WCA March 2017

Technology news

❍ Annealer for flat stainless steel wires and profiles

More demand for high-output plasma heat treatment lines

advantages of high speed bright annealing and scratch-free surface finish. Processed material does not touch the plasma chamber when at high temperature, which reduces the risk of surface scratching. This is different to the conventional strand furnace where tubes remain in contact with the furnace guiding supports also during the maximum elevated temperatures when they are most vulnerable to surface damage. A unique feature of plasma annealing is that heating is conducted in low-pressure inert atmosphere, for which a vacuum installation and accurate material guiding are necessary. The advantage of a vacuum system is that purging gas (usually hydrogen or forming gas) is supplied at low pressure, which reduces overall

production will have the same output as the old multi-line furnace and will take about one third of the shop floor space. A single-line production will also reduce material manipulation and limit the investment into the associated takeups, payoffs and transport system. A typical plasma annealer installation for stainless steel applications can substitute around ten traditional lines on a conventional strand furnace. Plasma annealer allows accurate heat input and hence more uniform recrystallisation, which is reflected in homogeneous grain size in the longitudinal and transversal direction. The HPA30 annealer features also an extended tempering zone to allow for extended dwell time or slow cooling, which is necessary for selected ferritic grades of stainless steel. The new annealer combines the

PLASMAIT from Austria is seeing an increasing demand for its high-output plasma heat treatment lines for stainless steel products. The next deployment of its PlasmaAnnealer will take place in Southeast Asia. Plasmait sold a 30kW plasma annealer to a renowned stainless steel wire producer, who wants to replace its traditional tube furnace for production of flat ferritic and austenitic product with widths up to 30mm. The HPA30 plasma annealer with output capacity of 100kg per hour will allow the manufacturer to halve the energy cost per kilogram of output whilst allowing for a considerable cost saving in terms of peak power consumption. Much lower power connection requirements of plasma annealer also means cheaper cabling installation for connecting power. The new compact single-line

purging gas consumption. Plasmait GmbH – Austria Website : www.plasmait.com

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Wire & Cable ASIA – March/April 2017