Steel Times International Digital July August 2018

INNOVATIONS

SPECIAL & STAINLESS STEELS

COATINGS

TESTING & ANALYSIS

A bumper edition of Innovations – 20 pages of the latest developments

We look at molybdenum-containing stainless steel and solar panels

How POSCO protects vital steel assets from corrosion – with EonCoat

Optical emission spectrometry from Hitachi

www.steeltimesint.com Digital Edition - July/August 2018 - No.9

WE VISIT COMBILIFT’S L-SHAPED HEADQUARTERS

CONTENTS DIGITAL EDITION - JULY/AUGUST 2018

INNOVATIONS

SPECIAL & STAINLESS STEELS

COATINGS

TESTING & ANALYSIS

A bumper edition of Innovations – 20 pages of the latest developments

We look at molybdenum-containing stainless steel and solar panels

How POSCO protects vital steel assets from corrosion – with EonCoat

Optical emission spectrometry from Hitachi

1

Picture courtesy of: Friedrich Kocks GmbH & KG

www.steeltimesint.com Digital Edition - July/August 2018 - No.9

2 Leader

by Matthew Moggridge, editor.

WE VISIT COMBILIFT’S L-SHAPED HEADQUARTERS

EDITORIAL Editor Matthew Moggridge Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855151 matthewmoggridge@quartzltd.com Consultant Editor Dr. Tim Smith PhD, CEng, MIM Production Editor Annie Baker Advertisement Production Martin Lawrence SALES International Sales Manager Paul Rossage paulrossage@quartzltd.com Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855116 Sales Director Ken Clark kenclark@quartzltd.com Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855117

4 News/Astounding Facts & Figures Industry facts and figures.

6 Stainless and special steels Two-in-one solar panels.

8 Transport and handling Combilift opens state-of-the-art global headquarters.

14 Innovations - Hitachi Precise material verification.

Managing Director Steve Diprose stevediprose@quartzltd.com Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855164 Chief Executive Officer Paul Michael SUBSCRIPTION Elizabeth Barford Tel +44 (0) 1737 855028 Fax +44 (0) 1737 855034 Email subscriptions@quartzltd.com Steel Times International is published eight times a year and is available on subscription. Annual subscription: UK £178.00 Other countries: £254.00 2 years subscription: UK £320.00 Other countries: £457.00 ) Single copy (inc postage): £40.00 Email: steel@quartzltd.com Published by: Quartz Business Media Ltd, Quartz House, 20 Clarendon Road, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 1QX, England.

Tel: +44 (0)1737 855000 Fax: +44 (0)1737 855034 www.steeltimesint.com Steel Times International (USPS No: 020-958) is published monthly except Feb, May, July, Dec by Quartz Business Media Ltd and distributed in the US by DSW, 75 Aberdeen Road, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437. Periodicals postage paid at Emigsville, PA. POSTMASTER send address changes to Steel Times International

19 Innovations - EonCoat Excelling in today’s challenging global steel marketplace.

c/o PO Box 437, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437.

Printed in England by: Pensord, Tram Road, Pontlanfraith, Blackwood, Gwent NP12 2YA, UK ©Quartz Business Media Ltd 2018

22 Innovations The latest product innovations.

ISSN0143-7798

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Digital Edition - July/August 2018

2

LEADER

Combilift’s positive attitude is a joy to behold

Matthew Moggridge Editor matthewmoggridge@quartzltd.com

Anybody out there who thinks that members of the British Royal Family don’t earn their crust, think again: they do. The next time you see Prince Charles wandering around a chocolate factory in a hair net or pointing at a piece of complicated farming equipment he knows nothing about, rest assured that he’s earning his keep.

Like the ‘Royals’, business journalists like myself are acclimatised to ‘factory visits’, and I would like to think I am more familiar than most, having been on many tours around countless manufacturing facilities. I’ve worn numerous hard hats, plenty of high-viz jackets and, when the occasion has demanded it, a hair net too, not forgetting earplugs, steel toe-capped boots and sometimes even fire-resistant clothing. I have to say that whenever I find myself wandering around a factory floor, I start to imagine myself as a member of the Royal Family. “What does this button do?” is a question always on the tip of my tongue, although I daren’t risk a Prince Charles impression.

These days, bar the occasional tour of a steel mill, usually courtesy of AISTech in the USA, there are very few factory tours on offer, which is a shame. You can imagine, therefore, my delight when I was

invited to visit Combilift’s new factory in Monaghan, Ireland. I missed the official opening ceremony back in May, but I was kindly invited to take part in a more intimate trip, along with two journalists from Germany. It was an offer too good to refuse and before I could say ‘all-wheel drive, multi-directional forklifts’ I found myself on an Aer Lingus flight to Dublin followed by a short drive to the plant.

In these sorry days of so-called ‘Brexit Britain’ and Donald Trump with his trade wars and alternative facts, it’s pleasant to witness something positive in the shape of a good, old-fashioned success story.

Combilift is just that as you will discover when you read my six-page report on the trip in this digital edition of Steel Times International.

It’s great to witness positivity and enthusiasm first hand, and Combilift’s Martin McVicar didn’t disappoint, although, if I’m honest, the real reason I loved the new factory so much was the excellent cottage pie, vegetables and gravy, followed by apple pie and custard, that I enjoyed in the staff canteen prior to the tour. Who wouldn’t be ready to take on the world after such a good meal?

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4 NEWS IN BRIEF

Indian finished steel production up by 4.4% Finished steel production in India during Q1 of the current financial year (2018-19) rose 4.4% to 26.72Mt, according to an online media report.

Over the same period, finished steel exports were down 33.7% to 1.35Mt when compared with the same period the previous year (2017-18). Imports during the same period stood at 1.8Mt, up 10.9% on the same period last year.

Source: Business Standard.

Virtual reality showrooms in Asia and the Middle East ThyssenKrupp Elevator has installed virtual reality showrooms in branches across Asia and the Middle East. According to the company, it can literally ‘take visitors on a journey through the future of urban mobility’.

The concept received its first airing at the recent Dubai Airport Show in the United Arab Emirates.

Nippon Steel wire rod plant opens in Indiana, USA Nippon Steel & Sumkin Cold Heading Wire Indiana Inc started commercial production in April 2018 and this month (July 2018) held an official opening ceremony at which the Governor of Indiana and other local dignatories, not forgetting the Consulate General of Japan in Chicago, customers, shareholders and employee families, were in attendance. The plant was established to enable Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation (NSSMC) to capture globally growing demand for special sheets. The Indiana facility is NSSMC’s third overseas plant.

POSCO increases its annual sales target South Korean steel giant POSCO has raised its annual sales target to 64.1 trillion won following profits gains in Q2 driven, it says, by firm demand in overseas markets.

According to an online media report, the company claims that its strong performance is the result of a steady rise in operating income generated by its overseas affiliates.

Source: Pulse News Digital Edition - July/August 2018

NEWS

ASTOUNDING FACTS AND FIGU

Modernised furnace project completed German steel producer BGH Edelstahlwerke GmbH has issued a final acceptance certificate for an electric arc furnace (EAF) modernised by Primetals Technologies.

The project included the optimisation of furnace movements and conversion of the tapping system, and also involved the installation of a ladle car, a new ladle heating system, and a new alloying facility.

The modernisation was performed in two stages and completed during the summer shutdown in 2017.

Primetals Technologies also modernised the furnace rocker, as well as the roof raising and tilting systems of the EAF in order to speed up furnace movements and enable longer electrode segments to be used. The tapping system that empties the furnace was converted in the second phase of the

project, which also saw delivery of a new ladle car, a ladle heating system, and an alloying facility for ladle alloying. Primetals Technologies was responsible for engineering and supplying the equipment, and supervised its installation and commissioning.

BGH Edelstahlwerke GmbH is a mid-sized company with several independent production sites in Germany and Poland including BGH Edelstahl Freital GmbH, the largest site in the BGH Group.

The company runs a minimill melt shop in Freital with an EAF, downstream secondary metallurgy, an ingot casting plant and a horizontal continuous caster. Further processing takes place in a rough block mill and a wire rod mill.

In 2013, Primetals Technologies modernised the automation and drive system in the wire rod mill.

• British steel can be found in buildings such as The Olympic Stadium, the Shard and the Petronas Towers.

British Steel’s £50m wire rod upgrade British Steel is to invest £50 million upgrading its wire rod manufacturing operations. The investment ‘will significantly improve the quality and range of wire rod produced at the company’s Scunthorpe headquarters’, according to the UK-based steelmaker, enabling it to grow in current markets and enter new ones.

According to British Steel, the new facility will allow the business to produce a wider range of sizes (up to 28mm) with tighter tolerances. It will also enable the company to make improvements in surface condition and micro-structural properties.

British Steel has already committed £120 million to capital projects during its first three years of business and this latest announcement comes eight months after the purchase of FNsteel, a premium wire rod manufacturer based in the Netherlands.

Paul Martin, British Steel’s deputy CEO, commented: “This is a major investment in the future of our business, underpinning our commitment to providing customers with higher technical specifications of steel and a diverse, premium product range.”

Martin said that the latest investment will increase the company’s ability to serve the domestic market and allow it to become a more competitive exporter.

The contractor behind the upgrading project will be Primetals Technologies and work is scheduled to start this summer and commissioned in the autumn of 2019.

According to British Steel, new labs have just opened, ensuring the mill has ‘world class testing facilities’.The existing wire rod business, which employs 300 people, will operate as normal throughout the installation.

• Globally, for each ton of steel produced, approximately 2 tons of carbon is emitted.

And for each ton of aluminium, the worldwide average is 11.7 tons of carbon emitted, nearly six times as much. The types of energy sources used, recycling rates and end-use lifecycle analysis, however, impact these figures.

Source: Praxair.

• Aluminium accounts for 400 lbs in an average car versus 2000 lbs for steel, and this value is expected to grow to 465 lbs by 2020.

Source: Steel Times International

DIARY OF EVENTS

URES...

5

August 2018 8-10 Vietnam Manufacturing Location: Hanoi. Organised by Reed Tradex Over 200 brands from 20 countries will join up with their prospective customers and partners. Complete with education programmes and inspiring activities, this will be a springboard for manufacturers to jump into the Industry 4.0 era and soar.

Further information, log on to www.vietnammanufacturingexpo.com

• 96% of the steel used by the UK’s Network Rail is sourced from British Steel in Scunthorpe.

ArcelorMittal was the first major western steelmaker to directly own coalmines in Russia.

Source: ICG Consulting.

18-20 17th International Stainless Steel and Special Steel Summit Location: Helsinki. Organised by Metal Bulletin Events Last year’s event attracted 140 delegates from more than 80 companies, according to the organiser, and this year’s event is looking highly promising with three days of networking opportunities and news of the latest market outlooks from ‘some of the industry’s biggest names’.

Further information, www.metalbulletin.com September 2018 25 8th ICSTI 2018 Location: Vienna, Austria.

Organised by ASMET. A wide-ranging conference for steel industry professionals covering a variety of topics linked to the steelmaking process. The Congress will provide a forum for best practice and state-of-the-art technology.

Further information, log on to www.icsti2018.org

• 33,000 tonnes of rebar was used to help build the Aberdeen Bypass in Scotland, United Kingdom.

October 2018

• Outokumpu steel is used in the construction of submarines and many other types of seafaring crafts.

Austrian steelmaker voestalpine has said that a third of its US sales would be affected by Washington’s steel tariffs.

Source: Steel Times International

1-3 North American Steel Conference Location: Swisshotel, Chicago, USA. Organised by CRU. The definitive US steel industry conference is an annual event organised by CRU and held in the Swisshotel, Chicago for the second consecutive year. One key area of discussion will be trade regulation.

Further information, log on to https://events.crugroup.com/ nasteel/home

For more global steel news, log on to our news website, www.steeltimesint.com

Digital Edition - July/August 2018

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STAINLESS STEEL

Two-in-one solar panels Hybrid thermal collector and photovoltaic systems combine photovoltaic cells with a molybdenum-containing stainless-steel heat exchanger and can produce electricity and domestic hot water simultaneously. They also greatly increase the amount of solar energy extracted per square metre. By Thierry Pierard*

A young Marseilles-based start-up founded in 2010 by two recent engineering graduates has developed an innovative product that relies on molybdenum containing stainless steel in an essential role.

Typical commercial silicon-based photovoltaic (PV) panels have a relatively low electrical conversion efficiency of about 15 – 20%. Because they are heated by the sun, they trap untapped thermal energy. Unfortunately, existing solar thermal collector designs were incompatible with PV designs, so no product or system combined the two technologies satisfactorily. The engineers’ concept was simple: bring together both thermal and PV technologies in a hybrid design. Progress in PV systems has been rapid because of the large number of teams around the world working to increase efficiencies by using advanced concepts like copper-indiumgallium selenide (CIGS) PV cells that use molybdenum as an important component of the cell structure. While offering higher efficiency, these concepts still need to deal with heat build-up, so a hybrid panel approach is also useful.

Heat and electricity for the house thanks to two-in-one panels. © DualSun

A hybrid panel – PV one side, thermal on the other The inventors wanted to cool PV cells to capture unexploited heat and produce domestic hot water. To do this, they developed an innovative hybrid panel containing a PV array backed by a heat exchanger. In this design the PV cells themselves become thermal collectors.

The design employs a heat exchanger thermally bonded to the back of a PV panel. The heat exchanger cools the PV cells and stabilises their temperature. This increases the panel’s electrical efficiency by lowering its operating temperature. At the same time it captures heat to produce hot water for the building. The result is a panel with a total combined efficiency of 30 – 60% instead of the 15% of a typical PV installation.

Ultra-thin stainless steel heat exchanger The ultra-thin but rigid heat exchanger is incorporated into the solar panel. It comprises two stainless-steel sheets, one formed to produce a 2 mm-high waffle motif. The “waffled” sheet is welded to a

second, flat sheet at its contact points. A glycol/water coolant is pumped through the open volume at low pressure (1.5 bar), reaching a maximum temperature of 75°C during operation. The thickness of the finished hybrid panel is only four centimetres.

Unlike other candidate materials, the mechanical properties of stainless steel are hardly affected by the operating temperature of the heat exchanger. This is one of the reasons stainless steel is widely used for PV panel frames.

In this case, designers chose a Type 444 (UNS S44400) ferritic stainless steel containing 1.85% molybdenum. It combines good mechanical properties with excellent corrosion resistance. Molybdenum contributes significantly to pitting and crevice-corrosion resistance in both the water/glycol coolant and the external environment. This grade’s expansion coefficient is similar to that of glass, an important requirement because the heat exchanger is mated to the PV cell assembly.

Type 444 has better thermal conductivity than austenitic grades and is easy to form and weld.

* IMOA consultant Digital Edition - July/August 2018

www.steeltimesint.com

Coolant flows inside the stainless steel heat exchanger just beneath the solar panel, stabilising its temperature and transferring its heat through another heat exchanger to produce domestic hot water. © DualSun

LEADERS IN CUSTOMISED HANDLING SOLUTIONS

The integrated hybrid system uses a conventional inverter to produce electricity, and a heat exchanger/storage tank system for domestic hot water.

The system is stationary, silent and thin, and is easily incorporated into any type of roof. The panels produce both domestic hot water and electricity in the space required for the PV panels alone. They provide a space-efficient installation for homeowners or businesses looking for a more sustainable alternative energy solution.

Green from beginning to end The PV industry recognised the need for recycling in order to preserve precious resources and raw materials at an early stage.

It created PVCYCLE, the worldwide not-for-profit member-based organisation supporting the recycling of PV materials. Stainless steel fits perfectly into this philosophy of resource stewardship, since it is completely recyclable. Thus, the heat exchangers that are so important to the efficiency gains in the hybrid system will find a home in new applications and technologies when they reach the end of their lives in about 25 years.

A bright idea becomes a new technology The young engineers’ idea for a hybrid panel with molybdenumcontaining stainless steel has quickly made its mark. It has been certified to European solar energy PV and thermal standards, and already equips corporate headquarters, industrial buildings, apartment buildings, swimming pools and private homes in Europe, the Near-East, North and South America.

+353 47 80500

combilift.com

8

TRANSPORTATION AND HANDLING

Combilift opens L-shaped headquarters

Envy is a strange emotion, but I felt it strongly as I was driven along fairly empty roads in Ireland, where the cars have lost their Z-heavy license plates of old and now sport smart European ones. Had I not known I was in Ireland I could have been anywhere in mainland Europe; but my ride was tinged with a mixture of doom and despondency when the reality of Brexit nudged me hard in the ribs and I was reminded that I was British through and through and would be unable to apply for an Irish passport or seek political asylum come March 2019.

There’s roughly one hour by air between London and Dublin and after a smooth flight I was making my way to Monaghan and Combilift’s recently opened, brand new factory and global headquarters. I’d

missed the official opening back in May, but was offered the chance to make the trip in mid-July, getting away from the heatwave battering the UK (in a pleasant way) and into the slightly cooler, misty morning climate offered by the Irish Republic, where the fields are still green.

Happy birthday Combilift had been celebrating its 20th anniversary and, in addition to showing off its plush new headquarters and manufacturing facility, was announcing the creation of 200 new jobs over the next three years.

The plant was officially opened in early May by the Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar TD, who told those assembled that Combilift was ‘an incredible home-

grown Monaghan success story’. He wasn’t wrong.

“When the company was founded 20 years ago, it had three employees, a brilliant concept, and the ambition to make it a reality. Combilift is playing a significant role in Monaghan’s success, and I would like to congratulate Robert Moffett and Martin McVicar and everyone at Combilift on their achievements to date and wish them every success for the future,” said Varadkar.

There are lots of great things to say about Combilift’s new factory, but for me the most impressive thing – pre-tour – was the staff canteen. They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but there is if you’re me, and I was bowled over by the quality of the food on offer in the factory’s bright and breezy and spacious restaurant. I enjoyed

* Editor, Steel Times International Digital Edition - July/August 2018

www.steeltimesint.com

TRANSPORTATION AND HANDLING

9

d global Steel Times International was invited to Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland to visit the recently opened global headquarters and production facility of Combilift.

Matthew Moggridge* reports

an ample portion of cottage pie with vegetables and gravy followed by apple pie and custard – just what the doctor ordered after a middle-of-the-road cheese and ham toastie on the Aer Lingus flight coming over.

The factory is bright and breezy for good reason: 23% of its roof space is covered in skylights, enabling staff to work (and eat) in natural daylight without the assistance of artificial lighting. Other lighting is provided through 1100 LED lights with individual PIR sensors. Solar panels supply 185 kW of energy while a 1 MW biomass plant is fuelled by recycled wood to heat the spraying booths and assembly area.

110,000 litres of rainwater are harvested for jet washing and bathroom facilities.

Positive attitude Coming from ‘Brexit Britain’ I was www.steeltimesint.com

overdosing on the positivity oozing out of Martin McVicar. His youthful exuberance was in stark contrast to what I had left behind in the UK: rising crime rates and dodgy politicians. We met in the canteen and immediately after finishing what can only be described as a late lunch – that cottage pie ticked so many boxes – we met again on the factory floor of Combilift’s gleamingly new production base for the company’s all-wheel drive, multi-directional forklifts.

The new factory, says Combilift, is set on a 100-acre site with plenty of room for expansion. With 11 acres of roof space, it is one of the largest manufacturing operations under a single roof in the Republic of Ireland.

Incorporating the latest manufacturing processes with a focus on sustainability, the new factory will enable Combilift to

double its output in a single shift across all production lines. Four 90-metre moving assembly lines produce a finished truck every 15 minutes. There are 60 welding bays, two plasma cutting machines, three paint lines which use sustainable water-based paints and three automatic shot blasters to cater for different sized products. There are 12,000 pallet locations to ensure ample storage space for parts and components.

Currently, the factory is producing 25 machines per day. “We want to do more,” said McVicar, adding that moving to the new L-shaped EUR50 million factory saw Combilift’s output increase by 25% – and there is room to double capacity.

“Everything is new here,” enthused McVicar. “Nothing has been brought across from the old factory,” he said as we mooched around, just me, two journalists Digital Edition - July/August 2018

10

TRANSPORTATION AND HANDLING

Digital Edition - July/August 2018

www.steeltimesint.com

TRANSPORTATION AND HANDLING

from Germany, McVicar, his PR and two members of the marketing team, marvelling at the welding booths, the straddle carriers at various stages of production and the Aisle Master articulated trucks that waltzed gracefully through the pallet locations exhibiting for all to see their tremendous versatility in a warehouse environment.

“This one’s going to the Tesla factory in the United States,” said McVicar, pointing at a Combilift machine, as our tour of the facility continued. I found myself thinking about Elon Musk and his appalling behaviour towards the British diver who assisted in the rescue of the Thai cave boys.

Customer-driven NPD McVicar said that new product development is customer-driven and that Combilift’s engineers listen to the handling issues of its customers and design machines to meet their needs. “Combilift has solutions,” he added.

Straddle carriers have their own design department, he said, as they tend to be more customised than other products produced by Combilift. A lot of them are going into the German market, said McVicar, thanks to that country’s strong manufacturing base. “It’s a big market for straddle carriers,” he added.

McVicar attributes the company’s impressive growth and its status as a world leader in the materials handling sector to mass customisation. “Combilift has set the benchmark for the mass production of customised innovative products. Mass customisation is the new frontier for both the customer and the manufacturer as customers are increasingly expecting products to be tailored to their requirements. We listen to and take feedback on board from our customers and dealers to identify solutions that best match their individual specific needs.”

We found ourselves in what could have been the boardroom – or one of them.

There was a stunning view across the factory floor and outside a walkway over it.

As we walked across, Combilift workers, no doubt fuelled by cottage pie and a positive, life-affirming attitude, were busily building the company’s trade mark multi-directional, all-wheel-drive machines.

I took notes from a chronological display on the wall just outside of the boardroom.

It all started back in 1998 when McVicar and Moffett established Combilift in Clontibret in the province of Ulster. A year www.steeltimesint.com

11

later the company started exporting to Norway, France and Benelux and by 2000 production had doubled to 300 units.

Awards In 2001 McVicar was named Ernst & Young Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Combilift was announced as DHL Exporter of the Year. By 2002, Combilift was selling in over 40 countries and had extended its product range and a year later it delivered to its first customer in the USA. In 2004 the Combi SL was introduced and in 2005 the UK Forklift Truck Association Design Achievement Award was given to Combilift.

Combilift’s product portfolio has expanded way beyond its first multidirectional model, according to McVicar: “Combilift has always focused on a number of niche market segments and has a proven track record of launching one or two new products annually. In the first 10 years we focused on the long load material handling sector with the multi-directional range which revolutionised the handling of long materials, allowing customers to handle long products in less space more safely.”

Between 2008 and 2018 Combilift diversified its product ranged by developing a number of space saving warehouse and heavy load handling products; the Aisle Master articulated truck and the Straddle Carrier (Combi-SC) respectively.

Pedestrian products were introduced into the range in the last five years, enabling Combilift to gain a foothold in this growing market. The Combi-WR, Combi-WR4 and the Combi-CS all incorporate Combilift’s patented multi-positional tiller arm technology. “There is a growing demand for pedestrian trucks, driven by safety concerns where customers and/or employees are in the vicinity of operating forklifts,” said McVicar. “It is our intention to significantly expand this range, as can be seen with the launch of the new high lift capacity Combilift powered pallet truck (Combi-PPT).”

Space and safety Away from the factory floor we ventured ‘behind the scenes’ looking at a 3D animation of a warehouse. “It’s to show the client what’s possible,” McVicar explained, adding that Combilift works closely with its customers to optimise their space. “It’s not forklifts we’re selling, we’re selling space and safety,” he said, adding that the company offers a warehouse design service free-of-charge.

Digital Edition - July/August 2018

The growth of Combilift •

Established by Martin McVicar, managing director and Robert in Moffett, technical director, in 1998, Combilift is a privately held and fully capitalised company. It developed the world’s first multi-directional all-wheel drive IC engine-powered forklift in 1998. In the first year of operation it produced 18 units,17 of which were exported. The company has more than doubled in the last five years and now has 40,000 units in operation in over 85 countries.

•

Combilift’s product portfolio has expanded way beyond its first multi-directional model according to McVicar: “Combilift has always focused on a number of niche market segments and has a proven track record of launching one or two new products annually. In the first 10 years we focused on the long load material handling sector with the multi-directional range which revolutionised the handling of long materials, allowing customers to handle long products in less space more safely.”

•

Between 2008 and 2018 Combilift diversified its product range by developing a number of innovative space-saving warehouse and heavy load handling products: the Aisle Master articulated truck and the Straddle Carrier (Combi-SC) respectively.

•

Pedestrian products were introduced into the range in the last five years, enabling Combilift to gain a foothold in this growing market.

The Combi-WR, Combi-WR4 and the Combi-CS all incorporate a unique patented multi-positional tiller arm technology. “There is a growing demand for pedestrian trucks, driven by safety concerns where customers and/or employees are in the vicinity of operating forklifts,” said McVicar.

“It is our intention to significantly expand this range, as can be seen with the launch of the new high lift capacity Combilift Powered Pallet Truck (Combi-PPT).”

TRANSPORTATION AND HANDLING

Combilift invests 7% of its annual turnover in research and development to enhance its customisation capability and to maximise ROI for its customers.

“Our engineers proactively design, plan and produce material flow analysis and 3D animations – 150 to 200 per day for our worldwide customers – which clearly illustrate the capacity potential as well as the optimum flow of materials on their site.” said McVicar.

We passed through a 50-seat cinema training room and out into some indoor open space to be used for future expansion.

“Outside there’s another 30 hectares we can develop,” McVicar said.

There are 40 Combilift machines at work in the factory and 40,000 in use worldwide. This year (2018) McVicar claims that 6,000 units will be produced at the 46,500m2 production plant – the current order book stands at 3,000 and there’s a six-month delivery time.

Healthy export market Combilift exports 98% of its products to 85 countries through its 250-strong international dealer network. The current workforce stands at 550 people and there are plenty of new employment opportunities for skilled technicians, design engineers, logistics and supply chain specialists and those with mechanical and electrical mechatronics skills, claims the company.

According to Combilift, more than 50 truckloads of finished products are dispatched from the factory each week, and spare parts are shipped across the world to the dealer network.

The new factory has been awarded ISO 9001, an international quality management system, ISO 14001 environment manager and OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series).

In addition to our factory tour, we also visited some Combilift customers close by to see the machines hard at work.

Watching them pirouetting around heavy blocks of concrete or waltzing their way around a wood yard made me wonder if the company had developed a dance routine for its machines. It turns out they had, but there would be no time for a demonstration. It was time to head to the airport and a flight back to Brexit Britain. �

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TRANSPORTATION AND HANDLING

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Digital Edition - July/August 2018

14

INNOVATIONS - HITACHI

Precise material verification Optical emission spectrometry means easy and precise identification of duplex steels via nitrogen content THE development of duplex steels began in the 1970s and their use has steadily increased. This is especially the case in the oil and gas industry, for chemical tankers, the paper industry and for water systems, where the content of much more expensive nickel can be reduced through the addition of nitrogen and as a result, production costs can be lowered. This has meant that the production of duplex steels has more than doubled in the last decade.

However, due to the use of duplex steels in applications that are safety critical, their quality must be strictly controlled. Optical emission spectrometry (OES) technology provides precise material verification and positive material identification (PMI) in order to prevent the fatal consequences of material mix-ups.

Duplex, super-duplex and hyperduplex steels consist of an austenitic and ferritic structure, hence the designation “duplex”, and are classified as stainless steels. They set themselves apart with high structural stability, outstanding weldability characteristics and excellent corrosion resistance. (see Table 1) The important role of OES A characteristic of duplex steels is

Digital Edition - July/August 2018

Elements

C %

Cr %

Ni %

Mo %

N%

Duplex

<0.03

~20

~5

~3

0.08 – 0.22

Super-duplex

<0.03

~25

~7

~4

0.15 – 0.4

Hyper-duplex

<0.03

~30

~7,5

~4

0.3 – 0.6

Table 1. Average composition of typical duplex, super-duplex and hyper-duplex steels

their elevated nitrogen content, which considerably increases their corrosion resistance, and solid solution strengthening due to pronounced austenite formation.

Duplex steels are, therefore, easy to identify by means of their nitrogen content. On site, this is only possible with OES technology.

While in the laboratory, the advantages of OES compared to the combustion method include considerably easier specimen preparation, full analysis and much lower operating costs.

On-site high performance analysis In cases where analysis in the laboratory is not possible (for example, unwieldy items and petrochemical plants), the PMI-MASTER Smart portable spark spectrometer in combination with a UVTouch smart probe from Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science, for example, can be used to conduct a high-performance analysis on site, including measuring nitrogen. Analysis at close to

laboratory level is possible thanks to the patented optics in lightweight construction, dynamic spectrum evaluation and optimised excitation. In a laboratory, the smallest stationary OES analyser, like the Foundry Master Optimum by Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science, has a working range of 0.05 – 1.2% and a precision level otherwise seen only in far larger spark spectrometers.

The basics of duplex steel composition Four alloying elements are responsible for the key properties: Chromium (Cr), Molybdenum (Mo), Nitrogen (N) and Nickel (Ni). Cr is a ferrite former and provides the necessary corrosion resistance even at elevated temperatures. Mo supports the Cr effects and increases drastically the resistance against pitting and crevice corrosion in a chloride containing environment. Although it’s also a ferrite former, its concentration is usually limited at 7.5% maximum.

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Finite Network Method Precise simulation of EAF high current systems

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Principles.

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● Detailed simulation of all electro-magnetic properties of EAF high current system.

Finite Network Method (FNM) makes realistic calculation feasible for the first time:

● Exact dimensioning of components and ultimate power input optimisation.

● Accurate calculation with a precision of less than 1 %; all other methods have error ranges >10 %.

● Local current density.

● Optimum layout of masts and roller guides for best power input.

● Simulation also for peripheral and metallic structures where eddy currents are induced. ● Precise unsymmetry calculation as the basis for good operational results. ● Optimisation of existing equipment and optimal design of new equipment.

Inhomogeneous current density distribution in the high current cables depicted in a cross-section.

Badische Stahl-Engineering GmbH Robert-Koch-Straße 13 D-77694 Kehl/Germany Phone (+49) 78 51/877- 0 Fax (+49) 78 51/877-133 eMail info@bse-kehl.de www.bse-kehl.de

● Exact short circuit impedance and unsymmetry; short circuit tests (dip tests) are not necessary any more. ● Measure the real arc voltages in real-time. ● Real static and dynamic forces and momenta acting on the mechanical system. ● Local magnetic field strength and shielding effects. ● Induced eddy currents.

● Optimal design of high current conductors and symmetrizing loops. ● Prevention of hot spots in the furnace. ● Balanced power input and improved regulating performance. ● Optimal material sizes, optimal cooling.

● Effects of ferromagnetic material like steel.

Simulation of graphite electrodes with clearly visible proximity- and skin-effect.

Very inhomogeneous current density distribution at the external delta closure of the transformer.

16

INNOVATIONS - HITACHI

Although Nitrogen is a cheap alloying element, it has a major influence on the properties. N supports the corrosion resistance and substantially increases the strength and toughness of the duplex steel.

It has another important role during fabrication by delaying intermetallic phase forming and, therefore, conserving the dual microstructure during the production steps.

As a strong austenitic former it could replace some expensive Nickel in the alloy.

Lastly, Ni is the austenitic stabiliser, which promotes the change of the crystal structure from body centred cubic (ferritic) to face-centred cubic (austenitic).

A typical chemical composition of duplex steel (1.4462, S32205): C 0.03% Cr 22.5% Ni 5.0% Mo 3.25% N 0.18%.

Getting the best results It is necessary to grind or mill the specimens because the measurements are conducted with spark excitation in argon. For maximum precision we’d recommend to mill the alloys. Outside the laboratory, where milling is not possible, we recommend to grind the samples carefully flat.

The tightened sealing of the spark stand by the sample surface is essential to keep ambient air out of the spark stand, in order

to avoid the measuring of environmental Nitrogen as a containment of the sample.

All coatings have to be carefully removed from the surface.

Results Using Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science’s Foundry-Master Optimum for best analytical performance, we’ve determined Nitrogen in duplex steel. The values have been obtained for certified reference samples only.

Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science has a 40-year heritage of providing high-tech analysis equipment and services, designed to meet the tough challenges of a rapidly evolving industrial sector. �

For further information log on to www.hitachi-hightech.com/hha

Digital Edition - July/August 2018

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INNOVATIONS - EON-CAST

19

Excelling in today’s challenging global steel marketplace How POSCO is addressing market obstacles and protecting its vital steel production assets from corrosion

The shot on the left shows steel after being treated with EonCoat. The shot on the right shows steel prior to treatment with EonCoat

After the global steel industry’s recent downturn, caused by oversupply, low prices, and rising raw material costs, Pohang, South Korea based POSCO, one of the world’s largest multinational steel manufacturers, needed a strategy for handling such challenges while continuing to protect their assets and remaining industry innovators.

By focusing on high value-added products, reducing cost, and innovating its product and process, POSCO posted a double-digit operating margin and a jump in stock price of over 50% in 2016, according to its annual report.

Now the company – which won the world’s most competitive steelmaker competition for the eighth consecutive www.steeltimesint.com

year in 2017, as announced by World Steel Dynamics (WSD), a leading steel industry analysis agency – is poised to make further gains with innovative products and processes that will transform the industry.

One key initiative POSCO is pursuing involves a unique approach to protecting its massive carbon steel production and infrastructure assets from corrosion.

This is a continual challenge for steel manufacturers globally, particularly along coastline exposed to high humidity and salty air. The company is utilizing an innovative coating that provides a longterm solution to fighting atmospheric corrosion and corrosion under insulation (CUI). The coating not only helps to minimise required maintenance and

production downtime, but also promotes environmental health and safety, which is one of the company’s key missions.

Protecting critical steel assets from corrosion Because steel mills require sufficient raw product in order to produce, they are often located near marine terminals where both raw material and finished product can be easily shipped.

As such, steel mill processing equipment and infrastructure must be coated to withstand atmospheric corrosion from the high humidity and salty air. It must also resist corrosion under insulation (CUI), which can result from exposure to moisture from sources such as steam, wash downs, Digital Edition - July/August 2018

20

INNOVATIONS - EON-CAST

sprinkler systems, or frequent condensation and evaporation of atmospheric moisture.

However, when traditional barrier type coatings are commonly reapplied every few years in such coastal areas, this can increase maintenance cost and production downtime.

To protect its steel assets from corrosion for decades, as well as improve environmental health and safety, POSCO turned to EonCoat, a spray applied inorganic coating from the Raleigh, North Carolina-based company of the same name.

EonCoat provides two layers of protection for POSCO’s steel assets. First, unlike conventional barrier coatings that only physically cover the surface, it forms an alloy layer that chemically bonds with the surface of the steel. This effectively prevents intrusion from moisture and other corrosion promoters. EonCoat also forms a ceramic outer layer that further resists corrosion, water, abrasion, impact, chemicals, and high temperatures.

Sustainability According to Sungjun Ahn, senior manager from Dong Buk Chemical, the company in charge of the application process at POSCO, EonCoat was selected to extend equipment life in accordance with POSCO’s sustainability and environmental management policies.

“POSCO stakeholders benefit, including investors, when they can safely extend the lifespan of their steel assets with less maintenance,” says Ahn. “Without frequent repainting, they can more productively invest in further product and process innovation.”

At the Pohang steel plant, the spray applied inorganic coating is being used to protect a variety of equipment such as storage tanks, boiler dust collectors, and dock pilings (including the splash zone and below the waterline).

Due to the coating’s high temperature resistance of up to 500 Celsius, it is also being used in high temperature areas of the steel making process, such as at the ends of steel rollers and for pipeline insulation.

Because of the coating’s unique inorganic properties, it is very effective at stopping CUI, which can affect pipeline or vessels beneath insulation due to water penetration.

Since the coating is also chemical resistant, it is being considered as a primer for equipment in contact with sulfur dioxide Digital Edition - July/August 2018

(SOx) and nitrogen dioxide (NOx) gasses, which result from burning fossil fuels and smelting mineral ores.

More innovative processes While taking a proactive approach toward preventing corrosion, POSCO utilises a number of advanced steel producing technologies at its two South Korean steel mills, in Pohang and Gwangyang, including: Finex: This eco-friendly iron making process allows the direct use of cheap iron ore fines and non-coking coal as feedstock.

Compared to a traditional blast furnace process, this significantly lowers operating costs and emissions as well as dramatically reducing overall construction costs by eliminating the need for sinter and coke plants.

Strip casting: This method eliminates the slab-making process to produce hot-rolled flat products directly from molten iron.

Compared to traditional slab-making, this technique reduces cost, energy use, and production time as well as pollution.

Endless hot rolling: This solid state joining method is a rolling technology that joins bars made from slabs, the material for hot-rolled products, for endless rolling.

Compared to previous rolling processes, this method drastically cuts production time while economically offering firmer, thinner steel plates.

Game changing products With such advanced steel producing technologies in place, supported by a preventative approach toward corrosion, POSCO has recently introduced some important product innovations. This includes super-high-strength “Giga Steel” – which can withstand more than 100 kg of load per 1 mm2 with a tensile strength of 1.5 gigapascal – produced at its Gwangyang Steel Mill in Korea.

Since the tensile strength, measured by pulling the steel plate from both ends until it is torn, is greater than 1 gigapascal (GPa), a unit of force, it was dubbed Giga Steel. As such, a palm-sized (10 cm X 15 cm) piece of Giga Steel can support the weight of 1,500 1-ton semi-mid-sized cars.

The unique material will enable building significantly lighter, stronger vehicles since it is over three times stronger than aluminium and has excellent formability.

At the company’s Global R&D Centre in Songdo, Korea, a new steel forming laboratory will evaluate the formability of newly developed steel products such as the Giga Steel, and will include the use a 2000-ton hydraulic press to evaluate the formability of large components such as automobile side-outers. An existing Steel Forming Laboratory will also evaluate the basic physical properties of steel required by customers (forming, welding, coating, corrosion and fatigue) and provide support such as quality certification.

Protecting health, safety, and the environment Along with meeting steel industry challenges with product and process innovation, the company also takes seriously its commitment to the health and safety of its workers and the environment.

According to Merrick Alpert, president of EonCoat, “Our company is extremely proud to help POSCO further their eco-friendly processes and products that contribute to sustainable global development.”

As part of environmental management, POSCO has sought to improve the air quality near the steel works and surrounding areas by reducing the total emission of air pollutants including dust, NOx, SOx and VOCs. Since the coating is inorganic and nontoxic, there are no VOCs, no HAPs and no odour. This improves health and safety and helps to mitigate the negative effects of air pollution.

Non-hazardous components The coating consists of two non-hazardous components that do not interact until applied by a standard industrial plural spray system like those commonly used to apply polyurethane foam or polyurea coatings.

This means the inorganic, non-flammable coatings can be applied safely even in confined spaces.

“POSCO’s use of the inorganic coating is part of their drive to innovate in the steel marketplace,” concludes Ahn. “It is helping them meet their commitment to benefit all stakeholders including investors, customers, employees, as well as the local and global community.” � For more information, call 754-2224919; visit www.eoncoat.com; or write to EonCoat, LLC at 551 Pylon Drive, Unit D, Raleigh, NC 27606. www.steeltimesint.com

Fives: quality through digitalisation EYERON™, QUALITY IMPROVEMENT TOOL

Fives has developed Eyeron™, a quality improvement tool that captures and analyzes data from all processing lines. The software functionality includes: — — — — —

P roducts tracking Summary of quality events and alarms Product qualification Data mining Performance monitoring

The data is crunched to give a clear view on process issues and decision making on products. Greater visualization of the process enables an improved understanding of where inefficiencies and problems are likely to occur, giving operators the chance to avoid them and benefit from a streamlined process.

MAIN FEATURES

roducts tracking: centralization of signals and P measures and product history tracking Summary of quality events and alarms: sum-up of events / alarms per product and SIS data treatment Product qualification: coil grading and product reallocation Data mining: filters & segmentation and data extraction & treatment Performance monitoring: statistical process control and reports

This data is used to suggest smart solutions to metallurgical problems, resulting in increased productivity and improved quality

www.fivesgroup.com fiveskeods@fivesgroup.com

22

SSAB offers 3rd generation hot-dip g Nordic and US-based steel company SSAB is expanding its product offering with the introduction of a so-called third generation hot-dip galvanised steel product. Docol 600DH-GI is now ready for customer trials.

“We are taking a step towards third generation steels by launching the galvanised Docol DH steel family. A product with a tensile strength of 600 MPa is now ready for customer trials and will be joined later this year by products with a tensile strength of 800 and 1000 MPa,” said Matti Säily, product manager, metal-coated products at SSAB Europe.

One of the company’s strategic targets is to grow the share of premium steels annually in the automotive industry to 750kt by 2020.

Shipments amounted to 442kt in 2016 and last year had already grown to 537kt. SSAB believes that third generation steels are one way towards this goal and will enable the business to serve its customers even better.

“Trends towards structural light weighting, tougher emissions limits, safety standards and electrification improve the growth outlook for the use of special high-strength steels in the automotive industry. The industry also demands high formability for special components, which allow lightweight. Sustainability is also increasingly an important factor. SSAB has noticed that it is worth focusing on the automotive segment,” explained Arnaud Guerendel, global sales director, automotive segment, SSAB Europe.

Säily said that first generation steels still play a major role, but extra good formability now creates an opening for third generation steels to compete with press-hardening steels and aluminium.

“Third generation steels combine Digital Edition - July/August 2018

strength and good formability at a new level, and they come into the picture when complex, challenging shape is required,” Säily added.

SSAB’s approach in product development is to offer all of its high-strength steel products to the automotive segment in compliance with major OEM standards and requirements. Besides OEM standards the new developments in third generation steels follow VDA standards (a German quality management system initiated by the automotive industry).

According to SSAB, first generation steels are suitable in many cases and will continue to play a major role in future car design, but inevitably they have limited formability. Second generation steels suffer from poor usability because of high alloying and high costs. Third generation steels can solve many problems and benefit the customer because they are just as strong asexisting

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INNOVATIONS

23

galvanised steel products and their enhanced formability means they can be used in various safety and structural items in BIW (Body-in-white).

DH steels can also be used to resolve problems in current vehicle components that have

been designed for first generation steels if there have been challenges with formability.

SSAB says that third generation advanced high-strength steels are a response to customer needs

for strength, formability and usability. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This generation of steels is already on the market, but their development is still at a fairly early stage. What is common for many of the concepts is to secure a metastable retained austenite in the steel microstructure, which is transformed to martensite during forming (TRIP-aided multi-phase steels). Further development in third generation AHSS are quenching and partitioning (Q&P) and medium manganese steels.

DH steels (dual phase with improved formability, a name based on the VDA standard) refers to a product based on DP (dual phase) steels where the retained austenite in the microstructure brings greater formability due to transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) effect.

For further information, log on to www.ssab.com www.steeltimesint.com

Digital Edition - July/August 2018

24

INNOVATIONS

High-volume drum handling

Digital Edition - July/August 2018

www.steeltimesint.com

INNOVATIONS

25

USA-based Liftomatic Material Handling, Inc, a leading material handling equipment manufacturer, is now offering attachments to handle up to four drums at once.

The company is offering two forklift-mounted attachments suited for high-volume drum handling. The attachments do not require hydraulic or electrical connections, and both units can handle up to four rimmed steel, poly and fibre drums with a total load capacity of 8,000 pounds.

The LOM-4 units are available in two configurations to handle up to four drums at once. The model L4F can handle up to four drums and is useful for mixed loads, single stacking in trucks and trailers and fill-line movement. The model S4F handles four drums at a time only, for double stacking in trucks and trailers where overall height is limited.

Both models offer spark-resistant and “EE” rated components and each can handle a mixed group of four drums – steel, plastic or fibre – at one time, as long as the drum heights are within 1.5 inches of each other. Crane and carriage-mount models are also available.

Liftomatic Material Handling claims to be an acknowledged leader in the design and manufacture of drum handling equipment. Based in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, it maintains manufacturing, engineering and sales facilities around the globe and currently sells products in over 40 countries as well as selling to more than 400 Fortune 500 companies.

For further information, log on to www.liftomatic.com

HigH TemperaTure BarCode Tags and LaBeLs

Westmoreland, nH 03431 usa / www.polyonics.com / +1.603.352.1415 / info@polyonics.com www.steeltimesint.com

Digital Edition - July/August 2018

26

INNOVATIONS

SMS group’s modernisa

Russian steelmaker PAO Severstal has contracted SMS group to modernise the exit section of a tandem cold mill “2100” at its Cherepovets plant in northwest Russia.

Severstal wants to use the mill to its full extent and produce products with a strip width of 1,850mm.

The supply scope will mainly comprise a new tension reel featuring a motor coupling of about nine metres in length connected to a new electrical gear (AC motor and converter), in order to coil the strip under high tension.

In addition, there will be two coil cars guided on one common running rail to serve for coil transportation to the inspection station and then coil storage, which will be arranged in a neighbouring shop. A rotary inspect type of offline inspection station will be supplied

for ergonomic and fast inspection of the finished strip.

The modernisation will be carried out during a scheduled downtime of 23 days. Commissioning of the tandem cold mill equipped with the new exit-side installations is scheduled to take place in the summer of 2019.

Last year, SMS group comprehensively modernised the tandem cold mill and completely exchanged the entry section and the four mill stands. In addition, rolling technologies and electrical and automation systems were updated to the latest technological level through the use of SMS group’s X-Pact control system.

For further information, log on to www.sms-group.com

The new exit-side concept includes SMS group’s rotary inspect offline inspection station permitting the fast and ergonomic inspection of strip top and bottom sides

Digital Edition - July/August 2018

www.steeltimesint.com

INNOVATIONS

ation expertise

27

Slag detector launched

The tandem cold mill of PAO Severstal will be provided with new exit-side equipment

Non-contact temperature measurement specialist AMETEK Land has introduced a Slag Detection System (SDS-E) on to the North American steel market.

According to Ben Wileman, division vice president of sales and marketing for AMETEK Land and AMETEK Surface Vision, there were major benefits for steel producers using the technology. He said that fast slag detection response allows steel plants to ‘significantly reduce slag carryover. “That results in improved yields, higher-quality steel, and a reduction in costly downstream processing. There are additional benefits as well in reduced ladle refractory wear and improved operator safety,” he said.

According to AMETEK, at the end of the tap, the levels of slag and steel rapidly reverse. Quick termination of the tap after an alarm has been triggered is necessary to prevent excessive levels of slag in the ladle. The SDS-E uses a high-resolution thermal imaging camera to detect the transition between steel and slag.

The dedicated thermal imaging camera is designed to survive in harsh operating conditions and utilises a particular wavelength to reduce “blackouts” caused by smoke and fumes.

Data presented to operators in real time enables them to make informed decisions about the tapping process, claims AMETEK. Use of the SDS-E has been demonwww.steeltimesint.com

strated to improve operator response time and consistency at the end of each tap. “This results in a typical reduction in slag depths of up to 25%, compared with traditional methods of stream monitoring,”says the company.

The cost of additional downstream processing time and materials can be a significant burden on an operating plant. By controlling slag carry-over, costly downstream processing can be reduced or eliminated, improving plant throughput and operating margins.

As the tap commences, application-dedicated software records it, using a stream identification algorithm, and produces a data log and graph for quality control. A stream tracking mechanism is included to ensure reliable operation in typical installation conditions. When slag appears and exceeds an operator-defined amount, an alarm automatically triggers. The system is designed to ensure accurate detection of steel/slag that is independent of charge weight and without operator intervention.

Suitable for operators of secondary steel making vessels (EAFs, BoFs) including stainless steel, AMETEK Land’s SDS-E is claimed to be ‘the definitive solution for monitoring and reducing slag carryover in steel production facilities’.

For further information, log on to www.ametek-land.com Digital Edition - July/August 2018

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INNOVATIONS

29

Diler Demir Celik orders caster upgrade for SBQ production Diler Demir Celik’s existing automation system (from Danieli Automation) will be updated with additional controls for the new equipment and the new process parameters will be set up as required by the added quality grades.

Caster commissioning is scheduled for first quarter 2019.

Turkish steelmaker Diler Demir Celik is upgrading a caster, supplied by Danieli in 1999. The caster in question is currently in operation at the company’s Dilovasi plant near Istanbul. It has six strands, plus two additional strands for future upgrades, and boasts a 9m radius. It produces square billets ranging in size from 130mm to 180mm.

The upgrading project involves the complete replacement of the equipment installed along the caster curve and is claimed to be the first plant in Turkey that uses Danieli’s Fast Cast technology for quality grades.

One of the chief aims of the upgrade project is to minimise plant shutdown.

According to Danieli, the existing

automation system will be updated with additional controls for the new equipment and new process parameters, which were set up as required by the added quality grades.

The updated caster is scheduled for

commissioning in Q1 2019.

For further information, log on to www.danieli.com

Hypertherm announces major software update ProNest 2019 is a major version update of Hypertherm’s advanced CAD/ CAM nesting software for automated cutting. It contains more than a dozen new features and enhancements designed to make customers more efficient and profitable, claims the company, a leading manufacturer of industrial cutting systems and software.

New features include ‘raster to vector conversion’ to quickly convert .jpeg and similar images into CAD files for cutting; fly cutting ‘for faster laser cutting on thin material, and the ability to pierce without slowing down or stopping the cutting head; Design2Fab 6 integration, enabling customers cutting sheet metal to access fittings directly from ProNest; and Drag rotation for ‘faster manual nesting and even better plate utilisation, especially when nestwww.steeltimesint.com

ing around the contours of larger part.

Tom Stillwell, senior product marketing associate at Hypertherm, said that, regardless of cutting method (plasma, laser, waterjet, oxyfuel or combination punch) ProNest 2019 builds on an already strong foundation to ensure that customers have the features needed to improve productivity and profitability.

“At the same time, this new version continues to include features that more fully automate the cutting process and expand user capabilities through smart factory and Industry 4.0 with ERP/MRP systems and a host of other supporting software,” he said.

According to Hypertherm, ProNest Software is selected by more cutting machine manufacturers than any other brand. “It is the only software with full support for Hypertherm SureCut tech-

nology, including True Hole, Rapid Part and True Bevel, plus easy set-up, and optimised process parameters,” said the company.

For further information, log on to www.hypertherm.com

Digital Edition - July/August 2018

00 30

INNOVATIONS

Laser welding system for dissimilar metals AMADA MIYACHI EUROPE (AME) has introduced the LMWS Pulsed Fibre Laser Welding System. Paired with the ML-7370D 70W pulsed fibre laser, the LMWS offers an advanced processing system that is claimed to be ideal for welding dissimilar metals, including copper (Cu) to aluminium, aluminium to stainless steel (SS) and steel, and

copper to stainless steel. The LMWS enables the joining of aluminium and copper battery tab material â&#x20AC;&#x201C; reducing resistance and improving performance.

It is also claimed to be a good choice for Cu-SS thin sheet welding and plastic welding.

With the ML-7370D 70W pulsed fibre laser, more electrical energy is

available for the newest generation of smaller, lighter, more cost-effective, and reliable battery packs used in hybrid and electric automobiles, motorcycles, buses, and heavy industrial vehicles, as well as hand-held power tools. By improving the electrical conductivity, the pack stays cooler during operation, says AME. This is said to provide additional benefits to both pack performance and battery lifetime. Improving battery performance also lowers battery pack costs, because fewer batteries are required for a particular performance level. Weight and pack size is similarly positively influenced.

Tests have shown that the new highspeed fibre laser welding system works well for welding thin metals up to 250 microns thick. This, claims AME, is an ideal tab thickness for battery cans with wall thicknesses of 300-350 microns.

The new technology features shorter pulses with a higher peak power than traditional laser options. The shorter pulse results in less mixing of materials, and hence less of an intermetallic zone and less brittleness with copper and aluminium tab materials.

AME claims that its LMWS unit is highly configurable and designed for lean manufacturing. By changing the settings, this laser can also mark, engrave, cut, drill, and ablate thin materials, says AME. It is available with a variety of integration options to match process needs and comes standard with an XY galvanometric scanner. A rotary stage option is also available.

AME says that the LMWS unit can be used for several weld types, including single point object arrays, basic shapes (rectangle, circle, spiral) wobble function and vector graphics including CAD and line-drawings, and logos.

The LMWS complies with IEC13849 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1, category 3 PLd safety circuitry requirements for ease of usage and integration into any quality system, says AME. For further information, log on to www.amadamiyachieurope.com

Digital Edition - July/August 2018

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INNOVATIONS

Goudsmit wows visitors at Automatica A.: Magnetic grippers are used for damage-free pick-up of perforated steel sheets and blanks in robotic applications; they replace the traditional vacuum technique

Goudsmit Magnetics presented a combination of a magnetic timing belt, sheet separator and magnetic gripper at the recent Automatica show in Munich, Germany.

According to the company, the timing belt, separator and gripper combination, sheets of steel can be separated quickly and accurately and lifted and placed in a press. “This is done with an acceleration rate of 6m/s2,” Goudsmit Digital Edition - July/August 2018

said.

The optional switchable permanent magnets or electromagnets make it possible for robots to then pick up the sheets.

Goudsmit magnetic grippers, optionally fitted with a friction pad, handle the sheets without damage and provide sufficient friction where needed, the company claims. To prevent two sheets from being picked up together,

the system is equipped with two compact, pneumatically switchable sheet separators.

Goudsmit’s magnetic sheet separators are fitted with powerful neodymium iron boron (NdFeB) magnets and can be switched on and off pneumatically. Switchable sheet separators separate stacked steel sheet, enabling a robot to lift them off the stack one at a time. Without such separators, oiled

INNOVATIONS

33

B

C

A

B. Pneumatic sheet separators separate stacked sheets of steel, which stick together because they are oiled, enabling a robot to lift them off the stack one at a time.

C. A magnetic timing belt feeds steel sheets in and out of a press at high speed

sheets stick together and the robot occasionally picks up two sheets simultaneously, which could mean that a sheet falls off or two sheets are placed in a press together, resulting in considerable damage.

Magnetic grippers, otherwise known as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;robot end-of-arm-toolingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, can be fitted with a rubber friction lining and are used to pick up or grab objects such as steel sheets (or perforated www.steeltimesint.com

sheets) and blanks in robotic applications. The ultra light magnets, it is claimed, can be switched on and off pneumatically, enabling the system to pick up and transport even very thin sheets one at a time. The rubber pad at the end prevents damage and sliding of the work piece during vertical pick-up.

Magnetic grippers replace traditional vacuum grippers, which are susceptible to malfunction and subject to wear.

Vacuum grippers also have suction cups, but they must be positioned correctly because even if they are partially over a hole in the metal sheet they will not grip at all. A magnetic gripper, however, with permanent magnets, is light, wear-resistant and has a longer service life than vacuum grippers.

For further information, log on to www.goudsmitmagnets.com Digital Edition - July/August 2018

34

INNOVATIONS

Eaton invests in UK training centre

Power management company Eaton has completed a major investment into its UK training centre in Havant.

The company has been offering hydraulics education for over 60 years globally â&#x20AC;&#x201C; built on the heritage of Vickers, well known in the hydraulics business. However, fluid power is

Digital Edition - July/August 2018

evolving as it embraces the challenges and the opportunities brought about by the increasing complexities of electronic controls and industry 4.0.

While Eaton is engineering products and solutions in

www.steeltimesint.com

INNOVATIONS

this new arena, it also recognises the importance of ensuring hydraulic professionals have the correct knowledge to be able to reap the rewards that new smart hydraulic technologies can bring.

The facility offers hands-on training for systems and products and the new facility represents Eaton’s commitment to industry education.

“Here at Eaton Hydraulics we are dedicated to ensuring that both our staff and partners are ‘fully rounded’ when it comes to knowledge in the field of hydraulics” stated Graham Sanders, training manager, power and motion products, Eaton Europe, Middle East and Asia. “Keeping pace in a rapidly evolving market can be difficult and we feel that it’s important that companies such as Eaton, who are seen as leaders in smart hydraulics, offer as much support as possible.

New technologies within hydraulics can bring many application benefits, such as increased efficiencies leading to reduced power consumption, increased productivity and reduced downtime. In my mind there can be no doubt that properly trained personnel can add real value to their employer’s organisations.”

Experience in the field The new training facility is based at Eaton’s plant in Havant, the key power and motion factory for Eaton, which works intensively with product development and also hosts the company’s quality centre. This close proximity to manufacturing brings several benefits, such as a close link between the training centre and the design and manufacturing teams working on new products such as CMA, a CAN-enabled closed-loop controlled mobile proportional valve, and Eaton’s X20 mobile pump and a new range of advanced electro-hydraulic controllers.

Catering for up to three courses at a time, training programmes are based on decades of experience in the field.

Eaton instructors are all fluid power specialists. The heritage of the Centre shines through and the facility serves different knowledge levels and training needs, claims the company. “It offers a real focus on advanced electro-hydrauwww.steeltimesint.com

35

lic solutions and products including those manufactured locally at the Eaton Havant plant,” said Eaton. “The aim here is to take the traditional and ‘plug’ the knowledge gaps that are bound to exist as industry evolves into exciting new intelligent hydraulics,” the company explained.

Hands-on training According to Eaton, fully equipped state-of-the-art labs enable hands on training with system and specific training rigs on mobile, industrial and product-specific areas that not only show the basics, but also offer advanced in-depth instruction around PLCs and closed-loop electronics and controls.

Eaton’s range of valves is evolving to offer industry 4.0 plug-in connectivity and capabilities and the training centre gives instruction on how to calibrate the software to ensure that the new ranges of intelligent smart valves are fully optimised when deployed.

Eaton claims that the hydraulics industry has recently made steps towards formalising the educational requirements of workers within the industry, especially in ensuring that people work safely with today’s increasingly-complex machines. The Education & Training committee of the British Fluid Power Centre (BFPA) has pioneered a set of ‘minimum education recommendations for hydraulics’, which the Eaton hydraulics training centre will fully support; indeed, Eaton’s entry-level ‘Principles of Hydraulics’ course will meet and exceed these minimum recommendations.

Eaton achieved sales of $20.4 billion in 2017 and employs approximately 96,000 employees globally. It provides energy-efficient solutions designed to help its customers manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power more efficiently, safely and sustainably.

The company claims it is dedicated to improving the quality of life and the environment through the use of power management technologies and services.

It sells products to customers in more than 175 countries.

For further information, log on to www.eaton.com Digital Edition - July/August 2018

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INNOVATIONS

37

UNGERER wins Chinese contract Jiansu Yongjin Metal Technology of Nantong in China, has awarded UNGERER Technology GmbH a contract to supply a Stretch Bend Levelling line for processing precision stainless steel.

Jiangsu Yongjin Metal Technology is a wholly owned subsidiary of Zhejiang Yongjin Metal Technology, also located in Nantong City in Jiangsu province of China. The company is mainly producing AISI 200, 300 and 400 series of precision stainless steel plates with a maximum width of 1280 mm and a thickness range of 0.1mm-1.5 mm.

The company is currently planning to increase its annual processing capacity to 1.25Mt. The equipment will be fully pre-assembled and tested inside UNGERER’s workshop in Pforzheim, Germany, before being shipped to China.

All the automation and power components, sub-assemblies and cables will be routed and wired in one comprehensive container-cabinet. The full set-

ting-up on-site and the commissioning time, which will take place in September 2019, won’t need more than one month all together, it is claimed.

UNGERER claims that its equipment will improve the yield of the finished

product and that the resulting return on investment will greatly benefit the Chinese steelmaker.

For further information, log on to www.redex-group.com

Vietnamese steelmaker chooses Danieli Vietnamese steelmaker Hoa Sen Group has chosen Danieli to supply new furnace and air wiping equipment as part of an upgrade package for two galvanising lines at the company’s Hoa Sen Nghe An plant in North Vietnam.

The modernisation of the two lines will focus on furnace and zinc wiping systems with a view to improving production quality and increasing average line production speeds.

The X-Jet rigs will be equipped with the latest automatic lip-cleaning and gap-width adjustment technologies.

Maintenance stands and panels are supplied for off-line testing and calibration of the new X-JET system and for the edge baffles.

According to Danieli, the installation will require only minimal line shutdown time. Minimum achievable coating will be 60 g/m2 and 30 g/m2 total on both sides for GI and GL, respectively.

X-Jet and the newly developed Comwww.steeltimesint.com

pact X-Jet technology are available on all new and existing hot dip galvanising lines as technological package upgrades, with ROI down to one year.

For further information, log on to www.danieli.com Digital Edition - July/August 2018

38

INNOVATIONS

Signing ceremony for a silicon cold rolling mill between Fives and Wisdri (Xinyu) Cold Processing Engineering, China

Fives and Fuxin Special Steel signed a contract for coil preparation lines and cold rolling mills for stainless steel plant in China

Fivesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cold rolling mills chosen for challenging projects On 30 June 2018, Fives was contracted for a number of cold rolling mills for stainless and silicon steel grades to be designed and supplied to China.

Fuxin Special Steel Co. of Taiwan entrusted Fives with the contract for coil preparation lines and cold rolling mills for stainless steel production in the Fujian province of China. Fuxin Special Steel has decided to expand its cold rolling workshop in order to produce added value final products. The company chose Fives to design, manufacture, supply and commission two coil preparation lines (CPL) and three DMS 20Hi cold rolling mills (CRM), each with a 110kt/yr capacity.

According to Fives Group, the two CPLs aim to make the most of the rolling mills and optimise productivity by removing hot strip tail ends, trimming crack formations and applying leader strips. The cold rolling mills are essential to reduce strip thickness while Digital Edition - July/August 2018

guaranteeing strip surface quality. Fives will supply the newest generation of DMS 20Hi CRM with the latest improvements: advanced roll gap lubrication and strip cooling technology, an improved flatness control system, enhanced safety, and easier maintenance.

Strip surface quality is improved thanks to the optimised lubrication of roll bite.

Separately, Wisdri (Xinyu) Cold Processing Engineering Company of China, a joint venture between Wisdri and Xinyu Iron & Steel, contracted Fives to design and supply a cold rolling mill to process non-grain oriented (NGO) silicon steel, mainly for the automotive industry. Electrical steel is tailored to produce specific magnetic properties, resulting in low power loss per cycle, low core loss, and high permeability.

For the Wisdri project, Fives will design, manufacture and supply a DMS 20Hi cold rolling mill with an annual capacity of 100kt to process NGO high

grade 210. The mill is intended for a very demanding application: electric car motors that require extremely high quality. The lead time for the project is also very short: the first coil is to be processed by year end 2019.

The coil preparation lines, as well as CRM auxiliary equipment, will be fabricated in China by a Fivesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; subsidiary in Shanghai, while the critical parts of the cold rolling mills will be designed and manufactured in Fivesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; workshop in Lille, France.

Fives has been specialising in cold rolling mill design and manufacturing for stainless and silicon steels for more than 60 years, and has supplied more than 100 cold rolling mills and processing lines worldwide.

For further information, log on to www.fivesgroup.com www.steeltimesint.com

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INNOVATIONS

South Korean steelmaker praises SMS grou A 100-ton AOD converter at a SeAH CSS stainless steel mill in Changwon, South Korea, was successfully re-commissioned in March 2018, after installation of an electro-hydraulic torque retainer from SMS group.

The purpose of the modernisation was to minimise the destructive forces acting on the gears, bearings and converter car during gas injection.

SMS group supplied the steel plant with an electro-hydraulic torque retainer including all electrical equipment and automation systems as well as being involved in the supervision of erection and commissioning.

According to SMS group, the installation of the torque retainer was performed during a scheduled maintenance standstill and completed within a 10-day period, including cold and hot commissioning. Hot commissioning took place two days ahead of schedule under regular production conditions. The guaranteed values were fully reached. “Thanks to the new electro-hydraulic torque retainer, the dynamic loads on the entire converter equipment have been significantly

Converter tilt drive with SMS group torque retainer

reduced. This is the result of successful co-operation between the teams from SeAH and SMS group,” said SMS group.

Seungheon Lee, general manager of

the steelmaking facility team, said: “The new torque retainer from SMS group has significantly reduced the vibrations of the AOD converter. We experience the benefits of this modernisation every

Connectivity is crucial, says Zumbach When searching the component parts for your implementation of IO-4.0, connectivity is key to your success, claims prime measuring expert Zumbach of Switzerland. Whether it is email related, performance measurement, machine availability, cost of manufacture, resourcing, communication, supply chain, delivery, stock control or whatever concerns your specific needs in business, connectivity is crucial.

Wireless communication, USB, Ethernet TCP/IP, Profibus DP, Distributed

Digital Edition - July/August 2018

IO, Profinet, Ethernet IP, Canbus, SMS, Can Open, MRP, MES, ERP, OPC UA, Web Interfaces, VPN, Virtual Network Computing, Power distribution, are all key phrases in the connectivity area to consider when implementing any business strategy for optimisation and efficiency, according to Zumbach.

ZUMBACH claims to equip its powerful instruments with the globally recognised OPC UA standard platform. “With this key technology, measurement solutions provide an easy and secure

information exchange with differing systems, whether they be in the production line – business platform system or anywhere else,” said Zumbach.

According to Zumbach, ‘only through connectivity solutions can you hope to learn the truths behind how you operate and perform and onwardly apply any adaptations needed to improve’.

For further information, log on to www.zumbach.com

INNOVATIONS

41

up torque retainer Vibrations of the AOD converter measured over time. Left: without torque retainer, right: with SMS group torque retainer

day. Maintenance costs will be reduced significantly. We are very satisfied.â&#x20AC;?

SeAH Changwon Integrated Special Steel produces stainless steel, tool steel and carbon steel at a production vol-

ume of 1.2Mt/yr. The produced hightech steel grades are used in a wide range of applications, such as vehicles, machinery, aircrafts, nuclear power plants, shipbuilding and electronics.

For further information, log on to www.sms-group.com

Digital Edition - July/August 2018

42

INNOVATIONS

Konecranes introduces Ecolifting

Konecranes has launched ECOLIFTING for lift trucks, a concept that includes three driveline solutions: Power Drive, with up to 15% fuel savings; Flow Drive, with up to 25% fuel savings; and Hybrid Drive, offering up to 40% fuel savings.

“We are continuously improving the environmental performance of our products, processes and services for our customers around the world. Our customers can make better choices for the environment without compromising the performance and power of their machines,” says Håkan Andersson, product manager, Konecranes Lift Trucks.

Power Drive is claimed to be the most

cost-efficient way to start reducing emissions and fuel expenses, due to its very short payback time. Power Drive saves on fuel and cost, yet retains the same power, says Konecranes. With a reduction in fuel consumption of up to 15%, it saves thousands of euros annually compared to lift trucks with a normal driveline.

Flow Drive is claimed to cut down fuel consumption and emissions while increasing the time spent on active operations with a minimal financial investment.

The solution brings concrete benefits to everyday operations, such as a precise, smooth ride, reduced noise and less cabin vibration, according to

Konecranes, and significantly increases overall productivity.

Konecranes claims that the evolution of the world’s first Hybrid Reach Stacker helps create a more environmentally sustainable business.

This lift truck, fitted with cutting-edge technology, has been fully tested in over 10,000 hours of commercial operation, and is leading the next generation of sustainable lift trucks.

For further information, log on to www.konecranes.com

Industry 4.0 compliance for the metals ind Proton Products Inc, a global leader for non-contact laser Doppler speed and length measurement, has announced Industry 4.0 compliance with a broad suite of intelligent products, communications protocols and flexible automation capability. The company claims that its fast, accurate measurements with their embedded industry-standard communications and smart technologies form the fundamental building blocks for the successful implementation of Industry 4.0.

Proton Products’ Industry 4.0 compliance is based on the following three technology megatrend drivers, which are connectivity, intelligence and flexible automation.

Digital Edition - July/August 2018

Connectivity Proton Products was among the ‘first movers’ to provide smart field instruments with its InteliSENS product lines using embedded Ethernet TCP/IP, RS232 and CANbus communications.

Subsequently Ethernet I/P, DeviceNet, ProfiBus, ProfiNet, Bluetooth and WiFi have been added, allowing these to be networked with PLC, DCS and other compliant platforms. Also, operators can view InteliSENS data on tablet devices in real time, while collaborating with supervisors and technicians. According to Proton Products, plantwide connectivity has helped place the company ahead of the field as information carriers by allowing its customers to bridge their digital and physical assets.

Proton Products claims that its InteliSENS family supports intelligent decision-making for the metals industries. The InteliSENS SL/SLR Series of non-contact laser Doppler speed and length sensors have the fastest measurement performance and the highest resolution available on the market, says the company, adding that they are designed for outstanding results with a measurement update rate of 100kHz, a repeatability of ±0.02% and product acceleration rates of over 500m/ s2. These intelligent sensors provide large, transparent, reliable data sources for high-value process modelling, advanced controls and information analysis, the company explained.

As Industry 4.0 develops, Proton www.steeltimesint.com

43

INNOVATIONS

USA-based Magnetic Analysis Corporation (MAC), a leader in non-destructive testing, is celebrating 90 years of designing and supplying inspection instruments and systems for metal manufacturers throughout the world.

The company was founded in 1928 in Long Island City, NY, at a time when testing usually meant “sampling” procedures that destroyed or altered the product being tested. MAC developed electromagnetic techniques to “non-destructively” test steel bars without modifying the product. In 1934, MAC introduced the first successful tester to identify cracks in steel bars in a production mill.

Today, MAC operates on an international scale and continues to find innovative ways to help tube, bar, wire, and parts producers meet increasingly demanding specifications for quality.

Dudley Boden, MAC’s president and CEO, commented: “Using our unique ability and experience with multiple technologies, including eddy current, ultrasonic, phased array, and flux leakage, we don’t just sell a product, we sell a solution – a test solution that is based on the customer’s product, mill configuration, specifications, applications, budget and other specific needs”.

He added that “as we celebrate this 90-year milestone, we are renewing our

Dudley Boden, MAC’s president and CEO

Magnetic Analysis Corporation celebrates 90 years longstanding dedication to customer service, while at the same time focusing on an exciting future for NDT with new technologies and applications.”

Three facilities form the backbone of the company: MAC’s ISO 90012015 certified manufacturing and engineering headquarters in Elmsford, NY; a manufacturing and ISO/IEC 17025:2005 laboratory-certified plant in Boardman, Ohio; and Magnetic

Analysis Nordic’s manufacturing plant in Östersund, Sweden.

With the support of its subsidiaries, field engineers and representatives, MAC serves customers throughout Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, South America, India, Korea, China and Australia.

For further information, log on to www.mac-ndt.com

dustries Products has continued to collect, share and analyse information with its customers to help build their ‘digital environment’. Proton Products claims that its advances in integration and intelligence represents ‘a flexible automation ‘value chain’ for industrial processes’.

The company claims that its InteliSENS digital concepts and integrated solutions now provide ‘a modular approach to this value chain that supports the ‘smart factory’ concept with physical measurements, connectivity and intelligence to minimise production costs and maximise output’.

For further information, log on to www.protonproducts.com www.steeltimesint.com

Digital Edition - July/August 2018

44

INNOVATIONS

Fuchs UK wins British Steel Supplier Recognition Awards 2018

From left, Chris Morris (FUCHS key account manager - steel), Paul Martin (British Steel deputy CEO) and Richard Halhead (Fuchs Lubricants UK plc managing director)

British Steel’s first Supplier Awards were held at British Steel in Scunthorpe and Fuchs Lubricants won the Best Overall Collaboration Award and Overall Best Supplier for the year to March 2018.

According to Fuchs, to be eligible for the collaboration category, suppliers were required to demonstrate how collaborative efforts have yielded a tangible benefit for both parties with Digital Edition - July/August 2018

real evidence of success in the form of improved efficiencies, innovative new approaches, new product development, reduced cost and reduced risk.

Speaking at British Steel in Scunthorpe shortly after the award was announced, a jubilant Richard Halhead, managing director of Fuchs Lubricants UK said: “This award confirms that by working together and focussing on improvements there is no lubricant com-

pany in the UK who can do it better!”

Chris Morris, Fuchs’ key account manager for steel, commented: “It’s a great honour to have received two awards from British Steel – a company we’re extremely proud to work with.”

For further information, log on to www.fuchs.com www.steeltimesint.com

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46

INNOVATIONS

Endress + Hauser launches e-commerce platform

Endress+Hauser, a global leader in measurement instrumentation, has introduced an e-commerce platform offering customers a personalised shopping experience with a wealth of new features.

It is claimed that the platform allows customers to purchase online and provides 24/7 access to detailed information directly on the website for both online and offline orders.

Features include the ability to access RFQs, quotes and orders all in one place. Customers can also add products to a shopping cart and see their own pricing details. In fact, Endress + Hauser claims that ‘the new experience streamlines customer procurement processes both online and offline.

Digital Edition - July/August 2018

According to Endress + Hauser, all transactions are available online, including all purchase documents, and it’s easy to check the status of current orders and see order history. Products can be saved in favourite lists for re-ordering purposes and users can assign their own references to products.

When users prefer to request a quote first, or ask for technical support, the company’s sales representative network is easily accessible to finalise customer/ user selection.

Users can set up a secure account and password and, once created, will have access to view and make selections and purchases from Endress + Hauser’s complete portfolio.

For further information, log on to www.us.endress.com

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CMI Industry is established in North America, China, Europe, India and Russia. It can also rely on the worldwide network of the CMI Group.

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