June 3, 2025
Briquetting Leads to Top Recycling Rates HAI confirms Short Payback Period for RUF Briquetting Systems
The Hammerer Aluminium Group uses RUF briquetting presses to efficiently close the material loop. When aluminium chips from production are compressed into briquettes and then remelted, the material yield is approximately eight percentage points higher than when melting loose chips. Using their own, precisely defined materials also ensures consistently high alloy quality.
Aluminium is the lightweight metal of choice across a range of industries. It is widely used in transport — including passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and rail — as well as in many other industrial sectors, where it contributes to significant energy savings. Hammerer Aluminium Industries (HAI), headquartered in Ranshofen, Austria, aims to keep this light metal in circulation for as long as possible and at the highest possible quality. A key advantage for the family-owned group is that it covers the entire value chain — from casting and recycling to the finished product.
HAI operates a total of eight plants across Europe. The company produces up to 250,000 tonnes of wrought and cast alloys annually in two modern, flexible foundries, forming them into billets, rolling slabs, or two-piece ingots. In extrusion, HAI runs 13 presses capable of producing up to 140,000 tonnes of aluminium profiles per year, which are either delivered directly to customers or further processed into finished products.
Thanks to using around 80% secondary aluminium and primary aluminium produced entirely with renewable electricity, HAI’s products have a CO₂ footprint far below the European average — and only a fraction of the global average.
All production residues are consistently remelted, and the proportion of sawing and milling chips is steadily increasing. “In recent years, we’ve invested heavily in manufacturing technologies so that our customers receive finished products, not just standard profiles they need to machine themselves,” explains COO Dr Markus Schober.
As a result, efficient chip processing has become increasingly important. Since 2011, HAI has gradually acquired five briquetting presses for different locations — all supplied by Zaisertshofen-based machine builder RUF. “These machines perform excellently, better than those from another manufacturer,” says Schober. “With the increased chip volumes, the competitor’s machines frequently encountered technical issues.”
The latest briquetting unit, a RUF 90/3900/120, was installed in Ranshofen in autumn 2024. With a power rating of 90 kW, it delivers up to 3900 kg/cm² pressing force and produces briquettes with a 120 mm diameter. Each briquette is approximately 65 mm tall and weighs around 1.7 kg. Their density is at least 2.3 kg/l, with a residual moisture content between two and four percent.
Chip Briquettes Immediately Sink into the Molten Bath
Direct melting of loose chips — which HAI still carries out to a limited extent — is not a viable option for large volumes, according to the COO. This method results in significant material losses. Even during extended storage, oxidation losses of 30 to 40% can occur under poor conditions, notes project manager Gerhard Huber. Further oxidation is inevitable when chips are introduced into the molten bath.
While HAI has developed a process to minimise these losses, Huber explains, “It only allows a very limited amount of chips to be introduced.” In contrast, chip briquettes can be fed into melting units in virtually unlimited quantities. “They sink immediately.” Moreover, hardly any oxidation occurs during storage prior to melting.
Material Yield Increases by Around Eight Percentage Points
Overall, melting loose chips results in a material yield of only around 85%. With briquettes, HAI achieves 92 to 93%. “At aluminium prices of €2000 to €2500 per tonne, this yield difference equates to €160 to €200 per tonne,” calculates Schober.
Another advantage is that briquettes are largely free from cooling lubricants, so they generate minimal exhaust gases in the melting furnace. Any remaining lubricants evaporate almost entirely while the briquettes rest on the melting bridge of the twin-chamber furnace before being pushed into the melt.
Transport is also significantly simplified, as briquettes occupy only a fraction of the volume of loose chips. And because pressing removes the lubricants, there is no contamination from dripping fluids during transit.
Designed for Unattended 24/7 Operation
Operating the RUF presses requires minimal effort, as they are designed for fully automated 24/7 operation. Only loading and unloading require personnel. Chips collected at saws and machining centres are transported via forklift to the press and tipped into its hopper. RUF project manager Stefan Schulz explains: “The hopper has a light sensor that triggers the machine to start automatically when there are enough chips. It stops again when the hopper is empty.”
The press pushes finished briquettes onto two exit rails into a collection container. HAI has configured the machine to fill the container with 2,000 briquettes before it stops and activates a signal light, indicating it is ready for transport to the foundry. Forklift drivers can see the fill level as they pass, deliver the briquettes, and replace the full container with an empty one. A button press by the driver confirms the container swap, and the machine resumes operation.
Purity Ensures High Alloy Quality
The new RUF 90/3900/120 briquetting press currently operates for eight to ten hours a day, five days a week, with an expected annual production of approximately 1,000 to 1,500 tonnes of briquettes. This corresponds to an operating capacity of around 25 to 37%. However, this utilisation could be significantly higher. For example, a RUF 90/2500/150 press installed in 2012 achieved over 60% utilisation, having logged 70,000 operating hours over 13 years.
Despite the modest output so far, largely influenced by prevailing economic conditions, Schober estimates a payback period of two to four years for the latest RUF press at Ranshofen, depending on global market trends. For internal cost assessments, HAI bases calculations on current market prices for both chips and briquettes.
There is, however, one key benefit that cannot be measured in financial terms: “By recycling our own production residues, we ensure absolute purity of the alloy,” emphasises the Chief Operating Officer.
Schober also commends RUF as a consistently dependable partner: “After purchasing our first RUF briquetting press, we continued to select them for all subsequent machines because we were satisfied from the outset — not only during the quotation and commissioning stages, but also afterwards.” For machines that must run continuously to support production, reliable after-sales service is critical. “RUF has impressed us across the board. The machine availability is high, and when issues arise, the service team provides quick support.”
Hammerer Aluminium Industries …
… headquartered in Ranshofen, Austria, is a family-owned aluminium group with three business segments: casting, extrusion, and processing. A major customer base is the automotive sector, where HAI supplies lightweight components. Products from the group are also used in construction, transport technology, electrical engineering, and mechanical and plant engineering. In 2013, about 2,100 employees generated roughly €900 million in revenue. HAI operates plants in Austria, Germany, Poland, and Romania, and is part of a joint venture in South Korea.
https://www.hai-aluminium.com/
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