Newsletter, No. 3 - 2014 Pump casings
We love a challenge! Our customers worldwide are top of the bill in the shipping, dredging, mining and offshore industry. Our goal is to supply each and every client with reliable and innovating products, which meet the highest quality standards.
Mission possible To an important part of our customers - the dredging industry - we supply high quality products in various alloys of wear resistant cast iron and iron steel qualities. Think of pump casings, impellers and double walled pipeline systems; the parts of the sandcarrying system on board. These should be able to handle the abrasive action of the materials that are being dredged, for as long as possible before the parts get too thin.
The entire dredging industry is part of our international clientele: starting with pump manufacturers and ship builders up to and including the end-user, e.g. Van Oord.
Critical In the beginning of July, we received an inquiry of the Van Oord purchasing department with the request to quote price and delivery time for three pump casings with ribs (a so-called rib shell). Dimensions 4 m x 4 m x 1 m and a clean weight of 22.000 kg in steel. The first one had to be delivered mid-November (week 46); the other two pump casings 1 and 2 weeks later. We received the purchase order at the end of week 29. A critical note: we did not yet have the pattern in our possession... The delivery time was not the only reason this was a challenge, also the melting weight of 30 tons in steel was one of the larger ones we ever had to cast! Despite the summer holidays and the associated closure of three weeks, the pattern makers pulled it off to have the pattern delivered in week 36. The actual sand moulding started in week 37.
Impressive Very early in the morning, the crew started melting at 02:00 hours so that the furnaces were ready for casting early in the afternoon. To melt this amount of steel, four of the in total six available furnaces were needed. The liquid steel had a temperature of approx. 1650째C. By using two foundry ladles simultaneously, our team of specialists had the pump cast within a few minutes. An impressive performance! This cutting edge example of casting was repeated the week after for the second pump and again one week later for pump No. 3.
Big guys After a cooling down period of several weeks, we could finally break out the first pump casing, have it blasted and carefully remove the feed and runner system. Then, the product was in for heat treatment with temperatures of approx. 1000째C to meet the material requirements (quality and hardness). Afterwards, the pump casing had to be machined in our fettling shop. A tough job!
The final inspection of QC will ensure that the finished product will meet the required measurements and tolerances. In ten weeks, the first rib shell was ready for delivery, that is an absolute record! A week later the second followed and as set out in the purchase order, the third pump was ready one week after that. Again a top performance by everyone involved, from sales up to quality control.
About us Van Voorden Castings is a modern Dutch foundry specialised in the casting of (stainless)steel, (white) iron and NiAlBronze. Engineering, casting facilities and a machine shop are all located in Zaltbommel for more than 100 years. Our worldwide customer base for undermentioned products belong to the top of the shipbuilding, dredging, mining and offshore industry. We deliver a.o.: Pump casings - impellers - double walled pipeline systems - ship propellers and blades - CFD calculations
Andus Group Van Voorden Castings is part of Andus Group. “Serving the industry” is the motto of the fifteen companies within Andus Group with its approx. 1.200 employees. Andus Group is a strong and reliable industry partner with an expected annual turnover of more than € 300 million in 2015. Leading concerns all over the world are served with complex projects and innovative products. Andus Group prove that “Made in Holland” has a solid future. Van Voorden Castings BV Bossekamp 6, 5301 LZ Zaltbommel NL T +31 (0)418 - 57 12 00 E castings@vanvoorden.nl
PO Box 67, 5300 AB Zaltbommel NL F +31 (0)418 - 51 57 90 I www.vanvoorden.nl