MKB, based in Eichstätt, is the first metal casting foundry worldwide to receive quality certification under the new standard International Railway Industry Standard (IRIS) from the European Railway Association, UNIFE. 40 years of experience in permanent mold castings and continual changes to meet current market demands has made MKB a leading international certified partner for high-quality copper and copper alloy castings. MKB offers a modern range of services, with 100 employees in two plants.

Mechanical requirements essentially determine the selection of materials. Through the use of standardized alloys and MKB alloys, many different technical details can be satisfied.

MKB converts technical details into foundry-ready constructions and presents ways for an economical series production in the development phase.

Railroad engineering molds and cast parts

Many fields of railroad engineering have seen extensive changes. Overhead line technology, in particular, has changed from traditional sand casting to permanent mold casting in recent years. The advantages of dimensional accuracy and surface quality speak for themselves. Production is economical because mechanical processing can often be minimized.

MKB is a leading international certified partner for high-quality copper and copper alloy castings.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>
MKB's copper aluminium alloy castings and brass castings have many railway applications, including holding pistons, closing parts for doors, contact line end terminals and clamping pieces.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>
MKB has the necessary flexibility to produce precision cast parts economically and very quickly.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>

Copper aluminium alloy castings

In addition to its high strength compared with steel, this group of materials also exhibits outstanding resistance to corrosion, erosion and cavitation. CuAl10Fe5Ni-C (formerly CuAl10Ni) also possesses good resistance to abrasion and good fatigue characteristics, and can therefore be used for large static and dynamic loads.

Application examples: spacers, holding pistons, closing parts for doors, forked connections, contact line end terminals and locking plates.

Copper zinc alloy castings or special brass castings

As a unique silicon-containing copper-zinc alloy, which was already included in DIN 1709, the material CuZn16Si4-C (formerly CuZn15Si4) is standardized in EN 1982. This material, which can be cast very well, exhibits outstanding resistance to corrosion in addition to favourable strength properties. This cost-effective variant is also often used because it has good machining and polishing characteristics.

Application examples: suspended-wire holders and clamping pieces.

Wedge clamps and catenary clamps – international casting projects

MKB has supplied parts to the following international projects:

  • Wedge clamps – Qinshen, China; Balfour Beatty, Germany
  • Catenary clamps – tramway system for the Olympic Games, Athens; Ribe, Germany

In keeping with our high standards, we have a quality management system to ensure excellent products. In addition to ISO 9001:2000 certification, the MKB quality is documented by licenses with Deutsche Bahn and Germanischer Lloyd. In September 2008 we received quality certification under the new IRIS standard.

MKB cast parts are precision parts. Preparation, mechanical in-house processing, surface treatment and the assembling of components gives MKB the necessary flexibility to produce small and medium batches economically and very quickly.

MKB on tour – 2010 fairs and events

In 2010 we will attend the following events and fairs:

  • EUROGUSS in Nürnberg, Germany, from 19-21 January 2010
  • ELECRAMA in Mumbai, India, from 20-24 January 2010
  • Nortec in Hamburg, Germany, from 27-30 January 2010
  • ALUMINIUM in Essen, Germany, from 14-16 September 2010
  • InnoTrans in Berlin, Germany, from 21-24 September 2010
  • swisstech in Basel, Switzerland from 16-19 November 2010

These are very important and successful platforms that enable MKB to present the new ‘MKB Cast Plus package’ and demonstrate its benefits to customers worldwide.

MKB’s motto for 2010 is: “To control processes — not people.”