Lienen foundry protects climate and resources by investing in modern plant technology

The GussStahl Lienen foundry has sustainably reduced its process energy consumption by making intelligent use of waste heat and investing in modern plant technology. With the help of the Efficiency Agency NRW from Duisburg, the company achieved considerable savings and at the same time contributed to climate protection.

Specializing in the production of sophisticated steel castings, GussStahl Lienen also offers the lost foam process in addition to the sand casting process. This process is characterized by the use of form-foamed materials that are embedded in the mould and then cast with metal.

The product range extends from the production of individual parts to the series production of castings weighing between 1 and 1,000 kg, with both heat treatment and surface treatment taking place at the Lienen site.

Managing Director Dr.-Ing. Jens Wiesenmüller explains: "Following expert support from the NRW Efficiency Agency as part of the BAFA-funded 'Energy consulting for SMEs', we decided to replace outdated heat treatment furnaces and use the waste heat from the compressors for the drying furnace."

The old shaft furnaces were replaced by modern bogie hearth furnaces, which can not only be heated more efficiently, but also enable a significant reduction in the amount of material to be heated thanks to smaller transport grates. In addition, improvements were made to the thermal insulation and heat capacity of the furnaces.

The company also invested in a heat recovery system to effectively utilize the waste heat from the compressors. This waste heat is now used to operate the lost-foam drying oven, largely eliminating the need for a gas boiler.

The Efficiency Agency NRW also supported GussStahl Lienen with its financial advice in order to submit an application under the "Federal Funding for Energy Efficiency in Industry" program of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. Following approval, the company received a grant of around 181,350 euros. The project was successfully completed in 2024, with GussStahl Lienen investing a total of around 694,000 euros in the measures.

"The implementation of these measures underlines GussStahl Lienen's commitment to sustainability and resource conservation in the production process and helps to reduce the environmental and climate impact," says Eckart Grundmann from the Münster regional office of Effizienz-Agentur NRW.