NS4185en

This story is also available in the languages above

NEW HEAT-TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY FROM FINLAND
for the power generation, process engineering, offshore, metals, welding, mechanical handling and heavy engineering industries

Fig 1 - High Resolution download - Click Here
Fig 2 - High Resolution download - Click Here

In 2004, the World Economic Forum ranked Finland as the most competitive country in the world - ahead of the US, all the other Nordic countries, Japan and Great Britain, for example.

A typical company is Heatmasters Oy of Lahti, Finland, heat-treatment specialists who have harnessed the advantages of computer-, information- and GSM technologies to enable their new generation controllers, heat-treatment software and program controllers to provide long-distance process monitoring from one country to another, worldwide alarm systems, fast calibration and simple document creation and transfer, as well as the computer storage of heat- treatment programs and results. The company uses both stationary and mobile furnaces to carry out heat treatment projects in over 20 countries.

Control and GSM Alarm systems for Dutch furnace

Recently, Heatmasters completely renewed a heat-treatment furnace for Siemens Demag Delaval in Hengelo, Netherlands. The control system consists of HM2000 heat-treatment control software and HM Rige/26 program controllers for the wireless control of heating devices. The systems control the entire process from preparing heat-treatment instructions to maintaining records and storing results.

When Heatmasters HM-Rigel26 controllers are equipped with HM-IceStar control cards, this enables worldwide alarm and monitoring of heat treatment processes because the control card includes an alarm board and a GSM modem. The distance between the process supervisor and the heating unit is unlimited and can be used to enable alarm messages and process data, in the form of an SMS message, to be passed directly to a mobile phone.

The HM-IceStar alarm system with a monitoring facility also make it possible to carry out long-distance programming, and request the status of process parameters at any time with a GSM-phone. The system has many options; for example, in an emergency, the operator can send an SMS message, or even make phone calls from the heating unit.

At Hengelo, the control system is equipped with a GSM-alarm system to provide safe and secure heat-treatment processes.

Site work and training in the oil industry

When working on site, the areas for heat treatment are often difficult to access. To avoid accidents and make the work easier, Heatmasters' control systems and program controllers enable radio modems to be used for wireless communication between the PC and heating unit which may be several kilometers away.

For example, at the Nakhodka, Russia construction site (Fig.1) of the company RR-Offshore Oy, a subcontractor to Aker, the company requested not only high-tech equipment, but also expertise in heat-treatment technology. Heatmasters delivered heat-treatment units and also supplied a technician to supervise the equipment's performance and to train local workers in the art of achieving high-quality heat-treatment performance. The oil platforms will be delivered to the Russian oilfield area of Sakhalin.

Heat-treating large vessels and castings

Heatmasters has also helped the Antritz Power Company with the on-site heat treatment of large vessels. When Antritz produced a process vessel measuring Ø4x80m for the Fortum refinery in Finland (Fig.2), the heat treatment was carried out by Heatmasters' service company. The vessel was treated in two parts and the joint weld was treated on site.

HEATMASTERS Oy
Koneharjunkatu 9
FI-15850 Lahti,
Finland
Tel: +358 3 882 770
Fax: +358 3 8811 770

www.heatmasters.net