Nickel-coated steel strip, manufactured from a low-carbon material and with a small proportion of alloying elements, is generally used to create battery steels. Depending on the thickness of the strip, the desired mechanical properties and the intended application, a number of different processing methods may be employed. The special heat treatment process used in the manufacture of such strip can be carried out either in a proven HICON/H2 bell annealer facility, with the strip in coil form, or in a continuous process in a continuous heat treatment facility.
For the continuous process, EBNER has developed an innovative new design: the horizontal GREENCAL continuous annealing line. This design allows every heat treatment technology used in the manufacture of Ni-coated steel strip to be incorporated into a single processing line.
The combination of extremely pure process atmosphere and high convection leads to an extremely precise temperature distribution across the width of the strip, even as it also provides a high throughput and reproducible material properties.