Trio of firsts for Huicheng

Huicheng Foundry Ltd, an aluminium foundry based in Jinan City, Shandong province, has ordered three large high-pressure die-casting machines from ItalPresseGauss, a Norican Technology, at this year’s GIFA. 

All three purchases are firsts in the Chinese market. They are:

• the first TF4400 Italpresse Toggle Free die casting machine in China for a Chinese customer
• the first IPr3700 Italpresse die casting machine in China for a Chinese customer
• the first TF1850 Italpresse die casting machine in China for a Chinese customer and the first Italpresse machine to be manufactured locally in China

The new machines are a strategic investment for the foundry, which already owns dozens of die-casting machines producing a range of castings for automotive, rail, yachts, industrial machinery and more.

Liu Yanling, VP and General Manager of Huicheng Foundry, explains: “I’ve known Italpresse for 20 years and am very familiar and impressed with the technology, so we’re delighted to be buying our first equipment from them. We’ve been looking at Italpresse equipment as a strategic investment for some time, but it was their joining the Norican Group that sealed the deal for us. It gives us the reassurance of a large global industry group, commitment to our local market and the consistency we need to develop a long-term strategic partnership.”

With the new ItalPresseGauss equipment, Huicheng Foundry is looking to improve its competitive advantage in terms of quality and productivity, as well as expanding its capabilities for the casting of large structural parts. 

The machines are at the large end of ItalPresseGauss’ equipment range which offers closing forces of up to 5600 tonnes. The TF4400 is a toggle-free two-platen machine, which means a smaller footprint, increased rigidity and fewer wear parts for improved reliability and performance. The TF1850 is the first high pressure die-casting machine to be made at Norican Group’s Changzhou workshop in China, a milestone in ItalPresseGauss’ localisation strategy.

Liu Yanling continues: “I really like the design of the machines. For example, Italpresse were the first company to introduce forged platens, making them - in my experience – virtually unbreakable. From the design of the platens right through to the excellent machine controls, Italpresse technology will give us an accuracy and flexibility that is a real competitive advantage. Having access to the group’s digital R&D through Norican Digital is an added bonus and helps us stay ahead of the digitization curve.”

Huicheng Foundry is being looked after by the Norican team in China, headed up by Wei Baohua, who offers dedicated service and equipment support for all four Norican technologies (DISA, ItalPresseGauss, StrikoWestofen and Wheelabrator).

Liu Yanling concludes: “Local service here in China is incredibly important to us and Mr Wei and his great team were a key selling point. We’re delighted to co-operate with Norican Group and proud to be the first company in China to purchase these machines. I’m sure it’s just the beginning and many more Chinese aluminium foundries will follow our lead.”