Category: News EN

The project completion of the heating line replaced by extrutec on the P12 at Hydro's Offenburg site marks the beginning of a new era of efficient billet heating. For the project, a new Inline billet heating line (gas and induction) with hot log saw as well as a new vertical log storage system had to be accommodated in an enormously limited space. Thanks to creative solutions, extrutec's patented Eco Shower Unit (ESU) could also be installed. The ESU uses combustion gases downstream of the gas furnace preheating zone to heat water via a heat exchanger and apply it to the aluminum bars for time-optimized preheating. Hydro Offenburg made a conscious decision in favor of extrutec and this worldwide unique equipment configuration due to the long business relationship with the Hydro Group. This equipment configuration is marketed by extrutec under the brand name Eco Heating Process (EHP^TM). Compared to the replaced eheating system, 36% gas can be saved while production is increased. Thanks to the new hot saw, the extrusion line can also be operated completely without billet scrap.

Due to the high resource savings, this investment in the extrutec Eco Heating Process is additionally subsidized by the government with a six-digit sum. Subsidy programs are offered in many countries and have been approved for all extrutec projects related to the EHP^TM so far. More detailed information can be found on our website at: Eco Heating Process – extrutec GmbH (extrutec-gmbh.de)

At this year's "Aluexpo" trade fair in Istanbul, extrutec was again represented with a large team and a newly designed exhibition booth.

Numerous interested visitors from a very international audience came to the extrutec booth to find out about our technical innovations and solution concepts and to receive detailed advice.

The focus was on the very effective concepts for reducing energy consumption and decarbonising the various processes in an aluminium extrusion equipment.

Due to the high level of customer interest, many new contacts were made and upcoming projects were discussed, so that in retrospect, the trade fair can be considered a complete success.

The extrutec team is looking forward to the next Aluexpo event in Istanbul and is confident that the market will continue to grow.

The Turkish industrial group Ulusan has decided as a new customer from Turkey for a equipment combination from extrutec. A double order was placed for the equipment of a new ten- and fourteen-inch line. Ulusan deliberately chose the Eco Heating ProcessTM as well as one of the most advanced profile cooling systems with patented Alpha Flex Technology from extrutec. This new type of cooling closes the Alpha gap between air and water cooling and thus guarantees medium cooling rates with the lowest possible distortion through precise water application onto the extrusion profile.

The Turkish group Kalibre Aluminyum has chosen extrutec's Eco Heating Process (EHP^TM) and one of the most advanced profile cooling systems with patented Alpha Flex Technology. The system configuration, consisting of the Eco Shower Unit (ESU) exclusive to extrutec, and a gas/induction furnace with hot log saw, is characterized by the highest possible efficiency for gas-based heating systems. The Eco Shower Unit alone provides an 18% reduction in gas consumption. Downstream of the press, extrutec supplies a state-of-the-art profile cooling system with Alpha Flex Technology^TM.

The total order consists of two identical 10 inch system configurations for the main factory in Turkey and for a new production plant in Mexico.

Already during the Corona pandemic, the new gas furnace system for the Israeli customer extal was delivered to Israel. However, entry regulations prevented the timely commissioning. The plant consists of a new gas furnace consisting of three convective preheating zones and four directly heated zones with a nose zone for the application of a gas taper.

Thanks to the remote maintenance module installed as standard in extrutec systems, equipment support is possible at any time even without on-site presence. In the event of a malfunction, assistance can be provided in the shortest possible time. The online connection is established by means of a key in the control cabinet. This ensures that a connection to the Internet is only established at the customer's request.

Thanks to the good cooperation between extal and extrutec, the commissioning could be completed in a very short time.

extrutec recognized the potential and the need for high efficiency purely electric heating systems early on. For this reason, the development project EHKO (electrically heated high speed convection furnace) was launched. This type of furnace achieves efficiencies of 87% with purely electric-based heating. This is an unprecedented efficiency in the aluminium extrusion industry.

Due to this technical expertise, the world's first customers have now contracted extrutec for such a heating system. The scope of supply also includes a new hot log saw with optimized end- piece control. The remaining existing equipment will be re-used completely.

Unlike other electrical stand-alone solutions, this new furnace type can be integrated into an existing  process without additional handling and can therefore replace an existing furnace one-to-one.

For more information, please visit our equipment page or our landing page.

As of today, the extrutec site in Menden and the extrutec subsidiary TCT Induktionstechnik GmbH are available at their new location in Menden. The relocation from Iserlohn to the newly built production and administration building in Menden, ten minutes away, is the consequence of the positive business development of the last years. In the future, both companies can be reached at Adlerstraße 3 in 58708 Menden. The production area of more than 2,000 m² with surrounding office space provides optimal development opportunities for both companies.

Gutmann AG made a conscious decision to use the Eco Heating Process (EHP^TM) for their billet heating system from extrutec. The system concept, marketed by extrutec under the name Eco Heating Process, consists of a combination of various extrutec developments. Starting with the Eco Shower Unit. This unit converts the residual energy contained in the exhaust gas into hot water and then applies it to the bars located in the feed roller table of the furnace. The latest version of the ESU features a heat exchanger developed by extrutec.  With the patented Eco Shower Unit, gas consumption can be reduced by up to 17%.

The gas furnace, equipped with two longer preheating zones, guarantees a higher heat input into the billet. The energy-optimized induction furnace, which is placed directly behind the gas furnace (patented inline concept), then applies a temperature taper to the billet. This allows the press speed to be increased with better reproducibility.

In the further process sequence, the Gutmann system is equipped with a hot saw, also supplied by extrutec, as well as a three-axis billet manipulator. Due to the system constellation, the manipulator has to rotate the billet by 180 degrees and simultaneously measure the temperature distribution by using integrated thermocouples.

Due to the high energy efficiency of the heating concept, Gutmann AG qualified for state funding for parts of the investment.

OSE Industries from Dubai is an expert in the so-called multi-port aluminium extrusion (MPE).  Advanced micro-multiport and round tubing products for cooling and all kinds of heat transfer systems are extremely challenging to manufacture and relay therefore on a high level of production know how with reliable machinery. Extrutec supplied OSE with the newest induction technology and handling systems to ensure reproducibility and process reliability for this kind of production.

Scope of supply was a fully integrated inductive billet heating system along with billet cleaning and handling system. The Stand-alone induction furnace comes with new clamping technology for a friction free loading process and patented Power Focus Technology^TM for reducing the connected load of the heating furnace. Production in multi-shift operation was successfully launched at the end of 2022.

At extrutec, commitment to a green future is not a matter of marketing. We create solutions for a sustainable future. This is why we have developed our Electric Resistance Heated High Convection Oven (EHKO). This purely electric heating concept achieves an industry-leading efficiency of 87% and can already be operated climate-neutrally today, under the condition that the energy used comes from 100% renewable sources.