Grain refiner specialist MQP is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a range of new global customers and year-on-year production growth of 40 per cent. MQP has moved from trials to roll-outs of its Optifine grain refiner with both major groups and independent producers this year, resulting in significant growth. Using Optifine means casthouses have to add up to 85 per cent less product to their melts, helping aluminium producers become more efficient, improve operations and melt quality and meet their sustainability targets by reducing waste.
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MQP chairman John Courtenay, who worked at senior level for Foseco Aluminium before founding MQP, said he “couldn’t be prouder”.
I set up MQP 25 years ago with this vision,” he said. “To comprehensively improve melt quality in the casthouse by being experts in the key technology around grain refining, fluxing, degassing and filtration. The one that really took off was grain refinement, which resulted in bringing Optifine to market.
“Over the years, we have raised the industry bar, literally saving aluminium producers millions in operational costs. Today, Optifine is used in the production of over five million tonnes of alloys a year at 45 major casthouses worldwide, with both major groups and independent producers such as Metalimex coming on board this year.
“I would like to say a big thank you to all our customers, the MQP team and everyone we have worked with over the years. I couldn’t be prouder.”
He added the industry had changed immeasurably.
“Over 25 years, we’ve seen many changes and approaches, and we’ve kept on top of these,” he said. “This includes making our production of Optifine a more sustainable, ‘closed loop’ process and adapting our formulas to meet today’s demand for high tensile and ‘mirror-like finish’ applications, including aerospace and EV. It’s a brave new world and we will continue to push ourselves in our product development.”
One of MQP’s most notable advancements has been the development of Optifine 5:1 125 grain refiner, which cuts addition rates by 90 per cent when compared with standard grain refiners. This reduction in material usage translates to reduced inclusions, higher quality, fewer emissions, less waste sent to landfills, and a marked decrease in overall operating costs - typically by 50 per cent across various aluminum alloys.
This was the result of a science-meets-industry collaboration with Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST) at Brunel University of London, which has just been renewed for a sixth year.
MQP also pioneered the Opticast technology, which enables casthouses to quickly determine the precise amount of grain refiner they need to achieve optimum refinement. No more guesswork and, subsequently, overusage. The added bonus is that it can be operated by casthouse personnel.
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