Design of industrial equipment

> Alloys & Processing > Alloys (foundry) - Processing - Fibres (Fibraflex)

Saint-Gobain Seva has got a foundry designing and manufacturing parts
(or products) with a high added value.

The SEVA foundry implements a lot know-how (special processes)
and its industrial means of production allows it to elaborate high-performance alloys.

Alloys

Stainless steels
and nickel or cobalt-
based superalloys

Moulding

Sand moulding and
precision ceramic
moulding (REPLICAST^® process)

Casting

Gravity casting
and counter-gravity
casting process (LPSC)

A web site is totally dedicated to the activity “Alliages & Transformation” (Alloys & Transformation) : don't hesitate to browse !

Alloys

Saint-Gobain Seva is a centre of expertise in “Foundry and metallurgy of superalloys”, in close contact and collaboration with a network of academic laboratories and industrial research centres. Besides the skills characteristic of the SEVA foundry, this support allows it to meet specific needs in terms of metallurgy or to develop some compositions.

The SEVA foundry can provide all kind of steels (building steel, steel for tooling...) but mainly elaborates stainless steels and nickel or cobalt-based superalloys.

The SEVA foundry yearly production amounts to :
150 to 200 tons of Ni or Co-based superalloys, 30 to 60 tons of alloyed steels, 10 to
20 tons of cast iron

It elaborates as well an anti-galling alloy for the food industry : the SGS-75.

The main fields of application of the alloys elaborated by the SEVA foundry are amongst others : the process industries (furnaces, mis-
cellaneous tools and particularly glass tools), the chemical industry (pumps, special alloys) and the automotive and transportation industry.

Moulding

	Sand moulding
	Our sand moulding facilities are suited to from one-off up to medium batches production of parts with a weight ranging from a few kilogrammes to 750 kg.

	Precision ceramic moulding : REPLICAST^® process
	Saint-Gobain Seva is a licensee of REPLICAST^®, a registered trademark of a process patented by Castings Technology International in Sheffield (United Kingdom).

Related to lost wax techniques by using a polystyrene pattern, the REPLICAST^® process varies from them by its shorter lead-time and its capability of moulding heavy and/or large-sized parts.
The parts produced with this process are dimensionally precise and show a good surface finishing (Ra = 6 to 7 µm).

The advantages of this process are numerous : quick prototyping, accuracy and dimensional reproducibility, good surface finishing, possibility of moulding complex-shaped parts (polystyrene replicas can be glued), no reaction mould/metal.			Impeller : 21 kg Ø 330 mm

Casting

		Comparison between traditional method and LPSC process

Suspension arm produced with LPSC process

Besides the standard means of gravity casting, the SEVA foundry uses a patented counter-gravity casting process (LPSC : Low Pressure Steel Casting). This process is operated on an industrial scale since the 80's. Its principle (as shown opposite) consists in filling up the moulds from the bottom upwards by applying a gas pressure in a heated vessel containing the liquid metal.

The LPSC process allows particularly to cast thin wall parts without dimensional limitation.

The advantages of the LPSC process are from 2 natures :
	The advantages due to the vessel that is to say a constant and controlled temperature, no slag or oxides in mould, no gas in the parts, bath protection.
	The advantages due to the pressure, namely a controlled filling, casting of parts with thin walls and complex shapes, optimized metal efficiency.	Large-sized parts (stainless steel) Weight 2.2 and 4.1 kg - Thickness 3 to 6 mm - Length : 0.7 m and 1.1 m

A licence agreement with Saint-Gobain Seva as well as a know-how transfer are possible for mass production.

SAINT-GOBAIN SEVA - 43 Rue du Pont de Fer - BP 176 - 71105 CHALON-SUR-SAÔNE CEDEX - France
Tel. +33 (0)3 85 47 25 00 - Fax +33 (0)3 85 47 25 99