Research & Development

Electrotherm’s full-fledged state-of-the-art manufacturing and testing facilities are spread over an expansive area of more than 90,000 sq. metres at Palodia, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.

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It has well equipped machine/assembly shops facilitated with the latest CNC machines and host of special purpose machines for better precision and better quality of the products. More than 80% of its equipment is manufactured by Electrotherm in-house to maintain its quality norms.

Electrotherm has implemented World Class (lean) manufacturing concepts with a focus on training and continuous improvement. Electrotherm also has its own in-house competent Information Technology (IT) department to cater to all the IT needs of the company.

TUV CERTIFICATION BODY OF GERMANY’ has accredited this plant with ISO 9001:2015 certification for having well-documented quality systems and procedures and for practicing international quality standards in every sphere.

The Research and Development department of Electrotherm EandT Division is recognized by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. It is primarily engaged in devising contemporary solutions for modern-day steel making using Induction Furnace technology

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It is primarily engaged in devising contemporary solutions for modern day steel making using Induction Furnace technology. Electrotherm indeed has been the pioneer in India in introducing the first-ever largest capacity melting machines, first ever 12 and 24 Pulse systems, and the first ever high voltage systems for efficient melting.

The R & D team is constantly engaged in devising solutions so as to improve the bottom lines of all our valued customers. Some of the products that have been an outcome of the RandD efforts of Electrotherm EandT division are…


PLC based Dynamic Load Managers:

Complete plant load that comprises of SMS, Rolling Mill/s, Sponge Iron Plant/s, plant auxiliary load, etc. can be managed without compromising on the productivity or production figures, thus saving on connected load and improving overall plant load factor. 

Lining Vibrators:

Pneumatically operated ramming mechanism that ensures superior compactness of lining thereby resulting in higher lining/patching life, reduced overall power consumption, and the negligible probability of lining collapse and coil puncture. 

Electro-Hydraulic Grabs:

With the higher capacity of furnaces gaining popularity, it becomes imperative to ensure that the rate of feeding or the raw material is commensurate with the melting power of the furnace. Electro-hydraulic grabs can feed more raw material (scrap/sponge iron/pig iron) in the furnace as compared to the electro-magnets. Although grabs cannot be a replacement for the magnets, their holding and feeding capacity puts them in advantage as compared to magnets. Grabs can lift almost 3-4 times more material as compared to electromagnets on the same power rating. Grabs also find a mention when safety is of concern in any SMS because the fingers remain closed in case of unexpected power failures/interruptions as compared to magnets that demagnetize and drop all material if power fails. 

Laboratory Furnaces:

These are typically 25kW/5kg furnaces that are employed for testing raw material for assessing the exact yield of raw material. Assessing the yield and other pertinent parameters helps the melters plan their activities to derive optimum performance from the given set of raw materials.

Modular Billet Casters:

Electrotherm holds distinction and feels proud because it is the “only” billet caster manufacturing company in India. Modular billet casters are employed for billet making by steelmakers that operate furnaces of as low as 6T capacity. They have been designed such that they can comfortably fit into existing sheds (low gantry heights) and ensure seamless switching over from conventional ingot making to billet making. The entire machine is designed, manufactured, tested, aligned and cold tried in our factory before despatch and it can cast billets of 100mm square section at a speed as high as 3.8-4m/min, which is equivalent to a throughput of 18Tons/hour/strand. 

Electrotherm Refining Furnaces:

Steelmaking through the induction furnace route was always a challenging task when it came to adjusting the chemistry for making it compliant with the national or international grades. And especially when Phosphorus had to be reduced or eliminated. While Ladle Refining furnaces have always been complimenting electric arc furnaces and induction furnaces, Electrotherm made it possible to remove Phosphorus from liquid steel in their Electrotherm Refining Furnaces. Today, the steelmaker can reduce Phosphorus right up to 0.03% levels in our ERF. These refining furnaces are usually available for heat sizes from 12T onwards. 

Pollution Control Systems:

One of the value drivers of Electrotherm is “Social Responsibility and Environment”. While nothing significant was done to curtail emissions effectively from induction melting systems in India, the Electrotherm design team has developed the ExTractor, a pollution control system that can ensure emissions from furnaces as low as even 20mg/Nm3. The combination of the raw material fed into any Induction melting furnace usually contains 3-5grams/m3 of contaminants that are reduced to a level equivalent to or less than 100mg/Nm3 when processed through our Pollution Control Systems. The suction hood is a Dish Antenna Type side suction hood with a special design that can suck away more than 85% of the fumes and emissions that are generated from the furnace during various operations on the shop-floor. The cleaning systems offered by us can be either wet or dry type, depending upon the customer’s choice. 

Multi Utility Robotic Arm:

Success with induction melting, especially with larger capacity melting furnaces and with a higher ratio of sponge iron in the charge mix is a function of effective de-slagging. Slag consumes almost twice the energy required for melting steel and if it is not removed in time, then it may add up to escalation in power consumption. Power, today, has become a raw material and every unit of power saved is a saving for the steel melt shop as well as the nation. Multi Utility Robotic Arm assists in the removal of slag from the furnace during the melting operation while keeping the shop-floor clean. It also assists in poking of charge material and evaluation of lining condition post melting.