Rapid cooling of iron castings

July 2005 Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration

A foundry that produces iron castings for the automotive industry had a problem with certain hot parts that slowed their production. After pouring, the castings gradually cool by travelling along a 60 m long conveyor. At the end, a shakeout conveyor breaks the sand mould so the castings can be removed. Normally, the operator could pick up the part with special gloves and grind the rough edges. However, some castings such as crankshafts, differentials housings, and shift parts retained too much heat, making them too hot to handle. The operator had to wait up to 10 minutes for them to cool.

The solution

Five Exair model 120022, 51 mm super air amplifiers were installed over the shakeout conveyor. The high output from the air amplifiers rapidly cooled the parts without shocking them (no cracks or imperfections from too rapid cooling). When the parts reached the end of the conveyor, the operator could proceed immediately. The blockage was completely eliminated.

This manufacturer had almost given up on finding a cooling solution since fans and blowers showed little improvement. EXAIR Super Air Amplifier dramatically reduced the cooling time. The low cost EXAIR Super Air Amplifiers are compact, portable and have no moving parts to wear out (which is ideal in a dusty foundry). The patented design assures the highest air volumes possible with the lowest air consumption.

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