WCA January 2016

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Wire & Cable ASIA – January/February 2016
Technologynews
Descaling wire and rod in
high-speed drawing lines
Steeltec, part of the Wheelabrator
Group, is a producer of special
steels with manufacturing locations
in Denmark, Germany, Sweden,
Switzerland and Turkey. At its two
sites in Emmenbrücke, Switzerland,
the company draws wire rod and bar
stock into bright steel rods.
The company originally used chemical
descaling to clean the wire rod and
bars before drawing. It installed its
first high-performance single-strand
shot blast machines in the 1970s and,
over time, mechanical descaling using
Wheelabrator’s shot blast machines
has gradually replaced chemical
descaling (in immersion baths).
In 2008 the last pickling bath was
decommissioned in Emmenbrücke.
All high-speed drawing lines at the
two sites now feature an integrated
Wheelabrator FL shot blast machine,
spanning several generations of the
FL-concept.
FL machines are designed to focus the
blast media onto narrow work pieces
using guide plates, which can be
adjusted to suit individual workpiece
diameters. The latest blast machine
to join the fleet at Steeltec is an
FL-4-37/55, which has been integrated
into the most powerful drawing line
on site. Due to its high blast
power and new blast wheel
arrangement, the machine
can keep up with the highest
drawing speeds, even when
processing demanding new
materials. For the first time,
this latest machine adjusts
guide plates automatically
to the correct wire diameter,
making the overall drawing
line more efficient.
Andreas Sieber, head of
operations, Plant 1, at
Steeltec, commented, “The transi-
tion from chemical treatment to
mechanical descaling had a range of
positive effects on operations here in
Emmenbrücke. In addition to much
more straightforward waste disposal,
we’ve also noticed the wire surface
is now much better prepared for
the drawing process. Depending on
blast media type and size, the blast
process creates little pockets on the
surface, which improves adhesion and
distribution of the drawing oil.
“This is incredibly important in order
to achieve the desired drawing quality
and to extend the life of drawing dies.
Compared to immersion baths, blast
machines also take up less room and
fit snugly into the drawing line.”
Depending on drawing speed, wire
or rod diameter, material and desired
surface cleanliness, FL machines can
be equipped with three, four or six
blast wheel units with a range of motor
capacities. The machines are slotted
into the line ahead of the drawing
machines, from which they fetch
relevant settings and parameters.
To date, more than 600 FL blast
machines have been manufactured
and are in operation in wire and rod
production around the world.
DISA Industrie AG
(Wheelabrator Group) –
Switzerland
Website:
❍ FL blast machine for wire and rod