Global leader in Aluminum plate heat treatment
EBNER | Markus Gangl, Senior Product Manager Aluminum
EBNER – global leader in Aluminum plate heat treatment
Innovation, precision and decades of experience have made EBNER the world’s technology leader in the heat treatment of aluminum plates for the aerospace industry.
The requirements placed on modern aircraft components are constantly increasing: maximum load capacity, highest material quality and absolute process reliability are essential criteria that manufacturers and suppliers must meet. Aluminum plates that will be used in safety-related parts are subject to strict regulations, such as the international AMS2750 standards. For furnace manufacturers, this presents a complex set of challenges—challenges that EBNER has been successfully tackling for decades. Last year alone, EBNER sold three new facilities in this technology class – clear evidence of the industry’s confidence in the performance and reliability of these systems.
35 YEARS AS THE TECHNOLOGY LEADER
Over thirty years ago, the first EBNER roller-hearth furnace for the heat treatment of aluminum plates went into operation. Even then, the quality requirements placed by the aerospace industry were fulfilled. However, standing still is not an option for EBNER.
Through close cooperation between the R&D team and the Engineering Department, the technology undergoes constant development geared towards the increasing demands of the customers.
Our focus has been on two central factors affecting product quality:
- highest degree of temperature uniformity in the furnace
- precise, fast and uniform cooling in the water quench
These two process steps play a particular role in shaping the metallurgical properties of the finished plate and determining its subsequent suitability for use in aviation.
PRECISE TEMPERATURE CONTROL AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL
To achieve temperature accuracies better than ± 2 °C, each furnace zone is divided into sections that can be individually controlled. This high level of granularity allows the temperature profile to be adapted precisely to the plate geometry.
In addition, EBNER implements an extremely accurate process cooling system that compensates for excess energy in the process and prevents even minimal spikes in temperature. Working with the principles of the proven HICON® high convection system, extremely efficient heat transfer is achieved.
Large, high-pressure impellers, powered by frequency-controlled motors, ensure that the furnace atmosphere has a significantly high circulation rate and a superior coefficient of heat transfer.
THE QUENCH – THE HEART OF THE SOLUTION HEAT TREATMENT PROCESS
After the charge has reached solution temperature, the most critical step in heat treatment begins: quenching.
An EBNER quench is divided into three zones:
- HIGH-PRESSURE QUENCH: Critical for the establishment of metallurgical properties
- LOW-PRESSURE QUENCH: Inhibits reheating caused by residual energy
- DRYER: Removes any remaining water from the surface of the plate
A particularly innovative feature is the height-adjustable high-pressure quench, which offers maximum flexibility for a wide range of plate thicknesses. Symmetrical sprays of water from above and below ensure uniform cooling throughout the entire thickness of a plate. The special arrangement of the high-pressure nozzles also ensures that the cooling rate remains linear across the width of the plate – a key advantage for homogeneous metallurgical characteristics.
Due to the high water pressure, the film of water on the plate surface is constantly broken up. In contrast to conventional quenching systems, this approach prevents creation of the Leidenfrost (vapor film) effect and fresh cold water can be continuously applied. This results in maximal uniform physical properties, an aspect that is clearly demonstrated by conductivity testing.
NEXT-GENERATION ENERGY EFFICIENCY
EBNER does not only set benchmarks for quality but also in energy efficiency. For example, optional temperature measurement systems can be integrated into a charging roller table to calculate the thermal energy present in hot plates arriving straight from the hot rolling process. This energy calculation then flows directly into the calculations for the furnace recipe. High entry temperatures shorten the heating-up phase, reducing overall energy consumption—a clear economic and environmental benefit.
SOFTWARE MODULES THAT REVOLUTIONIZE TESTING PROCESSES
With its VISUALFURNACES® SURVEYperfect software module, EBNER has fundamentally simplified and optimized how the heat treatment industry takes safety-related and quality assurance measurements. Compliance with the AMS2750 and CQI-9 standards is not only assured, but requirements are fulfilled more efficiently than ever.
The module provides a menu-based approach to required Instrumentation Tests (IT), System Accuracy Tests (SAT) and Temperature Uniformity Surveys (TUS). Fully integrated into the VISUALFURNACES® Process Control System (PCS), the module allows all documents, measuring points, test instruments and results to be clearly organized and centrally managed. This ensures transparency, increasing traceability for both the user and quality assurance teams.
Along with the automated recording of data, the system compiles test reports that comply with the standards used in safety-critical sectors such as the aerospace or automotive industries. To ensure operational safety is at a maximum, SURVEYperfect also includes automatic reminder functions – informing operators of upcoming tests and when thermocouples and measuring devices require calibration. This ensures that no safety-critical measures are overlooked.
A TECHNOLOGICAL BENCHMARK – AND FAR FROM DONE
EBNER roller-hearth furnaces are the technological benchmark for heat treatment of aluminum plate. Continuous development over the course of numerous projects has ensured that this type of facility has been constantly improved. Our teams from the R&D and Engineering Departments are currently working intensively on new designs, particularly ones intended to revolutionize heat treatment of thin plate and sheet.
EBNER is sticking to the path that has distinguished us for decades:
being both a global leader in innovation and in the heat treatment of aluminum plates for demanding applications – particularly aerospace.