Own iron foundries with a cost of $ 25 million
The construction of high-precision, high-strength cast iron castings in Columns was a bold project for the Minsk motor plant, which required an investment of about $ 25 million of its own funds, which was especially difficult in the aftermath of the global economic crisis. Its implementation contributed to the solution of important strategic tasks: the full provision of small-scale production with its own cast iron casting, improving the quality of diesel engines, and solving issues of import substitution. As a result, MMZ created its own iron foundry, equipped with modern high-tech equipment of the most famous European manufacturers from England, Germany, and Italy.
This project was included in the 100 most important innovative projects of the Republic of Belarus and was under the constant control of the government throughout all stages. The capsule containing a parting message to descendants, signed by the Prime Minister of the country, heads of large enterprises, representatives of authorities and the best workers of MMZ, was laid in the Foundation of the foundry building at the end of 2012 – this began the implementation of a large-scale plan.
Production of high-precision, high-strength cast iron at the branch of the Minsk motor plant in Minsk includes sections of centrifugal casting for the manufacture of cylinder liner castings and the manufacture of shaped castings according to the HTS process.
There are enough opportunities to increase exports
At the first stage of construction, a section for the production of the cylinder liner was launched, which has been successfully operating since January 2015. Its capacity – 8000 tons of casting per year, and this allows you to fully meet the needs of the company in the casting of the cylinder liner. The technological process here is automated and highly precise, which is facilitated by technologically advanced equipment: OTTO JUNKER melting furnaces (Germany), Kuttner automated carousel centrifugal casting machines (Germany), equipment for shot blasting casting and pre-machining. In a modern Express laboratory, strict control of cast iron and castings is carried out. The possibilities of the site are enough to fulfill third-party orders. Consumers can be assured of consistently high quality products and timely delivery.
The second section being introduced with a capacity of 10,000 tons of casting per year, working on the HTS process, is the production of castings in sand molds. With this technology, the sand is mixed with a polymer resin, which hardens in the air under the influence of catalysts. The proportion of components to be mixed provides the required strength for metal casting. The CTS process does not require a snap flask and mixture separation. The regeneration system allows you to apply up to 90% of the used sand again. This technology can be used to produce large castings in small batches, and it is also relatively flexible in terms of readjustment to the production of new parts. Casting can be made from alloys of gray, high-strength vermicular cast iron.
Innovative casting for quality improvement and advanced development
The complex of equipment of the site meets modern standards and guarantees the competitiveness of products. The equipment provides for a full technological cycle of castings: two 4-ton furnaces ABR (Germany), molding and rod equipment OMEGA (UK), shot-blasting equipment IDEA PRO (Poland), paint-drying chamber Linea (Italy) and more. It was chosen specifically to achieve high precision in casting, a stable level of quality and will make it possible to produce castings for promising models of engines, as the flexibility of technology and thoroughness of equipment helps to accelerate the development of new products. Installation of equipment and commissioning are now at the final stage, they are under the strict control of the European engineering company together with the specialists of the Minsk motor plant. Taking into account the modern technical level of the equipment, commissioning works require increased care, brevity, accuracy and high qualification.
At the beginning of December this year, the first liquid cast iron was obtained from the ABR melting furnace, which was the result of tremendous work, checking the results of hard work, verifying the effectiveness and efficiency of the new site. The first grey cast iron smelting was successful, which means that the full commissioning of the HTS section has passed into the final stage of the ambitious project.
Minimal environmental risks
The potential of the site can be called universal. Its capacity is able to meet the needs of third-party customers for the production of a wide range of cast iron castings single and small-scale consumption. Already now we are working on the delivery of casting for export. The production building with an area of about 11 thousand square meters is built with all the necessary infrastructure. The use of modern European equipment for dust and gas cleaning, ventilation and regeneration systems can significantly reduce environmental risks, bringing production to a safe level for human health and the environment.
Minsk motor plant has once again proved that it is able to successfully implement major innovative projects, creating new jobs, developing production, improving the quality of products.