Metals Manufacturing
Energy efficient steelmaking operations
The applications of industrial gases in metallurgy concern both primary production operations (blast furnace, converters, refining, etc.), recycling sectors (electric steelworks, remelting, etc.) and primary processing (rolling, drawing, coatings, metal powders).
They are present in ferrous metals (Steel, Cast Iron, Ferro-alloys) and non-ferrous metals (Aluminium, Copper, Lead, Titanium, Gold, etc.) sectors where industrial gases are used at various stages.
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Designed for Your Metal Manufacturing Operations
Complete Safety
Our experienced specialists will advise how to implement in complete safety — injection system, control, regulation of gas flows. Remove flammability risk to protect operators.
Consistent Quality
Eliminate porosity and inclusions while effectively oxidising impurities during metal production. Preserve the initial quality of metal powders while achieving your desired size, shape, density and composition.
Reduce Operating Cost
The high combustion efficiency of our proprietary burner technology lowers fuel consumption and production costs while improving chemical homogeneity.
Reduce Emissions
Our technologies help reduce CO₂ emissions and eliminate Nitrogen in your oven, thus greatly reducing NOₓ emissions.
Liquid Metal Refining, Molding and Finishing
Gases (Nitrogen, Argon) play an essential role in the refining operations of steel, cast iron, light alloys and in obtaining a liquid metal that meets the required specifications: composition, homogenity, inclusion and cleanliness. To protect the liquid metal from oxygen adsorption and the formation of oxides, inerting solutions using Nitrogen or Argon must be deployed in specific technical environments: high temperature, reduced accessibility operations and continuous industries.
Air Liquide supplies industrial gases and implementation solutions for ferrous and non-ferrous metal casting technologies (casting machines, chill casting, investment casting and sand casting, etc.). Other specific solutions that we also support are:
- Deburring of parts.
- Cleaning of molds with solid Carbon Dioxide (i.e. Dry Ice).
- Lubrication of molds with carbon deposit from Acetylene.
Production of Metal Powders
Powdered metal manufacturing produces the raw material for many additive manufacturing processes. Quality and maintenance of its technical specifications over time are key to ensure the mechanical properties of the parts. Our gas solutions are ready to support from production by Gas atomisation to storage, inerting and recycling and can reduce processing cost.
The use of high pressure Nitrogen or Argon is necessary to obtain quality metal powders by pressurised atomisation of liquid metal.
Technical Specifications
Powder Bed Fusion, Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) or Electron Beam Melting (EBM)- The chemical composition related to metallurgy often has a low level of oxidation: in particular for Titanium alloys driven by the demand of the aeronautical or medical industries, or Nickel bases.
- A fine particle size distribution (PSD) adapted to the process and operating requirements, compromise between productivity and final surface condition improved by more powders thin.
- The morphology of the powders taking on a form factor as close as possible to the sphere without satellites.
Gas Atomisation
EIGA, VIGA, Plasma technologiesA jet of high pressure gas - argon or nitrogen depending on the material - sprays small droplets of a liquid metal. Only a suitable implementation of the gas will allow you to reach your production objectives with the required quality. The pressure, purity and temperature are critical for specifically small particle sizes.
Storage and Recycling
Mitigating the risk of explosionDuring the handling of the metal powder from transport to storage, passing through de-powdering or sieving after printing, the powders require a protective inert atmosphere which also protects against untimely oxidation and moisture absorption. Argon or Nitrogen can be used depending on the materials.
Metal Melting
Metals that are sometimes recycled and have varying levels of volatile organic compound (VOC) contamination are often melted in reverberatory furnaces and rotary furnaces equipped with regenerative burners to reduce energy consumption by preheating combustion Air. Very specific solutions have been developed for metal melting processes: Oxygen enrichment devices for cupola melting furnaces and oxy-fuel burners for melting combustion furnaces.
Our oxycombustion technology injects pure Oxygen instead of Air into the raw material to be melted. Oxyfuel burners improve heat transfer efficiency, which speeds up melting and increases productivity. In the absence of Nitrogen, the volume of combustion Oxygen is less than that of the combustion Air. This reduces the amount of energy needed and consequently the NOₓ and CO₂ emissions.
These solutions provide the required temperature levels and flexibility in operations, help improve productivity efficiency and have become essential in many metalworking segments.
Smelting and Recycling of Non Ferrous Metals
Solutions adapted to non-ferrous metal recycling channels contribute to achieving the objectives or selective recyclability, productivity, energy efficiency and reduction of environmental impact.
Controlled oxy-combustion solutions meet the needs of recycling channels in generalised remelting furnaces for the recycling of aluminium, lead and copper.
Hydrometallurgy solutions meet the more specific needs of selective extraction of many non-ferrous metals such as Copper, Tin and Nickel.
Casting
Air Liquide supplies industrial gases and oxy-fuel burners for casting processes, e.g. ladle preheating and melting.
Liquid gases, Argon and Nitrogen limit the contact between molten metal and the atmospheric Oxygen and Nitrogen during the melting process.
Primary melting
Reduced Nitrogen content with high Oxygen content can attain higher temperature and reduced heat losses via exhaust gases.
Ladle metallurgy
Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) and Argon Oxygen Decarburisation (AOD) processes
Air Liquide offers solutions for steel mills using oxy-fuel combustion to optimise productivity in EAF. Oxygen is also supplied via launching.
We also offer industrial gases, gas equipment and services for AOD processes in steel production. We deliver the gas via tanks, cylinders or production units managed by us, on-site at your location.
Our recommended gas and equipment solutions for your metals manufacturing
Air Liquide's expertise in combustion and heat transfer brings you all the benefits of advanced technology to reduce your process emissions and meet global climate change challenges.
BOOSTAL™ for Efficient Melting
BOOSTAL™ for non-ferrous metals offers you a suitable and environmentally responsible alternative to regenerative air burners. Air Liquide’s automatic feedback control technology helps reduce energy consumption and the overall environmental impact of operations. It improves fuel-fired melting furnace efficiency and effectiveness when melting scrap is painted, coated or oily.
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