in shortThe new technology has been used in Eisfeld for more than one year now. Up to eight ultra-thin steel strips are guid-ed parallel through the 2 m long system and reliably cooled after the quenching process. This is the only way to achieve the optimum properties required by a long-lasting razor blade for a gentle shave. In contrast to the previously used prone technology cryogenic liquid nitrogen is used in this new development from Linde at working temperatures down to -160 °C.
Since this gives up its cold in a hermetically sealed high-performance heat exchanger, it can be subsequently used in gaseous form without impurities. For example, in the furnace in which the strip was heated to above 1,000 °C before quenching or in other processes, since the gaseous nitrogen is simply fed into the factory’s nitrogen network without loss. Thus, the outdoors evaporation is unnecessary and formerly wasted cold is put to good use today.
While the old, high-maintenance refrigeration compressors work with several kW output, this energy waste falls now is almost com-pletely gone. Only a few watts are required for controlling the Cryoflex CC. Without any restrictions, the new system was fully operational from the very first day and Harrys Feintechnik GmbH is now planning the conversion of older produc-tion lines to the new process.
_{(Source: Linde AG)}