Concast AG recently commissioned a new Vacuum Degassing facility at Swiss Steel’s von Moos plant. The von Moos facility is invested in the new degasser in an effort to improve the quality of its products and to expand its range with new steel grades.

Concast proposed two engineering approaches to von Moos to meet their production targets: traditional steam ejector vacuum pumps and mechanical vacuum pumps. Based on the lower investment and operating costs, and on their long service life, von Moos selected the mechanical vacuum pump solution that has now been installed.

Concast fit von Moos’ new 70-tonne twin-tank vacuum degasser into an especially restricted space in the existing meltshop. Concast also delivered a slag rake with ladle-tilting and cleaning stand, and an in-line cyclone/vacuum bag filter for dust removal and complete elimination of wet waste products. Concast also installed an automatic sampling device and upgraded the existing Concast Level 2 system to include the vacuum degassing process step.

Von Moos expects to treat approximately one-third of its total production in this vacuum degassing station.

Swiss Steel’s von Moos plant is one of Europe’s leading producers of engineering steel, with an annual capacity of 550,000 tons sold primarily to the automotive and machine-building industries.