ATIK METAL’s new foundry in Aliaga, Turkey, is a dream come true

Working in partnership

Mehmet Atik, owner and managing director, prioritised the highest quality and seamless coordination when selecting suppliers. Collaboration with companies such as VHV Anlagenbau GmbH, Eirich official | Maschinenfabrik Gustav Eirich GmbH & Co KG, Heinrich Wagner Sinto Maschinenfabrik GmbH and the JOEST group was crucial to the project’s success. Thanks to long-standing partnerships and a collaborative relationship built on trust, innovative solutions were developed and implemented.

Project scope and management

The project involved the development and implementation of a state-of-the-art foundry facility designed to meet market demands for ever-larger castings. Optimisations to the project workflow were achieved through close coordination and rapid decision-making during team meetings. The involvement of Mehmet Atik in the meetings enabled immediate clarification and the rapid implementation of suggestions for improvement.

Production hall 350 m x 120 m - Technical details and equipment

In terms of specifications, the foundry facility is impressive in scale, with production halls measuring 350 metres in length, 120 metres in width and a 24-metre-high compact plant in the central processing area. The plant features state-of-the-art technology, including four Eirich mixers in the Evactherm® system, the HWS 5 and HWS 6 moulding lines, and four electric furnaces for melting liquid iron. Another key aspect is the project’s sustainability, as a large proportion of the melted material is reused from scrapped ships. Although ATIK METAL’s HWS 6 does not quite have the largest moulding boxes in Turkey (2.38 square metres instead of 2.44 square metres), it achieves four times the cycle rate of other systems, at 80 moulds per hour. VHV supplied a wide range of equipment for the project, including fresh sand bunkers, belt conveyors for spent sand and finished sand, as well as scraper ploughs and dust extraction connections. The components supplied included 76 belt conveyors and a GB1000 deck belt conveyor. In addition, four polygon screens, a double moulding sand hopper and a fresh sand hopper from VHV’s production range were integrated into the system. The maximum throughput rates are 360 t/h [300 m³/h]. Notable features of the equipment also include the partially reversible discharge belts. Another key aspect is the removal of the separated metals via compact belt conveyors mounted on VHV K-frames. The new foundry plant has a total capacity of 120,000 tonnes of castings per year.

Results and future prospects

The successful collaboration between all the companies involved has resulted in a project that meets the highest standards of quality and performance. The new foundry plant will significantly increase ATIK METAL’s production capacity and product range, and consolidate its position as a leading supplier in the industry. VHV Anlagenbau GmbH would like to thank Mehmet Atik and his team for their trust and cooperation and for this pioneering contract. The successful completion of the ATIK METAL foundry facility demonstrates the potential and opportunities offered by close cooperation between customers and suppliers. VHV Anlagenbau GmbH has demonstrated here that it is an absolutely reliable partner, even on large-scale projects, and will continue to develop innovative solutions and supply bespoke plants to meet the ever-changing demands of the industry.

The plant at a glance

• A total of 80 machines
• 1 discharge bunker for fresh sand
• 76 belt conveyors
• 4 PS 200/4
• 1 double moulding sand bunker for HWS 5
• 1 moulding sand bunker for HWS 6
• 4 storage bunker outlets above the mixer
• Belt widths between GB650 and GB1800
• Cover belt conveyor GB1000
• Maximum throughput: 360 t/h [300 m³/h]
• 35 plough scrapers installed
• 10 reversible silo outlets
• Walkways for maintenance work and access