The system, comprised of a pre-forging aluminium heating furnace, water quench and continuous aging furnace will be integrated into an automated forging cell that includes specialised material handling components and advance controls.
For the heating of aluminium billets prior to forging, the furnace of choice was Can-Eng’s patented rotary hearth furnace. This space saving multi-level compact design is ideal for modern automated cells where a reduced footprint of equipment is required while processing parts of varying sizes and cycle times. The customised air flow system is used to produce a large operating range while maintaining rigid uniformity requirements. Post forging, the parts are automatically transferred into a custom designed Can-Eng water quenching system built to specifically handle the current and future range of parts. CFD modeling was used to develop the agitation flow across forgings and features automatic cooling and heating. A continuous aging system automatically conveys forgings through using a custom designed material handling system which includes the accumulation of finished parts without direct operator intervention, thereby reducing manpower requirements.
Can-Eng’s rotary furnace system continues to replace the conventional continuous chain/belt style heating systems reducing the overall system footprint, energy consumption, and maintenance requirements.
Can-Eng’s Rotary Furnace System continues to replace the conventional continuous chain/belt style heating systems reducing the overall system footprint, energy consumption, and maintenance requirements.