Exlabesa to expand recycling capacity for aluminium billet production with new Hertwich continuous homogenising furnace

Exlabesa, an aluminium extrusion manufacturing company with the conviction of bringing imaginations to life, is reportedly expanding its recycling capacity to produce recycled aluminium billet at a plant in the province of A Coruña, Spain, installing technology once again supplied by Hertwich Engineering, an SMS group company.

As per the report, Hertwich will supply a continuous homogenising furnace equipped with an air cooling station, a long-billet stacker, and a semi-automatic PET strapping system. This new furnace will exclusively produce recycled aluminium billet from post-consumer scrap, complementing the existing second melting furnace at the plant.

The new furnace is designed to produce aluminium billets with a diametre of 178 to 406 millimetres and a length of 7 metres. The advantage of Hertwich's continuous homogenising system over chamber homogenization is the uniform treatment of billets.

Exlabesa first commissioned a second continuous homogenising furnace at the recycling plant in A Coruña, Spain, in 2018 and later installed a multi-chamber melting furnace, both supplied by Hertwich. The second continuous homogenising furnace produces aluminium billets by recycling end-of-life post-consumer scrap. The capacity of this furnace will be increased by 30,000 tonnes to 80,000 tonnes per year to meet the recently set recycling expansion goal.

The new continuous homogenising furnace from Hertwich will further expand the recycling capacity, facilitating Exlabesa with more recycled aluminium to make the extruded products. It will reduce the company's reliance on primary metal, aiding it to achieve sustainability goals through reduced carbon emissions while promoting a circular economy.

CEO Gerold Keune commented: "Finding solutions that are individually tailored to the needs of customers is one of Hertwich Engineering's strengths. Our expansion of continuous homogenisation operations at the Exlabesa plant fits perfectly into the existing production environment. And last but not least, it is an investment in the sustainability of aluminium production. This endeavour also underscores our commitment to long-term cooperation and partnership. We believe in forging strong alliances with our clients, built on trust and shared goals."