Steel Degassing Solutions - Brochure
Edwards vacuum pumps operate in harsh metallurgical environments
From the transportation industry to knives, tools, and construction materials for skyscrapers and bridges, metals are essential to modern society. Refining and processing these metals for everyday applications involves a complex array of stages and techniques, many of which depend on advanced vacuum technology. Edwards offers an extensive portfolio of vacuum pumps and systems and expertise, delivering ideal vacuum solutions tailored to meet the requirements for the metallurgy industry.
Vacuum processes in Metallurgy
Vacuum is applied in various process steps across the entire manufacturing chain, starting with the liquid phase refining in steelmaking and special metallurgical applications to improve the material characteristics and structure, down to various heat treatment processes on finished or semi-finished work pieces
Metals can be categorized as ferrous or non-ferrous, each offering unique properties and requiring specific processing methods. Ferrous metals are iron based, they are widely used for construction (building, transportation), as well as for machine components.
Non-ferrous metals, include a wide range of metals such as nickel, titanium, and aluminum, offering unique physical and chemical properties. Alloying elements like carbon can enhance these properties to achieve desired material properties for challenging applications like in aerospace industry.
Our range of vacuum pumps and systems, some built especially for metallurgy has been designed to provide reliable vacuum in even the harshest process challenges of the metallurgical industries, delivering an optimal vacuum capacity with low energy consumption.
Steel Degassing
Secondary metallurgy is applied in the early phase of the steel production process. Vacuum is applied during steel degassing to remove hydrogen and nitrogen from molten steel, making it stronger and less brittle, for special steel grades the carbon content is reduced with oxygen decarburization. Edwards offers advanced modular dry mechanical vacuum systems such as the Edwards Steel Degassing Module (ESDM) which is designed to meet high performance needs, for process and fast pump down whilst effectively handling argon and dust.
The ESDM is a sustainable alternative to traditional steam ejectors while maintaining high efficiency. By leveraging Edwards advanced vacuum expertise, these innovative systems reduce the environmental impact associated with steam ejector operations. They offer improved energy efficiency, lower resource consumption, and a smaller carbon footprint, aligning with global sustainability goals. This makes them an ideal choice for steel industries aiming to transition without compromising performance.
Special Metallurgy
Special metallurgy uses vacuum processes to produce exceptional material qualities and structures. Tertiary metallurgy involves remelting under vacuum, improving the homogeneity and microstructure of ferrous materials, often required in aerospace applications. Special Metallurgy is essential for creating superalloys, primarily nickel or cobalt-based, known for their strength, high-temperature tolerance, and corrosion resistance. These superalloys are used in aerospace, ships, turbines, reactors, and other demanding environments.
Remelting is also used for Powder Atomization an application in the fast-evolving Powder Metallurgy. Materials range from refractory (i.e. Tungsten) and hard materials to wear-resistant materials, magnets, porous metals and mixtures of dissimilar metals to achieve unique properties.
Vacuum is also applied to special shaping processes for near-shape parts, such as PIC precision investment casting and MIM metal injection moulding for powder metallurgy.
Edwards provides reliable vacuum solutions, including Stokes piston pumps and boosters, robust wet technology, and modern dry pumps designed to deliver lower cost of ownership. Our oil-free vacuum systems, such as the GXS and PXH ranges, ensure consistent, reproducible results. Additionally, our oil vapour boosters (18B4, 30B5) offer superior performance at lower pressures, meeting the demands of even the most challenging applications.
Heat Treatment
Heat treatment, applied to solid-state materials, enhances metal properties without altering its chemical makeup. Vacuum heat treatment can be applied to the entire metal structure or just the surface for hardness. It’s also key for joining processes like brazing and welding, providing a clean, oxygen-free environment crucial for optimal results in thermal treatments.
Thermo-chemical processes involve the combined use of heat and chemical reactions to transform materials or substances into new forms, often with enhanced properties. These processes are critical in industries such as metallurgy, chemical manufacturing, and energy production, enabling efficient material synthesis.
Debinding and sintering are key stages in the production of metal components, typically carried out in specialised heat treatment furnaces. Debinding removes binders from green parts, while sintering uses high temperatures to densify and strengthen the material, creating finished components with exceptional mechanical properties and precision.
Edwards wet pumps, cost effective dry pumps or intelligent dry pumps offering pressure control options, for installation beside the furnace, high vacuum pumps, diffusion pumps and increasingly turbopumps for industrial applications with unbeatable high performance.
Edwards has a broad portfolio of products and can provide a solution based on the process need. Dry pumping is the optimum solution for harsh and challenging processes or where the cleanliness of final product is essential. It is also environmentally friendly as it eliminates handling and disposal of contaminated oil. Our intelligent dry pumps also feature a fully enabled on-board control system delivering benefits for the metallurgical processes.
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