The training of young talents at extrutec is an important pillar of the long term development strategy. On Tuesday, we took part in the HTWG Konstanz University of Applied Sciences - Technology, Business and Design Talent Fair to inspire young and motivated engineers for our company and develop sustainable solutions for the future.
The modernized 8-inch extrusion line at Hydro`s Rackwitz plant has been put back into operation with an official opening ceremony. extrutec was selected for the modernization of a used gas furnace as well as the delivery of a new hot saw and the delivery of an Eco Shower Unit (ESU) as well as a vertical log storage system. In addition to the optimized production, the 8-inch system will not only increase the overall capacity at the site, furthermore it will result in a significant improvement in the CO2 footprint. The main reason for this is the ESU patented by extrutec. It ensures gas savings of 15-17%, depending on production operation. The reusage of the gas furnace is part of Hydro's sustainability strategy to work as resource-efficiently as possible. The switch from the hot shear previously used at the site to the extrutec hot saw also enables scrap to be significantly avoided. This leads directly to an improved CO2 balance and a significant reduction in costs. This joint project with Hydro was also completed successfully and on schedule thanks to the excellent cooperation.
The EHKO in-house exhibition took place at extrutec in Menden over the past two weeks. Over 150 international visitors were able to see for themselves the high level of manufacturing depth and the resulting quality of extrutec products. A heating test of the EHKO test oven was carried out every day. The newly developed heating concept clearly stands out from other concepts due to its high energy efficiency of 87% through electric resistance heating.
In addition to the daily demonstrations, further innovations from extrutec were presented. These included the nExt 4.0 digitalization solution, the new log cleaning system and the newly developed measuring tips including grinding unit. In addition, the product portfolio of extrutec subsidiary TCT Induktionstechnik was presented, which includes services in the field of foundry technology.
An exciting first of the two weeks of our EHKO customer in-house event at our extrutec site in Menden is coming to an end. The numerous international visitors were impressed by the heating gradients of the newly developed EHKO. The event will continue next week until Thursday 29th of February. In addition to daily heating tests, several of our new developments, such as the next4.0 digitalisation solution, will be presented to the public.
Picture frame and home decor specialist Nielsen Design GmbH from Rheda-Wiedenbrück, Germany, has made a strategic decision in favor of a highly efficient system configuration from extrutec and Danieli for the complete replacement of its press line. The extrutec scope, includes a new vertical log storage, inline oven with Eco Shower Unit (ESU) and a new hot log saw. The combination of ESU (log preheating), gas, as well as induction furnace with inline design is marketed by extrutec under the trademark Eco Heating Process (EHPTM) and stands for the highest possible energy efficiency in gas based heating processes. The Eco Shower Unit alone reduces the gas consumption of the system by 18%. Another highlight of the equipment is the direct converter principle of the induction furnace. The complete compensation unit can thus be eliminated.
The new heating concept developed by extrutec (EHKO), consisting of an electrically resistance-heated base heating system in combination with an inductive taper, has already been sold to the first customers Purso and Mäkelä from Finland. To test the new concept, a test zone consisting of a 2.5-meter-long segment for 12-inch logs was set up and put into operation at the Menden site. The first series of tests are very promising and confirm the previously simulated data. The heating output of 280 kW is realized via resistance-heated heating registers. The test zone will be available for customer demonstrations next February from 21st February to 29th of February 2024 (week 8 and 9). Heating tests and control behavior will be demonstrated, and there will also be the opportunity to visit the production facility for induction systems at the Menden site. If you are interested in a visit, our sales manager Ulrich Bucher will be happy to answer your questions and arrange an appointment.
After a break of several years, Louis Fortmann is once again active for extrutec. With his company Fortmann Engineering and Consulting Pty Ltd, Louis will become extrutec's representative for the Australian, New Zealand and Oceania markets. He will play a key role between the customers and extrutec as the local contact for all matters. Extrutec is delighted to have Louis back on board. The increased focus on green technologies also offers great opportunities for Down Under to take a step towards CO2-free extrusion production with extrutec technologies. The combination of resistance-heated base heating and the hybrid inductive taper unit is particularly relevant in this regard. The so-called inline EHKO heater is a distinctive feature of extrutec and can also be integrated into existing extrusion lines as a retrofit.
The production line modernization of Mäkelä Alu in Finland will reduce its co2 emission by 960 tons. This is made possible by the complete electrification of the heating process. The so called electrically heated high speed convection furnace (EHKO), developed by extrutec, combines the highest possible energy efficiency with a pure electrical heating source. Special about the EHKO für Mäkele is the patented Inline-Version. This combines the resistant heated base heating with a directly connected induction oven. This saves additional energy and is extremely space saving, in that way that old gas/LPG furnaces can be replaced without major modifications of the equipment setup.
extrutec is extremely happy to work on this new outstanding project with Mäkelä Alu as customer with a long relationship.
Mehr Information on the heating concept can be found here and in the official press release of Mäkelä here.
The extrutec long term customer Purso oy from Siuro Finland is widely known for their aluminum profile production of sustainable solutions for a wide range of uses from industrial applications and building facades to lighting. The company pursues an ambitious goal to reduce their CO2 emissions with every new investment. The electrically heated high speed convection furnace (EHKO) from extrutec offers a system configuration that covers the complete basic heating with electric resistance-heating elements. As a result, the entire heating process can be made significantly more efficient and fossil fuels can be completely eliminated.
extrutec will deliver the new EHKO heater with hot log saw as a replacement for an old gas fired furnace. The installation will start at the beginning of 2025. Purso is the first customer worldwide to buy such a heating system. As this system design is the first of its kind in the world, extrutec decided to build an EHKO test furnace and put it into operation at the Menden site. The first tests are very promising and confirm the previously simulated data. The test zone will be ready for visits next February 2024. We are very proud to have convinced Purso of our EHKO heating system. We look forward to the implementation and to working with Purso on the path to CO2-free aluminum profile production.
More information on the new extrutec heating conept can be found here.
