Why use metallurgical process control?

ATAS MetStar helps you take control of your metallurgical process.  The system is used to create routines and rules for developing a lean production method and is explained in several steps:

• The analyze phase consists of analyzing a number of physical samples of a specific alloy or melt quality and find the best practice.

• The stabilizing phase consists of extracting data from the analysis and defining the unique fingerprint for a specific desired quality to secure the best practice.

• The optimizing phase is the final stage of our process where fine tuning and improving the best practice takes place. This leads to a process with a stable quality and less variations and results in reduced scrap rate, less energy consumption and a greener planet.

Our Turkish-based customer Demisas Döküm reduced their scrap rate by 30-40% by using ATAS MetStar. Read their story here.

The Good Guys’ Index in ATAS MetStar shows how successful the operators are to minimize the foundry’s environmental footprint. The GGI value takes melting and holding time in the electrical furnace and addition of new materials into account. GGI has a value of 1 to 100, where 100 is the best
score

The system has an open design and can be adapted to foundries using cupola or induction furnaces for melting, with or without holding or pouring furnaces. The system calculates additions for magnesium treatment with sandwich/Tundish or wire feeder technology.

The database in ATAS MetStar is compatible with other systems from NovaCast . It shares information with MetalMaster and ATAS MetPro. The database is easy to use and easy to customize according to the foundries’ specific processes. The metallurgist/production manager sets up the parameters for the different alloys (base and final iron) and processes with regard to process lay-out, chemical composition, production window limits and actions such as;
• ACEL control (Grey solidification)
• CEL control (White solidification)
• Dynamical inoculation for grey and ductile iron
• Ductile iron optimizer
• Mechanical properties hardness and UTS (pearlite module)

To make full use of generated data, ATAS MetStar analyzes data from different external systems; spectrometer, tensile/hardness testing equipment, wire feeder, charging machines, inoculation machines (e.g. Pourtech), industrial scales, lamps/sound signals, PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) interface, ERP Systems like SAP and DISA Foundry Cockpit.

With the enhanced customized reporting system, the operator, the metallurgist and management team can make daily/weekly/monthly, internal and/or external reports in a few seconds.

Click here to get in touch with us. We are happy to show you how ATAS MetStar can help you take control of you melt.