Improvement of Product Flatness by Introducing a Cooling Process After Artificial Ageing

Today's manufacturing requires a great deal of innovation and adaptability, and even more so simple solutions that contribute to quality, faster and cheaper production.

Solution and Method

Today's manufacturing requires a great deal of innovation and adaptability, and even more so simple solutions that contribute to quality, faster and cheaper production. Many products require long and complex manufacturing due to the properties expected at the end of processing, which of course complicates the manufacturing process and requires processing on multiple operations or machines. This extends the manufacturing time and increases the amount of scrap due to the processing itself.

Naturally, with more operations, the possibility of errors or damage is also increased, which can additionally cause scrap and require expensive inspection. For this purpose, the thesis will investigate the effect of extended cooling at the end of the artificial ageing process of a product made from aluminium alloy EN AW-6082. The product is a rod with a diameter of 14.1 mm and a length of 3000 mm, which loses the prescribed flatness during the artificial ageing process and becomes curved.

Due to this phenomenon, an additional operation of re-straightening after heat treatment is required, which prolongs the manufacturing process. A problem also arises during the final cutting of the material, as cutting due to the distortion of the beginning and end of the rod during roller straightening is not possible on the same line. Thus, after re-straightening, cutting to final length is also required, so they are forced to process the material on two additional operations.

Re-straightening is carried out on a machine that is not part of the drawing line, which causes additional logistical difficulties. During additional transport and handling of the material, there is also a greater possibility of damage to the material. The diploma thesis will present a trial of slower cooling of the material after the completed process and the effects of cooling on the flatness of the material.

From various sources, possible phenomena in the material that can cause bending of the material during the heat treatment process itself will be examined. The purpose of the research is to maintain the best possible flatness during the artificial ageing process and thereby reduce the need for re-straightening of products that have already been heat-treated. This would shorten the production process, as it would reduce or even eliminate the need for re-straightening of the material after completed heat treatment.

A flatness measurement will be carried out on the material, which will enable comparison between the two processes. With this comparison, the effect of cooling on the material and the feasibility of introducing cooling into the process itself will be determined.