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| Wise Alloys uses state-of-the-art electromagnetic casting in a Greenfield Casting Facility built within the alloys plant for $120 million in 1991. Electromagnetic casting uses an electromagnetic field to levitate and contain molten aluminum prior to solidification, rather than the solid mold used in standard direct chill casting. This process creates a smoother ingot, or long piece of aluminum, that does not require scalping to remove rough edges, thus saving time and cost in the manufacturing process. Hot Mill The hot rolling mill consists of a series of three mills that compress the 31,000-pound slabs of aluminum. The process begins on a reversing mill, one of the largest in the industry, which reduces the slab, or ingot to four inches thick. The breakdown mill has automatic computer controls to ensure the flatness and surface quality requested by the customer. Cold Mill The cold rolling area consists of several mills including a two stand, a three stand and a five-stand mill. The three-stand tandem cold mill is used for finished end and tab stock for aluminum cans and other products. This mill is equipped with hydraulic automatic gauge control, a shape meter, and the most modern controls available. Finished products vary in thickness from .007 inches to above .0130 inches, and are conditioned by the cold working of the mill for formability and strength as per customer specifications. Anneal Line To increase aluminum’s formability and quality, the Alloys plant is equipped with a continuous anneal line to stress relieve the aluminum coils. Once the coils have been cold rolled, they can be annealed on the 600-foot continuous anneal line. Coil ends are attached to allow the line to run continuously as the strip passes through a gas heated oven. Accumulators at either end of the line load and unload the coils without interrupting the process. Coating End stock and similar packaging products go to an additional high-speed, state-of-the-art 66-inch line that trims, levels, pre-treats, rinses, applies and cures an organic coating on both sides of the aluminum sheet. These coatings can be clear base coats or a variety of colors and protective finishes, depending on end use. |
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