Cut pollution, save power

At Daimler-Benz, a process overhaul at the foundry where cylinder heads are made has reduced CO2 emissions by 36% and energy requirements by 25%. In the new process, the aluminium is cast in a sand mould secured by steel plates, then the cylinder heads are removed from the mould and the casts hardened. The casts are introduced into a furnace after only a few minutes together with their sand cores. The components are heated to consume the resin binding agent from the sand cores. The loosened sand is conveyed to a silo, from where it is reused as high-quality material for new sand cores.