On January 20, our colleagues Moritz Eickhoff, Katharina Rothhöft, Kathrina Theisen, Christian Wuppermann, Moritz Diewald, Eva Wensing, Samarth Kulkarni, and Andrés Ramírez Sánchez took a trip to the Duffel aluminum plant together with students. The aim of the excursion was to give the students in particular an insight into aluminum production and processing, as well as to observe the everyday work of the engineers at the plant.
After a short welcome from the company, the excursion began with a tour of the plant. In the foundry, which we were not allowed to visit for safety reasons, aluminum ingots and scrap are melted down in induction furnaces. The aluminum melts produced in this way are then cast and rolled so that mainly automotive sheet metal can be sold. The tour included the hot rolling mill, the cold rolling mill, and the CALP plant.
After lunch together, three employees from the plant shared their experiences from their everyday work. Two process engineers reported on their direct work on the plants, while our former colleague Antje Rückert reported on her work in research and development.
The strip inspection was particularly interesting. The aluminum strip runs continuously, so that defects become visible under a special light. This enables mechanical and visual inspection of the aluminum from all sides.
We would like to thank Aluminium Duffel and Antje Rückert for inviting us and organizing the excursion. We look forward to incorporating the insights we gained into our work.