The constant updating of the market moves us to seek new ideas and new working methods to serve customers globally.

Altona has an engineering structure capable of providing solutions in machined parts up to 10 tons within the required standards, exporting to more than 25 countries.

Multiple steel solutions in one place. This is one of the differentials that place Altona as a global benchmark in the supply of steel castings.

Learn about all the processes involved from the conception of the foundry project to the delivery of the final product.

Development Engineering

The search for performance in new markets has been part of Altona's trajectory since its foundation. This is where the new markets that will be developed together with customers are analyzed.

At this stage, the feasibility of offering the product is analyzed and the technical and commercial proposal is prepared.

Project Engineering

The project engineering sector uses the Magma Soft simulation software to define and design the casting tools.

For this, stress, solidification, filling and deformation simulations can be performed.

Process Engineering

It is at this stage that all documentation received by customers is analyzed and the procedures are prepared and made available for production.

The processes are defined based on international standards, as well as Altona's centennial experience.

The model making phase can happen in two ways. The main process takes place through assembly and subsequent model machining.

Altona has a specialized structure dedicated to the manufacture of models. Modelação Kimze is a company of the Altona group and supplies machined models in materials such as wood, styrofoam, resin and aluminum.

Alternatively the models may be manufactured through additive manufacturing. For this, Altona has two 3D printers, with a printing capacity of 1,000 mm X 1,000 mm X 1,000 mm.

Molding

Altona has two Business Units: the CUSTOM PRODUCTS UNIT and the REPETITIVE PRODUCTS UNIT.

To meet both casting lines, Altona has 4 molding lines, which can produce parts between 10 kg (22 lbs) and 10 t (22.000 lbs).

• Carousel unit:  capacity for parts between 10 kg and 150 kg,
• Fast loop unit for parts between 200 kg and 600 kg,
• Special alloy unit that has a capacity between 10 kg and 300 kg,
• Custom parts unit, which has a capacity between 50 kg and 10 t.

Steelworks

With a capacity of up to 20 tons of liquid steel for pouring, Altona has arc and induction melting furnaces, as well as an AOD converter that allows flexibility in the production of the most sophisticated alloys.

Channel Cutting and Risers

Altona performs the cuts of channels and risers through the following processes: blowtorch, blowtorch with iron powder, disc cutting or breakage.

Shot blasting

Altona has a diversified structure of blasting systems, with capacity for parts from 1 kg to 15 tons, such as table blasting, directed blasting, hook blasting and austenitic shot blasting. 

Finishing

Altona has a wide range of equipment for finishing parts, including manual processes such as pendulum grinding and grinding wheels, semi-automatic processes such as manipulators, as well as automated cells (5-axis CNC and 6-axis).

Altona also has equipment to perform coated electrode welding (SMAW), solid wire (GMAW), tubular wire (FCAW) and solid rod (GTAW) processes.

Chemical Laboratory

The chemical laboratory is responsible for inspecting the raw materials that will be used in the molding and steelmaking processes.

Among the inspections carried out are the tensile strength, granulometry and fire loss test of the molding sand and the analysis by portable X-ray spectrometry (PMI) for alloy irons. Altona's chemical laboratory meets the requirements of the CEMP (Raw Materials Studies Commission) standard.

Spectrometry Laboratory

The control of the chemical composition of the parts is carried out through optical emission spectrometers and combustion analyzers (LECO) to quantify the carbon content.

Mechanical Tests

Altona also has an internal structure for destructive testing.

The laboratory has: mechanical tensile testing, impact testing, from room temperature to -196 °C, hardness testing with HRC scale, bending testing, all of which comply with ISO/DIN/ASTM standards, as well as metallographic tests carried out with the Zeiss optical microscope, whose resolution reaches up to 1,000 x magnification.

Non-Destructive Testing

With qualified and certified professionals according to ISO 9712 and ASNT TC-1A, Altona's team is qualified to perform non-destructive tests, such as Visual, Ultrasound, Radiography, Magnetic Particle, Penetrating Liquid and Hydrostatic Test.

Altona today has multidirectional magnetic particle equipment, with a capacity of 10,000 amperes, in addition to coils and yokes, capable of meeting various geometries and surfaces. Fluorescent and colored particle methods are used.

For the Penetrating Liquid test, the fluorescent and colored method is also used. This chemical test detects superficial indications of the parts.

The Hydrostatic Test is used in specific cases to ensure the tightness of the part.

Dimensional

The dimensional control has modern linear, geometric and position measurement equipment, as well as an equipped metrology laboratory.

To ensure greater precision in the analysis, using state-of-the-art resources, with capacity for parts up to 1 ton and a maximum size of 1,200 mm W x 1,000 mm L x 800 mm H, Altona has a coordinate measuring machine that uses the CNC measuring system, measuring arms with laser technology and photogrammetric measuring equipment. Parts above 1 ton are measured using the 3D measuring arm.

Heat treatment is the set of heating and cooling operations to which the castings are subjected, under controlled conditions of time, temperature and atmosphere, in order to change their microstructural properties, or confer different characteristics.

In the heat treatment area, Altona has electric and gas ovens, most of which are qualified to meet API6A and API16A standards (furnace temperature uniformity). These ovens have a capacity of up to 5,500 x 5,500 mm in area. Among the heat treatments applied in its processes are annealing, normalization, water quenching, water solubilization, tempering, stress relief and dimensional stabilization.

Especially for processes that require rapid cooling, Altona uses water tanks with volumes of up to 90,000 liters of water. With great agitation capacity, it allows high rates of thermal exchange to meet the requirements of mechanical properties and microstructural homogeneity in the castings. 

Altona also has partners who can carry out the induction quenching and oil quenching processes.

Machining is a mechanical process that, through the progressive removal of material, provides the desired surface finish and geometry.

With great flexibility of work, Altona machining is equipped with more than 40 machines, including:

• Conventional lathes and horizontal and vertical CNC;

• Machining centers;

• CNC and conventional boring machines;

• Milling machines.

Altona's machining sector develops its own parts fixing devices, enabling the machining of the most diverse geometries.

Special Paintings

Altona's special paints sector serves parts up to 10 t (22.000 lbs) and has the main types of painting processes, such as liquid, electrostatic and e-coat painting.

Its structure is composed of painting, monorail and stationary oven cells.

It also has measuring instruments to control thicknesses of wet and dry layers of ferrous and non-ferrous materials, as well as gloss meters and adhesion tests by the tape system.

Pickling

Today we have a chemical pickling process for stainless steels. Stripping takes place by immersion in a 1,800 mm (c) x 1,500 mm (w) x 1,500 mm (h) tank.

 

The Altona group also enables complete solutions for boiled items. This allows the assembly of melted items with welded items to be carried out by the group, facilitating logistics.

For this, the Altona group has the company Altona Engenharia Industrial, which specializes in the production of parts through the processes of welding and manufacture in metals of small items, as well as the assembly of sets of up to 10 tons.

Altona Engenharia is equipped with high-definition and oxyfuel plasma cutting machines, capable of cutting plates with thicknesses from 2 mm to 200 mm. In addition, it has a calendering capacity of plates up to 12.7 mm x 2,000 mm in length and a technical team of qualified welders.