SinterCast AB continued its string of recent successes in Asia with an order from an unidentified Japanese foundry that specializes in cast iron engine components for commercial and industrial vehicles. SinterCast will install its Mini-System 3000 and related hardware, which will be used by the metalcaster to accelerate its ongoing development of compacted graphite iron cylinder blocks and heads for commercial vehicle and off-road industrial vehicles.
Both the foundry and its OEM customer remain unnamed, but SinterCast noted the process control package will be installed during Q1 2015, and it also will provide engineering support.
Compacted graphite iron, CGI, is a lightweight alternative to gray iron and aluminum for diesel engine and other heavy-duty vehicle and automotive parts. CGI reportedly has “at least 75% higher tensile strength, 45% higher stiffness, and approximately double the fatigue strength” of cast gray iron and aluminum, and in recent years it has been adopted by some OEMs for gasoline engines in automotive products.
Stockholm-based SinterCast is the world’s largest supplier of process control technology for producing CGI, licensed to 42 different operations in 12 countries manufacturing parts ranging from 2 kg to 9 metric tons in series production.
System 3000 is the third generation of SinterCast’s process control system, used by foundries that produce CGI in pressurized pouring furnaces or by ladle pouring. The Mini-System 3000 parallels the technology for research and product development programs.
Since January 1, SinterCast has reported new orders from South Korea’s Doosan Infracore Co. Ltd. and China’s Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Co. Ltd., both of which are developing diesel engine blocks in CGI.
"This is a particularly rewarding installation for SinterCast,” offered the company’s president and CEO, Dr. Steve Dawson. “We have actively supported the CGI development activities of the (Japanese) foundry and the OEM for many years, and we have enjoyed good relationships on the operational and managerial levels. We are pleased that this support and confidence has led to a new installation and has established our partner as the SinterCast-CGI leader in Japan for commercial vehicle engine development."
Dawson noted the new installation will be the third for SinterCast in Japan and seventeenth installation in Asia.