Nestor Martin

The Foundry

Sheet Metal Works

Enamelling Works

Assembly and Quality Control

Located in Couvin, Belgium - in the heart of Europe - the Nestor Martin foundry has become known as one of the world's most important foundries specialized in heating appliance parts. It's fully automated sand conditioning plant puts out 50 tons of sand per day, allowing the production of 300 moulds per hour. 80 tons of cast iron are mixed in its hot air-fed cupola, yielding up to 60 tons of useable cast iron parts daily.

Using horizontal moulding, our foundry boasts moulding boxes measuring 1000mm x 800mm x 2 x 200mm (length by width by 2 by height), alowing us to cast larger parts.

Producing an average of four tons of finished parts per day, Nestor Martin's sheet metal works is a prime example of our expert crafsmanship and efficient manufacturing process. The equipment used includes:

• 1500 Watt oxygen-powered laser punching machine
• Computerized numerical control (CNC) shearing machine, 30-ton CNC punching machines with automatic feed, 100-ton CNC folding machines
• Mechanical and hydraulic presses from 50 to 600 tons
• Metal inert gas (MIG) welding, Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding and resistance spot welding stations.

Enamel is composed of tiny pieces of glass mixed with water, adhesive agents, quartz and pigments. One stove requires 3-5 kg of enamel, depending on the color and size of the stove. The Nestor Martin range of cast iron stoves is available in three enamel colors: Anthracite black, Majolica green, and Majolica brown.

A subtle alloy makes Nestor Martin’s cast iron particularly resistant and smooth, allowing for perfect porcelain enam¬eling. As part of our unique, double porcelainizing process, the glass finish is fired into the iron at 800°C, offering a deep, lustrous and long-lasting finish.

The final step in the production process happens at the assembly unit. An assembly line of 17 workers can complete about 100 appliances per day.

Each assembly line should have its own quality control station, and perform on-line testing of critical components such as gas burners and valves.

At the end of the assembly chain, the final product should be packaged in a palleted box, well suited for long-distance shipping.