On the road to ‘Zero Emissions’: How Strikomelter is helping super-powerhouse ALBERT WEBER achieve this goal

By 2040, ALBERT WEBER aims to produce only castings for climate-neutral applications in a CO₂-neutral environment. A melting furnace with the slogan “Power of eternal youth in energy efficiency” would be helpful in achieving this. Find out all about it in this article!

Über zwanzig Jahre Schmelzerfahrung

WEBER RODING manufactures over 2 million aluminium components for the automotive industry every year. These castings require both dimensional accuracy and outstanding mechanical properties. This can only be achieved with high-quality molten metal: a task the company has entrusted to the StrikoMelter for over 20 years. 

“Our StrikoMelter has always delivered excellent results and helped us to maintain high quality and keep energy consumption low for over two decades,” says Johannes BAUER, Head of Maintenance and Processing at WEBER RODING. “But after such a long time, we thought it was inevitable that we’d have to consider replacing it. Now we know that exceptions prove the rule. 

Why invest in a new plant when you can bring the old one up to scratch!

The team of experts from StrikoWestofen carried out a thorough on-site inspection and analysed the StrikoMelter’s performance in light of current and future production requirements. Instead of having to replace the furnace system, the team at Roding were delighted to learn that they could keep their trusty workhorse and, with a few simple modernisation options, achieve virtually ‘as-new’ performance and energy savings. 

“The StrikoWestofen team confirmed to us that we can expect a reduction in energy consumption of at least 10 per cent, meaning the modernisation work will clearly pay for itself,” said Johannes. “We agreed to the recommendations, and the Striko team set to work. It was that simple.”

Making melting more sustainable

The refractory lining of the StrikoMelter was replaced, and specially designed steel baffle plates were fitted into the furnace shaft to prevent damage to the refractory material.  It has been shown that fitting these impact plates extends the service life of the refractory material by up to 30 per cent! The shaft was also fitted with a laser scanner to optimise charging cycles based on the fill level – another energy-saving solution. 

Finally, a hot gas baffle (shaft cover) was fitted to maximise heat retention and the associated energy savings, particularly during open-melting periods whilst cleaning. 

Better performance, greater savings

Once the modernisation work was complete and the StrikoMelter was back in operation, it was time to demonstrate its performance. The modernisation project not only met the agreed KPIs but actually exceeded them – the upgraded StrikoMelter achieved an impressive 15% reduction in energy consumption. 

Johannes BAUER added: “Not having to replace equipment saves time and resources and helps us achieve our goal of carbon neutrality. So we are truly impressed by StrikoMelter and StrikoWestofen’s equipment modernisation process. To have a melting furnace with the power of eternal youth when it comes to energy efficiency, whilst still delivering the quality, uptime and productivity we need – that is simply amazing. We are extremely satisfied with the results.”