In Hungary, a medium-sized aluminum foundry supplying automotive and machinery customers was struggling with an aging gas melting furnace. As natural gas prices climbed and customers demanded more consistent castings, the old system became a serious bottleneck: low melting efficiency, unstable metal quality, and rising energy bills were eroding profit margins.

To break this pattern, the plant decided to upgrade to an Oval Crucible Gas Aluminum Melting Furnace with a maximum capacity of 1200KG per heat, custom-configured to attack their biggest pain points: high fuel consumption, slow melting, and high scrap rates.

1. Hungarian customer pain points: not just “an old furnace”

Before the upgrade, the foundry faced several issues that had become increasingly hard to ignore:

• Energy cost pressure from rising gas prices
  The old furnace had poor insulation and outdated burner layout. To maintain molten aluminum, the plant had to burn a lot of gas, especially during long holding periods. The energy cost per ton of aluminum was becoming uncompetitive.

• Limited melting capacity and slow response to peak orders
  Each heat was relatively small, so the plant often needed to run multiple furnaces and extra shifts during peak demand. This increased labor intensity, floor space usage, and safety risk on the melt deck.

• Unstable metal quality and high scrap rate
  Inconsistent temperature distribution and strong oxidation in the bath led to more dross and more internal defects in castings (porosity, inclusions). The team compensated with overspecification, extra grinding, and rework—consuming time that should have been used for productive output.

These pain points combined into a simple reality: every extra kilowatt-hour and every percentage point of scrap was directly cutting into profit on each casting.

2. The 1200KG Oval Crucible Gas Aluminum Melting Furnace solution

To address these issues, we supplied a 1200KG Oval Crucible Gas Aluminum Melting Furnace (Gas Aluminum Melting Furnace) tailored to the foundry’s product mix and layout.

1. Oval crucible geometry for higher flame coverage and faster melting

   • Compared with a traditional round crucible, the oval crucible gives the gas flame more effective contact area along the crucible wall.

   • Aluminum ingots and returns can be stacked more compactly, reducing “cold spots” and shortening the time from cold charge to pouring temperature.

   • Bath depth and surface area were matched to the Hungarian customer’s typical ladle size and pouring rhythm, ensuring a stable, continuous supply of clean metal.

2. 1200KG single-furnace capacity: replace multi-furnace operation

   • With up to 1200KG per heat, one furnace can now do the work that previously required two or more small units during busy periods.

   • The larger single charge supports consolidated melting and coordinated pouring to multiple molds, instead of constantly starting and stopping several smaller furnaces.

   • This directly reduces operator headcount around the furnace area and simplifies production scheduling.

3. Optimized gas system and insulation: directly targeting energy cost

   • Burners and flame passages were arranged to guide the flame around the crucible in a controlled loop, improving heat transfer and reducing wasted exhaust heat.

   • A multi-layer refractory and insulation package reduces heat loss, especially during holding periods and overnight operation.

   • Gas flow and air ratio can be finely adjusted to match the local gas quality and pressure in Hungary, ensuring clean combustion and consistent performance.

4. Easy operation and maintenance

   • A large top opening and lifting points simplify charge loading and crucible maintenance.

   • The control panel includes pre-set melting and holding recipes; operators select the program rather than manually “guessing” settings.

   • Standardized wear parts make it easy for the customer to stock or source spares locally.

3. Results after installation: energy, scrap and scheduling all improved

After the 1200KG Oval Crucible Gas Aluminum Melting Furnace was commissioned and integrated into daily production, the Hungarian foundry reported clear improvements:

• Lower energy consumption per ton of aluminum
  With better insulation and a more efficient flame path, the gas required to produce the same amount of molten metal dropped significantly. This was especially noticeable on night shifts and during long holding periods—“less gas burned, more heat kept in the bath.”

• More stable metal quality and reduced scrap
  More uniform bath temperature and a calmer metal surface reduced oxidation and dross formation. Internal defects in castings decreased, and the scrap/rework rate fell. As a result, more of the foundry’s capacity is now used for first-pass good parts instead of rework.

• Smoother line organization and fewer furnace start-stops
  The 1200KG capacity now matches the rhythm of the holding furnace and pouring line. The plant can plan melts in larger, predictable blocks, reducing the need to frequently start and stop multiple furnaces. This makes delivery schedules more reliable and simplifies shop-floor management.

4. Takeaways for Hungarian aluminum foundries

For aluminum foundries in Hungary facing both high energy prices and quality pressure, upgrading to a 1200KG Oval Crucible Gas Aluminum Melting Furnace is more than a simple equipment replacement. It is a way to:

• Use higher thermal efficiency to offset gas price increases;

• Use larger single-furnace capacity to reduce multi-furnace labor and complexity;

• Use more stable molten aluminum quality to lower scrap and protect delivery performance.