EoW September 2009

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EuroWire – September 2009 56
Steel wire, cable & rod
Smart AS Wire is BWE’s system for
producing aluminium clad steel wire with
improved efficiency and reduced waste.
Volumetric control has been used for
many years to regulate the ratio of
aluminium to steel wire. Smart AS Wire
introduced a new mode of operation
called Load Sensing, which supervises
and continuously adjusts the volumetric
ratio so that perfect cladding conditions
are maintained while flash (aluminium
leakage) is minimised.
To avoid the need for the operator to
enter complex set-up information, the
system is self-learning.
For the first drum of a production run, the
operator starts up in the normal way.
After reaching thermal equilibrium at
full running speed, the Smart Software
indicates that it is ready to take over. The
operator can now engage Load Sensing
Mode to complete the run.
At the end of the run, the operator shuts
down using the Auto Stop function.
This allows cladding to continue much
closer to the end of a drum of steel wire
than previously possible and makes start
up on the next drum easier because the
shutdown is always ‘clean’.
Once the first drum of wire has been
completed and the Smart Software has
learnt the optimum process conditions,
the operator can run off subsequent
drums with the Auto Start function.
The Auto Start function does not just
follow the operator’s actions on the
learning run but it optimises them
to bring the line up to speed in the
shortest possible time so that waste
is minimised.
BWE Ltd – UK
Fax: +44 1233 630670
Email:
Website:
The use of induction heating
in the rolling process of special
steels meets two fundamental
needs: fast production changes
fromoneproducttoanother,and
control of the bar temperature
during the rolling phases.
The first point envisages the
installation of an overheating
furnace with powers of a
few MW, with a primary
fuel furnace operating at a
constant output temperature.
The induction system is
designed to raise the tem-
perature of the bar by 150˚
to 200°C, equal to the entire
temperature range required for the first rolling phase (roughing) of steel. The second
point requires the use of an induction furnace, generally with a lower power, located
immediately before the intermediate rolling section and capable of heating the bar in a
differentiated manner both lengthways and crosswise. This creates an even temperature
throughout the material, an essential condition for the correct rolling of special steels.
Beside these two main aspects, induction heating applied to the rolling of steels offers
other advantages:
Reduction of surface decarburisation •
Lower fuel consumption in the primary furnace •
Drastic reduction of maintenance of the refractory lining of the main furnace •
ATE has supplied several induction furnace installations to rolling mills for special
steels (heating of bars with diameters from 75mm to 140mm) with power from 1.6 MW
to 4 MW.
ATE Applicazioni TermoElettroniche Srl – Italy Fax: +39 0444 406434
Email: Website:
Heating of steel bars for subsequent hot rolling
Application Dimensions
bar/billet
Speed of
passage
Temperature
rise
Power Frequency
Overheating
furnace
! 90 ÷140mm
E 90÷150mm 0.15÷0.3 m/s 120÷200°C 2÷4 MW 0.4÷1 kHz
Intermediate
heating
furnace
E 75÷105mm 0.2÷0.6 m/s 80÷150°C 1.5÷2.5 MW 1÷2 kHz
Induction reheating of bars and billets
Induction heating equipment from ATE of Italy ▲ ▲
Straightening
and cutting
steel wire
The main features of Delisi’s straightening
and cutting machines for steel wire are
fast set-up, easy change of diameter,
high-speed production, and flexibility to
respond to customer requirements.
Delisi machines can be supplied with a
spinner for the rapid change of diameter
or with a roll straightening unit. The
machine can be made ready to work a
new diameter very quickly and easily.
The operator chooses the necessary
groove for the required wire diameter
on the feeding rolls and puts the
pre-regulated set of straightening jaws in
the spinner.
The maximum feed speed is 200m per
minute and the same machine can be set
up both for ribbed or smooth wires.
Customers can select mechanical cut
or flying shear cut, and the size of rod
collection bed needed, with an electronic
positioner or programmer.
The rod collection bed can be provided
with the picker at one or three lines of
tiltable arms. This system is advantageous
when the programmed rods finish and
tiltable arms rise-up to hold the new
size of wire to be worked. The machine
continues working while the operator
empties the container underneath.
Delisi Srl – Italy
Fax: +39 0882 333236
Email:
Website :
The ultimate cladding line?