Released on July 1, 208

Disa, Herlev, Denmark, and the Technical Univ. of Denmark on May 29 won the Danish 2008 Elforsk Energy Conservation Award for a new gating system design.

According to a press release issued by Disa, a supplier of metalcasting equipment and metal surface finishing systems, the gating design can help metalcasters lower energy costs associated with melting by hundreds of thousands of dollars. The system requires no capital expenditure.

The project was the result of a long-term relationship between Disa and the Technical University of Denmark, which produces a number of Ph.D. projects. The aim of the award winning project was to design a new gating system layout that would enable a reduction in the weight of metal used and ensure a consistent flow of molten metal into metalcasting molds.

The outcome was a gating system principle that uses the surface tension and boundary layer friction of the molten metal to keep the front of the melt coherent during mold filling. This is achieved primarily by keeping the runner width as small as possible and by replacing sharp bends with soft curves.