FOURATH®4: the premium feeder expendables series - Rath-Group

The further development of refractory compositions is a challenge that RATH is taking on with great commitment:

You can find more information on our web, so please take a look.

The premium feeder expendables series is the next generation of the previous RATH 3xx feeder expendable series: a new product series based on an innovative formulation which has been exclusively developed and produced by RATH. It has been put through its paces in our laboratories and has successfully passed the first glass factory trials over the last 2 years.

From better crack and thermal shock resistance to longer service life

The new premium expendable series is produced using a hybrid technology that brings some significant advantages.

While the previous 3xx mixes – like the well-known 333, 315, 301, 338, 345, etc. were produced using the slipcasting technique, the FOURATH®4 mixes are manufactured using a so-called hybrid technology. Casting is no longer done by slipcasting; instead, a special vibro-casting technology is used: The entire manufacturing process was converted from clay-bonded slipcasting to chemically bonded vibrocasting.

We have selected ultra-premium raw materials to keep the impurity level as low as possible, improve thermal shock resistance, reduce open porosity and prevent blister formulation as much as possible. Glass quality is expected to improve with less devitrification, less infiltration and a better wear rate.

This special technology brings some significant advantages to our customers:

Improved product quality due to:

• Less dissolution of the refractory material
• Less infiltration of the glass
• Better wear rate
• Less blistering

It is a more compact family of mixes with:

• Lower porosity
• Better surface quality
• Better thermal shock resistance, i.e. better
• Crack resistance

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Mingte.

Along these lines, the new FOURATH®4 product family offers container glass makers increased service life and less production downtime!

Important! The service life of tubes is significantly improved by the new manufacturing technology. The additional grinding of the tube’s outer surface can be avoided, while still maintaining tight tolerances, even for NNPB bottle production!

We have:

• the largest drawing and mold park
• the widest portfolio of mixes
• selected mixes for different glass qualities
• worldwide presence
• locations in the USA and EU

And we are the strategic partner of Bucher Emhart Glass

RATH offers a wide range of mixes for different production series to find the most suitable refractory spare parts for your glass quality and throughput rate.

Example 1: If you are producing container glass with long runs, you’ll achieve the best performance by reducing feeder downtime:

Spout: 473 zirconia or isostatic pressed chrome inserted spout with 301/401 spout body
Tube: 420 / 301
Plunger(s): 420 / 301
Orifice ring: 420 / 301
Spout burners: 338
Spout front and rear cover: 338 / 345
Spout insulation: double layer microporous kit, EmCast 25

Example 2: If you work with short runs and frequent job changes in container glass production, the goal is to achieve the best performance, the lowest cost level, and to reduce blistering:

Spout: 301 / 315
Tube: 420 / 333 / 433
Plunger(s): 420 / 315 / 433
Orifice ring: 311 / 345 / 433 / 314 / 315 / 420
Spout burners: 338
Spout front and rear cover: 338 / 345
Spout insulation: double layer microporous kit, EmCast 25

Want more information on Expendables Refractory? Feel free to contact us.

Hello,
I have had a developing interest over the last couple of years leading me to make a small exploratory furnace about 15" tall, with crude refractory in a metal cylinder that I knocked up, into which I poked my propane brazing torch.

It works enough for me to want to take it further for casting small sculptural objects.

This summer I melted some aluminium very easily but it struggled to melt brass recently in the winter (maybe 8 degrees c) I'm planning to get a Devil Forge burner (malleable iron parts here are quite pricey and by the time I've bought the bits needed I'm about three-quarters of the way there WRT cost, unless a UK member can point me in the direction of cheap iron fittings)

I also want to rebuild the furnace with either firebricks or ceramic blanket, so will be scouring the construction forum for appropriate tips.

I'm pleased to have found this forum although it looks a bit heavyweight for me, with people been casting for decades and substantial furnaces!

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Welcome,
The DF burner is a viable option if you just don't feel like building your own. Others from UK will hopefully chime in with supplier alternatives. There are some pretty simple builds here on the forum as well that will get you where you want to be if you decide to build it. The components should be way less than buying the DF, but again that's up to you.
Don't feel outclassed here. No way. There are some guys here with superior fabricating and casting skills and there are some true professional foundry guys here too (and I am neither), but come as you are and you can expect a friendly and helpful group.

Pete

I will make my own better foundry, but was tempted by the burner although if I can find a suitable easy design I'll cost it up and see. I can't find satanite over here in the UK but there must be an equivalent.

IDK. Not exactly sure what it is even and how much I need it. Everything I've seen in other groups, about US postage is that it's expensive and I'd have thought flying a bag of sand halfway round the world would make it particularly unappealing. I'm still investigating stuff ATM and will try to find out what it is.

Satanite is a Harbison Walker Product. It's a heat setting high alumina mortar. Data sheet attached below.

You might visit a couple of the blacksmithing forums that have good supporting UK membership and see what they are using to coat ceramic fiber in their forges. This is a very popular application for Satanite and I suspect there could be other locally available alternatives for same.

Best,
Kelly

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That's a castable refractory. My furnaces are castable hot face with ceramic wool insulation. They're great. They're also heavy. They're tried and true and a few years ago I thought they were the only way to go but having watched the thin hotface coated wools build over the last few years, if I do another fuel fired furnace build, it will be Satanite over ceramic wool.

I think it makes the most sense especially for a first time build. They are lower mass which means they heat up the fastest and are light weight and portable. They are the most inexpensive as far as building materials (with possible exception of some homebrew refractories) and arguably the easiest and fastest to build. Folks are melting iron in them. That's a pretty good resume for a hobby furnace. They may not be as durable as far as tool impact but they are easily patched and repaired, and over time you learn furnace refractory is expendable, hopefully over long periods of time but depends upon the duty.

Best,
Kelly

You've headed off my next question - I was just knocking up the attached to post on the construction forum... "Hot face" is just the face of the chamber inside rather than being a specific material? And Satanite is applied like a render by the looks of things - presumably the stuff in the link I posted can't be applied like that. I'll switch to the construction forum now, is probably best. Cheers.

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Yes, hot face is just the inner surface not a specific material. Bonz and Tobho Mott will be along to link you up to their builds and construction methods.

Best,
Kelly