February 1, 2016. Kamensk Uralsky Foundry Plant/KULZ (a member enterprise of Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation) completed its upgrades of a 1,500-kg arc-smelting furnace.

According to the company press service, some radical changes were introduced to the electric components of the furnace which is responsible for the smelting process.

‘The furnace operator used to have to change the position of the electrode rods with a remote control all the time to ensure even heating, but now the heating arc gets calibrated automatically. The operator only needs to adjust the basic settings,’ the press service says.

The plant’s Senior Energy Engineer Sergei Selishchev says the smelting process and the condition of the electric equipment are both controlled by a computer.

‘The system regulates all the technological processes such smelting and the performance of the engines itself. This computer-aided furnace uses up 20% to 30% less power than the older version,’ Selishchev says.

The furnace has been certified for industrial safety and now operates in its normal mode. The machine is used for making alloyed cast iron to make parts for the aviation and other industries.