User report
Foundry modernizes plant park with continuous wire belt shot blasting system
As part of its modernization strategy, the Spanish foundry Funosa is investing in a RDGE 1250 continuous wire belt shot blast machine from Rösler Oberflächentechnik GmbH. The machine is designed for processing heavy iron castings and has an installed turbine output of 340 kW as well as various safety and maintenance functions.
Funosa has been producing iron castings for over 100 years and manufactures medium and large series for various industries. According to the company, it has been continuously investing in the modernization of its plant and equipment for more than ten years. These measures are part of an ESG-oriented roadmap with a focus on energy efficiency, digitalization and reducing the environmental footprint.
As an example, the company cites the investment in a new core shooter, which will save around 53 tons of sand per year. This modernization step is being continued with the purchase of the new blasting system for sand removal from cast products.
"For us, this step is another important commitment to the future. We are replacing an outdated technology from another supplier with the Rösler wire belt continuous shot blasting system and are opting for a more efficient, quieter and safer system," says Antonio Ortega, Technical Managing Director of Funosa.
Design for heavy iron castings
The RDGE 1250 mainly processes flat but heavy iron castings, including machine parts or truck wishbones with a maximum unit weight of 150 kilograms. A reinforced conveyor belt was designed for this application to ensure structural integrity during the blasting process and enable continuous operation. It must also be ensured that the belt can transport the high part weight over the deflection roller.
The system has a perforated deflection roller in conjunction with a pneumatic design for automatic belt tensioning. This ensures that the conveyor belt with the workpieces is guided through the system without slippage. The maximum belt speed in the blasting chamber is six meters per minute.
The blast chamber is equipped with eight EVO42 turbines, which are fitted with blades made of hardened tool steel. Four turbines are arranged above and four below the wire belt. The maximum total output is 340 kW. The turbines are equipped with vibration control.
Wear protection and design
The blasting chamber is made of 8 mm thick solid manganese steel. In addition, 15 mm thick wear protection plates made of manganese steel are installed in the entire blasting area, which are arranged according to the roof tile principle and can be replaced. An additional 20 mm thick lining made of tool steel is used in the so-called hot-spot area of the turbines.
"With this system, we are not only offering Funosa an extremely powerful and robust solution for desanding solid iron castings, but we have also focused on the issues of ease of maintenance and safety," explains Global Sales Expert Norman Peter von Rösler. "Minimizing downtime during turbine maintenance is essential to maintain productivity. This is supported by tools such as an overhead crane carriage, which enables the turbines, each of which weighs almost 300 kilograms, to be replaced quickly and safely."
Other equipment includes maintenance and servicing platforms with stair access, a safety contact strip to safeguard the unloading process when parts are manually removed from the wire belt and a pallet deposit area with safety sensors on the maintenance platform.
Integration into the machine concept
The new blasting system will be integrated into the existing machine concept at Funosa.
"The Rösler system fits perfectly into our machine concept at Funosa. We are delighted with the superior surface quality that we were able to achieve in the test machining and machine acceptance tests at Rösler and are looking forward to the first in-house tests after commissioning," says Antonio Ortega from Funosa. "The collaboration with Rösler is a significant step forward, not only in terms of our drive for continuous improvement and greater sustainability, but also consolidates our position as a market leader in the areas of innovation and operational excellence."
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