South Korean manufacturer Doosan Infracore Co. Ltd. has ordered a second Sintercast process control package for compacted graphite iron (CGI) for use in its new product development efforts. Doosan Infracore is a business unit of Doosan Group that manufactures construction equipment and related tools, machine tools, diesel engines, and utility equipment.
The group’s foundry operations adopted SinterCast controls in 2006, which it has used for material research and product development.
CGI is a lightweight alternative to gray iron and aluminum for diesel engine and other heavy-duty vehicle and automotive parts.
Doosan Infracore’s new order is for SinterCast’s Mini-System 3000, which will be used to produce CGI cylinder blocks for a new diesel engine developed for off-road applications. The two SinterCast systems will be used to help Doosan develop CGI products and launch series production of new Doosan Infracore products.
Stockholm-based SinterCast is the world’s largest supplier of process control technology for producing CGI, licensed to 40 different operations in 12 countries, mainly for CGI operations for gasoline and diesel engine cylinder blocks and exhaust components for passenger vehicles; medium-duty and heavy-duty cylinder blocks and heads for commercial vehicles; and, industrial power engine components for marine, rail, off-road and stationary engines. SinterCast's series production parts range from 2 kg to 9 metric tons.
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.
Doosan’s Mini-System 3000 is expected to be installed during the Q2 2015, with the initial CGI production starting once it is commissioned.
"We are pleased that Doosan Infracore's successful CGI product development, together with SinterCast's commitment to the important Korean market, has led to this second installation. The launch of a new engine, and Doosan Infracore's investment in a second process control system, reinforces the global trend toward CGI in the heavy-duty diesel sector for both on-road and off-road applications," stated SinterCast president and CEO Dr. Steve Dawson. "We are motivated by Doosan Infracore's confidence in our technology - repeat business is the strongest endorsement of any technology, and one of our core objectives."