New Ashland Product Line Aimed at Wind-Energy Suppliers

Ashland Performance Materials is targeting foundries that produce castings for windmill turbines with its introduction of the Magnaset line of binders and catalysts. Keying the new products to the need for precision in turbine-hub design, Ashland says the Magnaset series has allowed foundries to improve productivity, casting quality and environmental compliance. Ashland Performance Materials is a business unit of Ashland Inc. that develops and supplies various specialty chemical products for metalcasting, including sand binders, resins, refractory coatings, and others, as well as foundry-related design services. The Magnaset binders and catalysts were specifically designed for foundries that supply wind turbine hubs, or any nodular iron castings where metallurgical properties at the casting surface are critical to control. “Our Magnaset binders and catalysts offer a very thorough cure, and a rapid, deep set, which enables foundries to use lower levels of sulfur-containing catalysts,” explains Ashland Performance Materials’ Casting Solutions business development manager, Jim Archibald. “This reduces the possibility of metallurgical nodularity fade, which is very important in wind energy castings.” Archibald adds that the Magnaset binders reduce sulfur dioxide emissions in the environment, too.