Investment to meet dual phase steel growth
Corus has completed work to enhance the hot-dip galvanising line (Zodiac) at its Llanwern site, South Wales, following a major investment totalling GBP 5.6 million.
Corus has completed work to enhance the hot-dip galvanising line (Zodiac) at its Llanwern site, South Wales, following a major investment totalling GBP 5.6 million.
The investment will increase the capacity of the line by 20% from the existing output of around 300kt per year.
It will also provide Corus with the capability to produce a range of dual-phase steels, increasingly demanded by vehicle manufacturers because of the crash performance and weight benefits they offer said the company.
It complements the dual-phase capability already in place at Corus Strip Products Ijmuiden.
The major advantage of dual-phase steels is that they offer vehicle engineers a good balance between strength and formability.
They also demonstrate a positive response to strain rates, critical to the crash performance of the material in a vehicle during impact.
By offering better crash performance for less steel, dual-phase products can also enable designers and engineers to take weight out of a vehicle and through that, help improve fuel economy and vehicle performance.
First commissioned in 1990, Corus's Zodiac line produces galvanised sheet steel for the automotive and construction industries.
Over the years, Corus has seen a steady increase in demand for those products and it anticipates growth to continue.
The Zodiac line has benefited from a number of investments, the last of which in 1995 resulted in enhanced output and a significant improvement in the quality of coatings.
Commenting on how the investment would help increase output whilst maintaining quality, Stephen George, Works Manager for Corus Strip Products UK, said: "The major enhancements have focussed on increasing the thermal capacity of the line in order to heat the strip to required temperatures at an increased line speed, therefore allowing us to process more material".
"Specific work has included extending the pre-heat section of the existing furnace, replacing burners and upgrading the cooling section of the line to ensure consistent cooling rates".
"These enhancements will significantly increase the strip speed through the annealing furnaces allowing us to enhance output by around 20% to help meet forecast increases in demand from our automotive customers?.
The annealing process on any line plays a critical role in determining the mechanical and metallurgical properties of the finished material said Corus.
George continued: "Importantly, increasing the thermal capacity of the line will result in fewer changes to the furnace temperature and environment and will mean that more strip can go through in a similar profile, helping to ensure a consistent product with more uniform metallurgical properties?.
He continued to say that the investment underlined the company's commitment to meet the changing requirements of its automotive customers.
"Not only will we be able to supply improved quality product for premium finish applications, such as automotive outer body panels, the enhancement to the Zodiac line now also provides us with the capability to produce dual-phase steels?, he added.
Not what you're looking for? Search the site.
Tel (UK) 44 24 76 241200
-
Corus updates Vegter material model
Corus has announced Vegter Lite, an enhanced version of its original Vegter material model released in 2006. -
Argus analysis system helps in Volvo press shop
Corus has employed its Argus strain analysis system to help Volvo optimise its press shop tooling at the Torslanda manufacturing plant in Sweden, in support of the XC60 crossover vehicle launch. -
Predictive modelling validates component strength
Corus worked with Tallent to validate the F2S technique on a suspension lower control arm which uses Corus Tenform XF300 and XF400 HSLA steel grades. -
CAE system checks weld durability
Corus' new automated process will significantly speed up weld design modification and optimisation, leading to improved component performance. -
Latest grades of high strength steels
Corus has been working closely with Ford to help the carmaker develop and implement the latest grades of high strength steels into several key applications on the new Galaxy model range.
Articles by product category
- Consultancy and Services (903)
- Machine Building (4,517)
-
Engineering Design Software (6,179)
- Engineering Design Software (12)
- 2D CAD software (200)
- 3D CAD software (1,157)
- FEA and structural analysis software (369)
- Fluid, thermal, noise, vibration software (334)
- Simulation, modelling, validation software (914)
- Rendering, visualisation, styling software (196)
- Materials design and moulding design software (151)
- Process, instrumentation, automation software (258)
- Electrical design software (164)
- Publishing and documentation software (229)
- Maths, charting, statistics, QA software (317)
- Data, document management software (310)
- CAM, CNC, production management software (568)
- File conversion software, data capture (351)
- PLM and collaboration software (649)
-
Drives, Motors and Controls (3,361)
- Drives, Motors and Controls (1)
- Precision Motors and Gears (411)
- Industrial Drives/Controls (1,276)
- Linear Drives and Motors (114)
- Industrial Motors (497)
- Stepper and Servo Drives, Motors, Controls (1,060)
- Small Mechanical Components, Joining, Tools (1,975)
-
Control and Instrumentation (5,028)
- Plantwide control (1,324)
- Plant- and Machine-Wide Communications (1,174)
- Smaller-Sized PLCs (387)
- CNC and Motion Controllers (184)
- Mid-range and Large PLCs (201)
- Power Supplies, Uninterruptible Power (562)
- HMIs/Operator Interfaces (294)
- Logic Controllers, Timers and Relays (96)
- Cabling, Conduit, Signal Conditioning (806)
-
Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (5,459)
- Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (1)
- Data acquisition Software and Communications (494)
- Data Acquisition Hardware and PC I/O Boards (472)
- Electrical and Electronic Testing, PAT Equipment (630)
- Form/co-ordinate, optical, vision instruments (703)
- Gauges, Indicators and Instruments (440)
- Data loggers (422)
- Materials testing equipment (421)
- Telecomms/network test equipment, software etc (154)
- Testing and Calibration Services and Information (500)
- Testing, analysing and monitoring equipment (1,222)
-
Electrical and Electronic Equipment Design (4,160)
- Batteries, chargers and circuit protection (555)
- Connectors, Terminals, Busbars, Slip Rings (679)
- Enclosures and Equipment Cooling Fans (709)
- Knobs, Handles and Enclosure Hardware (420)
- PCs and Embedded Systems (798)
- Electrical and Electronic Subassemblies (369)
- Electrical and Electronic Components (630)
-
Materials and Processing (2,963)
- Materials and Processing (5)
- Materials and components (2,215)
- Rapid Prototyping (458)
- Materials processing and testing (285)
-
Engineering Industry News, Resources (6,093)
- Engineering Industry News, Resources (4)
- Engineering Business News, Views (388)
- Engineering Exhibitions, Events (562)
- Engineering Conferences (425)
- Engineering Seminars (400)
- Engineering Industry Developments, Awards (633)
- Engineering Guides, Newsletters (349)
- Engineering Recruitment, Employment (219)
- Engineering Training Courses (433)
- Engineering Education, Resources, Standards (838)
- Engineering Industry Reports, Surveys (597)
- Electronic Resources for Engineers (278)
- Health and Safety Legislation (402)
- Health and Safety Strategy, Risk Assessment (113)
- Health and Safety Consultancy, Software (175)
- Health and Safety Events, Training, News (277)
-
Powertrain Design (3,598)
- Powertrain Design (2)
- Bearings (939)
- Chains and belts (326)
- Gears, brakes, couplings and engines (1,441)
- Hydraulic Components (471)
- Lubricants (418)
-
Capital Equipment (3,387)
- Capital Equipment (1)
- Manufacturing Machinery and Plant Equipment (468)
- Production line blowers and fans (62)
- Compressors and Air Treatment (510)
- Electronics Manufacturing, Tools, Instruments (192)
- Electrical hardware (131)
- Machinery and Production Equipment (1,093)
- Robotics, Handling and Storage (930)
-
Sensors (7,080)
- Sensors (8)
- Accelerometers and Vibration Sensors (427)
- Loadcells, Force Sensors, Torque Sensors (699)
- Pressure sensors (621)
- Flowmeters and Flow Sensors (618)
- Level Sensors and Leak Detectors (527)
- Linear Position Sensors (399)
- Rotary Position, Tilt and Angular Sensors (546)
- Proximity Sensors (700)
- Gas, Chemical, Radiation, Magnetic Sensors (284)
- Humidity and Environmental Sensors (152)
- Temperature sensors (612)
- Vision and Colour Sensors (1,384)
- Barcode Sensors (103)
- Valves, Pumps, Process Hardware (3,623)