Advanced Forging & Ring Rolling
Temperature Control for Forging & Ring Rolling Facilities
Metal Forging & Hot Ring Rolling are increasingly crucial manufacturing processes used to produce a wide range of fabricated metal products for various industries. This is especially true in the aerospace & automotive sectors, which demand high-strength & heat tolerant components, often with complex geometries or homogenous structures.
In order to remain competitive & meet increasing quality standards, these manufacturers must utilize vital temperature feedback. Unfortunately, traditional thermocouples often make less accurate readings, need frequent maintenance, & must make contact with the material, causing production lags.
Plants often work with steel, titanium, aluminum, or copper. These metals present their own unique temperature measurement challenges including emissivity variations, optical interferences, & scale formation caused by surface oxidation. Most industrial pyrometers, however, struggle to consistently perform in these applications.
Williamson Wavelength Advantage
Williamson Pyrometers use carefully selected narrowband wavelength sets & ESP filtering to overcome temperature measurement challenges associated with forging & ring rolling. These features enable Williamson Pyrometers to achieve accurate, continuous, & repeatable temperature measurements at all critical points in the forging & ring rolling process, even where other advanced pyrometers cannot.
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Billet Preheat: Induction Furnace
Application Overview
Induction furnaces are increasingly common in modern forging. These furnaces run powerful currents through conductive coils, heating metal billets from the inside out. Accurate billet & workpiece temperatures help regulate reheat furnace operating conditions & as a result, optimizes overall process efficiency.
There are several unique temperature measurement challenges associated with this application that demand the use of Williamson’s Dual-Wavelength & Multi-Wavelength Pyrometer Technologies.
Pyrometer Benefits
- Ensures the workpiece has reached the desired temperature or temperature window before entering the forging press or ring rolling mill respectively
- Optimizes Process Efficiency – establishes consistent furnace operating conditions
- Eliminates measurement errors related to scale & emissivity variation
- Ensures Desired Metallurgical Properties
- Establishes Consistent Operating Conditions
- Reduces Downtime & Thermocouple-Related Maintenance
Advantages of Williamson Wavelength Technology
Aluminum & Copper: Single-wavelength and ratio pyrometers are severely impacted by non-greybody emissivity variation associated with aluminum and copper.
- Williamson’s Multi-Wavelength (MW) Pyrometers – use application-specific algorithms to automatically adjust to significant non-greybody emissivity variation & changing surface conditions associated with aluminum & copper
Steel & Titanium:
- Williamson’s proprietary Dual-Wavelength (DW) Technology – Overcomes surface oxidation & scale associated w/ titanium & steel respectively
- DW Pyrometers are 20x less impacted by surface oxidation & scale compared to Short-Wavelength (SW) & Two-Color (TC) technologies
Challenging Geometries & Tight Coil Structures
While reheat temperatures are vital, induction coil structures & furnace geometries vary significantly. Tight coil structures, especially those used for fasteners, often obstruct traditional infrared pyrometers & even advanced fiber-optic lenses.
Williamson’s Non-Conductive Sapphire Tip threads into the fiber-optic system to make accurate real-time temperature measurements between small tightly wound induction coils. This enables forgers to comply with aerospace & automotive standards.
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Withstands Extremely High Temperatures — Maximum Ambient Temperature Limit: 3600°F // 1982°C
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Overcomes Geometric Challenges Associate with Small Induction Furnaces & Tight Coil Structures
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Non-Conductive Design Enables Insertion between Tight Coil Windings
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Works with Existing Fiber-Optic Systems
Billet Preheat: Gas & Flame-Fired Furnace
Application Overview
Before entering the forging press or ring-rolling mill, billets & blanks are reheated to the desired operational temperature. Adjusting furnace temperature based on accurate real-time measurements, reduces billet temperature variations caused by fluctuating soak times, increasing temperature uniformity from billet to billet. Implementing billet temperature as a process control parameter helps achieve desired metallurgical properties & improves furnace efficiency.
Pyrometer Benefits
- Ensures the workpiece has reached the desired temperature or temperature window before entering the forging press or ring rolling mill respectively
- Optimizes Process Efficiency – establishes consistent operating conditions
- Ensures Desired Metallurgical Properties
- Reduces Input Costs & Scrap Rates
- Reduces Downtime & Thermocouple-Related Maintenance
- Eliminates Scale & Emissivity Related Measurement Errors
Wavelength Technology
In-Zone Measurements: Steel, Titanium, & Copper
- Short-Wavelength (SW) Technology reduces sensitivity to optical obstructions, emissivity variations, & moderate misalignment
Furnace Exit: Aluminum & Copper
- Multi-Wavelength (MW) Technology uses application-specific algorithms to automatically adjust to non-greybody emissivity variation associated with non-ferrous metals like aluminum & copper
- MWx-AB compensate for vitrification associated with Aluminum heated above 925°F // 500°C
Furnace Exit: Steel & Titanium
- Williamson’s Dual-Wavelength (DW) pyrometers – 20x less impacted by surface oxidation & scale compared to single-wavelength (SW) & two-color (TC) pyrometers
- DW Overcomes surface oxidation & scale associated w/ titanium & steel blanks respectively
Ring Rolling Mill
Application Overview
Once the preheated billet or workpiece has entered the ring rolling mill, its temperature is controlled by the rolling speed. Temperature feedback determines whether the rolling speed should increase or decrease & can even signal that a part has overcooled & needs to be sent back to the reheat furnace. Inaccurate temperatures at the ring rolling mill lead to process inefficiencies & ultimately higher input costs.
Pyrometer Benefits
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Provides Accurate & Continuous Real-Time Temperature Feedback
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Optimizes Rolling Speed & Bite
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Ensures the ring remains within the defined operational temperature window
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Overcomes steam, smoke, & other optical interferences
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Can act as a reheat indicator — for facilities that reheat the part multiple times
Advantages of Williamson Wavelength Technology
Nonferrous Metals: Aluminum & Copper
- Multi-Wavelength (MW) Technology – Uses application-specific algorithms to automatically adjust to non-greybody emissivity variation associated with aluminum & copper blanks
- MW-20 – Utilizes carefully selected narrowband wavelength sets to compensate for changing surface characteristics associated w/ aluminum & copper
Steel & Titanium
- Dual-Wavelength (DW) Technology – Overcomes surface oxidation & scale associated w/ steel & titanium blanks
- DW – 20x less sensitive to surface oxidation & scale compared to competitive single-wavelength (SW) & two-color (TC) pyrometers on the market
Die Temperatures
Application Overview
Die temperatures impact product quality & manufacturing efficiency. Improperly heated dies inhibit workflow, require extra lubrication, & must be replaced more frequently, leading to production inefficiencies & higher input costs. Workpieces exposed to overheated dies are prone to sticking & have surface blemishes, while workpieces exposed to underheated dies crack & harden incorrectly.
Dynamic Die // High Speed Press:This temperature measurement is best suited for facilities that use high speed presses or continuous press cycles. Single Wavelength (SW) & Two-Color (TC) pyrometers cannot differentiate between die temperature & other temperatures in the field of view.
Williamson’s Dual Wavelength (DW) Technology automatically recognizes valid measurement conditions when the press is rapidly opening & closing. As a result, Williamson’s Dual Wavelength Pyrometers produce accurate & continuous real-time temperature measurements throughout the entire press cycle.
Static Die // Synchronous Reading: This temperature measurement method is best suited for facilities that use slower, more intermittent press cycles. In these cases, forgers will want to time die temperature measurements with the point(s) in the press cycle where the die is most exposed.
Williamson’s Short Wavelength (SW) Pyrometers are designed to be synced with the press cycle & utilize carefully selected wavelengths to view through common interferences like oil & steam.
Pyrometer Benefits
- Improves Product Consistency, Metal Flow, & Shape
- Minimizes Lubrication Needs & Die Damage
- Lowers Overall Input Costs
- Prevents Equipment Damage, Surface Marring, & Pickup
Wavelength Technology
Dynamic Die // High-Speed Press
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Dual-Wavelength (DW) Technology compensates for optical obstructions, misalignment, & emissivity variation
- ESP filtering recognizes valid conditions permitting the pyrometer to measure only when viewing the exposed die surface
Static Die // Synchronous Reading
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Short-Wavelength (SW) Technology reduces sensitivity to optical obstructions, emissivity variations, & moderate misalignment
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16 & 22 Wavelength Sets tolerate steam, oil, Lubricants & flames without interference
Consult With One of Williamson’s Temperature Experts
We would love to discuss your temperature measurement application with you.
