Lindberg MPH, Riverside, Mich., has built a gas-fired stack-type central melting furnace that will be utilized to produce aluminum ingot and sows.
The furnace has a melt rate of 4500 pounds per hour, and will be fed continuously. This procedure maximizes efficiency in keeping the stack full, especially with a low-density charge that aluminum scrap can present. As it melts, the metal flows into the holding chamber, where it is alloyed to a certain specification. In addition to low fuel consumption, this technology lends itself to lower metal loss due the burning off of contaminants in the stack.
A programmable logic controller and HMI in the control panel handle equipment motion, temperature, combustion, stack level, metal level, and fault annunciation functions. A three-point laser metal level sensor notifies operators of the current furnace metal level through an attached light tree.
According to Lindberg’s Andrew Paul, “The stack melter design is the most efficient method of melting aluminum scrap and ingot, because it utilizes combustion gases to preheat the metal in the furnace stack prior to melting. In addition, the stack melter top portion enables the exhaust of the flue gases, while insulating the other portions for fuel efficiency.”
