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Herr Schulte with Bob and Home Again producer, Sarah Beasley. |
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Bob visited the Buderus boiler factory in Lollar, Germany to see how Buderus' state of-the-art boilers are built. There, Research and Development chief, Herr Schulte, introduced Bob to the manufacturing process and guided his tour through Buderus' impressive production facility.
The Buderus company was founded in 1731 and began producing cast iron boiler sections in 1861. While there have been many significant technological advances since that time, Buderus' commitment to product excellence has remained constant.
The process begins with gathering up the raw materials, a combination of pig iron, steel scrap and cast iron scrap, from the adjacent covered outdoor storage area.
These materials are then heated in a massive furnace and liquified into molten iron at a temperature of 2066° F. A technician moversees the process—constantly checking the molten material until it reaches the proper temperature and consistency.
The molten metal is then poured into pre-heated vessels and transported to the holding tank. From here it is poured into sand molds to form the cast iron boiler sections.
The flames that you see rising from the molds on the automatic molding lines are the result of gaseous by-products escaping from the cast iron. These gases are safely exhausted out of the plant in keeping with Buderus' strict adherence to indoor and outdoor pollution control measures.
At the end of line the rough cast iron sections are cooled and shaken to remove any sand remaining from the sand molds from the inside of the boiler sections. The nipple ports (where the sections will later be joined) are milled and polished in a proprietary process to a finish that resembles stainless steel. Each section (shown stacked) is then pressure tested.
After testing, the individual boiler sections are assembled into a finished boiler block and then again pressure tested as a complete unit.
The blocks are then hoisted by giant pincers onto the assembly line where the jacket braces are bolted to the blocks. The blocks are mounted onto pallets and the 3" thick blanket of insulation is installed.
While conventional manufacturers traditionally use only 1" to 1 1/4" of insulation, Buderus has found that by blanketing their boiler blocks with 3" of insulation they are able to significantly reduce standby heat losses -- saving the consumer both energy and dollars.
After the insulation blanket is in place, the gas burner tray, which has already been assembled and tested at another station, is installed into the unit.
The final step is assembling the trademark "Buderus blue" boiler jacket. As the units roll down the assembly line, first the back and sides are assembled, then the top piece is attached and finally the front cover is snapped into place. The completed boiler continues down the line where it is boxed, sealed and ready for shipping.
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| Burner Installed |
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Jacket |
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Shipped |
For more information visit www.Buderus.net.
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© 2001 BobVila.com
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