WCA November 2012

Technology news Technology news

High-speed PlasmaAnnealer for stainless steel and nickel alloy wire ▲ The new PlasmaAnnealer from Plasmait

ensure controlled inert atmosphere and exceptionally low usage of purging gas. The manufacturers who adopted plasma annealing have recognised the value from low cost of ownership in comparison to traditional tube or muffle furnaces. The benefits of plasma treatment include more than 60 per cent lower energy use, up to 10 times lower purging gas consumption, in addition to the savings from dry, chemical-free degreasing and surface cleaning. Increased annealing speeds by the factor of 5-10 result in lower capital expenditure in take-ups and pay-offs and associated costs of maintenance. PlasmaAnnealer suits applications with demanding surface or annealing requirements in the medical, precision mechanical, welding, marine, aerospace and energy sectors.

PLASMAIT has introduced the new PlasmaAnnealer for continuous heat treatment, degreasing and oxide removal of stainless steel and nickel alloy wires up to 5mm in diameter. This new machine can be designed for annealing, stress relieving or material hardening applications featuring process speeds of up to 300m/min. Energy efficient, the high-speed plasma-heating concept allows for accurate targeting of mechanical properties of the processed material. The plasma heating is complemented with an appropriate length dwell zone for annealing of materials with extended recrystallisation time. Small and homogeneously distributed grain combined with exceptional surface condition improves material susceptibility to cold working, which manifests itself in better drawability and lower drawing die wear rate of plasma annealed materials.

Plasmait GmbH – Germany Website : www.plasmait.com

PlasmaAnnealer is equipped with a vacuum system to

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Wire & Cable ASIA – November/December 2012

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