TPT March 2013

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Industry News
6 March 2013
Tailor-made induction heating
technology for Ovako
SMS ELOTHERM, Germany, has
been awarded two orders for induction
heating equipment by Ovako Tube
and Ring AB in Hofors, Sweden.
EloBar™ and EloTube™ machines by
SMS Elotherm combine high energy
efficiency with a comparatively small
space requirement.
EloBar™ will be used at Ovako’s
forging operations to heat steel bars at
a production rate of up to 8,000kg per
hour. With an installed electrical power of
4,000kW, bars of up to 130mm diameter
can be heated up to 1,220°C.
SMS Elotherm supplies the bar
handling system, the induction heater
with a hot shear and an industrial robot
for the transfer between hot shear and
press.
“EloBar™ belongs to our ForgeLine™
series which can be designed in a very
flexible way,” said Torsten Schäfer, sales
representative at SMS Elotherm. “We
have configured this energy-efficient
system for Ovako precisely to the
customer’s needs.”
The EloTube™ is part of a
modernisation programme of Ovako.
It will be placed in front of an existing
Assel mill in a seamless tube plant.
Hollow blooms coming directly from a
rolling mill upstream will be reheated
and equalised before entering the Assel
mill.
Dr GuidoOpezzo, sales representative
at SMSElotherm, said: “The temperature
of the shell is increased to 1,100°C and
the better temperature homogeneity
leads to enhanced product quality in
the Assel mill operation. Also, the sizing
forces can be reduced and the lifetime
of the sizing rollers is extended due to
less wear and tear.”
The induction system consists of
six coils powered by state-of-the-art
converters with transistor technology
(IGBT), totaling a rated power of
6,400kW. The demand for floor space
of this reheating unit is less than 7m in
length and 2.5m in width.
The process control is realised
by a combination of a tube speed
measurement system based on laser
doppler technology and a bicolour
pyrometer for temperaturemeasurement.
“The induced power is determined by the
speed and the incoming temperature of
the shell. Overheating of the material is
prevented and the optimum temperature
level for the following sizing mill operation
is achieved,” says Dr Opezzo.
The EloBar™ and EloTube™ facilities
will be commissioned in mid-2013.
SMS Elotherm GmbH – Germany
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First major project begins
for joint venture
SHORTLY after the signing of the
contracts for a joint venture between
the Graebener Group and Tangshan
Kaiyuan Autowelding Systems, the
first major project with a duration of six
months is being tackled together with
the Chinese partner.
For Reika, and supported by
Reika engineers, Kaiyuan is building
a large finishing line for one of the
world’s leading manufacturers of heat
exchanger tubes. A precision roll
straightening machine is integrated into
the line so as not to damage the long
tubes with a wall thickness of only a few
millimetres. This straightening machine,
however, is manufactured in Germany.
“We have combined two of our core
competences in this line,” explained
Andreas Zimball, sales manager at
Reika. “The extremely sensitive handling
of tubes with extreme dimensions
and the high precision straightening.”
After having supplied a finishing line to
another manufacturer of heat exchanger
tubes last year, Reika now can claim to
be a key supplier on the international
market for complete handling systems
in the area of delicate tubes.
Reika GmbH & Co KG – Germany
Email:
Website:
Induction heater order for SMS Elotherm