A major automotive parts supplier has awarded a contract for the complete overhaul and refurbishment of a cast link belt normalizing furnace to Can-Eng Furnaces International Ltd. Designed and manufactured by Can-Eng in 1996, the equipment was originally rated at 27,000 lbs./h of hot charged closed die forgings and was known to be one of the largest cast link belt furnaces in the world at the time.
The refurbishment will take place in the Can-Eng Niagara Falls shops and will consist of a complete refractory reline, new combustion, new control panel, and Level II automation system, plus an added external cooling conveyor. The furnace shell, hearth, and return rolls, as well as the ACI HT cast link belt itself, will be refurbished to near new condition.
The system will employ a furnace charging robot. The entire operation will be completely automated from the furnace charging robot pick position through the heat treatment process.
The furnace line will go back into operation in Q1 of 2021 in the United States for normalizing of alloyed automotive forgings.
