Precision in Motion: Inside PRO-TEC’s Continuous Annealing Line
At PRO-TEC, our Continuous Annealing Line is a seamless, high-tech operation designed to enhance the strength, surface quality, and flatness of steel for automotive and advanced manufacturing applications. From automated coil handling and precision cleaning to environmental sustainability and quality assurance, every step of the process is optimized for efficiency and excellence. Explore how our state-of-the-art annealing line transforms raw steel into high-performance material, ready to meet the demands of the modern industry.
1. Shipping & Receiving
Cold-reduced coils are received and shipped by covered rail and truck.
50-ton overhead, remote-controlled cranes unload and place incoming coils onto transfer cars, which move them into the automated warehouse.
2. Automated Warehouse
Automated cranes select coils based upon production schedules and place them onto the transfer car in the appropriate sequence for the line.
3. Entry/Cleaner
An incoming coil is loaded onto one of the two pay-off reels.
While a coil is being processed on one reel, another is being prepared to be welded from the other reel.
The entry section is stopped to weld the head end of a new coil to the tail end of the coil being processed, beginning the continuous process operation.
The entry accumulator stores the steel sheet to enable welding and maintaining the continuous process operation.
The cleaner removes mill oils and iron fines before the steel sheet enters the annealing furnace.
4. Environmental Operations
Environmental operations include equipment that controls chemical supply, cooling water and waste water treatment systems to support line operation.
The waste water treatment system utilizes ultra filtration and reverse osmosis equipment for water reclamation from two waste streams with up to 80 percent water recovery and reuse.
5. Temper Rolling/Tension Leveling
The temper rolling mill imparts required surface roughness and appearance, and limits yield-point elongation by a controlled compression and elongation of the steel sheet.
The tension leveler extends the steel sheet over bending rolls to produce superior flatness - vital for the efficient fabrication of lightweight automotive parts.
The line also features inline chemical roll coaters.
6. Delivery
The delivery accumulator stores the steel sheet while the coil is cut and discharged to maintain continuous process operation.
Automated surface inspection system constantly records the steel sheet’s surface condition in addition to visual inspection by quality assurance personnel.
A high-speed delivery shear cuts the coil to desired customer lengths, as well as cuts samples for quality assurance testing.
Two tension reels, one operating and one stand-by, wind the coil to the required tension.
A coil car removes the processed coil from the tension reel; the coil is transported for further processing at the recoil line, packaging and to the shipping bay for delivery to the customer.
7. Re-coil Line
Inspection, oiling and side trimming occur on our re-coil line. The re-coil line has the capability to reverse the strip surface and wind to a 20.0” or 24.0” inner diameter.
8. Packaging
Finished product is banded and wrapped according to customer specifications.
Each coil is provided with edge protection and stretch wrapped.