HICON/H2
annealing and coating line (ACL)

EBNER | Products | Steel industry | Electrical steel strip | Annealing and coating line (ACL)

Heat treatment furnace facilities for the steel industry

HICON/H2 annealing and coating line (ACL).

After cold rolling, the highly worked non-grain-oriented electrical steel strip (NGO) is recrystallized in a continuous furnace and the grain size is adjusted by secondary recrystallization.

A thin layer of insulating lacquer is then applied in-line with a roller coater, in order to reduce eddy current losses in the electrical motor and prevent corrosion. 

The process steps for this phase of production are as follows:
  • Multi-stage strip cleaning
  • Rapid strip heating in the heating-up section of the continuous furnace (optionally with a rapid heating system)
  • Annealing for recrystallization and discontinuous grain growth in an extremely pure hydrogen atmosphere
  • Controlled cooling in the slow cooling zone and final cooling zone
  • Coating using a roller coater and drying equipment

The special design features of this system deliver the following advantages:

  • Lowest dewpoints due to excellent furnace sealing concept and up to 100 % hydrogen process atmosphere to avoid surface oxidation, particularly for the highest-quality grades of electrical steel (> 2.5 % Si)
    at annealing temperatures > 1000 °C
  • Homogeneous slow cooling over the width of the strip in the cooling zone, for optimum flatness → good punching and laser cutting
    properties in the electrical steel strip
  • Material temperatures up to > 1100 °C feasible, especially with highly-
    efficient power plant grades such as M230-50A (> 3 % Si)
  • Strip as thin as 0.18 mm can be produced for high-frequency applications
  • Resource-saving and tailor-made furnace design to minimize wear part, utility and investment costs
  • State-of-the-art heating system technology and rapid heating-up systems for high heating gradients to achieve improved texture
    (crystalline orientation)
  • Process simulation before heat treatment makes it possible to identify suitable annealing programs to achieve the specified magnetic and mechanical properties