ProKon - Produksjonsutvikling for økt konkurransekraft

ProKon (Produksjonsutvikling for økt Konkurransekraft) is a three years lasting innovation project. Participating companies (partner and R&D) are Hycast (project owner), Storvik, IFE (Institutt For Energiteknikk) and SRM (Sintef Raufoss Manufacturing). The project includes development of a new inline melt treatment degasser, research and development of mathematical models to simulate the melt treatment process and making the degasser and other products competitive in an international market. The main project is divided into three sub projects: 1. Development of a new drain free inline melt treatment unit for small casthouses I-25 SIR is a new self-draining reactor, removing hydrogen and particles from the aluminium melt before casting. The reactor is customized for small and medium sized casthouses. The process is activated by adding argon-gas through a rotor, creating bubbles and turbulence further into the rector. I-25 SIR is developed during the project and later tested in line with melted aluminium at Hydro research center. The validation shows excellent results for melt treatment, close up to what is theoretical possible both for Hydrogen and particles. In 2016, I-25 SIR is further improved based on practical experiences from the prototype testing. Hycast has received positive response from the market and four units are per January 2017 already sold. The first unit was started up by Hycast personnel at customers properties in Brazil in January 2017.The new technology developed in the project, is estimated to create a yearly income of 20-30 million NOK. In addition, the product will create synergies leading to increased sale for other products and spare parts. 2. New mathematical models for melt treatment IFE has developed equations and models supporting new knowledge for melt treatment of aluminium. The objective with degassing units is to form small gas bubbles, which are released at the bottom of the melted material from where they float into the surface. As the metal comes in contact with the rising bubbles, the hydrogen atoms diffuse to the bubble surface where they combine to form hydrogen gas. The hydrogen gas then collects inside the bubble and is transported out of the system as the bubbles arise to the surface of the metal. At the surface, the bubble burst and the contained gas is released. Small inclusions also collide with the gas bubbles, attach to their surface and float with them to the surface of the metal. Fluxing by gas bubbles also generates turbulence in the melt which stirs the melt and ensures a homogeneous distribution of the remaining inclusions and alloying elements. The mass transfer, thermodynamics and kinetic aspects of gas fluxing are described in the mathematical models. In practical use of the models, it is made possible to variate input parameters as metal flowrate, input hydrogen, amount of gas and rotor speed. The models will be of huge importance for the next generation of melt refining reactors. They will contribute to reduce the development time and cost, by more correctly dimensioning and design, already in the early development phases. The model also confirms entirely mixing of gas in the complete reactor chamber, which is essential for the function of I-25 SIR. 3. Prepare I-25 SIR and other products competitive in an international market The subproject is cooperation between SRM, Hycast and partly Storvik. The goal is to make I-25 SIR and the other Hycast products more competitive from an international perspective. 241 improvements related to products and processes are implemented. A new method DesignOptimizing is developed to improve products with respect to manufacturability, specifications, use of materials, composition of components and less complicated assembly. By utilizing Action Research, the subproject has developed a new methodology to establish and document strategies, directly linked to the continuous improvement process. The improvement results created in the subproject are taken further by new work methodologies, reports, documentation and procedures. The Hycast turnover has during the project period increased from 85 million NOK in 2013 to approximately 300 million NOK in 2016. This increase can under no circumstances be credited the project alone, but also for instance market conditions. Nevertheless, the cost reductions related to products and internal man-hours consumption will expectantly support a further expansion of revenue the next years, without equivalent manning increase. For all the three subprojects, the results of the research have been publicized at international conferences: Paper 1: «Inline melt treatment for low to medium flow rates» - TMS in Orlando March 2015 Paper 2: «Model for supporting lasting managerial efforts in continuous improvement: A case study in product engineering» - CIRP Stockholm June 2016 Paper 3: «Modelling of hydrogen removal in gas fluxing of molten aluminium» - TMS Orlando February 2017

Hycast har frem til 2009 vært en del av Norsk Hydro. I 2009 ble bedriften skilt ut som et eget AS utenom Hydrosystemet. Bedriftens kjerneområder er å utvikle, produsere og markedsføre støpeutstyr og tilhørende renseenheter av aluminium før støping. Bedri ften innehar førsteklasses kompetanse innenfor kjerneområdet som er bygd opp over lang tid hovedsakelig sammen med Hydro. Adskillelsen fra Hydro har gjort at bedriftens markedsmuligheter har endret seg fra Hydro internt til et stort globalt marked. Hy cast har med sin høye kompetanse et betydelig potensiale i å utvikle produkter som er konkurransedyktige i dette internasjonale markedet. Utfordringen ligger i at kostnadene under produktrealiseringen må være innenfor hva markedet aksepterer. Hovedideen for prosjektet er å utvikle en ny smelterenseenhet til bruk i mindre støperier. Denne smelterenseenheten skal ha betydelige miljømessige og energimessige besparelser i forhold til eksisterende tilsvarende produkter i et globalt marked. For at den nye smel terenseenheten skal være kommersielt mulig å omsette i større skala, vil det i prosjektet også utvikles en ny variabel prosessbeskrivelse som tar for seg hele verdikjeden fra marked og engineering, frem til ferdig installert smelterenseenhet. Her vil nye underlag og metoder for engineering, komponentfremstilling, sammenstilling, installasjon og komponentvalg defineres. På denne måten skal reduserte kostnader under produktrealiseringen sikre at smelterenseenheten også er kommersielt mulig å omsette i stør re skala. Denne delen av prosjektet vil også favne om de øvrige eksisterende hovedproduktene til Hycast, og effekten vil derfor bli betydelig større enn utelukkende for smelterenseenheten.