Dosing Pump, Furnace Get to the Bottom of Aluminum Oxides

摘要

The European term "dose" means to deliver an exact quantity. Traditional dosing furnaces have been pressure pour furnaces, but five years ago, Stotek Danmark ApS, Naestved, Denmark (represented in North America by Meltech, Inc., Brookfield, Wis.), developed a different approach to aluminum melting and pouring. Frustrated with the limitations and problems associated with a pressure vessel, the firm developed the Dosotherm Furnace and Dosing Pump. A simple, bottom-filling crucible design had been around for decades. And although it could be used for transferring aluminum, it was very sensitive to changes in the bath depth and the quantity of metal dispensed wasn't accurate enough. Stotek overcame the limitations by developing and patenting a check valve in the fill port, making the crucible more robust and adding additional sensors. This dosing pump was incorporated in the Dosotherm Dosing Furnace, which is an unpressurized, reverberatory holding furnace. The furnace is filled via a teapot spout at the back, ensuring that most of the floating oxide and dross is contained and easily removed.