SECO/WARWICK commissioned a 3.96-ton-per-hour walking-beam furnace at NHK Spring India Ltd., a manufacturer of automotive suspension components. The furnace is designed for the heat treatment of leaf springs. Leaves are passed through the furnace by means of the walking-beam mechanism, which is designed for a low cycle time of nine seconds. Leaves are discharged through a drop-down ejector instead of a conventional type of roller.

The furnace is equipped with dual-fired burners, an automatic ignition system, flame monitoring system, furnace pressure monitoring system, highly equipped gas train system with mass flow meter, oil pumping system and hydraulic systems. The dual-fuel system will enable NHK to stay in continuous production in case of the short supply or unavailability of any one fuel with minimum switchover time. Furnace operation is controlled by PLC except for leaf loading on the charging end. This ensures auto control and close monitoring of system parameters, which in turn ensures better quality of processed materials.