The production process of a foundry basically consists of several furnaces with different capacities and different molding lines.
To increase production efficiency, reduce costs, and be profitable, the company needs to calculate furnace charges in a way that optimizes the process.
But how can you do that when charge calculation is complicated and involves a series of variables?
In this post, see how furnace charge calculation is performed and which technological tool can help your foundry optimize processes and increase profitability. Happy reading!
Furnace charge calculation
Charge calculation is used to define the percentage of each raw material that will be added to the melting furnace.
To perform this calculation, it is essential to know the desired chemical composition and the chemical composition of the elements that will be placed in the furnace.
You also need to know which types of materials are used and how much yield loss or gain can occur during melting.
With that understood, you must calculate each charge's contribution for each element in order to obtain the chemical composition of the desired part. For this calculation, we use the following formula:
Each raw material added has a different chemical composition. Therefore, its values must be added together whenever a contribution occurs — that is, an increase of the element. Once this sum is done, you must deduct the losses or add the yield gains from melting.
**Raw material added = (% increase X charge weight)
Alloying element yield**
Once that is done, it is time to compare the values obtained with the desired values. If, after the comparison, you find the values are not suitable for melting the material, you will need to redo the addition steps and the contribution calculation until the chemical composition is right for the alloy.
Furnace charge calculation anticipates the output conditions of the material to be added to the molds. So if the company keeps its raw material input under control, only a few adjustments will be needed to get the right charge.
Step by step to perform the calculation:
1. Define the charge percentage you want to obtain at the end of the process;
2. Calculate each charge's contribution for each chemical element;
3. Add up the values obtained from each contribution;
4. Assess the loss and gain values from melting;
5. Compare the values obtained with the desired charge composition;
6. Redo the steps above as many times as necessary until the values obtained match the desired charge.
How can you calculate the furnace charge efficiently and optimize the process?
Performing the furnace charge calculation manually can be quite a complex, time-consuming procedure, can't it? After all, it involves a series of processes and variables that may require correcting or recalculating the elements.
Since it can take a while until the values obtained match the intended charge, production may suffer delays or a drop in productivity. On top of that, the company may end up bearing costs related to material losses caused by calculation errors.
But now you must be asking yourself:
Can tools like Useall Software for Foundries, a system capable of integrating data across modules, minimize the chance of making furnace charge calculation errors?
The solution does help reduce rework, since it eliminates the need to retype orders and proposal data into the order. It also shortens the time spent preparing the production planning and control (PCP) plan, since it keeps all the information saved and available in the system.
And beyond that, the tool helps reduce costs from material losses and the use of nonconforming products, since it collects data and performs the calculations automatically in a practical, simple, and secure way.
Amazing, isn't it?
If your foundry wants to optimize its production process and reduce costs, click here to request a Useall Software demo.
See how technology can make a difference in your business — and how it can help you become more profitable!
Originally published in Portuguese at useall.com.br.