J. L. Becker Co. recently installed a 20,000 pound/hour Roller Hearth Annealing Furnace Line for a major manufacturer in Ohio. The furnace processes 5/8 inches outside diameter to 6 5/8 inches tubing in lengths ranging from 10 to 40 feet long.

The furnace line is around seven feet wide inside by 315 feet in overall length. This includes a 60 foot long heating section, a 100 foot long cooling section, as well as load and unload tables.

The furnace atmosphere is provided by a J. L. Becker 30,000 CFH Exothermic Gas Generator with auto start, variable output and automatic turn-down. The water cooling system consists of a cooling water tank, plate and frame heat exchanger, cooling tower and pumps to provide cooling and circulate the water through the cooling sections. A 300 kW natural gas-fired standby generator with an automatic transfer switch was provided to keep the system running in the case of a power failure.

The J. L. Becker Computer Management System (CMS) controls the entire line. The CMS touch screen monitors, control and displays the furnace operations, such as heating zone temperatures, roll speed and cooling section temperatures. The CMS also monitors and displays alarm conditions, calculates furnace downtime and measures gaps for production changeovers.