Metals

Blow-off Savings at an Aluminum Casting Plant

By Alper Alten, Founder, AAPM Project Management and Consulting

This article explores how a focused engineering intervention driven by data and a clear understanding of process requirements led to a transformative change on a aluminum production plant.  By switching from traditional compressed air systems to low-pressure industrial blowers the plant not only maintained product quality, but also achieved a dramatic reduction in energy use saving nearly $455,000 annually.

Read Full Story

Show Report: Vacuum Technology at 2022 AISTech

By Kimberly Vickman, Blower & Vacuum Best Practices Magazine

The 2022 AISTech Conference and Exposition was held May 16-18 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was the conference and exposition’s most successful year yet with more than 8,000 attendees. The event featured 300+ technical presentations and 500+ exhibitors, featuring the latest technologies in iron- and steelmaking from all over the world. AISTech 2022 also gave away a brand new, fully loaded, 2022 Chevy Silverado Truck to one lucky attendee. Both Blower & Vacuum Best Practices and Compressed Air Best Practices Magazines were pleased to be in the literature bins. 
[ Read Full Story ]

How to Choose the Right Vacuum Pump for Demanding Heat-Treatment Applications

By Dave Sobiegray, Edwards

Many heat-treating applications put difficult demands on vacuum pumps in general and oil-sealed pumps, in particular. Byproducts from the heat-treating process can contaminate the vacuum pump oil and create higher vapor pressures that cause deteriorated vacuum levels in the heat-treating chamber, or buildup and blockages in the pump mechanism.
[ Read Full Story ]

Rotary Lobe Blowers, Nozzles and Air Knife Save $248,000 in Energy

By Don van Ormer, APenergy

A metal producer, in the Midwest, spends an estimated $2.4 million annually on electricity to operate their compressed air system.  The current average electric rate, at this plant, is 5.5 cents per kWh, and the compressed air system operates 8,760 hours per year. This system assessment recommended a group of “near-term” compressed air demand reduction projects and then a group of separate “longer-term” projects focused on optimizing the air compressors, the controls and the heated desiccant compressed air dryers. The near term demand-reduction projects...
[ Read Full Story ]

Metallurgical High Vacuum Announces ISO-9000-2008 Certification

Metallurgical High Vacuum Corporation (MHV) is proud to announce another milestone in their commitment to excellence: they were awarded certification attesting to establishment of their quality management system in conformance with the International Quality System Standard ISO 9000-2008, with a scope for Design and Manufacture of High Vacuum Mechanical Pumps and Rebuild of Mechanical Pumps.
[ Read Full Story ]

Dekker Supplies DuPont Titanium Custom Liquid Ring Vacuum Pumps

DEKKER Vacuum Technologies is helping DuPont Titanium Technologies, the world’s largest manufacturer of titanium dioxide, meet the world’s needs for this essential chemical. DEKKER has custom designed and manufactured two vacuum pump systems that will be incorporated into DuPont Titanium's $500-million titanium dioxide capacity expansion project at its plant in Altamira, Mexico.
[ Read Full Story ]

Blowers Save Energy at Aluminum Mill

By Brendan Smith, JetAir Technologies

Relatively few people realize that for a variety of industrial manufacturing applications, from air knife drying to simple blow-off nozzles, the use of high pressure compressed air that bleeds into the atmosphere represents a significant waste of energy.  
[ Read Full Story ]