New Technology Boosts Productivity of Aluminum-Sheet Annealing

MURRAY HILL, N.J. and NEW PROVIDENCE, N.J., March 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Sheet aluminum for auto and truck bodies remains the top growth area as the industry shifts to lighter-weight vehicles. Now a new technology from Linde for continuously annealing cold-rolled strip aluminum may soon speed production. Details about the new technology will be presented at TMS 2015, March 15-19, at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

In a paper titled, "Direct Flame Impingement (DFI) – a new oxy-fuel based technology for continuous annealing of aluminum strip," Linde senior nonferrous expert Henrik Gripenberg will discuss DFI technology, applications, and pilot test results. The presentation, part of the Aluminum Processing Symposium, session 1, is scheduled for March 16^th at 2:50 p.m., at the Dolphin - Southern Hemisphere I. 

"Annealing aluminum autobody sheet is our No. 1 candidate for this patented oxyfuel process."    
        -- Henrik Gripenberg, applications development team, nonferrous metals, Linde

With Linde's Direct Flame Impingement technology, oxyfuel flames directly heat the metal strip as it passes through the annealing furnace.  The process can achieve heat transfer rates up to 10 times higher than those in conventional fuel-fired furnaces. The Linde DFI technology has been boosting productivity of continuous steel hot-dip galvanizing lines for nearly 10 years, with capacity increases in excess of 25 percent. 

As automakers race to satisfy new 54.5 mile-per-gallon corporate average fuel-efficiency (CAFE) targets for 2025, they are planning to use more aluminum in doors, hoods and other parts beginning in the next few years.  Aluminum is about one-third lighter than steel, and a 10 percent reduction in weight means about a 7 percent improvement in fuel economy for the life of the average vehicle.

Linde provides industry-leading portfolio solutions for the ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy industries, ranging from gases and equipment to process consulting and services. For more information, contact Linde (www.lindeus.com), 800-755-9277.

About Linde LLC in North America
Linde LLC is a member of The Linde Group. In the 2013 financial year, The Linde Group generated revenue of USD 23.1 bn (EUR 16.655 bn), making it the largest gases and engineering company in the world with approximately 63,500 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards long-term profitable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. The company is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

For more information, visit www.lindeus.com

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SOURCE Linde North America

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