Molten metal
In foundry melting and vacuum metallurgy, IoT continuously records the melt pool, fill level, temperature and pressure of molten metal. Deviations show up before a batch becomes unusable or a furnace runs empty.
Molten metal at a glance
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Camera-based process monitoring increases the quality and efficiency of vacuum systems
Documentation and traceability in metallurgy
Optimising the melting process in the foundry with machine data
Foundry melting: melt pool, fill level and process data in view
In the solution examples, ALD Vacuum Technologies points a process camera at the melt pool in the crucible. Its EB Vision Monitoring software evaluates changes in brightness in real time and derives values for surface movement, fill level and an imminent overflow, which are stored in a time-series database. The web-based IoT platform ALD EXPERT shows the temperature, pressure and gas flow of melting and remelting systems in dashboards, fills in melt review sheets automatically and exchanges data with ERP and MES systems in both directions. In foundries, data comes partly from the machine control and partly from retrofitted sensors, and reaches the cloud via an IoT gateway.
The examples come from mechanical and plant engineering and from metal and electronics, with use cases such as scrap reduction and coating monitoring. ALD Vacuum Technologies uses this approach to monitor the melting and evaporation process that coats turbine blades for aircraft engines: faulty batches become rarer and downtime shorter. Norican Group developed the Refill Monitor for dosing furnaces on the azeti IoT platform. Operators see in real time when to top up which furnace with how much metal, and avoid running dry or overfilling.
Foundry melting: frequently asked questions
How is molten metal temperature measurement handled in production?
Temperature is recorded continuously as a process parameter and compared with the target values. In vacuum metallurgy, precise monitoring of pressure and temperature, control of the atmosphere to prevent oxidation and stirring of the melt are prerequisites for a good result. The ALD EXPERT platform displays temperature, pressure and gas flow in real time alongside historical data and makes it visible when a value leaves the specified range.
What can a camera detect in the melt pool?
A process camera shows how the fill level and surface of the liquid material in the crucible change and whether it is about to overflow the crucible rim. At ALD Vacuum Technologies, the camera only sends a signal when the light intensity changes. This reduces the data volume, so neither powerful processors nor high-bandwidth networks are needed. The rim, fill level and any overflow are highlighted in colour in the live image.
How does IoT help with refilling a dosing furnace?
IoT shows the fill level of every dosing furnace in real time, so operators know exactly when to top up and with how much metal. In Norican Group's Refill Monitor, data comes from the machine control and from retrofitted sensors and flows via an IoT gateway into cloud dashboards. The number of refills falls, running dry and overfilling are avoided, and there is less scrap caused by refilling at too low a level.
How can foundry software document melting process data?
Software such as ALD EXPERT monitors all process parameters and automatically fills in a melt review sheet at the end of each melt. This makes it possible to trace at any time which parameters were applied and whether they deviated from the target values. Through the connection to ERP and MES systems, the data flows into production control. This is particularly useful in regulated industries such as aviation, which require complete documentation.
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