workers at Austral Alloys sorting through scrap metal for melting

MELTING & POURING

Melting

Foundries were the first metal recyclers and Austral Alloys is proud to continue this tradition. All segregated scrap material is purchased from metal recyclers. All base melting stock is scrap steel which is blended and alloyed by our specialist metallurgists on site to achieve the required chemical composition for each individual casting.

Electric melting is conducted in a 500Kw Inductotherm Power-Trak® High Frequency Induction furnace. Four furnace bodies each lined with different refractory materials optimise the best requirements of the alloy being melted. The furnaces range in size allowing a single melt capacity of up to 1400kg. Smaller special alloy melts are achieved in the 100kg capacity small furnace.

Before pouring, all melts are chemically analysed using our ARL® 3460 Optical Spectrograph. Chemistry is then adjusted as necessary and re checked ensuring that every heat poured is chemically certified and traceable through our quality system. We have computerised all the blends used in the production of the 300 alloys currently available.

Melting and pouring temperatures are standardised for each casting and are checked using a digital dip type pyrometer.

Deoxidisation

All stainless steel & carbon steel melts are argon purged in the furnace prior to pouring.

Austral Alloys, in partnership with Foseco Australia, has pioneered ceramic diffuser technology in Australia, resulting in the ability to regularly produce cleaner castings with lower oxide levels & higher impact strengths than standard melting and pouring practices achieve.