STAS has signed an agreement with Rio Tinto to manufacture and sell the latter’s compact filtration technology (ACF) which is used to for aluminum cast houses.
STAS, an equipment manufacturer, will develop a global commercialization process for ACF, which Rio Tinto developed in the early 2000s at its Quebec-based Arvida Research and Development Centre. ACF successfully removes 90pc of the inclusions found in liquid aluminum, and is typically used in the production of aluminum sheets and plates, which, in turn, is used to develop cans.
A decade ago, the ACF prototype was manufactured first at Rio Tinto’s Grande-Baie and Laterrière smelters in Quebec. However, the new license agreement guarantees wider reach and optimal value capture, especially as it evolves.