The annual extrutec company trip took place at the beginning of June. This year's destination was the city of Bamberg in Franconia (Bavaria, Germany), which is known above all for its many family breweries. On the way, a visit to the Gutmann company was on the agenda. The extrutec systems in operation were demonstrated in detail by the Gutmann employees. Other highlights of the trip included a beer hike followed by a tour of the brewery and a guided tour of Ulm.
Today, the official opening of the HAI Group's latest extrusion line took place at the Ranshofen headquarters. The automotive line with a 60MN extrusion press is identical in construction to the P60, which went into operation last year. Extrutec was again awarded with the delivery of the heating system including standalone induction furnace with billet clamping systems and a profile cooling system with Alpha Flex technology for this project. A taper quench was also installed to supplement the heating system. An overhead die furnace and a heating furnace for heating press plates complete the extrutec scope of supply. We would like to thank Hammerer for the outstanding project cooperation and are delighted to be part of the HAIway.
60 years of excellence and innovation - We congratulate Norsk Hydro Offenburg on its 60th anniversary. One of the most energy-saving heating concepts from extrutec is in operation at the Offenburg site. The system combination of inline gas/induction furnace with water preheating represents the most efficient gas-based heating method and is known under the brand name eco heating process.
After the HAI P44 press line at the Soest plant was fitted with a new extrutec profile cooling system over Christmas 2022/2023, the conversion of the power supply to the induction taper furnace from 1993 was realised in summer 2023.
The original Elhaus gas furnace and the furnace control system for preheating were replaced by extrutec back in 2012.
The switchgear of the induction taper furnace was originally designed as a masonry circuit with a balancing device.
Due to the mechanically operating load contactors, which switch on the load zones and the balancing circuit, which cause an asymmetrical mains load depending on the load case, the original design now had a number of significant disadvantages. Due to the age of the mechanically stressed switchgear, the focus was also on aspects such as optimised process control and significantly improved energy efficiency.
The extrutec scope of delivery for this conversion project included the following work:
Due to the high capacity utilisation of this press line, the conversion was divided into three sections in consultation with our customer HAI, so that the conversion could also be carried out during the year at weekends, including public holidays.
The objectives of the furnace conversion were
The conversion of this challenging project was completed on time in summer 2023 and impressively demonstrates that targeted measures can achieve significant improvements even in older existing systems at reasonable investment costs.
A project like this can only be realised flawlessly if many experienced experts work together. This expertise is available at extrutec in the induction technology/electric furnace construction division under the management of Stefan Beer. Complex conversion and modernisation projects can be implemented worldwide.
The existing induction furnace at the Hanover plant from 1977 was designed as a Steinmetz circuit with a balancing device and had mechanically operating load contactors of the Homa type, which switched on the power for each induction furnace. The expected service life of the switchgear and the individual components (balancing reactor, transformer, switchgear and compensation capacitors) had been reached. In addition, the system caused an unbalanced grid load depending on the load case.
Thanks to the conversion of the system to a modern IGBT direct converter carried out by extrutec, the balancing unit with 2 x 950 kVA could be completely omitted. Power capacitors in the coil base are also no longer necessary. The entire project was completed in-house at extrutec, from the design of the system through to installation.
Compared to the replaced system, the switchgear losses were reduced by 6 - 7%. A further improvement step is already being discussed for the future, as the new switchgear concept offers the possibility of significantly reducing the losses to be compensated in the field distributor.
A modern inverter switchgear of the MIB / ILD type has many advantages over a mechanical switchgear, such as
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.
