Aluminum Extrusion (Qalex) for the supply and installation of an NX-1015 potential-controlled gas nitriding system configured for treating various sizes of flat and hollow dies used in the production of aluminum extruded profiles for construction and transportation.
Qalex sought to adopt new technological innovations in nitriding after equipment and die quality requirements could not be met with its existing fluidized bed nitrider. Specifically, the company wanted to automate nitriding operations, cut gas consumption, eliminate post-nitriding cleaning operations, and take advantage of cutting-edge equipment that maximizes control of the process and guarantees repeatable results.
The NX-1015 furnace has a load capacity of 4400 pounds, and while this is slightly larger than current production needs, the additional capacity will accommodate future growth, when Qalex adds a second extrusion press. The precise interaction between the furnace and advanced control system allows the atmosphere to be adjusted automatically, according to the recipe and parameters entered.
Integral to the system operation, Nitreg technology is customized and pre-tested for extrusion dies to ensure optimum results of the nitrided layer, as well as to obtain repeatable results and higher throughput per die. Thanks to closed-loop control, the Nitrex nitriding system and process are more efficient, producing best results, while minimizing gas consumption and electricity. Additionally, by switching over, Qalex has simplified the sequence of its operations, eliminating die cleaning activities and reducing maintenance costs.
The installation and startup of the new system was completed in January 2018.
www.nitrex.com
