Launching FOUR new innovations, exhibiting alongside THREE Norican Group brands, the emergence of TWO key industry shifts in ONE memorable show – Metal China 2018.

Taking place in Beijing between the 16th and 19th May 2018, DISA attended the event as part of the Norican Group line-up alongside ItalPresseGauss, StrikoWestofen and Wheelabrator. 

Four Norican Group brands presented their offering together as one complete foundry supplier for both iron and aluminium. The event was also momentous for DISA as it provided the brand with the opportunity to gauge customer reaction to four new innovations that were launched to the Chinese market at the show.

By way of a summary, the four key event highlights and takeaways are:

FOUR innovations shown for the first time 

This year at Metal China, DISA launched four new technologies to the Chinese market, so we’ve provided a brief snapshot of each below: 

• DISA MAC – DISA's new Mould Accuracy Controller (MAC), is a high-precision measuring device that captures mould-related mismatch, mould gaps, mould steps and parallelism for each mould before pouring. The unique device consists of a bridge-like scanning bracket that is mounted across the mould string between the moulding machine and the pouring unit. This bracket is equipped with laser sensors that continuously scan along the mould string, tracing specifically designed impressions on each mould. For the first time ever, foundries are able to spot and react to mould string inaccuracies in real time, before pouring.

The result: you can be sure before you pour!

• DISA Foundry Cockpit – The DISA Foundry Cockpit provides a central platform to access foundry data. In the spirit of the Internet of Things (IoT) it unlocks new possibilities and insights. The system not only collates, but makes sense of data from foundry devices to help identify issues, intervene, learn and constantly improve processes.

In short: The DISA Foundry Cockpit turns foundry data into pure foundry intelligence.

• DISAMATIC MOC – A standard feature on the new DISAMATIC® D3 the Melt Overflow Cover (MOC), is a simple yet effective feature designed to protect mechanical and electrical parts on the Automatic Mould Conveyor (AMC) from molten metal. MOC panels create a barrier against the sides of the mould string to stop excess molten metal spilling over and damaging other parts of machinery where it creates the need for cleaning and maintenance, and could cause mismatch.

The overall aim: protect the machine by preventing melt overflow. 

• DISAMATIC AFS – The Automatic Filter Setter (AFS) is another optional feature for the DISAMATIC D3. The PLC-controlled, robot-monitored unit autonomously places filters into any uncored mould. This helps boost production capacity, quality and safety, while freeing up experienced operators for value-added work.  

Verdict: operating at up to 555 moulds per hour, the AFS helps you get the maximum speed out of your line.

Exhibiting alongside THREE Norican Group brands

For the first time, all four Norican Group brands exhibited together at Metal China. According to Mr. Baohua Wei, Senior Vice President Asia Pacific at DISA and Wheelabrator, delegates were very keen to hear more about the proposition and what it means for the industry.  

“The Norican Group is a powerful fusion of expertise greater than the sum of its parts. By joining forces, we have gained additional breadth and become an even more complete foundry supplier. Innovation is a trait all Norican brands share. We are all developing exciting technology and looking ahead to Industry 4.0 and a more digital future. By pooling our expertise, we can supercharge our learnings and development, so the potential for our customers is huge.”

The TWO hot industry topics 

At Metal China, two themes featured prominently both in an industry round table held by the Norican Group and more widely in discussions among exhibitors, customers and event attendees: 

Steel to aluminium 

Commenting on the shift that was the hot topic of Metal China, Mr. Baohua Wei said: “It is estimated that the global consumption of raw aluminium will reach 120 million tonnes by 2025. Proportionally the use of aluminium in automobiles will rise from between 12 and 15 per cent to 25 per cent or 30 million tonnes. 

“This trend is driven by the need to reduce fuel consumption and comply with environmental policies by creating lightweight vehicles. As such aluminium is increasingly becoming the metal of choice. With aluminium expertise, firmly present within the Norican Group, our colleagues at ItalPresseGauss were able to provide insight around the rising profile and demand for aluminium gravity die casting in China.” 

The drive to automation 

Shedding light on the discussions around automation at Metal China, Mr. Baohua Wei said: “Man power is an issue both globally and here in China, as fewer people aspire to work in foundries and older members of staff approach retirement. As such, the industry sees automation as a way to tackle the lack of labour availability while at the same time improving productivity, consistency and working environments. 

“Metal China featured a lot of talk about automation and a great deal of attention was placed on new products and innovations, such as the Automatic Filter Setter (AFS) from DISA, that automate processes. 

“Ultimately, automation enables foundries to assign staff to higher value tasks by freeing them from more repetitive areas of work. This in turn reduces human error and improves the reliability of order fulfilment. This is a trend the industry expects to see gather pace.”

ONE memorable show

Metal China is one of the most hotly anticipated industry events in the Far East. It provides a great space to discuss the hot topics and see the latest products – and 2018 was one memorable show and a successful one for DISA and the Norican Group. 

Mr. Baohua Wei concluded: “The response we received at Metal China was fantastic, so we look forward to furthering our work in the region and helping ever more customers to overcome their challenges.”