Furnace Builder Lands Another “CAB” Furnace Order

“A Chinese manufacturer of aluminum heat exchangers has ordered a semi-continuous Universal Batch CAB system from the SECO/WARWICK Group for controlled atmosphere brazing of aluminum. The new solution will be used primarily to produce tube-and-bar heat exchangers for industrial applications with demanding operating requirements.

This is the second CAB line from SECO/WARWICK for this Partner. The previous one was delivered to the plant 10 years ago and continues to fulfill its role. The new equipment will be used for brazing aluminum heat exchangers, particularly tube-and-bar products used in demanding industrial applications and automotive applications. The line on order will enable heat exchangers to be brazed vertically or horizontally, depending on the heat-exchanger design and process preferences.

This Partner has been active on the heat exchanger market for many years and specializes in the design, production and testing of brazed aluminum heat exchangers. A significant share of its production is exported to customers in Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, South America, and Africa.

The new order continues an established cooperation. A CAB line manufactured by SECO/WARWICK in 2016 is already operating at the Partner’s plant. The current project will be the second CAB system from the SECO/WARWICK Group for this facility, and at the same time the first such project carried out by the Group jointly with the Chinese team.

The system will have a 600 mm wide (24 in.) conveyor belt. The line will operate in a semi-continuous configuration and will be equipped with a drying furnace, a vacuum purge chamber, a convection preheating furnace, a convection CAB brazing furnace, a vacuum purge cooling chamber, and an air cooling chamber. The order also includes the control system as well as full installation and commissioning on site.

The line will be a hybrid gas-electric solution. The project was developed with production for heavy industry sectors in mind, where not only process atmosphere quality but also uniform heating of thicker loads is critical. For tube-and-bar heat exchangers with a core thickness of approx. 100 mm, the challenge is not only bringing the product to brazing temperature, but above all, maintaining a stable thermal profile throughout its entire volume.

“CAB technology is a process in which the precision of the entire sequence matters: load preparation, nitrogen atmosphere quality, heating, brazing and cooling. For heat exchangers with a thicker core, the challenge is not only reaching the required brazing temperature, but above all, maintaining stable conditions throughout the product’s entire volume. That is why, in such projects, application experience, proper capacity calculations, and equipment configuration tailored to the Partner’s products are critical. Most importantly, however, after 10 years, the Partner knocked on our door again and decided to expand its machine park with SECO/WARWICK,” said Piotr Skarbiński, Vice President of the Aluminum and CAB Products Segment at the SECO/WARWICK Group.