08.06.2021. Eurometal S.A., member of the Eko-Świat Group and manufacturer of highly processed aluminium products, has purchased a third Seco/Warwick furnace. This solution will be used by the only rolling mill currently in operation in Poland, with Polish-owned equity.
The new equipment will consist of a Vortex® furnace for aluminium coil annealing equipped with an external cooling system. The furnace is adapted for operation under a nitrogen protective atmosphere.
Thanks to the proprietary jet flow technology, the Seco/Warwick Vortex aluminium coil annealing furnace combined with an optional by-pass cooler for cooling under a nitrogen atmosphere and SeCoil® — the control and simulation software — enables aluminium coil manufacturers to significantly shorten the production cycle. As a result, this design produces energy savings, increases productivity and improves the surface quality of the processed coils. The key feature of the system is the increased heat-transfer coefficient achieved thanks to directing the atmosphere at high speed simultaneously on both sides of the coil.
Vortex increases the capacity by as much as 30 %
When it comes to annealing aluminium coils, the challenge is to optimise the process by shortening the cycle duration as much as possible while maintaining the desired properties of the final product. Vortex is a heat treatment technology than can improve process efficiency by up to 30 % in comparison with conventional annealing systems. At the same time, the furnace ensures very high process quality characterised by the uniformity of material properties, minimising local cracks and eliminating burnt rolling oil residues.
“Our product for aluminium coil annealing guarantees lower operating costs for the rolling mill, and thus an increase of economic efficiency. Eurometal has been our partner for many years. Our current third furnace will be operated in a line with the two existing systems that we delivered previously. From the very beginning, our cooperation has been based on trust. We always focus on approaching each order individually. We create a flexible system design, custom-made for the needs of a particular rolling mill,” said Sławomir Woźniak, CEO of Seco/Warwick Group.
Aluminium — a material for many applications
Aluminium is an extremely plastic and light material, resistant to corrosion and many chemicals. Perfect parameters of aluminium sheet enable its use for manufacturing various types of products and semi-finished mill products. Aluminium is used in the aerospace, automotive and machinery industries. Also, the construction sector uses aluminium sheet made with alloys characterised by high corrosion resistance and good forming ability. The ship building industry has also many applications for this alloy. Aluminium is certainly a crucial material for the development of many sectors.
“Aluminium replaces other conventional metals, in particular in modern state-of-the art products. The automotive industry, with the dynamically growing share of aluminium, is at the forefront of replacing conventional metals. We value our cooperation with Seco/Warwick for the comprehensive, professional, and individual approach to customers. The furnace is our third order placed with Seco/Warwick. I think this fact is the best recommendation. We have chosen Vortex due to the shortening of the total process time, even heating of the batch and reduced natural gas, protective atmosphere and electricity consumption in comparison with the products proposed by the competition,” said Jarosław Śliwakowski, Eurometal S.A.
(Source: Seco/Warwick)
