100% LOCAL Steloy Castings can use 100% local resources to supply duplex stainless components
The long-established trend of European equipment manufacturers using duplex stainless steel in a variety of their designs is gaining momentum in South Africa, says specialist foundry group Steloy Castings.
Steloy sales and marketing director Wynand Labuschagne tells Engineering News that, for the last ten years, Steloy has been producing a range of duplex stainless steel for the pump and valve industry, predominantly for use in desalination plants.
He adds that “South Africa is a land of vast resources and Steloy can use these resources to supply duplex stainless steel castings and components with a 100% local metal content”.
However, he says the initial uptake of duplex stainless steel locally has been slow and the bulk of duplex stainless steel produced by Steloy is exported through local pump and valve manufacturers to Europe.
Labuschagne explains that duplex stainless steel is still perceived by many local companies as “exotic” and most original-equipment manu-facturers shy away from the supply thereof as a result.
“Nonetheless, local companies are gradually using more duplex stainless steel and we are confident that this trend will continue,” he states, adding that the challenge lies in changing the perception of duplex stainless steel by broadening companies’ perceptions of the product.
Further, he notes that Steloy uses the German solidification technology Magmasoft.
“Magmasoft is greatly assisting us in success-fully designing the sometimes challenging configurations, which are occasionally required to alter the thickness of our duplex stainless steel castings,” Labuschagne concludes.