A great deal of the Italian glassmaking industry is based on family companies that have continued to carry out their important work for generations. Fonderie Bartalesi, which is no exception, gives us an idea of how it is moving forward and responding to the market with developments in production and in R&D.
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Fonderie Bartalesi, located in the heart of Tuscany, an area of Italy rich in traditions that are handed down from fathers to sons, exactly like the company, has been operating on Italian and international markets for more than 50 years, producing special alloy castings for the manufacture of moulds for the hollow glass industry.
Company production includes special bronze and cast iron alloys for moulds, finishing bottoms, baffles and neckrings.
PRODUCTION INNOVATIONS
Cast iron
Fonderie Bartalesi has, in this past year, been focussing on a series of innovations in its
metallurgical-production system. One of the most important of these is the production of cast iron, which started back in 2019, to satisfy continuous requests from clients, alongside the regular production of bronze.
With this production expansion, a new induction furnace with a capacity of 1,000 kilos per hour has also been installed.
Bronze alloys
Almost three years after starting production of the new, internationally patented copper alloy B02 S1, Fonderie Bartalesi has now further updated glass forming data from glassworks, which confirm that this alloy is the best performing of all those present on the market today. This bronze alloy shows high thermal conductivity and diffusivity, excellent hardness, excellent mould cleaning and ease of metallisation.
More than 2.5 million bottles produced by each mould
A number of major glass groups have already been using this new alloy for some time and some of them have included it as an exclusive reference for the production of bronze moulds.
Fonderie Bartalesi is now continuing to invest in the study and development of new technologies concerning mould manufacturing.
IN-HOUSE LABORATORY CONTROLS
Fonderie Bartalesi has its own in-house analysis and research laboratory, where chemical analyses, hardness tests, metallographic analyses and gas porosity tests are carried out by highly specialised personnel. Other tests that can be carried out on request include X-ray and ultrasound.
This control system has been further enhanced thanks to the installation of an analysis laboratory with the latest sand control technologies.
THERMAL TREATMENT TESTING; NC MACHINERY
Fonderie Bartalesi has also installed an electric furnace to perform heat treatment tests on bronze and cast iron moulds used in the research and development of new materials.
Last, but not least, casting precision and faster delivery times are ensured thanks to the use of a numerical control machine for the creation of models with a new CAD CAM system for 3D design and modelling, to improve the precision of castings and speed up delivery times.
Fonderie Bartalesi Srl
www.fonderiebartalesi.com