A new concept for bell annealer handling systems
The following requirements characterize conventional bell annealer installations:
- A reinforced shop structure and an overhead crane
- High crane hook elevation or installation of the facility in a foundation trench
- Continuous presence of operator personnel to manually handle the bells, as well as to charge/decharge the coils at the workbase
As in some cases these requirements lead to high investment costs or cannot be met, EBNER decided about two years ago to develop a completely new concept for thev handling systems at HICON/H2® bell annealer facilities.
The new concept is based around a handling device with an elevator car installed at shop floor level, which is designed to travel on rails. This handling device shifts entire charge stacks in one step, and is also used to shift heating bells, cooling bells and inner covers fully automatically. All these tasks can be carried out without an overhead crane.
The first order
The new charging concept was first announced by EBNER at the WIRE & TUBE 2018 trade fair in Düsseldorf, Germany. Only three months later, Wieland Austria was convinced by the new concept and an order was placed for the turn-key delivery of a HICON/H2 ® bell annealer facility to heat treat copper and copper alloy LWC coils.
The facility is comprised of two workbases, each with a stack height of 2350 mm, a gas-fired heating bell, two air / water cooling bells and a handling system (charger). The scope of supply also included special processing equipment required for the heat treatment of copper tube that sees use both before and during heat treatment, such as an N2/H2 mixing system to generate process atmosphere, a vacuum pump unit and an internal tube purging system. The entire process sequence, from the placement of an assembled charge stack, actual heat treatment with the heating and cooling sequences and on to retrieval of the charge takes place fully automatically, without any manual intervention.
A state-of-the-art process control system to monitor and supervise the process sequence, record and archive relevant process data and perform all data handling tasks – from planning to data exchange with the customer’s production control system – was also installed.