Foundry | Unistara
Ferrous and non-ferrous metal foundry
Unistara’s global service to Italian foundries is the answer to the needs of a market where refractories play a particularly important and delicate role, directly influencing the production cycle. Unistara addresses this market with a complete range of products, specific for each type of installation, selecting the most suitable products according to the characteristics of the metallurgical production, the fuel used, the duration of the campaigns and the type of slag.
Main products
The offer for ferrous and non-ferrous metal foundries includes:
Silica Mix Ramming Mixes
They are characterized by excellent volume stability to prevent the risk of cracking, excellent resistance to chemical aggression, low porosity and low permeability, good insulating capacity, compatibility with most slag in cast iron casting.
Other products used
Refractory mortars, insufflation caps, metal anchors, mica-based sheets
Calde® Ram ramming and Calde® Gun refractory gunning materials
For long campaign cupolas and ladles.
Dense and insulating shapes
Dense bricks for safety and hot face linings; insulating bricks, according to ASTM international classification, used for the reduction of heat loss and energy consumption.
Refractory materials, refractory materials for trowel use or plaster
Calde® Patch, Calde® Trowel, Calde® Stix, and Calde® Plast used for repairs, backups and grouting.
Regular and self-flowing castable refractory jets, Calde® Cast and Calde® Flow
For ladles, long campaign cupolas, holding and casting furnaces.
Fibrous and non-fibrous insulating products
Mats and panel papers, for expansion joints and insulation in general, in Fiberfrax®, Insulfrax® and Isofrax® qualities
DVM Calde® Mix
For steel crucible induction furnaces, holding and casting furnaces and ladles.
Main services
- technical assistance during the demolition phase, with the possible sampling of post-operating refractories and/or slag for chemical analysis, aimed at identifying the causes and effects of lining wear and with the aim of finding increasingly balanced and performing products for the lining
- choice of the most suitable wear lining and insulation to optimise production and reduce energy consumption;
- design and supervision of the correct installation of the lining;
- assistance during start-up and possible pre-heating of the system.
Casting products
For cast iron and steel casting, Unistara offers a line of products in graphite/clay, graphite/corundum and silica-alumina products such as funnels, pipes, bends, distributors, fittings, rosettes, nozzles etc.
Types of installations
Ferrous metals
Long campaign cupolas
The range of products destined to be used in long campaign cupolas is designed to guarantee optimal results in every area of the furnace: from the siphon zone to the melting zone, depending on the size of the plant, the type of alloy and the duration of the campaigns. The range includes pourable, spray and ramming products.
Crucible induction furnace
The solutions offered for the different parts of crucible induction furnaces vary according to the alloys produced and the melting temperatures used; starting from the temperatures used in non-ferrous metal foundries, below 1000°C, to over 1600°C used for the production of some steel alloys. The use of these products makes it possible to keep the installation in operation for a predetermined period and to plan its maintenance.
Channel – holding furnace
The holding furnace is the focal point for many foundries because it is designed to hold large quantities of molten metal already alloyed, ready for casting lines. It is necessary that the lining of these furnaces, whether large or small, for steel, cast iron or non-ferrous metals, ensures high corrosion resistance and excellent thermal insulation. The choice between cast or insulating brick insulation, as well as being sometimes dictated by the geometry of the furnace, must be evaluated, case by case, according to the preheating and sintering requirements.
Press pour or casting furnace
The many types of casting furnaces, both pressurized and non-pressurized, for small and large series moulding lines, require specific solutions that also take into account the increasing productivity required by the melting plants.
Inductor
For inductor coating, in pressure and holding furnaces, Unistara’s choice focuses on ramming and vibrating products that allow, among other things, to significantly reduce energy consumption per ton of metal.
Non-ferrous metals
Crucible induction furnace
The solutions offered for the different parts of the crucible induction furnaces vary according to the alloys produced and the melting temperatures used. The use of these products makes it possible to keep the installation in operation for a predetermined period and to plan its maintenance.
Channel induction furnace
For the lining of these holding furnaces, mainly used in the production of copper and brass to feed casting lines or ladle tapping, Unistara offers for the basin some products of the Calde® Cast range and for the inductor those of the Silica Mix or Calde® Mix range.
Press pour or casting furnace
For pressure casting furnaces, which are mainly used in brass production, castings with silicon carbide – zirconium silicate additives such as Calde® Flow LA 50 SZ are often used. Unistara offers the products of the Silica Mix or Calde® Mix range for the inductor
Ladles
Ladles, both pressurized and non-pressurized, intended for the treatment or transport of metal, and unheated spillage units in general, are subject to extreme temperature changes and liquid metal aggression. The use of a versatile refractory lining facilitates the cleaning operations required to keep these units efficient.
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