Danish iron foundry Birn announced in December it had completed an artificial intelligence (AI) project in cooperation with automatic pouring technology developer and manufacturer Pour-tech AB to optimise dosing of molten iron from casting machines into moulds.

The project aimed to reduce energy consumption and has had such success already that Birn is now planning to scale the technology to almost all the foundry's pouring units.

At the iron foundry, two laser sensors have been installed on two of its pouring units to monitor and analyse how the liquid iron is dosed into the moulds, using AI technology.

“The dosing process plays a crucial role in the heating process and, consequently, energy consumption,” explains Birn CTO and technical director Lars Jørgensen.

He adds the technology helps Birn save a significant amount of energy as precise dosing into the moulds is essential for determining the exact amount of energy needed to fill the moulds adequately, subsequently allowing the molten metal to flow “perfectly” into the moulds.

The project started in 2020, at which time the technology collated data from Birn’s casting production.

The technology was subsequently tested in Birn’s operations, where it significantly reduced energy consumption.

“Sustainability is one of the cornerstones of the Birn Group’s overall corporate strategy, and we continually work strategically to reduce and optimise our energy consumption,” says Jørgenson.

“Additionally, AI technology, with its substantial energy optimisation potential, holds the promise of financial benefits, as lower consumption obviously has a positive impact on our electricity bills.”

The AI-based technology, named EASYpour, was developed by Pour-tech AB and had the opportunity to be tested in Birn’s production before its market launch.

Birn provided the technology with a valuable learning experience, drawing from the expertise of the foundry’s seasoned employees.

“Our AI technology works based on data collection [undertaken during] the first step,” says Pour-tech AB sales director Oliver Schmitz.

He adds that, through its cooperation with Birn, Pour-tech AB has had the chance to fill its database with crucial information over an extended period having acquired data and knowledge before its systems were introduced into an active production process.

“Our EASYpour technology had the opportunity to learn from some of the industry’s best casting operators and is able to continuously optimise the pouring as well as maintain high and consistent results,” says Schmitz.

Jørgensen, adds that the technology is far from replacing Birn’s human casting operators. Instead, it provides operators with more time to focus on other, more specialised tasks.

He concludes that it essentially serves as a “skilled assistant”, helping to optimise the pouring processes while operators perform other key tasks.