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Kanthal® AF Tubes require minimal maintenance, are extremely efficient and deliver excellent power output, especially when combined with Tubothal® heating elements.

Sharp increases in the price of nickel and uncertainty about future supply mean that right now is the perfect opportunity for furnace builders and end-users to explore alternatives to nickel-chromium tubes. Kanthal® APM and Kanthal® APMT for example, can deliver a range of additional benefits.

The French company Snecma Moteurs is part of the Snecma aerospace propulsion and equipment group, which specializes, among other things, in the manufacture of engines for civil and military aircraft, rocket engines, turbines, and aeronautical equipment such as landing gear, braking systems, reverse thrusters, engine components, and much more besides.

The use of Kanthal® APMT and Kanthal® APM for radiant tubes in SSAB’s annealing furnace has pro-longed tube life and allowed for fewer furnace shutdowns, as well as the possibility to increase throughput by increasing tube temperature.

Gearbox del Prat, situated in Barcelona, Spain is the central manufacturing unit of gearboxes to Seat, with a daily production of some 3000 gearboxes.

STG, Svensk Tryckgjutning AB, located in southern Sweden, specializes in die-casting products in aluminum and zinc for customers in the automotive, electronics, engineering, transport and construction industries.

Carburizing normally takes place at 930°C (1700°F) but in this case, the Japanese company Dowa Mining Co., increased the temperature to 1050°C (1920°F) and the furnace capacity some 30 % with the help of Tubothal® system. The first commercial high temperature con­ti­nuous carburizing furnace was a reality, and it is here to stay.

Lark Heat Treating is a commercial heat treater located in Northwest Houston, TX, USA. Founded in 1978 by brothers Frank and Gene Clark, the company has grown to a 50 employee operation that specializes in a wide range of heat treatment services mainly to the oil, gas and petrochemical industries.

The majority of tubes used today in gas heated heat treatment furnaces are of the SER (single ended recuperative) design. The limiting factor for the lifetime in this system is normally the inner tube, which is exposed to a significantly higher temperature than the outer tube. A common material for inner tubes is nickel-chromium.

By utilizing furnace rollers made from Kanthal® APMT, an iron-chromium-aluminum (FeCrAl) alloy, roller hearth furnace owners can boost productivity, reduce maintenance costs, improve produced tubes’ surface quality and contribute to a cleaner environment.