ConAg equipment, rail car, tank/vessel manufacturers and other users of large plate sections can really appreciate a dry, scale-free product. It would simplify their paint prep, keep their shops much cleaner and eliminate blasting operations. But it’s a product that is very difficult to source because there are few acid pickling lines that can run material over 12.5mm (0.50″) thick and few CTL processors who can turn coils of 12.5mm – 25mm (1/2″ – 1″) material into sheets.
Why not combine the pickling and CTL operations into a single processing line? That’s exactly what our new patent-pending** development does. Integrating a smaller EPS Cell into a heavy gage Stretcher Leveling or Temper Pass CTL line creates an efficient, compact CTL line that produces ‘stay flat’, dry, rust-resistance plate up to 25mm (1″) thick. The illustration below depicts this system and you can watch a short video animation of the concept by clicking here:
An Integrated EPS CTL Line for Plate Up to 25mm (1″) (click image to enlarge)
As the illustration shows, the EPS Cell extends the length of the heavy gauge CTL line by a small amount. Better yet, it presents only a modest increase in the line’s capital cost because it uses the Version 6 EPS Cell with only 4 Slurry Turbines – two above the plate and two below – instead of the normal 8. Fewer Slurry Turbines can still achieve the needed scale removal at attractive line speeds for a CTL line handling 12.5mm to 25mm (1/2″ to 1″) material. If the plate only needs to be ‘cleaned up’, rather than thoroughly pickled, the speed can be increased up to 3X. And for orders that require no descaling, the EPS Cell is simply turned off and the line operates as a normal CTL line.
While our depictions of this CTL show the 4 Turbine EPS Cell paired with a Heavy Gage Stretcher Leveler (a combination which produces the popular EPS Unlimited product), the concept also applies to a Temper Pass CTL line. Either way, the product is a thoroughly pickled, dry, rust-resistant plate product with an optimized surface that provides superior paint performance and appearance. The EPS surface also eliminates or minimizes many typical mill defects, giving you a uniform, lustrous finish that you just won’t find on other plate products.
If you’d like to learn more about this innovative concept, please contact Chris Liefer at 618 282-4200 ext. 103 or chris.liefer@thematerialworks.com.
** US Patent App. No. 15/968,107