Latest machine concepts uncovered at Wire China 2016

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The Wheelabrator China team joined the crowds at the 7th Wire China at the end of September. As the biggest trade fair of its kind in Asia, the event attracted visitors from across the wire and cable industry, iron and steel industries, automotive, aerospace, and more.

The scale of the event, which took place in Shanghai, was bigger than ever this year, and was combined with Tube China and the new Fastener Special Zone.

Based in Hall W1 at stand C08, the Wheelabrator team were on hand to talk to industry professionals about the latest machine concepts and developments for the wheel blasting of wire, rod and springs and shot peening solutions for leaf and coil springs. The line-up of machines showcased through the stand’s ‘holocube’ included the tried and tested FL machine series for the mechanical descaling of wire and rod. The series ranges from stand-alone machines to fully integrated high-performance equipment for high-speed drawing lines. Another new machine concept discussed was the rotary through-feed shot peening machine (RDS), in which coil springs are peened from all sides, under constant rotation, while swiftly and steadily passing through the machine.

Stress peening (SRS) machines meanwhile, shot peen chassis springs while a load is applied. The spring preload follows the direction of load of the part when in operation, replicating tensile stresses occurring in the part under operating conditions. The Wheelabrator team exhibited bar and spring samples from local customers, which demonstrated the effectiveness of the latest blasting and peening equipment. In addition, the stand also featured the new COMET HD blast wheel introduced earlier this year.

A new heavy-duty blast wheel, COMET HD is now available globally, both in metric and imperial sizes and can be retrofitted on existing Wheelabrator or non-Wheelabrator equipment. Its benefits include a clearly defined, even blast pattern and higher peak blast intensities at reduced abrasive flow rates, which in turn reduces abrasive consumption while improving cycle times and first-time pass rates.

This latest equipment proved a hit with attendees, with the Wheelabrator team speaking to over 200 people over the four-day event. “Wire China is a key event in our calendar,” said David Lee, Sales Director Asia Pacific Wheelabrator. We were really impressed this year by how much the event has grown and it was fantastic to speak to so many people across such a variety of industries. We believe the increase in size of the event echoes the growth of the sector in China and across Asia. In particular, we’ve noticed clear signs of renewed growth in industries like automotive and we’re looking forward to working even more closely with companies in this sector.”