February 2008 , Volume 66, Issue 1 Aluminum

In this Issue:

• News & Events
  Dan Alabran to give Coil & Foil Annealing Presentation the Furnace Systems & Technology Workshop at TMS
  
• Aluminum Equipment
  Reverb Melting and Holding System for Aluminum Packaging
• Maintenance Tip
  Questions from the Aluminum Seminar:
  How can the belt life be improved on reversing air flow fans?
  

NEWS & EVENTS

Dan Alabran to give Coil & Foil Annealing Presentation at the Furnace Systems & Technology Workshop at TMS

Dan Alabran will speak at the Furnace Systems and Technology Workshop scheduled during the TMS conference and exhibition on March 10, 2008 in New Orleans, LA. This talk will cover heat treatment equipment for coil and foil annealing, describing the process and sharing best practices for furnace design and operation.

Dan has extensive experience in aluminum heat treatment equipment wearing two hats at SECO/WARWICK as the Aftermarket Team Leader and as a Sales Project Engineer for the Aluminum Group. He administrates all of the short cycle manufacturing operations as well as replacement parts, rebuilds and upgrades for all of the equipment manufactured by SECO/WARWICK. He has served as a sales applications engineer for the Aluminum Group specializing in annealing and homogenizing process applications along with equipment refurbishment since 1989. A graduate of Kent State University, he holds a degree in Electrical Engineering.

SECO/WARWICK Aluminum Team
The Aluminum Team is a group focused on serving the heat treatment and molten metal needs of the aluminum industry for rolling mills, aerospace, automotive, extrusion technology and aluminum recycling.   The multi-disciplined group includes:

• Aluminum Process heat treatment systems for coil, foil, rod, wire, billet, slab and ingot processing. These systems are used for annealing, homogenizing, preheat and reheat to roll.
• Solution Heat Treat Furnace Systems process aluminum castings, forgings, extrusions and plate.  These systems are designed for solution heat treatment, solution annealing, precipitation hardening, artificial harden, aging, artificial aging and preheat applications. 
• Reverb Melting & Holding furnaces are used for melting sows, solids and scrap, or cleaning the molten metal before casting into usable forms.  Reverbs deliver constant, predictable pour rates for continuous casting and other molten metal applications.

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Reverb Melting and Holding System for Aluminum Packaging

SECO/WARWICK S. A. has developed a sophisticated pouring system for a major supplier of high quality aluminium packaging products in Europe. The system consists of a 7 metric ton Tilting Reverb Furnace for melting and casting of mainly hard alloy series 2xxx,5xxx and 7xxx. The furnace will maintain a bath uniformity of +/- 3°C, then deliver the molten metal to a vertical caster to create a 10 inch (252 mm) billet casting.

Tilting Reverb Furnace Systems

SECO/WARWICK’s experience is unsurpassed in the manufacturing of tilting reverb furnaces, a market specialty that we have been active in for over 40 years.  The tilting furnace is ideally suited to providing an automatically controlled, consistent metal flow to continuous or vertical casting equipment in a safe and reliable fashion.

A special feature available on our tilting reverb furnaces is the SECO/WARWICK proprietary rotary pour spout.  Built to be reliable and durable just like the rest of the furnace, this leak free joint provides a fixed launder attachment point to the tilting furnace system which does not require any operator attention between cast campaigns.

For more information on this project, contact SECO/WARWICK S. A.'s Aluminium Team Leader:

Jaroslaw (Jarek) Talerzak
+48 (0)68 38 20 544
j.talerzak@secowarwick.com.pl

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Maintenance Tip - Questions from the Aluminum Seminar:

Q. How can the belt life be improved on reversing air flow fans?

A. Both regular maintenance and motor speed control will improve belt life:

• Belt Tension - Check the belt tension frequently to prevent squealing and slipping.


• If you have Variable Frequency Drives, use a ramped start to prevent belt stress.

If your system does not have motor speed control, consider a technology upgrade. Our Aftermarket group can provide a proposal for updated technology to improve your system efficiency.

Looking for more maintenance tips and information?
Our next Aluminum Seminar is April 14-16

The SECO/WARWICK Aluminum Furnace Seminar is designed to educate engineers, operators and maintenance personnel on the basics of furnace design and efficiency along with maintenance tips to keep your furnace running for years to come. Collaborate with our furnace experts who will present the fundamental principles involved with heat transfer, heating systems, protective atmospheres and process control. See what's new in the industry, and pick up information to enhance the performance of your equipment. Visit Furnace Seminars for more information and on-line registration.

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Thank you for reading Metal Minutes. Feel free to contact me with your questions, comments and suggestions.

Beth Ryan, Metal Minutes Editor
bryan@secowarwick.com
+1-814-332-8437