TimkenSteel placed an order with SMS Meer to design, construct and install a new heat-treatment plant for the company’s Gambrinus complex in Canton, Ohio. The new line, an AQTF (advanced quench and temper facility), will set new performance standards among existing comparable facilities. TimkenSteel and SMS Meer jointly developed the AQTF, which combines induction preheaters and heating furnaces for both austenitizing and tempering processes.

 The AQTF will be capable of processing up to 10 tons per hour of tubes and bars ranging from 4-13 inches in diameter and a variety of different steel grades of TimkenSteel’s portfolio. The heart of the line will be Quenching Shell®, an advanced water-spray system that can be used flexibly for different products. It is characterized by its adaptability to changing process conditions. SMS Meer will take the plant into operation in the second quarter of 2015.