An important component for the air suspension system of trucks/commercial vehicles and trailers is the parabolic spring - it directs the axis, stabilizes the vehicle body and supports the air springs. In the conventional manufacturing of the parabolic spring the blank is heated three times to about 1,000 ° C in an energy-consuming process. Due to a DBU-promoted project the Schomäcker GmbH in Melle succeeded in the implementation of a single heating process at same temperature level.
EnRed -energy-saving production and material efficiencies
The EnRed process performs all transformation steps successively at the previously only once heated blank. A prerequisite was the development of new production facilities, in particular a parabolic cylinder, which makes it possible to thin both sides of the spring in one single process. By using an induction furnace, the energy loss is reduced significantly compared with a conventional gas oven. In this way the EnRed process requires about one-third less primary energy than a conventional production - a saving of around 30,000 megawatt hours per year. In case that the EnRed process would be applied consistently across Europe for the production of parabolic springs, annually more than 7,000 tons of carbon dioxide could be saved.
Within the project it succeeded to manufacture all types of parabolic beams with the new method within a stable process. The inductive heating of the blank shortens the heating time - giving that the link structure has advanced material properties. Schomäcker springs show a higher lifespan by 15 percent.
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