TPT March 2008

T echnology U pdate

Indirect gas fired roller hearth furnace for bright annealing

Halcor SA, Greece, has ordered an Otto Junker indirect gas fired roller hearth furnace for bright annealing 3,250kg/h of level wound coil DHP copper tube. The company, a producer of copper products according to international standards, will make use of the new equipment at its copper tube production plant in Inofyta. The new Otto Junker roller hearth furnace will be designed for the purpose of bright annealing copper tube in the form of level wound coils and pancake coils. The level wound coils are individually loaded onto trays that are then transported into a stacking device which automatically stacks the trays – up to a maximum of 5 trays per stack. Following the stacking procedure, the ends of the individual coils are connected to the atmosphere distribution system of the Otto Junker Copper Tube Purging system (CTP system). The stack is then transported to the furnace line via a cross conveyor. On the entry table the coils are automatically purged with protective atmosphere (N2 + H2).

Working on a continuous step basis, the stacks are transported by rollers from one stationary position to the next. After a preset cycle time has elapsed the stack is driven into the vacuum chamber where a vacuum is created. The chamber is then refilled with the process protective atmosphere. The stack is then advanced into the entry vestibule where it remains for one cycle before going into the furnace. The high convection furnace is indirectly heated under protective atmosphere. The complete line – from entry vestibule to the end of the cooling zone – remains under protective atmosphere 100 per cent of the time. The stack of coils moves through the furnace on a continuous step basis during which time the coils are automatically purged by the Otto Junker CTP system. This removes any lubricant from the bores of the tube as it vaporizes, thus assisting in the production of ‘Super Clean’ tube. At the end of the heating-up phase the stack is passed into the cooling section where the

› The entry end of an indirect gas fired roller hearth furnace

material temperature is reduced to a level at which the copper will not oxidise when it comes into contact with air. The stack is then discharged from the line via the exit vacuum chamber. The stack is transported to the destacking device and the coils are removed from the separated trays. The complete materials handling system is included for the con- veying, stacking and destacking of work trays.

Otto Junker GmbH – Germany Fax : +49 2473 601 697 Email : mtg@otto-junker.de Website : www.otto-junker-group.de

        

Indian JV for precision ERW steel tubes Launched in August 2007, ANS Steel Tubes Ltd is a manufacturer of precision ERW steel tubes. The company began as a result of a joint venture between Neel Metals Products Ltd (India), Sumitomo Corp (Japan) and Nisshin Steels Ltd (Japan). Neel Metal Products Ltd – part of the JBM group and a leading auto components and assemblies manufacturer – has already been in the tube business since 2004. Sumitomo Corp is a major steel producer in Japan and Nisshin is a leading Japanese tube manufacturer with a presence worldwide. ANS Steel Tubes Ltd, located near New Delhi, manufactures steel tubes for automotive and engineering applications. With a capacity of 30,000mt/annum, the company is specialized in tubes manufactured from stainless steel, aluminised steel, medium carbon and high tensile grades. Supplying a number of auto OEMs, the company’s tubes are used for applications such as exhaust systems, frame tubes, axle tubes, and door impact beams. The company’s size range – produced on two mill lines – is Ø 12-85mm, with a maximum thickness of 4mm. ANS claims to operate tube cutting facilities that are unique to India. Neel Metal Products Ltd operates a manufacturing facility for ERW and cold drawn welded tubes with an installed capacity of 25,000mt/annum. The size range is Ø 10-60mm with a maximum thickness of 5mm. These tubes are used for shock absorbers, propeller shafts, tie rods, steering columns, frame tubes and boiler tubes. Neel Metals Ltd also manufactures subassemblies and tubular components for auto applications like mufflers, steering columns, and frame sub assemblies.



    

 

      







  



           

                 



ANS Steel tubes Ltd – India Fax : +91 124 4067012 • Email : hyamaguchi@jbm.co.in

Neel Metal Products Ltd – India Fax : +91 124 2370987

38

›

M arch 2008

www.read-tpt.com