6. Conclusion

Generally speaking, the aluminum casting industry needs to make progress in two main areas: lowering costs and improving part properties.

With regard to alloy melting and processing, these objectives can be translated into :

• lower energy consumption in the smelting-maintenance process, as well as reduced loss on ignition. The latter should not be overlooked, as aluminum contains over 15,000 kWh/t and costs around €2,000/t. A 1% saving on loss on ignition therefore represents 150 kWh/t and a saving of €20/t. The choice of furnace technology best suited to the mix of raw materials and returns, the correct preparation of polluted waste, proper furnace operation and the use of suitable deslagging fluxes are key points;

• optimization of inclusionary quality and bath degassing. The means...