How to Meet the New Environmental and Quality Standards

The aluminium foundry industry is facing several challenges and opportunities in the near future, as it is affected by the new environmental and quality standards that are being implemented in the EU. These standards include the F-Gas ban, the Euro 7 emissions, and the CBAM, which aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve fuel efficiency, and ensure fair competition in the aluminium market and the supply chain. In this article, I will explain how Rheocasting, a unique semi-solid casting process for aluminium, can help the industry meet these standards and improve its performance and competitiveness.

The new standards that are affecting the aluminium foundry industry are:

• The F-Gas Ban is a regulation that aims to reduce the use of fluorinated greenhouse gases (f-gases) in the EU, which have a high global warming potential and can stay in the atmosphere for thousands of years. The f-gas ban affects the aluminium foundry industry because the HPDC climate compressors won´t work anymore. CO2-based compressors require an operating pressure of 130 bars, whereas conventional castings leak gas. The f-gas ban requires the industry to phase out these gases by 2026 and replace them with alternative gases or technologies with lower environmental impact.
  
  
• The Euro 7 emissions: the proposed standards for the emissions of light-duty vehicles in the EU, which are expected to be implemented by 2025. The Euro 7 emissions will affect the aluminium foundry industry because they will increase the demand for lightweight and fuel-efficient vehicles, which can be achieved by using more aluminium components in the vehicle design. The Euro 7 emissions will also require the industry to improve the quality and performance of aluminium castings, such as reducing porosity and improving mechanical properties.
  
  
• The CBAM: the carbon border adjustment mechanism, which is a proposal to impose a carbon price on imports of certain products into the EU, such as aluminium, to prevent carbon leakage and ensure a level playing field for EU producers. The cbam will affect the aluminium foundry industry because it will increase the cost of importing aluminium products from countries with lower or no carbon pricing, and it will also incentivize the industry to reduce its carbon footprint and increase its recycling rate.

Conclusion

The aluminium foundry industry has great potential and opportunities to grow and innovate in a changing world. However, the industry also faces many challenges and pressures to adapt and survive in a complex and competitive environment. The new environmental and quality standards implemented in the EU and other regions are some of the main factors influencing the industry’s performance and competitiveness.

Rheocasting is a unique semi-solid casting process for aluminium that can help the industry meet these standards and improve its performance and competitiveness. Rheocasting can produce high-quality aluminium castings with low porosity, high strength, high ductility, high fatigue strength, and high weldability. Rheocasting can also produce near-net-shape castings with thin-walled and thick-walled structures, reducing material usage and machining costs. Rheocasting can also decrease the aluminium foundry industry’s energy consumption and carbon footprint while increasing the post-consumer scrap recycling rate.

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