Johnson Aluminum Foundry, Cerritos, CA, a leading manufacture of high quality sand and permanent mold aluminum castings in southern California, has experienced a steady increase in casting demand. A flexible manufacturing process that features an automated sand system with a Hunter Automatic Molding Machine, two Rotolifts, and four squeezer lines, as well as both stationary and tilt pour permanent mold capability allows Johnson Aluminum to service a very diverse group of customers.

Management recognized that along with a growing demand for aluminum casting production there was a need to modernize their aluminum melting operations. A search for better technology was begun with local utility companies and several major national suppliers. With technology assistance from the Southern California Gas Co. a final selection was made for a new Twin-Chamber High Bay Combustion Furnace from Thermtronix Corp., Adelanto, CA.

Installed and placed into operation in 1997 the new furnace provices the ability to melt both loose and stacked ingots, sows, returns, or any combination necessary. A secondary melt chamber for gates and risers recaptures energy for improved melting efficiency. Molten aluminum is held at a uniform temperature with solid state controlled high efficiency flat flame burner technology. Aluminum moves from the holding well into the covered dip-out well through a bonded particle silicon carbide gate filter for improved quality and temperature control.

"Our new twin-chamber high bay combustion furnace has exceeded the quoted melt rate by more than 30%. It has enabled us to remove four older crucible furnaces, substantially reducing our utility bills," says company President Trevor Harrison.

The overall performance of the new furnace has been so successful the company has ordered a second twin-chamber high bay combustion furnace. In addidtion to features on the existing furnace the new unit will have multiple alloy melting capability. This unique feature allows for sequential melting and simultaneous holding of two different aluminum allowys in a single furnace at the same time without metallurgical contamination. It provides improved flexibility and increased holding capacity to meet anticipated future casting demand.

The complete combustion system is factory assembled, tested, and shipped as an integral part of the furnace. This minimizes installation time and the associated cost. It also virtually eliminates any debugging and time consuming wire tracing procedures during furnace startup. UL listed and Classified Flame Safety Furnace Control Panels ease permitting requirements and building code compliance.

"This new melting system has proven to be very operator friendly. Our furnace operators have found the controls easy to use and furnace is clean, quite, and comfortable to work around," said Harrison. "This is an investment in the future, on that will give us a competitive advantage and enable us to provide our customers with the highest possible quality aluminum castings well into the new century."

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"Aluminum Foundry Modernizes Melting Operations", Aug 1998, Foundry Management & Technology, A Penton Publication