ZIM funding for the development of a processor for cleaning and temperature control of light metal chips
We are pleased to announce that our Chair of Casting Technology has received new funding.
The “ChipConditioner” research project is developing a processor for cleaning and tempering light metal chips.
The aim of the project is to develop application-specific fluidized bed reactors for the thermochemical conversion of powdered/particulate materials (chips) using flowing reaction gases.
The preprocessor operates according to the fluidized bed process. It picks up magnesium chips (alternatively also aluminum or other materials) from above through a plastic pipe under the effect of gravity, suspends them with argon, degreases, dries, and heats the chips evenly with argon to a maximum of 200°C, and feeds them downwards into the main reactor via a screw conveyor or argon nozzles through the filling nozzle, where a partially liquid melt is produced for the casting process. For the specific process optimization required for various applications of the preprocessor, AI is being developed that enables largely automated optimization.
The project strengthens our research in the field of partially liquid metal processing and also opens up exciting collaborations with our industry partners MAXImolding! Technology GmbH and Gogu Systems GmbH.
We would like to express our sincere thanks to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) for its trust and support, and we look forward to the successful implementation of this project as part of the Central Innovation Programme for small and medium-sized enterprises (ZIM)!