Spheroidizers

There is quite a variety of casting technologies as well as that of physical, mechanical and performance properties castings are expected to conform to. Worldwide production of high-quality ductile iron castings (as well as other high-quality castings) has shown that there is no single all-purpose modifier making it possible for them to conform to these properties. This is the reason why our company produces a wide variety of analytical grades of modifiers. This enables foundry experts to select application-specific modifiers with the required composition and concentration of active components that makes it possible to produce castings possessing the requisite properties under specific casting conditions.

Spheromag^®, Spheromax^®, SIMAG^® and VERMILOY^® multicomponent spheroidizers with microcrystalline structure (MKMs) produced by our company contain various concentrations of magnesium, calcium, barium and REM. Using a variety of spheroidization methods and techniques makes it possible to produce ductile and compacted iron castings on a consistent basis.

The cooling rates (700-1,000°C/sec.) of liquid MKMs are higher than those of liquid ispheroidizers cast into molds where they crystallize and solidify. As a result, their phases are 5-10 times smaller. The high cooling rates also promote compacted, highly dispersed structure of the MKMs (chips) and uniform distribution of phases within them.

Liquid iron in ladles is treated by MKMs more uniformly. For example, microcrystalline spheroidizing modifiers, or spheroidizers, have small magnesium-containing phases (10-20 mm). As a result, the magnesium vapor bubbles are also small, and subsequently, the surface and time of its contact with the liquid iron are maximally optimum. This factor increases its residual content in the iron.

Liquid MKMs have fine grains and their density increases as they crystallize. Rapid crystallization promotes more homogeneous phase composition and more uniform distribution of the active components of the MKMs such as AEM and REM. Besides, AEM and REM do not accumulate locally and MKMs do not disintegrate with time, which is typical of magnesium-containing spheroidizers in ingot form.