THE CUSTOMER
GMD Eurocast
HTS SOLUTION
Performa plunger and innoSleeve
THE CHALLENGE
Extend plunger lifespan
OUTCOME
+91% plunger lifespan
Case study overview
GMD Eurocast operates multiple die casting facilities across France, utilizing high-capacity 2700-ton machines. The company specializes in high-quality metal castings for various industries and aims to optimize their production processes for greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
The trial
Eurocast used standard copper plungers with AS9U3 alloy, which had an average lifespan of 9,000 shots, lasting approximately three weeks in operation, requiring 17.3 plungers per machine annually. This led to high maintenance costs and frequent replacements and stoppages.
To address these issues, a combination of Performa Plunger and innoSleeve was proposed. Eurocast tried out the HTS innoSleeve insert on a Ø100mm IDRA OL 1100 line.
Once in production Eurocast team, with HTS support, was performing regular maintenance and inspection to ensure the optimal operation of the plunger.
Outcome
The average lifetime of copper plungers that Eurocast was using before was 9.000 shots, which lasted for about three weeks. This means that on average, they used 17.3 copper plungers per year on one machine.
The Performa plunger, in combination with innoSleeve insert had a lifespan of 100.030 shots (91% lifespan increase).
About five plunger rings are used in one Performa plunger’s lifespan.
RING PERFORMANCE
Five rings were changed on the Performa plunger during use.
The first ring was used merely to try it out and optimise the machine. The later four rings were used rigorously, reaching the number of shots as presented in the table.
COMPONENTS AT SHOT COUNT
The Performa plunger or the innoSleeve insert have no signs of critical wear, no welding was used to repair them during their operation.
RESULTS
In total, 100.030 shots were made with the Performa Plunger, which concluded the end of the trial.
The average lifetime of the rings is 20.000 shots. The components performed without problems.
It was concluded that a 91% increase in plunger lifetime was reached.
