Technology News
66
M
arch
2014
Developing resource-efficient
tube quenching
KBD Engineering is a specialist in
design, development and manufacturing
of automated equipment and special
machines for thermal treatment systems
and ancillary equipment for inductive
heat treatment of metallic components.
The company is being supported in the
development of a resource-efficient tube
quenching technology by a German
innovation programme.
The Central Innovation Program
SME (Zentrales Innovationsprogramm
Mittelstand – ZIM) is a funding
programme for small and medium-
sized enterprises (SME) with business
operations in Germany that want to
develop new or improved products,
processes or technical services.
“We are very pleased that our
individual proposal has been recognised
as a cutting-edge technology that is
worth support by the Federal Ministry of
Economics and Energy,” said Alexander
Demidko, owner and managing director
of KBD. “It strengthens our innovation
strategy and confirms our customer
orientation.”
Within the OptiQuench project,
supported by the ZIM, KBD is developing
a controlled quenching technology for
seamless tubes, based
on advanced model-
based control.
The new technology
development is carried
out in cooperation with
ASINCO GmbH – a
specialist in development
of advanced control
solutions for industrial
control.
The key features of KBD’s controlled
tube quenching technology are multi-
phase cooling with precise control of
heat-transfer coefficient; model-based
pre-setting of the multi-stage cooling
process; accurate model-predictive
online control; and a modern, user-
friendly automation platform.
The overall goal of the new thermal
treatment system is to maximise
the accuracy level of the process
parameters, provide the desired
material properties and an excellent
homogeneity of the microstructure,
and simultaneously reduce energy and
water consumption.
KBD Engineering GmbH
– Germany
Fax: +49 2203 997895
Email:
Website:
ASINCO GmbH
– Germany
Fax: +49 203 33921 9222
Email:
Website:
Continuous coil laser cutting
solutions
THE Dimeco group produces goods
and equipment for metal coil and sheet
processing, including flexible CNC coil
punching lines.
Dimeco Alipresse has developed
a new range of machines aimed
at combining the flexibility of laser
cutting with the productivity of coil-fed
processes. Focussing on processing
strips up to 4mm thick, the high-tech
cutting line consists of a coil handling
section, a Linacut
®
continuous laser
cutting module and an optional
automatic robotic stacking cell.
The Linacut line complements 2D laser
cutting tables and CNC turret punches.
It generates savings through reduction
of material loss and a reduction in time
cycles. Using coils up to 15 tons, the
Linacut extends cutting capacities, and
can work more than eight hours non-
stop, without an operator. The Linacut
has effective applications in various
fields, including OEMs, fabricators and
stamping specialists.
The Dimeco group has five
subsidiaries:
Dimeco
Alipresse,
Rotobloc-PSP, MIB Hydro, Dimeco
Spain, and Dimeco-Kirpekar Metal
Forming Solutions.
Dimeco
– France
Fax: +33 3 81 48 38 28
Email:
Website:
Dimeco Alipresse’s new range incorporates
a Linacut laser cutting module
Schematic of KBD’s tube quenching system
