27This includes a state-of-the-art Ecomelt PS120 Preheat-Shaft Melting Furnace, a holding furnace, a vertical casting machine with rolling ingot moulds and an efficient flue gas cleaning system. The new aluminum recycling plant, located in Lichtervelde, Belgium, is scheduled to commence operations in spring 2026. This order represents Remi Claeys’ first with Hertwich and confirms Hertwich’s technological expertise in the aluminium industry.

Maximum Efficiency through Automation and unified Control

Remi Claeys Aluminium N.V. specializes in the manufacture of high-frequency welded aluminum tubes for use in a variety of high-end applications, including in the fields of medical technology, horticulture, scaffolding and household appliances. The new foundry has a daily capacity of more than 100 tons and enhances process stability and overall efficiency. This investment enables heavily contaminated aluminium scrap to be processed while improving production effectiveness.

Hertwich provides the entire plant as a turnkey solution, covering everything from scrap feeding to finished rolling ingots. The Ecomelt PS120 melting furnace can process both process returns and heavily contaminated post-consumer scrap. Its preheat shaft and integrated pyrolysis system enable an exceptionally efficient use of resources during the melting process, as the energy content of the organic compounds in the scrap can be utilised thermally. This reduces the need for external energy and contributes to stable, cost-effective, environmentally friendly operations.

Seamless automation ensures a fully digitised flow of materials. All plant components, including scrap loading systems, melting and casting technology, and process visualisation, adhere to a unified operating concept. This makes operating the plant more intuitive, reduces training requirements, and ensures smooth interaction between all process steps. The absence of third-party interfaces means all components work together seamlessly, significantly simplifying commissioning, maintenance and long-term optimisation.

This investment will strengthen the sustainability and competitiveness of Remi Claeys by providing it with cutting-edge recycling technology, improving its energy efficiency and ensuring its production process is fully integrated.

Expertise in Tailored Customer Solutions

“This order highlights our expertise as a one-stop supplier for aluminum foundries, in this case, for rolling ingots,”

says Gerold Keune, Managing Director of Hertwich Engineering GmbH.

“At Hertwich, we rely on in-house expertise to ensure not only the highest equipment quality but also the ability to support process optimization and maintenance according to customer needs. Tailored customer solutions are one of Hertwich’s strengths, and our collaboration with Remi Claeys further underscores this expertise.”

Sustainable Metal Recovery and Resource-Efficient Operation

In the foundry’s melting process, two charging containers, each loaded with up to five tonnes of aluminum scrap, are alternately fed into the furnace. The Ecomelt PS120 charging shaft can hold up to four loads from the containers. At a temperature of 550°C, pyrolysis begins, breaking down and completely combusting organic hydrocarbon compounds. The resulting pyrolysis gas serves as fuel, significantly reducing the need for external energy.

During the charging process, aluminum is recovered using an especially resource-efficient immersion melting method. Direct heat transfer minimizes metal losses and optimizes energy use. At the same time, a modern flue gas cleaning system filters dust and pollutants from emissions, making a crucial contribution to an economically and environmentally friendly process.

In the next production step, the molten aluminum is transferred from the melting furnace to the casting furnace. The vertical casting machine enables multiple rolling ingots to be cast simultaneously in three moulds. These ingots are then rolled and processed further into precision tubes for use in horticulture, scaffolding, medical technology, household appliances, DIY products, outdoor furniture, sports and leisure equipment, ladders, heat exchangers and many other applications.

(Source: Hertwich)