09.03.2021. The Serbian foundry, Livnica Preciznih Odlivaka, has commissioned an induction furnace supplied by Retech, part of the Seco/Warwick Group. At the beginning of 2021, the final performance tests of the new equipment were carried out. Precision casting using the lost-wax process, will improve and accelerate the foundry’s production capabilities.
Retech is a supplier of advanced vacuum induction melting (VIM), plasma arc melting (PAM), vacuum arc re-melting (VAR), and electron beam melting furnaces (EB). The equipment ordered by the foundry is a VIM 50 kg EQ induction furnace. It will be used for high-speed precision investment casting. A similar furnace was also sold to one of Livnica Preciznih Odlivaka’s sister companies that is currently in the start-up phase.
A great advantage of this furnace is the very short time between loading the mold and the start of casting. The “Load to Cast” time is only 90 s.
The parts manufactured at Livnica Preciznih Odlivaka (LPO) are installed in most engines currently in use in commercial aviation.
“Our entire production is for export. Because of the nature of the product, turbojet engine parts, our customers are the world’s largest engine and engine component manufacturers including German MTU Aero Engines, Pratt & Whitney Canada and Siemens US,” said Djordje Miricki, Production Manager at LPO. “That is why it is so important for us to have equipment of the highest quality. We have chosen Retech’s VIM furnace because it will allow us to significantly speed up our casting production. And that, right now, is the key to our further development,” concludes Miricki.
The popularity of VIM furnaces and the importance of vacuum metallurgy is a result of the growing and ever-changing production needs of aviation. State-of-the-art jet engines use components that are cast using the technology in Retech furnaces.
(Source: Seco/Warwick)
