Innovations for greater sustainability in the foundry industry

Dublin (Ohio, US), March 15, 2022: Legal regulations, socio-political trends and developments are increasingly shaping the understanding of sustainability and sustainable practices. As a consequence, foundries are increasingly demanding solutions that help meet environmental, economic and social requirements. The choice of chemicals and materials is of particular importance in this context. For this reason, ASK Chemicals is presenting products and solutions at CAST EXPO 2022 that help to achieve sustainability goals.

Sustainability has three primary drivers: ecological, economical, and societal. Foundry chemistry supports all three. For instance, anyone who has experienced the shift of a foundry from organic chemistry to inorganic chemistry (e.g., INOTEC) knows how the working environment has changed for the positive. Moreover, this change has not only improved employee health and safety but also offered a superior technical performance as well as economic benefits to the organization. At CastExpo 2022, ASK Chemicals will feature its 100% emission-free INOTEC technology.

With regard to economic sustainability, the question for foundries is how to increase profitability and at same time maintain quality while the availability of resources is dwindling. This is where foundry chemistry contributes through innovative solutions that replace scarce and expensive raw materials with alternatives that perform equally or better - with less harmful impact on the environment. A major research focus of ASK Chemicals is to reduce emissions while maintaining efficiency and performance. In addition to newly developed cold box and no-bake binders, newly engineered sand additives, innovative super coating, and water-based release agents make a valuable contribution in this area. What’s more, the new EXACTPORE 3D filter technology alongside EXACTCAST KMV and OPTIMA feeders also offer a valuable contribution to sustainability through increased yield and reduced rework.

Finally, the foundry industry continues to face demographic challenges as industry experts retire and there are fewer newcomers able to take up the mantle. It is a problem that cuts across all areas of the foundry. Alongside products that reduce rework and preserve labor resources, digital tools and solutions are playing a crucial role too. At CAST EXPO 2022, ASK Chemicals will present ASKNow and ASKVista: two digital solutions that provide answers to these challenges.

At this year's conference, the company is hosting the following presentations:

• April 25, 4 pm: “ASKNow - Virtual Field Services“, presented by Charlie Hoertz, Head of Global Digitalization, ASK Chemicals
•  April 24, 4:30 pm: “Arena Flow Core Making Simulation Software Update and Informative Presentation”, presented by Peter Blazer, Senior Engineer at Arena Flow LLC and Thomas Brandt, Project Manager Design Services at ASK Chemicals
• April 25, 1:30 pm: “Investigation of the Role of Solvents and Tar Generation by Polyurethane Cold Box Binders”, presented by Dr. Sritama Kar

ASK Chemicals will be presenting its solutions for more sustainability in foundry environments at Cast Expo 2022 from April 23-26 at booth #2307