Iron foundry in Kaiserslautern for machine moulded castings, continuous casting and construction castings with machining and ready-to-install cast components.
ACO Guss GmbH
Kaiserslautern (DE) · Denmark · Austria · South AfricaNew on Amplifa
Foundry with GussPlus Full Service
ACO Guss GmbH in Kaiserslautern is a traditional iron foundry with a melting capacity of 75,000 tonnes per year and around 380 employees. The company produces castings in machine moulded casting on an automatic HWS moulding line (flask size 1000x1000x250/250, piece weights up to 250 kg), in continuous casting (ACO Eurobar®, rectangular up to 360x360 mm, round up to 400 mm) as well as construction castings for infrastructure and drainage technology. In terms of materials, all common cast iron grades are covered: GJL, GJS, GJV, ADI as well as high-silicon cast materials. Through the GussPlus full-service concept, ACO Guss supports customers from component optimisation and casting process simulation (MAGMASOFT®) through core making and finishing to machining – turning, sawing, drilling, coating, assembly – and delivers ready-to-install components such as planet carriers, brake discs or pump housings. Customers come from mechanical and plant engineering, the pump and hydraulics industry, vehicle and agricultural machinery construction, rail technology, drive technology (including wind energy), the glass industry, the automotive industry and infrastructure. The group includes sites and subsidiaries in Germany, Denmark, Austria and South Africa.
- Site
- Kaiserslautern
- Processes
- Machine moulded casting (casting in automatic HWS moulding line), Continuous casting (ACO Eurobar® quality continuous casting), Construction castings (manhole covers, cable duct covers, intake grates, castings for building and, Machining (turning, sawing, drilling, coating, assembly), Core making (Cold-Box process, core assembly, core finishing), Blasting, fettling, internal blasting (finishing), Priming, painting (finishing), Endoscopy (finishing/inspection)
- Materials
- Grey cast iron (lamellar graphite cast iron), Ductile iron (spheroidal graphite cast iron), Compacted graphite iron, Austempered Ductile Iron (bainitic cast iron), High-silicon cast materials, Concrete (for construction casting combination products), Cast iron with concrete (construction castings), Machine moulded casting (HWS moulding line)
- Certificates
- ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 50001
- Founded
- 1898
- Employees
- 380
- Industries
- Mechanical and plant engineering, Pump and hydraulics industry, Vehicle and agricultural machinery construction, Rail technology, Drive technology (e.g. wind energy), Glass industry
- 01
Component optimisation, casting process simulation (MAGMASOFT®), feasibility
- 02
Melting operation (4 MF furnaces of 10 t each)
- 03
Core making (Cold-Box)
- 04
Machine moulded casting / continuous casting / construction castings
- 05
Finishing (blasting, fettling, priming, painting)
- 06
Machining (turning, sawing, drilling)
- 07
Assembly of ready-to-install cast components
- 08
Quality assurance, documentation, logistics
Materials and Processes
Grey cast iron (lamellar graphite cast iron)
Used in machine moulded casting and in ACO Eurobar® continuous casting, among other things for hydraulics and machine tool construction.
Ductile iron (spheroidal graphite cast iron)
Material for demanding components such as brake discs, axle bearing housings and planet carriers.
Compacted graphite iron
Used, for example, for safety-relevant components in rail technology.
Austempered Ductile Iron (bainitic cast iron)
High-strength material for planet carriers in drive technology, e.g. wind energy.
High-silicon cast materials
Material alternative with lower weight, produced on the wire feeding plants.
Cast iron with concrete (construction castings)
Combination products such as manhole covers, intake grates and cable duct covers for infrastructure and drainage.
Machine moulded casting (HWS moulding line)
Automatic production in flask size 1000x1000x250/250 with pouring device and flexible cooling line.
Continuous casting (ACO Eurobar®)
From machined semi-finished product to ready-to-install product, rectangular up to 360x360 mm, round up to 400 mm.
Core making (Cold-Box)
Five core shooting machines up to 40 litres core volume for core-intensive castings.
Machining
Turning, sawing, drilling, coating and assembly for ready-to-install cast components.
Casting process simulation (MAGMASOFT®)
Component optimisation and feasibility analyses through to production readiness.
Finishing (blasting, priming, painting, VCI)
Surface treatment and packaging according to customer specification.
Locations
Kaiserslautern
DEHeadquarters, foundry for machine moulded casting, continuous casting and construction castings with machining
- Part weight / size
- Machine moulded casting up to 250 kg; continuous casting
- Lot size
- Small and medium series
- Materials
- GJL, GJS, GJV, ADI, high-silicon cast materials
- Automatic HWS moulding line (flask size 1000x1000x250/250)
- 4 MF furnaces (10 t volume each)
- 2 wire feeding plants
- 5 core shooting machines (Cold-Box, up to 40 l core volume)
- Automatic pouring device with flexible cooling line
- Continuous casting plant ACO Eurobar®
- Machine park for machining (turning, sawing, drilling)
- 3D coordinate measuring machine
- FARO ScanArm
- GOM optical 3D measurement
Components and Applications
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Machine moulded casting (casting in automatic HWS moulding line)Casting | – | 1000 mm (flask) × 250/250 mm (flask) | 250 kg | Small series – Medium series | GJL, GJS, GJV, ADI, high-silicon cast materials |
| Continuous casting (ACO Eurobar® quality continuous casting)Casting | – | 360 x 360 mm (rectangular) | – | – | GJL, GJS, all common casting materials |
| Construction castings (manhole covers, cable duct covers, intake grates, castings for building andCasting | – | – | – | – | Cast iron, Concrete |
| Machining (turning, sawing, drilling, coating, assembly)Machining | – | – | – | – | Cast iron (GJL, GJS, GJV, ADI) |
| Core making (Cold-Box process, core assembly, core finishing)Casting | – | – | – | – | Cast iron |
| Blasting, fettling, internal blasting (finishing)Surface | – | – | – | – | Cast iron |
| Priming, painting (finishing)Surface | – | – | – | – | Cast iron |
| Endoscopy (finishing/inspection)Testing | – | – | – | – | Cast iron |
| Component optimisation, casting process simulation (MAGMASOFT®), feasibility analysesEngineering | – | – | – | – | Cast iron |
| Load testing, dye penetrant testing, moulding material testing, geometry measurement,Testing | – | – | – | – | Cast iron |
| Assembly (ready-to-install cast components, e.g. planet carriers, brake discs, pump housings)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Cast iron |
10 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automatic HWS moulding line | – | – | Flask size 1000x1000x250/250 | – | Kaiserslautern |
| MF furnaces (induction furnaces) | – | 4 | Volume 10 t each | – | Kaiserslautern |
| Wire feeding plants | – | 2 | – | – | Kaiserslautern |
| Core shooting machines (Cold-Box) | – | 5 | up to 40 litres core volume | – | Kaiserslautern |
| Automatic pouring device with flexible cooling line | – | – | – | – | Kaiserslautern |
| 3D coordinate measuring machine | – | – | – | – | Kaiserslautern |
| FARO ScanArm (tactile and contactless measurement) | FARO ScanArm | – | – | – | Kaiserslautern |
| GOM optical 3D measurement | GOM | – | – | – | Kaiserslautern |
| Continuous casting plant (ACO Eurobar®) | – | – | Rectangular max. 360x360 mm, round max. 400 mm | – | Kaiserslautern |
| Machine park for machining (turning, sawing, drilling) | – | – | – | – | Kaiserslautern |
Additional services
Quality and Certification
Quality assurance accompanies every production step with testing methods such as 3D coordinate metrology, GOM optical measurement, FARO ScanArm, spectral analysis, hardness testing, crack testing (magnetic particle, dye penetrant) and ultrasound. Documentation includes, among other things, EMPB according to VDA/PPAP, dimensional reports and material certificates according to EN 10204.
| Evidence | Kaiserslautern |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |
| ISO 14001 | |
| ISO 50001 |
Company History
- 1898
Founding of the joint-stock company Guss- und Armaturwerk AG, Kaiserslautern; around 70 employees produce water and gas fittings, hydrants, gate valves and cast iron drain pipes.
- 1908
Modernisation of the plant; workforce grows from 135 to around 500.
- 1912
Expansion: 766 workers with 4 cupola furnaces and 3 melting furnaces; production of fittings, hydrants and pipes.
- 1915
Conversion to arms production (shell grenade casings) during the First World War.
- 1923
Plant temporarily closed due to inflation.
- 1996
Insolvency of the family-owned company.
- 1997
Acquisition of the foundry by the Rendsburg-based ACO Group.