Nothing is Impossible - Advancements in the Field of Inorganic Binder Systems

摘要

Odorless core production, odor-reduced casting, significantly less cleaning of machines and tools, the resulting higher output and productivity, and the advantages in terms of casting, such as faster solidification due to reduced ingot mold temperatures -these benefits of the INOTEC™ technology are already well-established. Despite all this, inorganic binder systems will always be benchmarked against existing technologies such as Cold Box. This is also the reason why, in the past, people criticized surface properties for being less smooth than with organic binders and decomposition after pouring for being worse. However, recent developments could prove that inorganic binders have improved considerably and in some applications even reveal additional potential for optimization. With the newly developed INOTEC generation, even areas that are highly susceptible to penetration, such as the gate region, can be realized in a process-consistent manner and without additional coating of the cores. This system is 100% inorganic and leaves absolutely no condensate deposits in the casting tools. In addition, there is no formation of smoke during the casting process. By contrast, cast pieces that were produced using conventional methods, such as the Cold Box method, exhibited a significantly inferior surface, which means that INOTEC™ is much more than just an alternative here. In the past, decoring of cast pieces that were produced using inorganic binders was often quite a challenge in the area of water jackets, especially if the decoring machine had only a few degrees of freedom. The INOTEC™ Promoter WJ 4000 has helped to significantly improve shake-out properties in particular, with the result that even complex and filigree water jacket cores can now be safely removed from the component after casting. Further enhancements, such as the improvement of moisture stability or the use of inorganic binders beyond the confines of light metal casting, are closing the gap on conventional organic systems. State-of-the-art technical equipment for the investigation of system properties and a growing understanding of the running processes have led to a more efficient conception of new binder formulations and the overcoming of limitations much faster than before. Despite all these future challenges for both inorganic and organic binders, one thing is beyond doubt: inorganic binders are more environmentally friendly than organic systems. This was confirmed in no uncertain terms by TUEV Rheinland after carrying out a comparative life cycle assessment of Cold Box and INOTEC.