AMAFOND

A new generation of ceramic products to contribute to the sustainability path of the aluminum metallurgy sector. This is the ambitious goal assumed by Foundry Ecocer with the RECALF (REfractory Ceramic for the ALuminum Foundries) project, winner of the PNRR tender process – NextGeneration EU call aimed at encouraging industrial research projects, focusing on technologies and productive specializations of excellence. To participate and subsequently win the tender process, Foundry Ecocer looked for external collaborations capable of making technical-scientific contributions for the design of the ceramic product of the future, establishing a partnership that includes, in addition to Foundry Ecocer, MADE – Competence Center for Industry 4.0, the University of Milan, the University of Pavia and the Politecnico of Milan. The project activity focuses on the acquisition of new knowledge and the exploration of the feasibility of innovative technological solutions to improve the automation of the process and the performance of the refractory ceramic product. The expected results aim to: • Develop knowledge and technological innovations to increase the automation and the control of the process with positive impacts on productivity, energy consumption and production waste, as well as on the quality of final products; • Optimize the procedural phases of the ceramic production process, with unique and innovative automation solutions for the aluminum production sector; • Use hardware and software technologies to simulate and characterize the ceramic process, allowing replication and optimization of the process using sensors, probes and simulation software; • Create digital platforms to monitor the data production, to increase the plants productivity of Foundry Ecocer customers, resulting in reduced pollution of molten aluminum alloys. The final result will be a better quality refractory for aluminum smelting, thus contributing to a safer, more economical and sustainable aluminum production. Maurizio Sala, founder of Foundry Ecocer, comments: “The Italian industry has a know-how that must be enhanced, preserving the distinctive characteristics of the companies of our country, such as the attachment to the territory, the flexibility and care to customization for the end customer. The opportunity offered by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, to create an ecosystems of innovation is an unmissable chance for us. Innovation is in our DNA and the PNRR represents an important stimulus to increasingly adopt an open innovation perspective, which for the Italian SMEs constitutes the only real way to remain competitive in the international markets.”