Technical: 

1. 1. How does the eccomelt356.2 chemistry compare to primary A356.2? 

eccomelt356.2 is perfectly within the A356.2 specification except for Fe, where the maximum is 0.15% (like in A356.1) instead of 0.12% (the official limit of A356.2). 

2. 2. How do you test the chemistry and how can I check it when I receive it? 

We check the chemistry by melting small pieces from each batch in a consolidated bath and then analyze the composition with a spectrometer and certified reference material for A356.2. This is what you will receive as Certificate of Analysis (CoA), and it will give you a good reference of what you get as the average chemistry in a batch of eccomelt356.2. When you want to check the chemistry, you will need to do this when melted in a larger quantity. If you measure the chemistry of single pieces of wheels you will find more variation that you will not have in your furnace when you melt at least one sack of eccomelt356.2 (or more) at a time. 

3. 3. How easy is it to adjust the chemistry of eccomelt356.2? 

Most of our customers do not need to adjust the chemistry much, the only elements that might require adjustment are Mg and Sr as they burn off (both can easily be added as pure Mg ingots or Sr master alloy). Mg is important for the mechanical properties and Sr for Si eutectic modification, which is normally achieved at a minimum of 80ppm. Another addition some foundries make is TiB2 for grain refinement. There are different ways to do this. Our technical team would be happy to help you with these (or any other) adjustments to the chemistry. 

4. 4. Is eccomelt356.2 used for making safety critical / structural castings? 

Yes, in various percentages and combinations with primary A356.2 and internal returns. Eccomelt356.2 is commonly used for producing wheels, knuckles, control arms, subframes, body structure parts, brake components, etc. Recently it has been demonstrated that even with just eccomelt356.2 and internal returns safety critical parts like wheels or structural castings can be produced.  

5. 5. How does eccomelt356.2’s carbon footprint compare to primary and other secondary A356 carbon footprint? 

Eccomelt356.2 has an average carbon footprint (GHG Protocol Scope 1 to3) cradle to gate of 0.136 tons of CO2e/t of Al. Delivered to our customers it is usually below 0.25 tons of CO2e/t of Al. Global average primary aluminum is around 17 tons of CO2e/t of Al, and even so-called “low-carbon” primary Al is around 4 tons of CO2e/t of Al (i.e. 16 times higher than eccomelt356.2!). Remelt Secondary Ingots (RSI) or similar quality to eccomelt356.2 have typically a carbon footprint of 1 to 2 tons of CO2e/t of Al. Eccomelt356.2 is therefore clearly unmatched by any other similar quality metal. 

6. 6. How does the use of eccomelt356.2 impact my casting’s carbon footprint? 

The metal used by the foundry usually represents the largest part of a casting’s carbon footprint (often around 75% for A356 castings). Therefore, even replacing 20% of the primary A356 ingots with eccomelt356.2 can significantly reduce a casting’s carbon footprint (up to 25%). The lowest carbon footprint castings are made from only eccomelt356.2 and internal returns – and they are high integrity structural castings! 

7. 7. Can you provide a complete carbon footprint calculation delivered to our factory? 

Yes, we provide this as a calculation if required before shipment (even with different logistic options) and with the true carbon footprint of the transport after the delivery. 

8. 8. How much eccomelt356.2 can I use for my castings? 

This depends on the casting, your process, and your customer’s specification. We will be happy to help you find your sweet-spot for maximum allowable use of eccomelt356.2 and support your technical team in making sure you will get the maximum benefit with no negative impact. 

9. 9. Do I need a special furnace to melt eccomelt356.2? 

No, eccomelt356.2 can be melted in any furnace. It is important to know how to charge it and how to best treat it. Our technical team will be happy to support you to get the maximum benefit from using it. 

10. 10. Do I need a baghouse/filters for my furnace if I want to melt eccomelt356.2? 

No, the surface is clean of any paint or residues, eliminating fumes or smoke when you melt it. 

11. 11. How do I charge eccomelt356.2 into my furnace? 

This depends on the specific furnace. We are happy to help you find the best practice to charge it. We also have different bag types, the one that opens on the bottom is often used to drop the metal directly into a charging bin or crucible. 

12. 12. Does the use of eccomelt356.2 impact my furnace efficiency? 

There is a good chance that you will be able to (significantly) increase your furnace efficiency, because it can increase the charge density. Also, the large surface to weight ratio allows very quick and efficient melting. 

13. 13. Does the use of eccomelt356.2 impact the amount of dross I am getting in the melt? 

You should not see much impact at all, usually only about 0.5% more than just with ingots. It is however important to charge and melt it properly and without direct exposure to flames from the burners, that’s why we usually help our customer to optimize the charging, melting and melt treatment process in order to get the maximum benefit from using eccomelt356.2 and minimum melt loss. 

14. 14. How does eccomelt356.2 content impact my melt quality and how do you measure it? 

It should not impact the melt quality at all, as it is very clean metal. We help our customers implement best melting and melt treatment practices. It all depends on your furnaces and setup. You may need to degas a bit longer, but fluxing is not necessary because of the use of eccomelt356.2. We recommend PoDFA for melt quality testing while you set up the process, and regular melt quality testing (RPT, K-Mold, Dross Test, etc.) during production. 

15. 15. How does the use of eccomelt356.2 impact my part quality and what can I do to minimize any impact? 

It should not impact it at all if everything is done right, and we are there to help our customers with this! We help conduct melt quality testing (e.g. PoDFA) and optimize the melting, melt treatment and transfer process in a way that you can use the maximum possible content of eccomelt356.2 in your castings without impacting part quality. 

16. 16. What kind of mechanical properties could I achieve with eccomelt356.2? 

This depends on the casting process, specific process parameters, and heat treatment. Our customers achieve basically the same properties as you would by using primary A356 and internal returns. The first wheels have now been produced with only eccomelt356.2 and internal returns and in T6 they meet all property requirements of OEM wheels (same as if they were made from primary A356.2). Structural Rheocastings are produce with only eccomelt356.2 and internal returns and the T5 properties are typically around 170 MPa YS, 250 MPa UTS and 10% elongation. 

17. 17. Does the use of eccomelt356.2 impact our castings’ fatigue properties? 

Fatigue properties are very specific to a casting, so it is difficult to generalize this. But our customers who have done fatigue testing found that there was no difference between their current melt (primary A356.2 and internal returns) and an addition of eccomelt356.2. 

18. 18. Does the use of eccomelt356.2 in a casting increase the risk of corrosion? 

No, corrosion is mainly caused by increased levels of Cu, Ni and Zn. These impurities are at very low levels in eccomelt356.2, so the castings are no more corrosion prone if they are made with eccomelt356.2 than if they were made from primary A356.2. 

19. 19. Can you make structural die casting alloys from eccomelt356.2? 

Yes, absolutely! A lot of different structural castings are being made with different contents of eccomelt356.2, up to basically 100% (only eccomelt356.2 and internal returns). Prominent examples are the R-70 (first carbon neutral recycled wheel) and the electric Mini wheel from Ronal, or the Rivian Hinge Pillar Casting made by Dynatool Industries using the Comptech-Rheocasting process. 

20. 20. Can you weld castings made from eccomelt356.2? 

Yes, absolutely. There is no difference in weldability between castings made from any eccomelt356.2 content and those castings made from primary A356. It is important that porosity in those castings is very low, so the metal needs to be properly degassed. We help our customers with any melting and melt treatment related questions to make sure they get the maximum benefit from using eccomelt356.2. 

Commercial: 

1. 1. How can I get eccomelt356.2? 

Eccomelt356.2 is currently produced in Canada (Toronto, ON), and in the USA (Manchester, GA and Houston, TX), and it is shipped within Canada, the USA, Mexico, and Europe. We can transport by truck, rail, and ship, in supersacks or returnable containers. Contact us to receive an offer and speak to us on how we could help you benefit from using eccomelt356.2 for your castings. 

2. 2. Do you ship to Mexico? And how long does it take? 

Yes, we mainly ship from our Houston, TX, plant, which is strategically located to serve the Mexican market with only a few days of transit time to our customers. 

3. 3. Do you ship to Europe? And how long does it take? 

Yes, we ship large amounts of eccomelt356.2 to customers all over Western, Southern and Eastern Europe. Transit time is typically 3 to 4 weeks. 

4. 4. How quickly can you supply eccomelt356.2? 

Flexibility is exactly our strength! We always try to accommodate our customer’s needs, even if they need metal on very short notice. Unlike most ingot producers, we can usually respond within just a few days. 

5. 5. How is eccomelt356.2 priced? Does it follow an index? 

Eccmelt356.2 is priced in a similar way as primary A356.2/AlSi7Mg. Pricing can be spot or contract and based on prior month(s) averages. It is based on the Midwest US Transaction price in North America and the Rotterdam Duty Paid price in Europe with respective (fixed or adjusting) premiums depending on various factors. 

6. 6. Can I get longer term pricing for eccomelt356.2? 

Yes, absolutely. We adjust the price of eccomelt356.2 like primary Aluminum based on the European and North American index. For longer term pricing agreements we offer formulas that reflect changing market conditions. 

7. 7. Can we get a fixed price (hedge) for eccomelt356.2? 

Yes, this is possible, depending on the timeframe (at least the primary aluminum portion of it). Please contact us to discuss the details. 

8. 8. Is there enough eccomelt356.2 to satisfy the demand? (Are there enough scrap wheels?) 

Availability of scrap aluminum wheels depends on how many cars are scrapped, but until now we have always been able to find the necessary volumes to satisfy our customers’ demands. The aluminum content in cars is still increasing, which should also increase the amount of scrap aluminum wheels over the coming years/decades. 

9. 9. Is there a returnable packaging option for eccomelt356.2? 

Yes, this can be discussed and investigated what makes the most sense (both economically and from an environmental point of view, as the sacks can also be reused). 

10. 10. What can I do with the sacks after I used the metal? 

Many of our customers are reusing the sacks for storing or transporting other things like scrap parts, runners/risers/gatings, etc. Some are giving them to garden markets for moving soil or seeds. There is no limit to creativity for the reuse of our sacks.