The custom-designed furnace is indirect gas fired using radiant tube burners, and this project also incorporates a motorised quench tank, rails, movement system and load/unload platform with elevator device. It has been designed for the solution heat treatment of aluminium castings.
Arturo Arechavaleta, VP Metal Furnaces, NUTEC Bickley (Source: NUTEC Bickley)
Arturo Arechavaleta, NUTEC Bickley’s VP, Metal Furnaces, said: “Efficient and effective solution heat treatment is a vital part of the aluminium casting process, and we are delighted to have been chosen to provide a key component to a highly prestigious customer in the industry. This is the fifth NUTEC Bickley furnace ordered by this brand leader. Without the sort of advanced system that we have custom designed, volume production of high-quality aluminium parts is not feasible. We’re proud to have played an important role in this technology partnership.”
High-Capacity Design and Temperature Control
The installation will represent a considerable addition to the customer’s production facility, with the furnace having a load setting of 123cm wide x 91cm high x 358cm long. This will accommodate up to three baskets, equivalent to around 1635kg of aluminium parts per cycle. Given the nature of the process, this furnace has a single temperature control zone, and it normally operates at 573°C, with a maximum of 580°C. There is an upper limit temperature controller to protect the product and furnace insulation from overheating.
The indirect gas firing is via single centrifugal recirculation that produces a vertical flow pattern. Heating is achieved with four radiant tube burners that have individual flame safety devices. The burner system incorporates a motorised control butterfly valve, and the gas flow is controlled by proportional ratio regulators.
Efficient Insulation and Quenching System
This design, with its baffle arrangement, delivers an even flow pattern, providing excellent temperature distribution and control in the furnace’s load chamber, and high-efficiency heat recirculation (convection) horizontally across the aluminium castings. Excellent temperature uniformity was always considered an important parameter, and this has been shown to be ±3°C under full test in NUTEC Bickley’s manufacturing facility. The furnace features a single-button start-up, while setting and control is via a user-friendly operator managed HMI panel.
In order to maintain excellent thermal efficiency in operation, the furnace walls are fully lined using ultra large proprietary NUTEC ceramic fibre modules. Their configuration and fixing provide for excellent insulation and long life coupled with low maintenance. The insulation layer is 150mm thick and has a density of around 190kg/m3.
The installation will see the drop-bottom furnace itself stationary – in a fixed elevated position – with the quench tank and loading car moving to accommodate baskets at the selected position. The furnace has a single, pneumatically operated horizontal slide door. For these particular aluminium castings, the customer will employ a water quench system. To facilitate this, NUTEC Bickley will provide a motorised quench tank, as well as its rails included levelling and installation. The tank has been designed to accept a full load of pieces within the work basket when the furnace is positioned vertically above it.
