WCA March 2017

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Technologynews
❍ Annealer for flat stainless steel wires and profiles
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
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
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
purging gas consumption.
Plasmait GmbH – Austria
Website:
More demand for high-output
plasma heat treatment lines
39
Wire & Cable ASIA – March/April 2017