On the occasion of the 52nd Austrian Foundry Conference on April 3 and 4, 2008, in St. Pölten, Austria, Dr. Emmerich Weissenbeck of the BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG plant in Landshut, Germany, presented a highly innovative, well-received talk on the subject of inorganic core manufacturing entitled "Converting a Permanent Mold Foundry to Inorganic Core Production."
The presentation vividly portrayed how the BMW site in Landshut worked with ASK Chemicals of Hilden, Germany, to plan the conversion of its cold-box core production to the inorganic INOTEC process. The companies then rigorously applied this innovation to standard production of aluminum parts cast from permanent molds.
In his talk, Dr. Weissenbeck also presented a promising look at efforts to convert new product lines over to the INOTEC process and at an off-site core manufacturing venture in Moosburg, Germany, that BMW and ASK Chemicals would operate jointly.
Summary of the presentation by Dr. Emmerich Weissenbeck (BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, Landshut, Germany, site); co-authors: Joerg Willimayer, Johann Wolf) "Converting a Permanent Mold Foundry to Inorganic Core Production," given at the 52nd Austrian Foundry Conference, April 3 and 4, 2008 in St. Pölten, Austria:
Inorganic core production represents one of the greatest challenges that the European foundry industry has faced over the past several years and will continue to face in the years to come. The BMW Group is on the cutting edge, both in terms of the efficient dynamics of its vehicles and the environmental efficiency of its production processes. The authors maintain that, within a company such as this, cast components can now be produced over the medium term using inorganic core technology. In 2006, the BMW light-metal foundry introduced inorganic core manufacturing technology for the lightweight, aluminum crankcase of its six-cylinder diesel engine and has since cast roughly 300,000 parts. This ecologically and economically worthwhile technology carries advantages in terms of process quality, while also allowing a foundry to improve product quality as well. The speaker presented the strategy for rolling out inorganic core production at a large permanent mold foundry, going into detail on the challenges posed by the conversion.
Increasing cost pressure is a key force within the foundry industry behind the drive to realize the short and medium-term economic advantages of inorganic core production. In addition to improved process quality (e.g., by reducing core gas cavities), the process also enhances product quality. Reduced tool temperatures result in shorter solidification times, which, in turn, lead to smaller dendrite arm spacing and, as such, stronger components. In many cases, more lightweight components and more complex design solutions are not possible until product quality has improved in this way. The BMW Group, its neighbors and its employees all agree that conversion to this new, employee-friendly and environmentally sound technology must not be delayed. Inorganic core production will contribute to the Efficient Dynamics strategy of the BMW Group both in terms of casting and production technology.
