Planning and construction of complete aluminium casthouses: melting, casting, homogenizing and inspection technology from Braunau am Inn.
Hertwich Engineering GmbH
Braunau am Inn (AT) · Weng im Innkreis (AT)New on Amplifa
About Hertwich Engineering
Hertwich Engineering GmbH, headquartered in Braunau am Inn, Austria, has been developing, manufacturing and installing machinery and equipment for the aluminium industry since 1973. The portfolio includes melting and recycling furnaces (Ecomelt series), horizontal and vertical casting machines, continuous and batch homogenizing plants, sawing plants, packing lines as well as ultrasonic and surface inspection stations. The company supplies both individual components and turnkey complete casthouses, supporting them with lifecycle services such as spare parts, maintenance, upgrades and training. Materials processed include primary aluminium, heavily contaminated aluminium scrap and chips; the Ecomelt furnaces operate with pyrolysis and submersion melting processes and an energy consumption below 600 kWh/tonne. Customers are casthouses and aluminium producers worldwide, including Constellium, Hydro Aluminium and Remi Claeys, in industries such as transport/automotive, construction, renewable energy and aerospace. After acquisitions by Mannesmann-Demag (1993) and SMS group (1999), the company returned to independent ownership in 2024 through a management buy-out under Gerold Keune. The assembly hall in Weng im Innkreis has existed since 1991.
- Site
- Braunau am Inn
- Processes
- Aluminium melting furnaces (Ecomelt melting/recycling furnaces), Chip melting furnace, Ecomelt PS furnace for heavily contaminated scrap with pyrolysis technology, Horizontal strand casting (horizontal casting machines), Vertical strand casting (vertical casting machines, incl. tooling), Continuous homogenizing (continuous homogenizing plants), Batch homogenizing (batch homogenizing plants) with step cooling and bidirectional air flow, Linear ultrasonic testing (100 % core area, cracks and inclusions)
- Materials
- Aluminium, Aluminium scrap (contaminated, light gauge scrap), Aluminium chips, Aluminium extrusion billets / forge stock, Aluminium scrap (also heavily contaminated)
- Certificates
- Ultrasonic testing, 3D surface inspection
- Founded
- 1973
- Industries
- Aluminium industry, Foundries / Casthouses, Recycling, Transport & Automotive, Construction, Renewable Energy
- 01
Engineering & Design
- 02
Material and Batch Charging
- 03
Melting & Recycling (Ecomelt)
- 04
Strand Casting (horizontal/vertical)
- 05
Homogenizing
- 06
Ultrasonic & Surface Inspection
- 07
Sawing & Packing
- 08
Assembly & Commissioning
- 09
Lifecycle Services
Materials & Processes
Aluminium
Base material for billets and forge stock in all casting and homogenizing plants.
Aluminium scrap (also heavily contaminated)
Processing in the Ecomelt PS furnace with pyrolysis technology for contaminated scrap.
Aluminium chips
Processing in the chip melting furnace since 2003.
Aluminium extrusion billets / forge stock
End product of the plant chain, inspected by ultrasonic testing and 3D surface inspection.
Locations
Braunau am Inn
ATHeadquarters, Engineering & Sales
- Materials
- Aluminium, scrap, chips
- Ecomelt PS120
- HE-CTRP two-chamber furnace
- HE-URTF
- Horizontal casting machine
- Vertical casting machine
- Continuous homogenizing plant
- Ultrasonic inspection stations
- Charging machines
Weng im Innkreis
ATAssembly hall (built 1991)
Plants & Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminium melting furnaces (Ecomelt melting/recycling furnaces)Casting | – | – | – | – | Aluminium, Aluminium scrap |
| Chip melting furnaceCasting | – | – | – | – | Aluminium chips |
| Ecomelt PS furnace for heavily contaminated scrap with pyrolysis technologyCasting | – | – | – | – | Aluminium scrap (heavily contaminated) |
| Horizontal strand casting (horizontal casting machines)Casting | – | – | – | – | Aluminium |
| Vertical strand casting (vertical casting machines, incl. tooling)Casting | – | – | – | – | Aluminium |
| Continuous homogenizing (continuous homogenizing plants)Heat treatment | – | – | – | – | Aluminium extrusion billets |
| Batch homogenizing (batch homogenizing plants) with step cooling and bidirectional air flowHeat treatment | – | – | – | – | Aluminium |
| Linear ultrasonic testing (100 % core area, cracks and inclusions)Inspection | – | – | – | – | Aluminium billets |
| Helical ultrasonic testing (core cracks, inclusions, surface cracks)Inspection | – | – | – | – | Aluminium billets |
| Automatic billet surface inspection (3D camera technology, straightness analysis)Inspection | – | – | – | – | Aluminium billets |
| Sawing plants (billet saw / sawing plants)Machining | – | – | – | – | Aluminium billets |
| Sawing and packing linesAssembly | – | – | – | – | Aluminium billets |
| Charging machines for melting furnaces (retractable floor, pusher, rotary, vibratory chute)Casting | – | – | – | – | Aluminium scrap, Dross/slag |
| Skimming machinesCasting | – | – | – | – | Aluminium |
| Lifecycle services: spare parts, maintenance & repair, upgrades & modernization, consulting &Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Equipment check (condition assessment, inspection, maintenance planning)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Planning, supply, construction and commissioning of complete aluminium casthouses (turnkeyEngineering | – | – | – | – | Aluminium |
22 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melting/recycling furnace (Ecomelt PS) | Hertwich Engineering Ecomelt PS120 | – | – | – | – |
| Melting furnace (Ecomelt PR preload ramp recycling furnace) | Hertwich Engineering Ecomelt PR | 50 (Ecomel | – | – | – |
| Two-chamber furnace (HE-CTRP) | Hertwich Engineering HE-CTRP | – | – | – | – |
| Universal rotary tilting furnace (HE-URTF) | Hertwich Engineering HE-URTF | – | – | – | – |
| Horizontal casting machine | Hertwich Engineering | – | – | – | – |
| Vertical casting machine (incl. tooling) | Hertwich Engineering | – | – | – | – |
| Continuous homogenizing plant | Hertwich Engineering | 100 (since | – | – | – |
| Batch homogenizing plant | Hertwich Engineering | – | – | – | – |
| Cooling chamber (cooling chamber / step cooling system) | Hertwich Engineering | 2 (referen | – | – | Torija, Spain |
| Linear ultrasonic inspection station | Hertwich Engineering | – | – | – | – |
| Helical ultrasonic inspection station | Hertwich Engineering | – | – | – | – |
| Automatic billet surface inspection station (3D camera technology) | Hertwich Engineering | – | – | – | – |
| Billet saw / sawing plant | Hertwich Engineering | – | – | – | – |
| Packing station | Hertwich Engineering | 1 (referen | – | – | Torija, Spain |
| Retractable floor charging machine (chute up to 20 m³, batch weight up to 7 t) | Hertwich Engineering | – | Chute up to 20 m³, batch weight up to 7 t | – | – |
| Pusher charging machine (chute up to 55 m³, batch weight up to 30 t) | Hertwich Engineering | – | Chute up to 55 m³, batch weight up to 30 t | – | – |
| Tilting chute pusher charging machine (up to 8 m³, up to 2 t) | Hertwich Engineering | – | Capacity up to 8 m³, batch weight up to 2 t | – | – |
| Rotary charging machine with fixed container (up to 2 m³, up to 2 t) | Hertwich Engineering | – | Container up to 2 m³, batch weight up to 2 t | – | – |
| Rotary charging machine with container receiving system (up to 4 m³, up to 2 t) | Hertwich Engineering | – | Container up to 4 m³, batch weight up to 2 t | – | – |
| Vibratory chute charging machine (up to 8 m³, up to 6 t) | Hertwich Engineering | – | Chute capacity up to 8 m³, batch weight up to 6 t | – | – |
| Heavy-duty universal skimming machine | Hertwich Engineering | – | – | – | – |
| Combined charging and skimming machine | Hertwich Engineering | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality & Inspection
Inspection stations include linear and helical ultrasonic testing for core cracks, inclusions and surface cracks as well as automatic billet surface inspection with 3D camera technology including straightness analysis.
| Evidence | Braunau am Inn |
|---|---|
| Ultrasonic testing | |
| 3D surface inspection |