The plant
The part does not travel.
Why we built new
In 2020 we asked ourselves a question: how could we become a preferred supplier beyond the fact that our raw material was already recycled?
The answer was uncomfortably concrete. We needed an entirely new factory — laid out for efficient production, with minimal waste, and built for recovery from the ground up rather than bolted on afterwards.
After a three-year process we moved into Torvstikkeren 20 in Rade.
What matters to you as a customer is not the solar panels on the roof. It is the layout. In a plant built around one process chain, the melting furnace, the casting machines, the heat treatment, the CNC department and the blasting cabinet sit in a line. A part cast at nine can be fully machined by two.
Compare that with the usual Norwegian model: the foundry casts, the part is packed, shipped to a machine shop, sits in a queue there, is machined, packed again and shipped on. Two companies, two queues, two freight legs and a grey zone of responsibility if something is wrong.
What is in the building
The process chain as it stands, from ingot to packed part.
- 01
Steg 01 Hos oss
Melting
Aluminium and zinc arrive as ingots from established suppliers. Aluminium melts at 660 degrees and is cast at 680–700. Zinc melts far lower. The waste heat from this step heats the building.
- 02
Steg 02 Hos oss
High pressure die casting
The melt is injected into a steel die under high pressure. Seconds to tens of seconds per shot. Thin walls and complex geometry.
- 03
Steg 03 Hos oss
Gravity die casting
The melt runs into a permanent mould under gravity. Slower, thicker sections — but the part survives heat treatment afterwards.
- 04
Steg 04 Hos oss
Fettling
Runners, overflows and flash are removed. A lot of manual work sits here, and it is often underestimated in the costing.
- 05
Steg 05 Hos oss
Heat treatment
Gravity cast aluminium parts that need higher tensile strength. Die castings are normally not heat treated — trapped gas causes blisters.
- 06
Steg 06 Hos oss
CNC machining
Turning, milling and boring. Faces and holes needing tighter tolerance than casting delivers. Threads are cut. Programming in Fusion 360.
- 07
Steg 07 Hos oss
Blasting
An even matte surface. Done in house.
- 08
Steg 08 Hos underleverandør
Surface finishing
Anodising and powder coating are outsourced. We manage the step and state the added lead time in the quotation.
- 09
Steg 09 Hos oss
Inspection and dispatch
Inspection against the drawing and the agreed reference, then packing.
Machine park
This is where make, model, clamping force and work envelope belong. We have not published them yet, and we will not insert figures we cannot stand behind. Call and you will get them.
Presstøping 1
-
Presstøpemaskin (høytrykk)
- Låsekraft
- Available on request
- Maks skuddvekt
- Available on request
- Arbeidsrom
- Available on request
- Akser
- Available on request
- Styring
- Available on request
Molten metal is forced under high pressure into a steel die and freezes in seconds. This is the process behind most of the parts in our portfolio, in both aluminium and zinc.
Kokillestøping 1
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Kokillestøping
- Låsekraft
- Available on request
- Maks skuddvekt
- Available on request
- Arbeidsrom
- Available on request
- Akser
- Available on request
- Styring
- Available on request
The melt fills a permanent steel mould under gravity. Used here in particular for brackets that will be heat treated after casting, because gravity cast parts take heat treatment where pressure die cast parts normally do not.
Varmebehandling 1
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Varmebehandlingsovn
- Låsekraft
- Available on request
- Maks skuddvekt
- Available on request
- Arbeidsrom
- Available on request
- Akser
- Available on request
- Styring
- Available on request
Gravity cast aluminium parts are heat treated to raise tensile and ultimate strength. Unusual to have in house for a foundry of our size — it is often a service that gets subcontracted.
CNC-dreiing 1
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CNC-dreiebenk
- Låsekraft
- Available on request
- Maks skuddvekt
- Available on request
- Arbeidsrom
- Available on request
- Akser
- Available on request
- Styring
- Available on request
Turning of cast parts: cylindrical faces, fits, internal and external threads. Programmed in Fusion 360.
CNC-fresing 1
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CNC-fres
- Låsekraft
- Available on request
- Maks skuddvekt
- Available on request
- Arbeidsrom
- Available on request
- Akser
- Available on request
- Styring
- Available on request
Milling of seating faces, hole patterns and pockets in cast parts. This is the machine that takes the faces where casting cannot hold the tolerance.
Borverk 1
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Borverk
- Låsekraft
- Available on request
- Maks skuddvekt
- Available on request
- Arbeidsrom
- Available on request
- Akser
- Available on request
- Styring
- Available on request
Drilling and boring of holes with requirements on position, diameter and roundness — typically bearing seats and through-holes in brackets.
Blåsing 1
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Sandblåseanlegg
- Låsekraft
- Available on request
- Maks skuddvekt
- Available on request
- Arbeidsrom
- Available on request
- Akser
- Available on request
- Styring
- Available on request
Removes cast skin and gives a matt, uniform surface. Done in house — unlike anodising and powder coating, which go out to subcontractors.
The building as a technical installation
Closed water loop
All process water is recirculated. No process water is discharged from production.
Recovered waste heat
Heat from the melting process is captured and heats the premises. The building needs no separate heating system.
Solar panels
Our own installation on the roof. It feeds the grid at weekends and holidays, when production is down and the array makes more than we use.
Prepared for energy export
The plant is built so that surplus energy can be delivered to neighbouring industry. Note the wording: prepared. We are not claiming it is in operation.
Exit 10 on the E6
Torvstikkeren 20, 1640 Rade, Norway. About an hour south of Oslo, in the middle of Østfold, right beside the E6.
Worth mentioning for two reasons. One is transport: a short run to the Oslo area, to Sweden and to port.
The other is that you can drop in. We have always said people are welcome to come and look at the production, and we mean it. Call ahead so we are here, and set aside an hour.
A buyer who has watched a casting machine run understands the rest of the conversation better.
Book a visit
Call, agree a time, and see the process chain for yourself. It takes an hour and answers more questions than a data sheet.