TimkenSteel and SMS Meer develop advanced quench and temper facility

TimkenSteel has placed an order with SMS Meer to design, construct and install a complete new heat treatment plant for TimkenSteel at the company’s Gambrinus complex in Canton, Ohio, USA.

The new heat treatment line, an AQTF (Advanced Quench and Temper Facility), will set new performance standards among existing comparable facilities. TimkenSteel and SMS Meer have jointly developed the AQTF. The line combines induction preheaters and heating furnaces for both the austenitizing and tempering processes.

It will be capable of processing up to ten tons per hour of tubes and bars, ranging from four to 13 inches in diameter and a variety of different steel grades of TimkenSteel’s portfolio. The heart of the AQTF line will be the brand new Quenching Shell an advanced water spray system which can be used flexibly for different products and it is characterized by its adaptability to changing process conditions.

SMS Meer is continuously developing its products further and the Quenching Shell is the result of intensive research and development work promising to become the next generation’s standard for similar applications.

SMS Meer will take the plant into operation in Ohio in the Q2 of 2015. With a time period of one and a half years from new construction to production very tight targets have been implemented. Erection and commissioning at TimkenSteel in the area of heat treatment are included in the order for the first time.

SMS Meer and TimkenSteel have been engaged in a long-lasting cooperation. TimkenSteel manufactures customized steel products and provides services for demanding applications. The company is the leader in North America in large alloy steel bars (six inches plus) and seamless mechanical tubes made of special bar steel grades. Timken Steel posted sales of USD 1.4 billion in 2013.