily to extrude profiles for automotive, architectural, and industrial applications from aluminium billets with a diameter of ten inches (254 millimetres) and a maximum length of 1,400 millimetres.

The second, equally powerful 35 MN extrusion press will expand the exlabesa group’s production capacity at its Minden works in Germany.

Fagor Arrasate contracts complete cutting line to China Fagor Arrasate will install a complete cut-tolength line (CTL) for one of the biggest aluminium producers in China, to be used for the aerospace industry.

This is the second installation of this type supplied by Fagor Arrasate at one of the biggest primary aluminium and alumina (aluminium oxide) producers of the Asian giant.

RUF acquires C.F. Nielsen By taking over C.F. Nielsen, RUF is expanding its offer with two important technologies in this industry – the mechanical briquetting and the compression with Extruder, also known as Shimada technology. For Roland Ruf, director at RUF, this is an addition, which is complementary in sev-

eral ways: “We are both family businesses with a very similar philosophy and method of operating. This means we attach great importance to being innovative through our content employees and presenting ourselves as reliable partners on the market. With this in mind, we will together drive new advances for our customers forward and make use of synergy effects.”

Aluminium International Today

Projects products.indd 1

07/09/2018 14:50:39

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PROCESS MODELLING 67 5

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Plant capacity modelling considerations This is the first part of a two-part series on process modelling. In this article, Andy Darby* will describe what’s important for plant capacity modelling. In part two he will talk about energy utilisation modelling.

One of the cornerstones of process modelling is mass continuity and energy balances. In other words “what goes in comes out, unless it stays there”.

Inherent in the basic premises and calculations is a notional time-base. This might be ‘per hour’ or ‘per year’ for example. Using these time-bases then allows us to consider the basic quantities of mass and energy in terms of flows, e.g., ‘tonnes per annum’ or ‘kWh’ etc.

Immediately the ability to investigate process (and plant) throughputs and capacities then becomes apparent.

I will discuss in this article how we utilise these metrics in plant capacity modelling.

They are integral components of Innoval’s process cost modelling approach which we apply to many process and plant scenarios (new and existing). I will not describe any particular process, but instead I’ll illustrate the principles we generally apply to plant capacity modelling.

A hypothetical plant Consider a plant that comprises a set of separate processes. Each of these could form part of a process sequence for the manufacture of the required products.

Some products may need to use all the available process steps; others may bypass some processes.

The number of products, each defined by characteristics such as size, shape, properties etc. is, in principle, limitless. An illustrative plant consisting of 7 processes (‘A’ to ‘G’) is shown in Fig.1.

This particular plant is currently producing 6 different products. You can see the process flow of each represented by a different coloured arrow.

For purposes of simplification and illustration, I’ve ignored added complexities such as process losses, waste disposal and internal scrap recycling flows.

With a hypothetical plant now established, we can start to think about plant capacity modelling.

Fig 1. Process sequence and six product flow diagram

The components of plant capacity modelling Calculating the plant capacity is often not as simple as reading the rated capacity (the ‘boilerplate’) on the side of the equipment.

To use an automotive analogy, just because the speedometer on the vehicle indicates a maximum of 150 mph, it doesn’t mean that the vehicle can achieve that speed – or would it be wise to even try! Further, the plant capacity isn’t the sum of the all the constituent process capacities, except in very specific cases. Indeed, as with a chain, the plant capacity will be governed

(most likely) by the weakest link. This is the ‘bottleneck’ process, i.e., the process with the most limitations and lowest production capability.

Essentially there are three factors that determine the production capacity of each process, and hence that of the plant overall. These are: (1) the process uptime, (2) the mix of products, and (3) the process (productivity) efficiency for each of the products making up that mix. You must evaluate each and then combine them to produce the process capacity. Each of these three categories will be considered Fig 2. Planned maintenance is an essential part of any well-managed manufacturing operation

*Senior Consultant Engineer, Innoval Technology Aluminium International Today

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68 PROCESS MODELLING

Hours per day Days per week Weeks per year Operating hours per year

Boilerplate capacity [tpa] Downtimes

Mix fractions

Productivity efficiencies

24 7 45 7560

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HPD DPW WPY HPY

Process A

Process B

Process C

Process D

Process E

Process F

Process G

Planned Unplanned Changeover

9% 2% 1.6%

9% 4% 1.9%

0% 4% 0.0%

3% 3% 0.2%

3% 2% 0.6%

9% 1% 0.8%

1% 1% 2.0%

Product#1 Product#2 Product#3 Product#4 Product#5 Product#6

0.19 0.13 0.11 0.15 0.20 0.22

Product#1 Product#2 Product#3 Product#4 Product#5 Product#6

61% 86% 62% 84% 94% 81%

83% 62% 89% 90% 67% 82%

89% 81% 94% 76% 97% 90%

77% 86% 85% 87% 61% 80%

74% 66% 98% 68% 69% 78%

80% 84% 79% 92% 71% 69%

80% 82% 72% 89% 93% 73%

1.3

1.3

1.1

1.2

1.4

1.3

1.2

100000

Effective Mix fraction total

Uptime (available HPY) HPY (reduced) HPY (reduced) HPY (reduced) HPY (reduced) HPY (reduced) HPY (reduced)

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6

Process capacity [tpa]

6,607 1,579 767 900 906 1,079 1,377 87400

Plant capacity [tpa]

90000

100000

0.25 0.20 0.26 0.29

0.19 0.13 0.11 0.15 0.20 0.22

6,434 1,530 1,114 1,996 1,794 76590

80000

7,258 1,360 1,023 746 1,258 1,314 1,558 96000

100000

0.33 0.22 0.19 0.26 -

7,091 2,501 1,532 1,311 1,747 75040

90000

0.22 0.19 0.25 0.34 -

7,137 1,715 977 1,921 2,524 94400

80000

0.21 0.18 0.25 0.36

6,744 1,345 1,210 1,417 2,771 80280

0.19 0.13 0.11 0.15 0.20 0.22

7,258 1,397 933 899 991 1,265 1,773 76800

75040

Process D

Largest process [tpa]

100000

i.e., limited by the smallest (single) process. BUT IS IT? REALLY? i.e., debottle-necking potential?

Fig 3. Plant capacity worksheet for an illustrative plant scenario

IN PROCESS MODELLING OR PRODUCTION PLANNING, YOU CAN BUDGET FOR EACH OF THE TYPES OF DOWNTIME. below: Uptime In principle each process would be available for work at all times that the plant is open for business. In reality, there are several reasons why this doesn’t happen.

Three such reasons are given below: Planned downtime There are portions of time when equipment needs to be taken out of operation for essential maintenance and repairs. We often refer to this as ‘planned’ downtime.

It is important because equipment and components will (and do) wear out.

Well-targeted maintenance and replacement programmes can usually help avoid catastrophic (and more expensive or dangerous) events.

Unplanned downtime Sometimes there are the unforeseeable occurrences. These are the breakdowns (equipment or component failures) and other factors that bring operations to an immediate halt. We often refer to these September/October 2018

process modelling Innoval.indd 2

as ‘unplanned’ downtime. Extensive and carefully executed preventative maintenance programmes aim to reduce this type of downtime (Fig 2).

Changeover downtime Where a plant makes multiple products, from time to time each process will need to alter its feed materials and, probably, its operating conditions. These alterations are never instantaneous. Particularly in batch or semi-batch processing industries, such as aluminium rolling and finishing, these changeovers may take minutes, but could also last for many hours. This is especially true if the ‘changeover’ period includes the time it takes to reach a new operating steady-state process condition.

In process modelling or production planning, you can budget for each of the types of downtime. Plants can do this by setting fixed maintenance schedules.

They can also analyse process history data for unplanned lost time and changeover efficacy.

You can express downtime in absolute terms (hours) or as a percentage of the

total operating time available.

‘Uptime’ (available hours per year) is what remains after we’ve taken all these deductions away from the total available operating hours. For the plant example we’re looking at here, I’ve evaluated the process uptime (actually expressed in terms of downtimes in this illustration) in Fig 3.

Product mix In all but the simplest process plants, production is about realising multiple products, either in parallel or sequentially.

In the illustrative example created here, the plant comprises a series of sequential processes. Furthermore, I’ve arbitrarily defined the product mix at the input to the first process step ‘Process A’. As an alternative, it is often preferable to define the final (output) product mix instead.

The product mix is the mass fraction of each product as part of the total input (or output). Their sum is unity. By the nature of the sequential process arrangement, the input mass fractions to each subsequent process step are then also determinable.

This is quite simple if there are no losses, but more complex if there are variable material losses in the preceding process.

For the purposes of this example, I’ve assumed zero material losses. An example is shown of ‘Mix fractions’ progressing through the plant in Fig. 3.

Productivity Although the individual processes may be easily identifiable pieces of equipment, such as a rolling mill or a furnace, it’s likely that each process will have multiple operating ‘modes’. This means there will be different operating conditions for each product. These modes might be manifested as different speeds, temperatures or hardware configurations.

These process settings reflect the required properties of the product. They could be the dimensions (length, width, thickness), material properties (strength, composition), or some product quality requirement (surface finish, temperature history, dimensional uniformity).

Taken together, all these competing requirements have the same effect.

They combine to give rise to a process ‘efficiency’ factor. In other words, usually a reduction in how much that process can actually produce compared to its theoretical or design (‘boilerplate’) capacity. It seems to be extremely rare to encounter a combination that increases the rated process capacity. However, this is possible of course.

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70 PROCESS MODELLING

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only 4 of the 6 products here.

Now we can correctly determine the plant capacity by summing the output of each product from the last (final) process each encounters. In this example, that is ‘Process G’.

In this example, the achievable plant capacity is actually greater than the obvious choice described above. However, it might not always be so.

One of the unavoidable problems with these process-based constraints is that the initial product mix might alter. The process and plant configuration will determine how much this affects the calculations.

THE CORRECT APPROACH FOR PLANT CAPACITY MODELLING REQUIRES THAT WE ASSESS THE WEAKEST LINK IN THE PROCESS CHAIN FOR EACH PRODUCT. which any particular product is less (or more) easy to make than an ideal case; hence the increased (or decreased) time required to process a given input mass. I’ve included a set of hypothetical productivity efficiency values in Fig. 3. I’ve also shown values for products not being processed through particular process steps. This is to illustrate that where the particular process is optional, we may already know the efficiency factor and that it is part of the process knowledge-mapping database.

A summation of all the input product mix fractions and productivity efficiency ratios gives rise to an effective product mix ratio. If every product could be made at the same rate and process conditions, for example speed etc., then this ratio would also be unity. Values greater than one indicate that it will take longer to make the product mix.

Machine time by product For many reasons, but primarily for aiding calculation of energy and utility consumptions, the number of machine hours required to realise each product at each process stage is necessary. I’ve shown a formula for calculating these machine times in Fig. 4.

Fig 4. Machine time by product

where xk is the mass fraction of product k, ηk is the production efficiency of product k, n is the number of products being realised by that particular process, and Uptime is the available operating hours for that same process.

You can see illustrative results in Fig. 3 labelled as rows ‘HPY (reduced) #1’ through to ‘HPY (reduced) #6’.

Calculation of plant capacity In contrast to the relative complexity of determining the machine hours by product, you might expect the plant capacity calculation to be easy: The boilerplate capacity of each process is scaled by multiplying by the ratio of ‘Uptime’ and ‘Operating hours per year’.

This gives the capacity of each process September/October 2018

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(tonnes per annum for example). The plant capacity would then be the minimum of these individual process values. For example, according to the example shown in Fig. 3, this is 75040 tonnes per annum and with ‘Process D’ being the limiting process. However, in the type of interconnected process configuration described here, that would be wrong.

De-bottlenecking A simple tabulated view of the plant in a process-by-process way allows us to clearly identify the rate-determining step (as shown in Fig 5 above).

By reference to Fig. 3 (part of the same calculation worksheet as Fig. 5), it also allows more immediate targeting of the best means of improving production capacity. For example, are there large amounts of unexpected downtime that need reducing? Or is it primarily a capacity constraint imposed by having, for example, only one piece of equipment at a particular process step? Installing an additional piece of equipment multiplies the ‘boilerplate’ capacity of course.

If you have any questions about plant capacity modelling or any of the topics described in this blog, please get in touch.

Perhaps you’re considering doing your own plant capacity modelling? In which case we can help you. �

The weakest link in plant capacity modelling The correct approach for plant capacity modelling requires that we assess the weakest link in the process chain for each product. However, you must note that not all products utilise each process step. In a close-coupled process chain such as that illustrated here, a further detail is that no process can create material. The mass throughput can only be up to and equal to the flows in the preceding processes.

This must account for the effect of enforced material losses of course, which are assumed to be zero in this simplified example.

The net result is that some processes may be unable to achieve anything close to their boilerplate capacity. For example, ‘Process C’ in Fig. 5, even though all products go through it, is at 76% of its maximum rated capacity. Other processes, such as ‘Process E’ in Figure 6, may appear even further under-utilised. However, it is essential to realise that we’re processing Process A

Boilerplate capacity [tpa]

100000

Process-Product capability Product#1 [tpa] Product#2 [tpa] Product#3 [tpa] Product#4 [tpa] Product#5 [tpa] Product#6 [tpa]

ACHIEVABLE OUTPUTS

Product#1 [tpa] Product#2 [tpa] Product#3 [tpa] Product#4 [tpa] Product#5 [tpa] Product#6 [tpa]

Product mix

90000

Process C 100000

Process D

Process E

80000

100000

Process F 90000

Process G 80000

20,893 10,139 11,901 11,978 14,271 18,218 87,400

18,218 13,264 23,756 21,352 76,590

17,993 13,527 9,863 16,635 17,378 20,603 96,000

26,462 16,211 13,878 18,490 75,040

22,685 12,927 25,405 33,383 94,400

16,013 14,407 16,870 32,990 80,280

14,784 9,869 9,510 10,491 13,387 18,760 76,800

14,784 9,869 9,510 10,491 13,387 18,218 76,259

14,784 10,491 13,387 18,218 56,880

14,784 9,869 9,510 10,491 13,387 18,218 76,259

14,784 9,869 9,510 10,491 44,654

9,869 9,510 10,491 13,387 43,257

9,869 9,510 10,491 18,218 48,088

14,784 9,869 9,510 10,491 13,387 18,218 76,259

76%

63%

76%

56%

43%

53%

95%

Process capability (cf boilerplate) Plant capacity [tpa]

Process B

Contact Innoval Technology Limited www.innovaltec.com

76259

Product#1 Product#2 Product#3 Product#4 Product#5 Product#6

Achieved 0.19 0.13 0.12 0.14 0.18 0.24

Required

0.19 0.13 0.11 0.15 0.20 0.22

Delta

2% 0% 13% -8% -12% 9%

Fig 5. Process-based plant capacity calculation worksheet

Aluminium International Today

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Temperature profiling systems support aluminium industry growth In today’s manufacturing market aluminium is increasingly becoming the material of choice being lighter, safer and more sustainable. With estimated growth in global aluminium demand in 2018 of 4-5% both primary and secondary processors of aluminium are rapidly looking to improve the efficiency of their operations.

Manufacturers looking to replace existing materials with aluminium are needing new methodology to prove that new thermal processing of aluminium parts and products is done to specification, efficiently and economically.

Helping with this need PhoenixTM offers a range of Temperature profiling solutions designed specifically for applications in the Aluminium manufacturing market.

Whether reheating aluminium slabs/ingots or log homogenisation in a continuous pusher or walking beam furnace, solution reheating (T6) aluminium automotive parts, CQI-9 & AMS2750 TUS, CAB brazing radiators or powder coating aluminium extrusions a unique system solution is available. In many situations PhoenixTM has worked directly with key industry players to develop bespoke solutions for unique process challenges.

PhoenixTM Temperature Profiling Solutions The PhoenixTM temperature profiling

system is designed to travel through the thermal process measuring the product and or furnace environment. A safe, efficient alternative to traditional trailing thermocouples. A high accuracy, waterproof, multichannel datalogger records temperature from thermocouple inputs, located at points of interest on, in or around the product being thermally treated.

To protect the datalogger as it travels through the hostile furnace a thermal barrier ‘Hot Box’ is employed to keep the logger at a safe working temperature to prevent damage and ensure accuracy of measurement. The design and choice of barrier is strongly influenced by the demands of the process as illustrated later in the article (Aluminium Processing Solutions).

PhoenixTM prides itself on offering the most comprehensive, flexible and durable range of barriers to suit, even the highest of temperatures and longest soak times, hostile environments whether pressure, gases or quenches, and process challenges such space limitations, product rotation or automatic robotic handling systems.

Employing the PhoenixTM system a complete thermal record of the product throughout the entire process can be collected. A popular enhancement to the system is the use of 2-way RF telemetry providing real time process monitoring

direct from the furnace. The product temperature can be viewed live and downloaded at any point in the furnace.

Raw temperature data collected from the process can be converted into useful information using one of the custom designed PhoenixTM Thermal View Software packages available. The thermal graph can be reviewed and analysed to give a traceable, certified record of the process performance. Such information is critical to satisfy CQI-9, AMS2750 and other regulatory demands. Fully TUS compliant reports can be produced in moments from the simple and intuitive software, making accurate TUS a simple and quick task. Information can be used to not only prove product quality but provide the means to confidently change process characteristics to improve productivity and process efficiency (Optimise Soak Temperatures & Times).

PhoenixTM Datalogger Range Dataloggers can be provided in a variety of configurations to suit the specific demands of the process being monitored. Models ranging from 6 to 20 channels can be provided with a variety of thermocouple options (types K, N, R, S, B) to suit measurement temperature and accuracy demands (AMS2750 & CQI-9). The loggers can be offered in either standard (<80°C/176°F) or high

*Product Marketing Manager, PhoenixTM September/October 2018

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FURNACE TECHNOLOGY & HEAT TREATMENT 73 5

coordinator connected to the monitoring PC. The routers being wirelessly connected are located at convenient points in the process to capture all live data without any inconvenience of routing communication cables as needed on other commercial RF systems.

The operator from the convenience and comfort of his control room/office can see what is happening in the process live. For an 11 hour process such live data gives the operator confidence that process is working without that nervous wait with a non-RF system to download from the logger at the end of the run.

In many processes there will be locations where it is physically impossible to get a RF signal out of the furnace. With conventional systems this results in process data gaps.

For the PhoenixTM system this is prevented using a unique fully automatic ‘catch up’ feature. Any data that is missed will be sent when the RF signal is re-established guaranteeing in most applications 100% in-process data review.

By Dr Steve Offley* temperature operating temperatures (Barrier Core Temperature <110°C/230°F) variants to allow use of either standard thermal barrier designs (Dual Phase Heat Sink) or high performance (Phased Evaporation – Water Tank).

Built to cope with hostile industrial environments the IP67 logger is capable of managing even the most demanding water quench process.

Provided with Bluetooth wireless connection for short range localised download and reset (direct from within the barrier) the logger memory of 3.8M data points allows even the longest processes to be measured with highest resolution to deliver the detail you need. An optional unique 2-way telemetry package offers live real time logger control and process monitoring with the benefits detailed in the following section.

Live Radio Communication The logger is available with a unique 2-way RF system option allowing live monitoring of temperatures as the system travels with the product through the furnace.

Furthermore, if necessary using the RF system it is possible to communicate with the logger, installed in the barrier, to reset/ download at any point pre, during and post-run.

Provided with a high performance ‘Lwmesh’ networking protocol the RF signal can be transmitted through a series of routers linked back to the main Aluminium International Today

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Aluminium Processing – Bespoke Thermal Barrier Solutions Preheat of Aluminium Slabs/Ingots prior to Hot Rolling (Pusher Furnace) Thermal Barrier embedded into the slab (machined or milled out) to allow safe transit of the test slab through pusher furnace (Typically 550°C/1022°F).

Thermocouples set deep into the core of the slab/ingot. Water tank designed to give capacity (volume of water) to allow protection of logger running safely at 100°C/212°F as water boils and evaporates off. Filling mechanism designed so that even during slab rotation (180°) entering and exiting furnace water is not lost from the tank. Employing RF, the soak process can be monitored to guarantee that the correct rolling temperature is achieved to avoid excessive roll wear. From live monitoring halving of soak times have been achieved.

Aluminium Log Homogenisation (Walking Beam Furnace) After casting aluminium logs are homogenised before being supplied to extrusion companies. The walking beam process is demanding not only due to the excessive durations (12 to 13 hours at 580°C/1076°C) but the fact that the profiling system has to rotate with the log and therefore needs to be the same form as the log with the same diameter or less.

The PhoenixTM rotating cylindrical barrier design meets the demands of the process perfectly. The barrier is attached to a shortened log and thermocouples are routed along the log in a machined channel to prevent problems during movement through the furnace. Design of the barrier water tank, providing thermal

Fig 1. PhoenixTM PTM1220 20 Channel IP67 Datalogger

PTM logger

TXR-1000

Fig 2. Schematic of RF Telemetry Real Time Monitoring Network

TXR-1000

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74 FURNACE TECHNOLOGY & HEAT TREATMENT

3

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4

3

Fig 3. PhoenixTM System embedded in aluminium slab/ Ingot - stainless steel cover to protect from high velocity air flow in furnace Fig 4. PhoenixTM Cylindrical Rotating Water barrier fixed to the aluminium log

Fig 5. PhoenixTM HTSO6 Solution Reheat System and Temperature Profile Trace collected from system

protection, guarantees that water capacity is maximised with no loss of water during continuous process rotation.

T6 Solution Reheat of Aluminium Automotive Products (e.g.: Alloy Wheels, Cylinders) The solution reheat process (T6) comes with many technical challenges where temperature profiling is concerned. The need to monitor solution treatment, quench and then the age hardening process requires not only a system that will protect against heat over a long process duration but also withstand the rigors of being plunged into a water quench between the two heating phases.

The PhoenixTM HTS06 system has been designed specifically for the T6 process.

The Datalogger is installed in the water tank cavity of the thermal barrier, with a water tight seal comprising of heavy duty September/October 2018

Phoenix.indd 3

gaskets and compression glands, through which the thermocouples exit. This protection along with the loggers IP67 rating ensures that the logger is protected from water damage during the quench.

Providing significant thermal protection, the outer cage containing the thermal insulation blanket wrapped water tank is capable of running through all three processes without interruption. In the quench the water tank is replenished and the blanket will absorb water providing further protection during the age hardening process. The TS06 can provide protection at 550°C/1022°F for up to 20 hours.

A key benefit of the TS06 system is the option to monitor with Real Time RF. Live process data can be viewed through the entire process. Although an RF signal cannot escape from the quench the unique ‘Catch Up’ feature allows this

data to be transmitted once the system enters the ageing furnace. Monitoring the quench rate and time after solution treatment and before quench is critical to ensure the correct material characteristics.

Increasingly with a move to robotic handling in rotary T6 basketless furnaces, where space is even more critical and automatic handling of barriers becomes essential further new barrier solutions have been needed.

The ‘Humpback’ barrier shown is an adaptation of the TS06 system. Utilising the water tank thermal protection principle, the cage containing thermal blanket is replaced by a microporous insulation skin and robust outer stainlesssteel case. The resulting barrier can be shaped to allow the barrier to be picked up by robotic clamps as part of automatic transfer into either furnace or quench process.

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Fig 6. PhoenixTM Humpback T6 barrier designed for robotic handling in automatic Rotary furnaces

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Fig 7. Unique PhoenixTM CAB Brazing System Design with contamination free profiling capability

AMS2750/ CQI-9 Furnace Temperature Uniformity Surveys (TUS) Complimenting the range of product profiling solutions PhoenixTM is able to offer fully AMS2750 and CQI-9 compliant Temperature Uniformity Survey (TUS) solutions. Combining the thermal barrier or external logger offerings the system can be used to validate that the furnace set-points defined in the TUS are within specified limits. The Thermal View Survey Software package provides full review, analysis and reporting to satisfy the strict requirements of regulatory standards.

Aluminium Brazing (CAB & Vacuum) Monitoring controlled atmosphere brazing (CAB) processes used in the manufacture of radiators and condensers although not a thermally demanding application, compared to others discussed, it does come with its own specific challenges.

Mesh belt furnaces often have limited access requiring the use of low profile barrier designs. Chemicals in the flux used in the process create Hydrofluoric acid which can chemically attack the glass cloth used in most thermal barrier constructions. To overcome this issue the CAB barrier is designed with a frontloading draw as shown to minimise the amount of exposed cloth.

As its name suggests the CAB process can in some cases be compromised by the degassing of oxygen from the barrier.

To eliminate such problem the barrier insulation is pre-treated with a vacuum heated/nitrogen purge procedure. A further option is available for use just prior to the profile run where a nitrogen purge can be performed to remove remaining air from internal insulation and logger cavity.

Paint Cure on Aluminium Car Bodies With the drive for fuel economy and tighter emissions controls automotive manufacturers are moving away from September/October 2018

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Fig 8. PhoenixTM finishing system showing PTM1220 20 channel logger with traditional magnetic thermocouples used on steel body shells. New aluminium clamp probe used on car bodies with aluminium sections (door skin, roof or hood).

tradition steel to lighter aluminium. With this move there is ever more need to profile the paint process to ensure that the various coating chemistries (E-coat, Primer Surfacer, Top & Clear Coat) are cured correctly to give both physical protection and cosmetic appearance.

The PhoenixTM Finishing system allows the cure process(es) to be monitored accurately. To address the new challenges of aluminium door skins/roof panels and hoods an alternative thermocouple was needed to replace the traditional magnetic thermocouple. The unique aluminium clamp probe allows quick, efficient and accurate probe placement into the body shell.

Age Hardening & Powder Coating of Aluminium Architectural Products Aluminium plays a large part in the architectural market.

Aluminium extrusions are commonly used in the manufacture of window, door and other architectural products. As part of the manufacturing process the extruded aluminium profile needs to be artificially

age hardened.

This process is essential to ensure ultimate tensile strength and yield strength and requires that the product is soaked at typically 185°C/365°F for 4-5 hours. Measurement of the load core in the ageing furnace is critical to ensure consistency of product ageing throughout the batch.

To monitor such processes the Phoenix TS01 system is perfect at allowing product temperature readings over the oven void without need for training thermocouples.

The same system can be used to survey the oven (TUS) to validate temperature distribution without product.

The final manufacturing step for the extrusion is the powder coating to give protection against the elements and control surface cosmetic characteristics.

To protect against, coating life time guarantee warranty claims, applicators often are required to supply coating suppliers with evidence of product curing performance.

Accredited applicator schemes will require that production runs are certified with a profile trace showing Aluminium International Today

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A

B

that the powder coated product achieved the correct Time @ Temperature.

The PhoenixTM Compact finishing system is the perfect tool for monitoring such processes. Whether an applicator or coating supplier the system is portable, easy to use and provides the certified traceable documentation needed for

September/October 2018

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C

Fig 9: (A) PhoenixTM Compact Finishing System showing PTM1006 6 channel logger and (B) Clamp probe fixed to an aluminium extrusion (C) Phoenix TS01 system in Batch Age Hardening Oven

process validation and quality assurance.

Conclusion PhoenixTM offers complete, reliable in process temperature profiling solutions, for use across the aluminium processing industry.

Offering unique solutions to meet the

specific application challenges PhoenixTM provides, tried and tested systems, used globally by key market players to understand, control and improve their manufacturing operations. ďż˝ Contact www.phoenixtm.com

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HANDLING 79 5

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Superflex strops lifts Constellium’s business Superflex steel lifting strops manufactured

by Andromeda Industries (Australia) are an ultra-secure lifting sling for hot aluminium billets lifted from casting beds. Used for the last twenty years in Australian smelters they minimise billet marking compared to rings / rigid grabs. This maximises product quality for billet producing smelters.

Designed specifically for this purpose with a captured thimble that minimises wear allowing them to be used for over one thousand lifts means customers enjoy both minimal marking as well as longevity.

Superflex cable is very different to conventional wire rope states the founder of Andromeda Industries, inventor of Superflex cable and designer of Superflex Aluminium Billet Strops. “It has nine hundred and twelve small wires which all contribute to gripping the billet” says Raymond McLaren. This is in contrast to a rigid grab the applies surface pressure to only one side of the billet causing deeper and more noticeable marks.

A product of this quality does not simply appear says McLaren. “The initial design of Superflex strops in the 1970’s was for lifting greasy (creosote soaked) timber electrical power line poles for Australian electrical authorities. Used for their exceptional gripping ability compared to wire rope and chain choker slings. This was noticed by operators of the Boyne Smelter offshore from Australia mid 70’s.

Andromeda was then asked to design a lighter version for lifting aluminium billets.

Early strop versions for lifting billets had no captured steel thimble which created virtually no marking due to their consistent suppleness. However surface wear became a consideration for smelter engineers.

A series of refinements over the coming decade saw the captured thimble become an integral part which is still included today. The thimble provides a highly efficient method of transferring tensile force into circumferential force. Coupled with the voluminous thin diameter wires this force is sufficient to provide a superior grip on virtually any surface including hot aluminium billets.

In addition to this the suppleness of Superflex strops allows them to retain the ability to grip the load with almost no Aluminium International Today

Superflex.indd 1

vertical lift force being applied. McLaren attributes this ability to the steel thimble that has low of friction meaning “strops are constantly enabled for vertical lifting”. Whereas the additional stiffness of wire rope means no grip is applied under the same condition causing ‘nonengagement’ rendering this material ineffective for this application.

Feedback from Andromeda’s early customers in the electrical industry guided product developments including the following: “I started as a tradesman with Norfolk Island Electricity in 1987. To lift big loads in the powerhouse we used Andromeda’s very flexible wire strops. In 1989 after becoming manager I enquired about the same type of flexible strop for lifting power poles. Since 1987 we have used Andromeda’s strops for lifting heavy equipment in the generator room and since 1989 for removing old power poles and lifting new poles in place. So in 2016

we are still using these plaited strops for general rigging and to lift power poles. I would recommend to them to industrial users for general rigging and standing power poles due to their secure grip, durability and good value”.

J. Christian - Elect/Man N.I.E. Since then aluminium casthouse customers say: � There is no slippage � The strops leave a small mark that is within tolerance of <2mm. Anything over this is ‘not saleable’ � Prior to this we used chain with rigid grabs and moved to Andromeda strops due to marking � The strops are used ten – twelve times per day lasting over one thousand lifts each.

Constellium Decin (Czech Rep), European industry leader in hard alloys extrusions for Automotive is using the product for the reasons outlined above. Constellium being a global leader in innovative and high value-added aluminium products and solutions dedicated primarily to aerospace, automotive and packaging markets. With a global network of 24 production facilities, state-of-the-art technology centres and offices around the world, their 12,000 employees serve customers where they are.

One of their casthouse heads in the Czech Republic Marek Varadinek is impressed with the performance of Superflex strops… “It has significantly improved surface billets quality as there is no marking after lifting of the billets out of the casting pit. We also shortened time what operator spent with transportation of the billets to the homogenization furnace as now he lifts 2 billets in one time.”

Varadinek’s product assessment made on the world stage is reassurance that the design and research performed decades prior remains relevant providing commercial value to billet smelter operators world-wide. Similarly Steve Jobs once said: “Things don’t have to change the world to be important.” � September/October 2018

11/09/2018 08:54:39

80 ASSOCIATION UPDATE

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Focus on: The European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA)

The European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA) was established in 1989 and is the trade association of the European powder metal manufacturing industry and related sectors. The objectives of the EPMA are � Promote PM Technology � Develop the Powder Metallurgy Future � Represent the European PM Industry At an international level, EPMA collaborates with a range of organisations to address issues of strategic importance to the competitiveness of EPMA Members.

The EPMA is one of the few Europeanlevel organisations with direct industry membership, which enables for increased industry contact and responsiveness.

EPMA Members are a mixture of PM parts manufacturers, supply chain equipment manufacturers, raw material providers and in some cases end users of the technology. EPMA’s structure represents five sectoral groups covering the main PM industry subsectors – � Additive Manufacturing � Hard Materials & Diamond Tooling � Hot Isostatic Pressing � Metal Injection Moulding � Press & Sinter September/October 2018

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Additional to these are the four working groups that cover Environmental Health and Quality, Research Education and Training, Powder Metallurgy Institute and the Communication Group.

Part of our role at EPMA, as the representative of the PM industry at a European level, is the need for us to work closely with domestic governments and pan-European organisations across the EU on legislative changes for the industry. A good example of this is with the REACH legislation, which we have actively lobbied and provided dissemination of information and organised practical workshops for the benefit of the members affected by this.

Amongst other EPMA activities, members participate in industry statistics production, benchmarking and road mapping. The results of these are made available to members for strategy planning; they are also used in proposals for research/networking funds to Brussels and national funding bodies.

EPMA undertake a key role in the coordination of various EU government or industry funded research and development programmes. These range from short term, purely industry funded club projects to larger government supported programmes running for several years. The

club projects are designed by members to meet their needs and help to improve the competitiveness and capability of the European PM industry.

A key element of EPMA’s role is the development of educational and training materials, such as the organisation and implementation of a range of PM Training Courses, covering all aspects and sectors of the PM industry, which also includes an annual Summer School programme to invest in the Powder Metallurgists of the future.

Finally, a major area of activity for the Association is the organisation and sponsorship of the annual Euro PM Congress & Exhibition, a 5-day industry event developing all aspects of the PM industry. This year’s event is taking place in Bilbao, Spain 14-18 October at the Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC) and will feature over 300 technical papers on all aspects of the PM industry. �

For more information on Powder Metallurgy and the EPMA, please visit our comprehensive website www.epma. com or email Andrew Almond, Marketing Manager - aja@epma.com Aluminium International Today

05/09/2018 15:31:29

82 ADVERTORIAL: FRONIUS

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Joining aluminium sheets cost-effectively using resistance spot welding

Spot-By-Spot for the perfect welding result Whether in the automotive and supply industry or in air and space travel, anyone wanting to join aluminium sheets will be familiar with resistance spot welding. This special welding process impresses thanks to its energy efficiency, low component distortion, and high productivity, and requires no ďŹ ller metal. Fronius has various appropriate solutions for implementing this process: From the new DeltaCon gun for conventional spot welding through to the innovative DeltaSpot system, which has revolutionised the welding process with its revolving process tape.

Since its market launch, the DeltaSpot system from Fronius Perfect Welding has successfully established itself in a wide range of applications.

The resistance spot welding process is suitable for aluminium and steel, as well as other materials, and is primarily used for challenging sheet joints.

The unique feature here is the revolving process tape, which is located between the electrodes and the sheets to be joined. The tape is in constant motion, which results in a continuous welding process with consistently high quality, as the system provides a new contact surface for every

The DeltaCon guns have universal connections, so users can use them with various types of robot.

welding spot. The result: Precise and reproducible welding results.

The process tape transfers the welding current and protects the electrodesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; contact surfaces against contamination. This signiďŹ cantly increases the

The unique feature of the DeltaSpot welding process is its revolving process tape, which is located between the electrodes and the sheets to be joined.

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service life of the electrodes: Up to 20,000 spots are possible depending on the application. This means that each welding spot is 100 percent reproducible, and users benefit from the high process reliability.

No alloying of the surface coatings or base materials on the electrode is required. Since there is no direct contact between electrode and sheet, the welding spots are spatter-free and there is no need to remill the electrodes, saving time and effort. Surface deformation and electrode indentation are also minimal with the DeltaSpot welding process. Users can weld up to 7000 spots without interruption with one process tape.

This makes DeltaSpot one of the most versatile resistance spot welding systems with significant process benefits in a wide range of applications.

Modular Structure and Excellent Accessibility Fronius also offers another option for carrying out spot welding processes in a cost-effective, flexible, and straightforward manner: The new DeltaCon spot welding gun. Visitors to the EuroBLECH trade show, which will be held in Hanover, Germany, on October 23–26, 2018, will have the chance to see it in action live at the Fronius stand (F174 in Hall 13). The guns are available in the Basic, Basic

Due to the process tape’s high electrical resistance, additional heat is transferred from the exterior to the interior during the welding process. This means up to 50 percent less energy is required, particularly for aluminium applications, making the welding process extremely efficient. As well as aluminium joints, the DeltaSpot can also be used to join titanium, magnesium, stainless steel, coated steel plates and high-strength steels.

Multiple sheet joints can also be tackled with ease. In order to process another combination of materials with the same spot welding gun, the user simply needs to replace the process tape.

The DeltaCon spot welding gun gives users the opportunity to implement spot welding processes for aluminum sheets in a cost-effective, flexible, and straightforward manner.

plus and Loaded variants and are designed with or without welding gun adjustment depending on the model. This function helps when finetuning the gun before the actual welding process and prevents the sheets from deforming due to inaccuracies. The Basic and Basic plus versions are known as seventh-axis systems, where the welding gun adjustment is carried out by the welding robot. For the Loaded model, the Fronius welding control system performs this task.

The DeltaCon guns are modular in structure and both the X and C geometries have the same main components. This enables users to carry out a wide range of welding tasks without having to cover expensive storage costs for different components. Their compact design also guarantees good accessibility: Parts protruding to the side have been completely eliminated, and all hoses and cables run through the gun body, meaning that they are well protected. The transformer is integrated into the base body, has its own cooling unit and is suitable for aluminium applications. The individual assemblies are easy to install and remove during servicing and maintenance thanks to their intelligent design, which reduces downtimes to a minimum and enables high productivity. The DeltaCon guns have universal connections, so users can use them with various types of robot.

The spot welding guns can be programmed intuitively via a graphic interface and users can use this to see an overview of how the key welding parameters correlate. In addition, all DeltaCon and DeltaSpot models can be connected to the WeldCube documentation and data analysis

The DeltaCon guns are modular in structure and both the X and C geometries have the same main components this gives users the flexibility to perform a wide range of welding tasks.

system. This enables consistent cross-device monitoring and welding process evaluation, and thereby helps to improve quality. As a systems supplier, Fronius is a one-stop-shop for complete resistance spot welding solutions. This not only gives the customer the opportunity to select their preferred parts and components, but they also benefit from a wide range of services including installation, maintenance, training, and programming. This ensures reliable, productive and cost-efficient welding processes for all requirements.

The DeltaSpot system provides a new contact surface for every welding spot. The result: Precise and reproducible welding results.

Fronius International GmbH | Froniusplatz 1 4600 Wels | Austria Phone: +43 (7242) 241 3000 Fax: +43 (7242) 241 3013 contact@fronius.com http://www.fronius.com September/October 2018

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84 ALUMINIUM 2018

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ALUMINIUM 2018: New topics to meet the future World’s largest aluminium trade fair continues to grow The transport sector and the energy transition are driving demand aluminium. The lightweight construction megatrend ensures excellent growth opportunities for aluminium as an industrial material.

All around the world, the industry is making new investments to gear-up for an economy that continues to boom. This positive mood is felt as well at the ALUMINIUM World Trade Fair in Düsseldorf, Germany.

From 9 to 11 October 2018, the Exhibition Centre on the Rhine will again become the global marketplace of the aluminium industry. Some 1,000 exhibitors from around the world will be in Düsseldorf, the exhibition area will grow to 80,000 square metres – a clear indication of the current momentum in the aluminium industry.

Spread across six exhibition halls, global players, specialists and young innovative companies will showcase the industry’s complete range – from aluminium production to machines and plants for processing to semi-finished and finished goods and recycling.

Besides the aluminium key industry, the trade show and its exhibitors will focus on processes and products for the main aluminium application industries: automotive, engineering, building and construction, aerospace, electronics, packaging and railway.

New topics: Digitalisation and environmental protection The well-known theme pavilions will serve as points of contact to lead visitors through the structured exhibition halls, including the Competence Centre Surface Technology, the Foundry Pavilion, the Primary Pavilion, the Welding & Joining Pavilion, the Recycling Pavilion and the September/October 2018

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in one’s own production chain.

An Innovation Area will display new products from different user segments, such as automotive engineering, mechanical engineering, aerospace, the building sector and additive manufacturing.

Magnesium Area.

In the new special exhibition area Digital Manufacturing, visitors will experience what Industry 4.0 means for the aluminium industry and what kinds of productivity benefits can already be achieved today by deploying high-performance IT solutions in production.

Another new exhibition area dubbed Environmental Engineering will cover water treatment, air filtration systems and oil/oil mist-vacuuming systems – and show how the aluminium industry is leading the way when it comes to emerging topics such as energy and resource conservation

Technical education programme to deliver industry and science knowhow ALUMINIUM is much more than just the world’s most important trading centre.

Above all, it’s a major knowledge hub: expert presenters from industry and science at the ALUMINIUM 2018 Conference and the ALUMINIUM Forum will discuss the principles, trends and innovations of the aluminium sector.

Organised again by the GDA, the umbrella association of the German Aluminium industry, the ALUMINIUM 2018 Conference will focus on the material’s future prospects. In 5 sessions and 40 lectures, materials experts will explore the possibilities in the aluminium-processing industry and in user markets. The conference will be held at the Congress Center East; participation requires the purchase of a separate ticket.

The conference will be simultaneously translated into English and German.

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Exhibitors themselves will take the podium at the ALUMINIUM Forum, which is part of the trade fair’s supporting programme. Over the course of the three-day lecture event, companies will introduce their innovations and successful projects in the fields of lightweight design, digitisation, surface technologies, sustainability and recycling. The admission is free for trade fair visitors.

The world of aluminium meets The trade fair is the leading industry get-together for producers, processers, technology suppliers, designers and engineers from the industries that use aluminium. The event is organised by Reed

Exhibitions with valuable contributions by GDA – the German Confederation of the Aluminium Industry – and the European industry association European Aluminium.

About 27,000 visitors from 100 nations are expected to attend ALUMINIUM. The exhibitor side is similarly international: Nearly 70 per cent of the altogether 1,000 exhibitors will travel from abroad to take part in the industry meeting in Düsseldorf.

Among the largest of the 54 exhibitor nations this year (behind Germany) will be Italy followed by China, Turkey, Austria and Spain. Other European countries as well as North America and Asia will again be represented in numbers at ALUMINIUM, as well. �

ALUMINIUM 2016 Conference At the ALUMINIUM 2018 Conference with its motto ‘Aluminium – Material for the Future’, the various applications of aluminium currently used be presented together with possible further developments that will make products in the future even lighter, nicer and more resource efficient.

The Congress is planned and organized by the GDA, the German Aluminium Association. Together with representatives from the different sections of the industry,

manufacturers of semi-finished products, refiners, remelters and subsuppliers, the latest innovative and future-looking solutions will be presented and discussed.

The 5 sessions and nearly 40 lectures will focus aluminium markets, plant / processes / digitalization, surface, recycling and automotive.

Tickets and program: www.aluminiumconference.de

Dates: 9 – 11 October 2018 Location: Messe Düsseldorf Halls 9 – 14 Stockumer Kirchstraße 61, D-40474 Düsseldorf Opening hours: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Tickets: 1-day ticket: 29,00 EUR (online) / 58,00 EUR (on site) 3-day ticket: 41,00 EUR (online) / 82,00 EUR (on site) Partner Hotels: You can book hotels to special conditions for exhibitors and visitors about the ALUMINIUM travel center

Guided Tours Guided Tours at ALUMINIUM 2018 offers an opportunity to get a special insight into different topics of interest. The Tour will lead you in a small group of other experts to exhibitors that have a special expertise in the particular subject area.

The exhibiting companies will each give a short presentation of its innovations, products and services and answer questions.

ALUMINIUM 2018 offers guided tours for the subjects � Automotive � Digitisation in mechanical engineering � Additive Manufacturing � Surface treatment � Recycling

Floorplan ALUMINIUM 2018 will occupy halls 9 to 14 at Messe Düsseldorf which can easily be accessed from the two main entrances North and East. The halls of ALUMINIUM 2018 will be dedicated to special exhibition segments.

For more information, the program, tickets, hotels & travel service please visit www.aluminium-messe.com Aluminium International Today

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� Hall 9: Metalworking,

Welding & Joining, Automation � Hall 10: Casting and heat

Treatment, Furnace Technology,

Digital Manufacturing,

Environmental Engineering � Hall 11: Primary Production, Recycling � Hall 12: Surface Treatment,

Semi-finished Products � Hall 13: Semi-finished Products

(rolling equipment) � Hall 14: Semi-finished Products (extruders) September/October 2018

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86

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Tomra to spotlight sensor-based sorting technologies at Aluminium 2018 TOMRA Sorting Recycling will show how X-TRACT and LIBS technologies can help increase the worldwide supply of aluminium at the same time as enhancing sustainability.

TOMRA Sorting Recycling will showcase its sensor-based sorting technologies at Aluminium 2018, the world trade fair and conference, at Messe Düsseldorf, Germany, from 9th to 11th October.

TOMRA’s exhibition stand will spotlight the company’s X-TRACT machine, which separates valuable materials from metal waste, and its state-of-the-art LIBS technology, which accurately sorts and separates different aluminium wrought alloys.

Aluminium 2018 is expected to attract more than 27,000 visitors from 100 countries and will share latest insights into everything from aluminium production to processing, finished goods and recycling.

TOMRA can be found on Hall 11, stand no.

11|54. The company’s technical experts will be available during all three days of the event to answer visitors’ questions.

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2018 highlights how the company provides technical solutions to two of the industry’s biggest challenges: with global production of aluminium pushed to an all-time high because of the increasing need for light metals for energy transition and transportation, recycling can help meet demand for the material; and with intensifying pressures for sustainability, recycling improves resource conservation.

Frank van de Winkel, TOMRA Sorting Business Development Manager Metals, said: “High levels of aluminium production plus the high accuracy of modern alloy-sorting techniques make it more and more worthwhile to unlock the value from secondary materials that would otherwise be lost. What’s more, reusing scrap metal is an environmentallyfriendly practice which demonstrates the industry’s commitment to sustainability.

For these reasons we’re looking forward

to discussing our technologies at Aluminium 2018 with recyclers, smelters and remelters.”

TOMRA’s X-TRACT separates heavy metals from aluminium alloys with such high precision - irrespective of the materials’ size, moisture, or surface pollution level - that it achieves aluminium purities of 98-99%, even from a varied mix and with small grain sizes. This technology employs an electric X-ray tube so that broad-band radiation can penetrate the material to provide spectral absorption information.

This data is then measured with a highly sensitive X-ray camera to identify the atomic density of the material, regardless of its thickness. Material is sorted into high- and low-density fractions, with TOMRA’s DUOLINE® sensor technology using two independent sensor lines with different spectral sensitivities.

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TOMRA’s LIBS-based sensor sorting technology extends the options for the use of scrap- and secondary-aluminium.

By employing a dynamic laser which can monitor the entire width of the belt, this has the unique advantage of eliminating the complex and costly need to separate materials into single lanes.

This enables the sorting and separation of different aluminium wrought alloys with unprecedentedly high levels of efficiency, achieving sorting accuracies of 99% purity (or greater) with high throughputs of three to seven tons per hour.

Aluminium 2018 will also be an opportunity for recyclers, smelters and remelters to learn how TOMRA customises technical solutions to fit customer requirements. The combination of stateof-the-art technologies and personalised technical support explains why TOMRA has become one of the leading suppliers of sorting units in Europe, Asia and the USA. Over 60 TOMRA units have been sold worldwide for the separation of different scrap sources, such as taint tabor from (old) sheet scrap, extrusion profile scrap, used beverage-can scrap, and production scrap and new scrap from manufacturing waste. �

EXHIBITOR PROFILES - ALUMINIUM 2018 The following companies are exhibiting at ALUMINIUM 2018 at the Messe Düsseldorf, Germany from 9 - 11th October 2018.

Find out more at: www.aluminium-messe.com

booth 11E40 Made by Drache.

Casthouse Technology – worldwide.

www.drache-gmbh.de

FIVES – ALUMINIUM DIVISION Parc Les Erables - Bâtiment 4 66 Route de Sartrouville, CS 50056 78231 LE PECQ, FRANCE, Ile-de-France Telephone: +33 472 4954 54 www.fivesgroup.com

Stand 10C42

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booth 9C20 HERTWICH SMS group, Hertwich Engineering GmbH Weinbergerstr. 6, A-5280 Braunau Tel.: +43 7722 806 1120 Fax: +43 7722 806 1220 www.hertwich.com

DANIELI FRÖHLING - booth 13M12 INNOVACTION TO BE A STEP AHEAD IN CAPEX AND OPEX Tel +49 (0) 2354-7082-222 www.danieli.com | www.danieli-froehling.de

booth 11E55/02

Find out more... rhimagnesita.com

The preferred English language journal of aluminium production and processing.

Sales: Nathan Jupp@quartzltd.com www.aluminiumtoday.com September/October 2018

10/09/2018 16:10:09

88 ALUMINIUM 2018: STAS

STAS acquires technologies from o.d.t. Engineering For another year, STAS will be present at Aluminium 2018 in Düsseldorf, Germany, the largest show of its kind in world of aluminium. A team of experts will be present at booth 10D50 to promote some its most recent product developments and exchange with the global aluminum community on the current and future trends of the industry. 2018 is an important year for the Canadian company.

Among other important achievements such as the commissioning of dozens of equipment units for the line 6 at Alba (Bahrain), STAS recently (April 2018) formalised the acquisition of technologies from the Australian company o.d.t.

Engineering specialised in the design and supply of casting and material handling equipment and production consumables for aluminum and magnesium cast houses. The company enjoys an enviable reputation for design innovation, efficiency and quality fabrication and is, like STAS, a family-owned company.

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The sale and transfer of the purchased assets include the capacity, without limitation, to operate the business exclusively worldwide and brand the name o.d.t. Engineering, with the exception of repair and spare parts. Assets purchased include several technologies such as ingot casting and stacking lines (ICS) for aluminium and magnesium (ingot weight range between 6-25kg), sow casting and stacking lines (SCS), as well as complementary products such as cast-iron wheels, moulds, plans, designs, drawings and any Intellectual Property rights pertaining to all previous items.

STAS is now engaged in the marketing, sales and fabrication of new equipment related to the acquired technology as well as any equipment upgrades with the support of key o.d.t. personnel. With this strategic move, STAS further establishes its position as a world-class, full-stack supplier of innovative equipment for the aluminum sector and paves the way for

new business opportunities to come. ‘’What we want is to be able to offer integrated, robust and agile solutions to global producers from the potroom to the end of the casting line, and thus respond to the demand from many customers to be a ‘one-stop shop’ and simplify operations and service’’, explains Louis Bouchard, Executive President at STAS, who took over his new role last year after 15 years with the company. Since the late 1980’s, STAS’s mission is to partner with its customers from the aluminium industry to help them achieve their production goals with various equipment and solutions for the cast house as well for the electrolysis, carbon and crucible shop areas. ‘’With o.d.t. technologies now listed in our global product catalogue, our company vision to become an inevitable supplier for anyone involved in the aluminum production chain is now more real than ever before’, says Bouchard. ‘’For our employees and collaborators, this is a natural extension to Aluminium International Today

05/09/2018 15:49:58

NEW

TECHNOLOGIES NOW PART OF

We are proud to welcome o.d.t. technologies in our product range

CASTHOUSE TECHNOLOGIES // CRUCIBLE SHOP // ELECTROLYSIS // CARBON // MEASURING & ANALYSIS SYSTEMS // SEED RHEOCASTING

VISIT US AT BOOTH #10D50

We partner with our customers from the aluminium industry to help them achieve their production goals.

www.stas.com

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Fontes Refractories

33 route de Castres 31250 Revel France  +335 62 71 32 32  info@fontes-refractories.com

16/07/2018 10:40

90 ALUMINIUM 2018: STAS

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vacuum. This arrangement will allow them to integrate their respective expertise and strengths to better serve the global aluminum market, with a specific focus on health and safety. Filtrartech grants STAS the status of authorised distributor for its global sales, while it becomes STAS’ preferred supplier for assembly and spare parts in their sector of expertise.

what we can already design, produce and deliver as aluminium professionals. We see many opportunities and we will work hard to integrate the two organisations into one successful, integrated business model’’.

With a global team of + 180 employees – including more than 60 new employees who joined over the last year - and a vast network of agents and partners located around the globe in strategic locations -, STAS is clearly giving itself a boost with this acquisition and has big plans for the future. New technologies such as the Billet Surface Inspection system (BSI 3D) and the Pot Ramming Machine, both in-line with the latest 4.0 industry standards, have already experienced commercial successes and can compete with any other similar technologies in their respective product line. To ensure future growth and to be ready for the future, the company’s Technology & Innovation team is also partnering with different producers to develop tools and solutions to bring the industry to the next level i.e. through automated, smart and connected machines applying the same guiding principles that led to company to where it is today: Innovation, simplicity of design, quality and a focus on the long term benefits and the added value that technology can bring to the production of aluminium.

In 2018, for instance, STAS will deliver its 250th ACD (Aluminium Compact Degasser), a huge milestone in the history of this equipment created in the early 1990’s in partnership with Alcan (now Rio Tinto) whose main objective is to remove the level of hydrogen in molten aluminium to improve metal quality. ‘’Both operating and maintenance costs are much lower with the ACD in comparison relative to a box degasser’’. This is due to the simplicity of the design and the absence of heating units in-between casts. ‘’We are talking September/October 2018

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about a multiple of 2 to 3 times more expensive for competing machines’’.

Recently, original ACD models installed in the 1990’are being replaced by newer ACDs, this time using the latest technology upgrades’’, a true demonstration of trust through time from our customers towards this flagship product’’ proudly says Bouchard.

Over the last year, STAS also signed a strategic partnership with Netherlandsbased Hencon, a respected manufacturer of mobile equipment for the aluminum and mining industry who has established a solid reputation in the world of aluminium.

Thanks to their combined efforts in providing high-tech, complementary solutions to aluminum producers, the two companies have already started to reap the benefits of their recent closed collaboration (STAS is an exclusive agent of Hencon for Canada). For STAS’ Canadian customers, this partnership ensures compliance with Canadian standards such as CSA while STAS’ geographic proximity guarantees a better service, among others. In addition, and in line with its global expansion strategy, STAS announced last April the signing of a supply and distribution agreement with Saguenay-based (Quebec) Filtrartech, a company offering a wide range of services in the sector of industrial dust collection, pneumatic conveying and industrial

The next steps There are a large number of top companies in the world who produce process equipment using robotics to improve production quality. STAS is one such company specialised in the development, fabrication, and commercialisation of process equipment using robotics (and automation) for the aluminium industry.

The TAC (Treatment of Aluminium in Crucible), for instance, is a very effective and proven process for removing alkalis without using chlorine while metal is in the crucible. Applied by many producers across the world, the process is extremely efficient compared to the traditional in-furnace treatment, enhancing the metal quality while improving metal cleanliness and removing alkali (lithium and sodium) up to 95%. Combined with an ACS (Aluminium Crucible Skimmer), an effective process to remove bath and dross from crucibles in a fully automated, intelligent way, it ensures a safe operating environment and improves productivity by implementing 10 times faster treatment process. The automation and robotics have driven a significant shift to superior quality products and process improvement in the aluminium industry all through its value chain, while cutting down human intervention and errors and enhancing accuracy in processes, a set of conditions that a growing number of customers are pushing suppliers to include in their solutions, according to STAS. ‘’Superior quality, innovative, integrated solutions based on trust’’, these are the ingredients for STAS’ success, mentions Bouchard, who was keen to note that people from his team and often himself are making the trip to events and conferences across the world to get closer to their customers and be informed of the latest trends in the industry: The TMS in March, Future Aluminium Forum in Milan, Aluminium China in Shanghai in July, Expo Alumino in Sao Paolo and the nonferrous metals and minerals conference in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, in September, Aluminum 2018 in Germany, Arabal in November…’’ This is an excellent way for us to network and learn, this year probably more than never before. � Contact www.stas.com www.odt.com.au

Aluminium International Today

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BUYERS’ DIRECTORY TASTER 91

BUYERS’ DIRECTORY TASTER As a leading resource for the aluminium production and processing industries, the Buyers’ Directory reaches the most senior buyers and suppliers in the business.

Distributed to more than 50 countries and read by thousands of industry contacts, it contains a comprehensive alphabetical listing of company and contact details.

Here is a sneak peak at some of the listings that will appear in the 2018 Buyers’ Directory.

FURNACE

HERTWICH ENGINEERING GMBH Weinbergerstr. 6, Braunau, Upper Austria, 5280, Austria T: +43 7722 806-0 F: +43 7722 806-122 E: info@hertwich.com W: www.hertwich.com Hertwich Engineering, a company of the SMS group, is active worldwide with design, supply, construction and commissioning of speciality equipment for the aluminium industry, in particular for aluminium casthouses.

SLITTING

DANIELI FRÖHLING Scherl 12, D-58540, Meinerzhagen, Germany

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T: +49 2354 7082 0 F: +49 2354 7082 200 E: info@danieli-froehling.de W: www.danieli-froehling.de Danieli Fröhling is synonymous for innovative tailor-made solutions for the aluminium industry.

Fröhling customers trust in nearly 70 years’ experience in manufacturing of rolling mills and cutting lines.

CARBON ELECTRODES

R&D CARBON PO Box 361, Sierre 3960, Switzerland T: +41 27 459 29 29 F: +41 27 459 29 25 E: rdc@rd-carbon.com W: www.rd-carbon.com R&D Carbon provides expertise for the worldwide metal, oil and coal industry through R&D studies,onsite audits and process optimisation, carbon test equipment, quality control, certification and training courses.

QUALITY TESTING & MEASUREMENT

POLYTEC GMBH Polytec Platz 1-7, D-76337, Waldbronn, Germany T: +49 7243 604-0 F: +49 7243 69944 E: info@polytec.de W: www.polytec.de Polytec is the market leader for non-contact, laser based vibration and velocity measurement instrumentation. Our innovative solutions allow our customers to maintain their own technical leadership across many fields.

METAL FILTRATION/REFRACTORIES

DRACHE UMWELTTECHNIK GMBH Werner-von-Siemens-Str. 24-26, D-65582 Diez Germany T: +49 6432 607-0 F: +49 6432 607-52 E: mail@drache-gmbh.de W: www.drache-gmbh.de Drache is one of the leading manufacturers for ceramic foam filters for molten metal filtration, Boron Nitrides coatings as well as Fused Silica based precast refractory shapes. Furthermore, Drache offers fully engineered solutions for filter boxes and launder systems for Aluminium casthouse applications.

HEAT PROCESSING SOLUTIONS

SECO/WARWICK S.A. 8 Sobieskiego Str., 66-200 Zwiebodzin, Poland T: +48 68 38 20 500 F: +48 68 38 20 555 E: info-poland@secowarwick.com SECO/WARWICK has 11 companies located on three continents with customers in nearly 70 countries. It provides standard or customized state-of-the-art heat processing equipment and technologies and is a leader in innovative heat processing solutions. Expertise includes end-to-end solutions in 5 categories: vacuum heat treatment, atmosphere and aluminum thermal processing, controlled atmosphere brazing of aluminum heat exchangers and vacuum metallurgy.

It is free to list your company, get in touch today to find out more: Esme Horn, Directory Co-ordinator Tel: +44 (0)1737855136 Email: esmehorn@quartzltd.com

September/October 2018

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92 TRAINING COURSES

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Training Courses 2018/19 October:

October:

AEC: Safety Seminar

The ‘World of Aluminium’

16 - 17th October 2018 Texas, United States Join us for the Safety Seminar for engaging and thoughtful discussions covering safety-related topics.

This event features Keynote speakers Tony Samento, Semento Industrial Traning, and Joe Wheatley, EnPro Learning System discussing important safety practices and concerns in our industry. Attendees will experience engaging discussions in small groups involving safety scenarios and brainstorming solutions for each.

While the topics will be of interest to anyone who wants to learn more about safety, the Safety Seminar is geared towards Safety Managers and Safety Team members, as well as Operations and Production Managers interested in improving safety in their plant.

25th October 2018 Park Inn Hotel, West Bromwich, B70 6RS, UK This is an intensive, one-day course that gives participants an elementary, practical understanding of aluminium production, processing, application, markets and industry.

6 - 8th November 2018 Banbury UK The Aluminium Automotive Sheet training course is specifically for companies new to making or using this product. It is written and delivered by technical specialists with expertise in automotive sheet.

http://www.alfed.org.uk/files/Margaret/ WoA%20Programme%20-%20 October%202018.pdf

www.innovaltec.com/aluminium-trainingcourses/aluminium-automotive-sheettraining-course/

February/March: Aluminium Rolling Technology Course

May: Aluminium Rolling Technology Course

25th Feb – 1st March 2019 Banbury UK The Aluminium Rolling Technology Course is the only rolling course specifically for aluminium. You’ll get an in-depth understanding of the fundamentals of aluminium rolling from internationally recognised experts.

13 – 17th May 2019 Banbury UK The Aluminium Rolling Technology Course is the only rolling course specifically for aluminium. You’ll get an in-depth understanding of the fundamentals of aluminium rolling from internationally recognised experts.

www.innovaltec.com/aluminiumtraining-courses/aluminium-rollingtechnology-course/

www.innovaltec.com/aluminium-trainingcourses/aluminium-rolling-technologycourse/

Contact Lisse Jurcenko information: E: ljurcenko@tso.net T: 847-416-7219

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November: Aluminium Automotive Sheet Training Course

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November: Aluminium for Engineers 13 – 14th November 2018 National Metalforming Centre, Birmingham Road, West Bromwich B70 6PY An intensive, two-day technical workshop that gives participants practical understanding of aluminium production, processing and engineering application.

Designed for individuals with a basic level of technical, engineering or metallurgy understanding, but not necessarily experienced in working with aluminium.

It is therefore suitable for both new and more experienced employees, depending on their background, qualifications and experience. http://www.alfed.org.uk/academyarticle/5a340373ecbe2/Aluminium-ForEngineers September/October 2018

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To discover ways Wagstaff Service can improve your productivity, contact us: +1 509 922 1404 | info@wagstaff.com | www.wagstaff.com

To renew is to use the existing and make it better.

We know. We have renewed ourselves for more than 100 years and will continue to make infinitely renewable aluminium for another 100 years. The story continues.

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