Category: News EN

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.

Last week, this year's company outing took place at our location in Moos. For this purpose our subsidiary TCT Induktionstechnik GmbH from Iserlohn visited us together with extrutec North America.

In addition to the tour of our new headquarters, the boat trip on the MS Seestern on the beautiful Lake Constance, the visit to the Triberg waterfalls, the plant tour at the iron foundry Hans Dhonau e.K. in Triberg was an impressive experience. We would like to take this opportunity to once again thank Schifffahrt Lang and his team, the Dhonau company and everyone involved for the great opportunity and hospitality.

At the existing 9" press line P4 at the Hydro Vetlanda site, the entire power supply of the inductive billet heating with a total output of 3750 kW was replaced by modern, powerful IGBT converters in the summer of 2022. In addition to a new converter transformer and the protection devices for the induction reheater, which were supplied by Vattenfall, the entire power cabling was renewed and the central control system was adapted. In order to continue using the existing induction coils, the coil interconnections were modified to a single-phase system.

A newly designed ILD-type direct converter was installed at the inductive base heating, which is operated directly on the existing coil without compensation capacitors. The 3-phase coil was converted accordingly to a single-phase system for this purpose in order to eliminate the different power ratios within the coil. One challenge was the coupling of the load with a rated current of 14 kA to the converter, which is equipped with several inverters. To adjust the coil filling level to the block lengths, the coil is equipped with a length adjustment.

For the inductive reheating, a 6-zone IGBT converter of the MIB type was installed. Here, too, a single-phase system was created from a 3-phase coil in order to achieve better temperature control at the taper furnace.

This ambitious and challenging project was installed and commissioned within the 3 week summer shutdown.

Shortly after the ceremonial opening of the new P60 extrusion line in Ranshofen, HAI continues its dynamic corporate growth with a further expansion step for the Austrian site. A second 12-inch extrusion line has been ordered. extrutec will again be the main supplier for the project.

Once again, almost the entire extrutec product portfolio was ordered. Within the new project extrutec will supply a vertical log storage system, the world's most efficient gas-based billet heating system with Eco Shower Unit (ESU), stand-alone induction furnace with two-part overhead manipulator, a profile cooling system with worldwide patented Alpha Flex Technology, a fully automatic die furnace, and a heating furnace for press dies.

extrutec is very proud to continue its close partnership with Hai. The project implementation is scheduled for the beginning of 2024.

extrutec was commissioned with a special task by long-time customer Hai Extrusion Germany. The project comprised the delivery of a ten-chamber die oven system for 12" dies with fully automatic feeding by a service shuttle, which can be moved in three axes. The limited space available and the high weight of the extrusion dies posed a challenging task for the extrutec project team. Thanks to creative solutions and good cooperation with the customer, the installation was able to go into operation as planned. extrutec's ability to respond individually to customer requirements was a major benefit in this project.

extrutec company trip 2022

Last month we had the opportunity of taking the entire extrutec team including subsidiary TCT Induktionstechnik and extrutec North America on a company trip to our location in Iserlohn.

Besides the visit of the Dortmund stadium, a historical coal mine and the factory tour of TCT, the highlight of the trip was the visit to the factory of Hammerer Soest. Here all employees could see various extrutec machines in operation. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our customer Hammerer once again for this great opportunity and the hospitality.

For the coming year, a joint excursion to Lake Constance to the extrutec headquarters in Moos is planned.