POWDER TECHNOLOGY
Over the last century, commercial production of various metal powders has seen exceptional growth with wide ranging applications in a myriad of different industries such as the press- and sinter (P&S) industry, the hot isostatic pressing (HIP) industry as well as in newly emerging and high demanding industries like metal injection molding (MIM) and metal additive manufacturing (AM).
Today’s commercially available gas atomization systems were developed in the 1980’s and mainly intended for use in industries such as HIP or P&S. The originally intended process for these powder batches may not require the same high quality as powders used in newer processes and as such their performance in an AM process may not be adequate or as expected. In addition to the dedicated particle fraction and sphericity required by the AM industry, consistency in powder quality and purity is crucial, which is difficult to achieve using conventional production technologies.
Focusing on these newly emerging powder specifications and requirements, INTECO has developed the „next generation“ gas atomization system, combining innovative developments in atomization technology and in-depth process know-how. Today, INTECO offers a wide range of newly developed technologies for the production of metal powders for various steels, nickel and cobalt superalloys as well as titanium and its alloys, meeting today’s requirements with respect to cost, quality and yield.
Since the development of the patented Electro Slag Heating (ESH) process in the 1980’s INTECO has played a major role in the development of today’s state of the art production process for tool steel powder. The trend towards an increasing tundish size to accommodate the whole liquid metal before atomization creates the necessity for a suitable tundish heating system in order to maintain constant metal temperature over a long period of time before and during atomization. The result of this process is powder of highest cleanliness (e.g. low non-metallic inclusions) with constant properties throughout the whole atomization process.
INTECO is the only company which has the technology and process know how for the complete production process including melting, electro-slag heating, gas atomization as well as powder encapsulation for the subsequent hot isostatic pressing (HIP) process.
For the production of specialty powder such as nickel and cobalt base powder the gas atomization method has been recognized as the predominant production technology. INTECO’s design solutions are focused on highest powder quality and powder yield in order to satisfy the requirements of the highest demanding industries such as additive manufacturing (AM).
INTECO has developed the “next-generation” gas atomization system, dedicated to today’s requirements and pushing production yield and powder performance to the next level.
- Customized system design based on the required powder specification
- Automated crucible tilting mechanism for a controlled and constant metal pouring rate
- Precise pouring control during atomization for improved pouring accuracy
- Innovative nozzle design for maximum powder yield
- Anti-Satelliting technology for high powder flowability and sphericity
- Efficient tundish heating system with orifice preheating and tundish cover
- Efficient powder recycling system for oxygen free charging of revert powder
- Excellent possibility for alloy development by charging, alloying, sampling and temperature measurement under vacuum or inert gas
- Innovative powder cooling system for quick cycle times
- Highest degree of process automation, monitoring and process observation as well as evaluation
- Easy maintenance and cleaning for quick and reliable change of grades to avoid contamination
- All critical parts made of stainless steel with grounded and smooth surfaces
- Excellent plant ergonomics and operator safety
- Holistic process and production management system (IMAS) covering the complete powder production process
Digitalization and smart production are transforming the steel industry, driving development and change. At INTECO, we offer not only first-class engineering in plant construction, but also customized digital solutions tailored to our customers’ demands. Enhance your production with our digital solutions and utilize the collected data to make strategic adjustments and drive continuous progress.
The INTECO heating controller for EPH and ESH is a sophisticated solution for tundish heating. The basic design offers a cascaded control function for temperature control based on a fixed value or a temperature profile. It features automatic slag melting, immersion depth control and detection of stirring problems. Optionally, a temperature and prediction model can be applied using tundish condition and history as well as data of successful heat levels for predicting and controlling the temperature and making the system independent from a temperature signal.
The thermochemical model calculates oxide and element activities based on current process conditions and events, current heat state and energy losses and gains. In this context, IMAS modeling includes a thermophysical property library, reaction enthalpies, coefficients for interactions providing the necessary parameters, and coefficients to determine and calculate the activities.
The temperature model accounts for the temperature losses due to radiation and convection as well as the changes in temperature due to purging, material addition and heating. Temperature changes due to reactions are also taken into account and are therefore coupled with the basic thermochemical model. Both are not only used to calculate the actual heat state but also to predict take-over time and temperature.
The smart process camera is a retractable and therefore well protected optical system that directly streams a high-resolution video to the control room to ensure safe low-manpower operation. The optional thermal imaging variant provides a clear view through smoke and dust and serves for automatic stirring adjustment. Additional generated process information such as slag height and stirring eye detection enhances metallurgical model accuracy and safety.
The cost-optimized charge mix calculation and optimization tool calculates the exact and cost-optimized material mix and quantity to achieve the target composition. The calculation can be based on previously prepared materials, on strategic material storage, or a combination of both, optimizing material handling by using broken lots. Micro-dosing units and segregation optimization for heavy elements can also be implemented. The tool supports compacting by considering fractional sizes, ensuring perfect physical compacting. Both, ingot and slab-based, as well as batch-based optimization are possible.
Projects
MIMETE S.r.l.
Ruspolymet
Ruspolymet
Tiangong Aihe
BÖHLER Edelstahl
