Inductotherm Europe Ltd. and its affiliate Consarc have built a new manufacturing plant to accommodate production of larger-capacity coreless induction furnaces, including steel-shell furnace vessels and vacuum furnace systems. The new operation at Droitwich, in Worcestershire, England, is due to open for business in February.
The European furnace division of the Inductotherm Group indicated its new operation has a plant floor covering more than 800 m2 and a ceiling height of 14.5 m. It houses two cranes, each one capable of lifting 40 metric tons (total lifting capability of 80 metric tons.)
According to the company, frequent requests for large-dimension furnaces over recent years prompted the new construction. At the same time, Inductotherm Europe still retains its ability to produce a wide range of melting systems, including smaller vessels for melting precious metals and midsized furnaces for melting nonferrous metals, iron, and steel.
“We now see coreless furnace orders of 35- to 85-metric ton capacity as the norm,” managing director Steve Hill explained. “With this increase in size, the existing facility in Droitwich had started to struggle with the physical size and weight of these Heavy Duty Steel Shells. The decision to expand production facilities is important for us as it maintains our reputation for reliability by helping us to meet current and future demand at all levels.”