Sivyer Steel Corporation Completes Installation of New Thermal Reclamation System

It’s called a Thermal Reclamation System, but what one of the latest capital projects completed at Sivyer Steel ‘s Bettendorf, IA facility does is make old sand work better than new sand in the molding process.

 In April of 2010 Siyver signed a purchase agreement with Gudgeon Thermfire International Inc. for the installation of a four-ton-per-hour sand reclamation system at Sivyer’s facility.  The system included the thermfire unit, chromite sand separation and air transport systems to move sand throughout the foundry.

Mold making has always required a steady stream of sand to feed the process, but the new system makes it possible to lower costs and virtually eliminate the waste sand stream that has been part of Sivyer Steel’s molding operation since its inception. According to Tim Mohs, Sivyer’s Vice-President of Operations, “In addition to cost savings and elimination of the solid waste stream, Sivyer will recognize quality benefits in its molding operations.  New silica sand goes through thermal expansion in two phases.  Thermally reclaimed sand experiences very little thermal expansion and, as such, is extremely stable.”

Working seven days a week through the summer and into the fall, Sivyer Steel and its partner contractors completed the installation and fired the system on November 29.  Within weeks of startup, Sivyer had reduced new sand purchases by 50 percent and is moving to the stated goal of 90 percent thermal reclaim to 10 percent new sand in its molding operations.

Founded in 1909 and one of the first large steel foundries in the United States, Sivyer Steel Corporation is committed to producing high-quality, high-volume custom castings for many major manufacturing industries. The company has been in their current Bettendorf, Iowa location since 1961 and is an ISO 9001:2008-certified foundry offering capabilities that include molding, melting, heat treating, and finishing.