Manufacturing is broadly described as the process in which materials are transformed into valuable substances. The process involves one or more processing and/or assembly procedure. The manufacturing process adds value to the material after a change in its properties.

1. METAL MANUFACTURING AND FURNACES
Neel Rao
Writes on Reitzindia industrial fan manufacturers and
Reitzindia massive industrial fan.

2. Manufacturing is broadly described as the process in which materials are
transformed into valuable substances. The process involves one or more processing
and/or assembly procedure. The manufacturing process adds value to the material
after a change in its properties.
The metal manufacturing sector is a prominent segment of the manufacturing
industry that smelts and/or extracts non-ferrous and ferrous metals from raw ores,
pigs, or scraps. This prominent sector uses electro-metallurgical and other
metallurgical techniques. Be it ferrous or non-ferrous, all metals undergo extensive
procedures before the outcome is obtained.

3. This initial procedure of the entire process is smelting. In the first procedure, metal is
extracted from its ore. This is done by heating the ore beyond its melting point. The
base metal is obtained from the ore using heat and a reducing agent. During the
entire process of smelting, the ore is decomposed and all other elements are
eliminated, as a result, the metal is extracted in its purest form. In this form of
extractive metallurgy that separates the valuable metal from its ore, the
temperature is set above the melting point of the metal.
Smelting involves two crucial steps, i.e. roasting and reduction. Roasting is carried
out inside an industrial furnace. The combustion of the raw ore takes place inside
the furnace where heat is provided directly for the industrial process. A furnace is
the most reliable type of industrial manufacturing equipment that is used for
production and processing. The products are heated either by direct or indirect
contact through the combustion of gases and fuels.

4. What is Industrial Furnace?
Various industrial furnaces are used for different activities within an industrial unit.
An industrial furnace is a device that serves as a heat chamber. A well-designed
furnace allows maximum heat transfer to the material within a definite time. The
heat within the chamber is generated by the furnace after the fuel mixes with air or
oxygen. Heat is also generated from electrical energy. There are international
standards and codes for designing furnaces.

5. How do the furnaces work?
The functions of furnaces vary according to the designs based on the desired
outcomes. Though wood and coal were used as fuel in traditional furnaces, those
have been replaced by modern furnaces which use electricity for heat. However,
traditional furnaces remain the most used. Unlike traditional furnaces, modern-day
furnaces don’t cause so much pollution, are not labor intensive, and also do not
need all-time vigilance to maintain heat for operation. Modern-day electric furnaces
use resistance or induction heating. These electric furnaces are environmental-
friendly as they don’t release gases. But, modern-day furnaces are quite expensive.

6. The fuel is burnt after it is supplied to the burner in the furnace. The burners have
oxidizers that change chemical energy into thermal energy. The burners determine
the type of fuel used in the furnace. Next, the burners mix the fuel and air to ignite
them. The burners transfer the heat to tubes located in a chamber through
radiation. In this process, the fluid present in the tubes gets heated. The hot air or
flue gases are emitted through the stack or chimney. The gas emissions are strictly
controlled to avoid releasing harmful gases.

7. Types of furnaces used in metal manufacturing
There are several types of furnaces that are used widely for metal manufacturing.
Furnace construction includes typical components like heat exchangers, air blowers,
burners, fuel controllers, ignition devices, control circuits, and thermostats. Further,
the designs of the furnace vary with the need of the application. Furnace types get
classified mainly by the type of fuel used and the process of combustion initiated.
For metal manufacturing, different types of furnaces are used throughout the
process which uses various technologies.

8. Blast furnace
A blast furnace is used for melting the raw iron ore into pig iron. Mostly, these types
of furnaces are cylindrical and are used for smelting. Further, the blast furnaces are
classified into two categories, i.e. cold blast and hot blast. In the cold blast process,
the air blown into the furnace is not preheated whereas, in the hot blast, the air
blown into the furnace is preheated. Unlike the cold blast type, the hot blast
technique reduces fuel consumption. Moreover, the hot blast process allows for
higher furnace temperature, which ultimately increases the furnace capacity.

9. Puddling furnace
A puddling furnace is used for creating wrought iron or steel from pig iron. These
types of furnaces are designed to pull the hot air over the pig iron while preventing
any contact with the fuel. These are also known as open-hearth furnaces or
reverberatory furnaces.
Basic oxygen steelmaking
Basic oxygen steelmaking is a method of steelmaking in which oxygen is blown
through molten pig iron to lower the carbon content and convert it into low-carbon
steel. As chemical bases like dolomite or fluxes of burnt lime are used for removing
impurities, the process is called basic.

10. Electric arc furnace
Electric arc furnaces heat materials through an electric arc. The charged materials
are directly exposed to the electric arc and the power from the furnace passes
through the material. The temperature of an industrial arc furnace can reach up to
1,800 degree Celsius (3,300 degrees Fahrenheit).
Induction furnace
In an induction furnace, heat is applied by induction heating of the metal. Induction
furnaces are used to melt steel and iron as well as precious metals with a capacity
range from less than one kilogram to one hundred tons. These furnaces are energy-
efficient and clean, and ensure a well-controlled melting process, unlike other metal
melting furnaces.

11. About REITZINDIA
Reitz India has set a benchmark to deliver high quality fans for heavy duty industries
which can work at precise operating conditions like high temperatures and pressures.
Reitz offer idealistic Centrifugal Fan and Centrifugal blower design that can be used in
all large scale process industries like cement, iron & steel, power plants, fertilizers/
chemicals and more.
Thank you for spending your precious time in reading this article!