Metals, Steel Production & Heat Treatment

Industry Overview - Electric Heating in Metals & Heat Treatment

Heat treatment furnaces increasingly use electric resistance heating for better temperature uniformity, easier profile control and reduced local emissions. Whether upgrading gas-fired assets or designing new all-electric lines, precise SCR power control is essential to achieve the required metallurgical properties while managing energy consumption. CD Automation’s REVO range underpins batch furnaces, conveyor lines, vacuum furnaces and aluminium T4/T6 systems worldwide.

Batch furnaces & ovens
Continuous / conveyor heat-treatment lines
Vacuum & controlled atmosphere furnaces

Aluminium solution & aging (T4/T6)
Additive manufacturing stress relief furnaces
Salt bath & dip heaters

Process Machinery & Applications

Electrically heated furnaces and systems typically controlled with REVO SCR power controllers.

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Batch Furnaces & Ovens

Electric resistance furnaces for annealing, tempering and stress relieving of steels and alloys.

Common pain points:

temperature uniformity
distortion control
cycle repeatability

Recommended controllers:

REVO PC

REVO C

Continuous / Conveyor Lines

Electric conveyor and mesh belt furnaces for high throughput heat treatment.

Common pain points:

line speed sync
zone balance
energy demand

Recommended controllers:

REVO PC

REVO PN

Vacuum & Controlled Atmosphere Furnaces

Precision hardening, brazing and sintering under vacuum or inert gas.

Common pain points:

ramp/soak accuracy
load tracking
power quality

Recommended controllers:

REVO DPU

REVO C

Vacuum and controlled atmosphere furnaces

Aluminium Solution & Aging (T4/T6)

Electric solution heat treatment and artificial aging for aluminium components and extrusions.

Common pain points:

tight uniformity
time-at-temperature
distortion

Recommended controllers:

REVO PC

REVO PN

REVO C

Additive Manufacturing - Stress Relief

Electric furnaces for AM build stress relief and heat treatment (Ti, Inconel, steels).

Common pain points:

profile repeatability
traceability
small load control

Recommended controllers:

REVO DPU

REVO C

Salt Bath / Dip Heaters

Electric immersion heaters for controlled molten salt temperature regulation.

Common pain points:

power density
safety
corrosion and maintenance

Recommended controllers:

REVO DPU

REVO PC

Typical Pain Points & How We Solve Them

Temperature Uniformity & Metallurgical Quality

Non-uniform furnace temperatures can lead to hardness variation, distortion and rework.

Solution: REVO-PC master with REVO-S / REVO-C zone control provides smooth, coordinated power to maintain tight uniformity across multiple zones.

Energy Demand & Peak Loads

High connected loads on furnaces and lines can cause demand peaks and higher tariffs.

Solution: REVO-PC and REVO-PN support demand limiting, staggered starts and optimised firing modes to reduce peaks and improve energy performance.

Ramp/Soak Profiles & Repeatability

Heat treatment recipes demand controlled ramps, soaks and cool-downs for repeatable properties.

Solution: Accurate power control with feedback via REVO C or REVO-PC enables furnaces to follow PLC/DCS ramp/soak profiles closely.

Traceability & Compliance

Aerospace, automotive and oil & gas parts often require logged temperature and power data.

Solution: REVO C and REVO-PC provide power and status data over Modbus, Profinet or EtherCAT into existing SCADA or quality systems.

Unplanned Downtime

Heater failures or contactor issues can halt furnaces and delay production.

Solution: Diagnostics such as open/partial-load detection and current monitoring help maintenance teams identify problems before they cause disruption.

Electrification & Emissions Reduction

Sites are moving from gas to electric heating to meet emissions and sustainability targets.

Solution: Electric resistance and hybrid systems with SCR control support phased electrification, offering better controllability than simple on/off arrangements.

Snapshot: Batch Furnace Electrification & Control Upgrade

Problem: an existing gas-fired batch furnace was converted to electric elements, but contactor-based on/off control led to poor temperature uniformity, slow response and high electrical demand at start-up.

Solution: installation of a REVO-PC master with REVO-S zone control for each resistive heating zone. The furnace was divided into multiple zones (end, centre, door) with individual feedback to the PLC. REVO-PC provides Profinet communications, demand limitation and staggered soft-start across all zones, while the PLC manages ramp/soak recipes.

Result: improved temperature uniformity, better adherence to heat-treatment cycles, reduced nuisance trips on electrical supply, and clearer visibility of zone loads and alarms via SCADA (typical benefits achievable on similar upgrade projects).

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Why CD Automation?

REVO-PC master with REVO-S / REVO-C zone control for large furnaces
Open comms: Modbus, Profinet, EtherCAT into PLC/DCS
Firing modes to suit resistive, transformer and inductive loads
UK field service, commissioning & retrofit support
OEM and integrator partnerships for new lines and electrification projects

Industry Overview - Electric Heating in Metals & Heat Treatment