The design also allows for two mandrels that in turn move in and out of the blast chamber via a large door. This means loading/unloading of coils onto the mandrel can happen while another coil is being processed, reducing cycle times. The transport of the mandrels has been developed with a relatively small footprint in mind (i.e., upwards movement of one mandrel to make room for the other mandrel to pass through underneath), ensuring the extra space required for loading is reduced.
New coil descaling machine for high uptime and low maintenance
SeAH CSS, a leading manufacturer of special steels, has ordered a new type of coil descaling machine from Wheelabrator, replacing chemical descaling processes. Across the SeAH family of companies there are already thirteen Wheelabrator descaling machine (for wire and bar) in operation, which have been introduced since 2014 to gradually move from chemical to mechanical descaling.
The new coil descaling machine, type WCD, was developed for high uptime and low maintenance. Most other shot blast machines available for this application feature a mandrel - to hold the coil during blasting - that is commonly attached to the machine door along with the drives that rotate it.
With the new design from Wheelabrator, the mandrel is independent from the door and rotated by rollers that are moved by drives located outside the blast area.
This hugely reduces wear on key components.
The inside of the blast chamber is clad with Manganese plates throughout, not just in the immediate impact area, reducing wear and maintenance requirements. A labyrinth seal on the door prevents abrasive leakage, and abrasive is collected and recycled automatically.
The length of the mandrel can be adjusted to individual needs and the machine is available with several heavy-duty blast wheel options (6 or 8 U70 blast wheels, with 30, 37 or 45kW power). The machine for SeAH is a WCD-8-37/16-55-200, with 8 blast wheels of 37kW each, it is scheduled to be delivered at the end of 2020.
Viktor Lussi,
Vice President Special Projects
Wheelabrator Technology Centre Zürich
"This new machine perfectly suits the needs of an ambitious company like SeAH CSS. The clever design results in a more streamlined workflow while reducing the presence of key components inside the blast chamber hugely reduced wear and thereby maintenance requirements. It’s an incredibly robust machine that fits right into high-availability, high-efficiency production environments. We’re looking forward to continuing our highly successful partnership with SeAH and will look to keep their descaling operations at the cutting edge of technology."