Induction-related equipment provider ABP Induction has added the new EcoLine furnace to its portfolio.

The company says the EcoLine rounds out its portfolio to provide the perfect entry into the foundry market for small companies, research institutes or even engineering offices wanting to set up their own production.

With this move, ABP Induction is targeting customers in countries characterized by the fact that companies operating in those markets primarily look for an economical solution which offers a balance between a reasonable investment, high reliability, and appropriate production capacities.

“These are markets that feature a broad base of small, often family-run, operations that require economical solutions for small-scale production with different types of metals,” explains ABP Induction sales support engineer Patrick Lück.

Notably Lück has been responsible for the development of the new EcoLine together with ABP South Africa GM Byron McCall.

Compact Design

The EcoLine also addresses other target groups that have an interest in small, easy-to-use furnace systems with comparatively small production capacity.

“One example might be research and development facilities looking for small systems to produce experimental alloys, or training facilities training new foundry employees in the basics of metallurgy and furnace operation,” McCall explains.

He adds that EcoLine is also of particular interest to start-ups and engineering firms that want to set up their own production facilities in order to become more independent.

“With the development of EcoLine, we are responding to the wishes of customers from these target groups: quickly available and easy to commission, inexpensive to operate and purchase.”

He says the EcoLine stands out compared to other furnaces and is the “missing link” in ABP’s product portfolio that offers exactly these potentials.

While there will be some furnace sizes in the 300 kg to 2 000 kg capacity range that EcoLine and ABP’s well-known FS series have in common, the requirements and complexity of the systems are different.

“EcoLine is based on the proven and well-known FS series, but is implemented in a simplified way for non-specific, cross-industry use,” says McCall, adding that the straightforward design is indicative of what the EcoLine is designed for, namely melting.

ABP has made the process particularly simple for customers so that they can get up and running with it as quickly as possible.

“EcoLine is modular, so a certain size and performance range can be covered – and the lead times from order to delivery are very short,” explains Lück.

One key feature, he says, is the plug-and-play concept, which allows customers to install and commission the system themselves.

“We want everything to be as simple as possible: The customer can put the right furnace together using our Web configurator, have it installed by the customer’s team of technicians, and also commission and operate the furnace themselves,” he says. ABP will make instructions on this available to the customer.

The customer thus benefits from the experience of the entire Group organisation. ABP offers a homogeneous, well-rounded melting solution that combines experience and new technologies into a broad-based system.

“In the spirit of creating good and lasting relationships with its customers, ABP wants to start this relationship earlier, from the beginning, so to speak,” says Lück.

He concludes that ABP’s clients who have had positive experiences with their first system will usually take the next step with the same supplier and EcoLine offers great potential for this.