STEEL PROFILES

The Zollern factories

The ZOLLERN GmbH & Co. KG is a company with worldwide operations, employing over 2400 employees in the business fields of transmission technology (automation, gears and winches, friction bearing technology), engineering elements, foundry technology and steel profiles.

CONTENT

ZOLLERN Isoprofil Examples of applications

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Machining and treatment 10 Items supplied 15

STEEL PROFILES

ZOLLERN ISOPROFIL

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Drawing a steel profile

The best profiles for the customer

ZOLLERN ISOPROFILs steel sections are produced in close collaboration with customers from a wide range of industries and are designed to meet specific construction and fabrication requirements. Components with complicated shaping and high load-bearing capacity are the ideal application for precision-shaped profiles.

Quality and precision

The fabrication processes used by ZOLLERN ISOPROFIL for profile manufacture increase the strength of materials by means of specifically targeted cold working and heat treatment, and also improve the machining properties, as required. The fabrication processes, which are constantly being improved, together with the latest quality assurance systems make the name ZOLLERN ISOPROFIL synonymous with the highest standard of quality.

Economy
First and foremost, fabrication with profiles provides economic advantages as result of the low material mark-ups. Because subsequent machining is minimised, the selective use of profiles for components makes it possible to cut expenditure on machinery and tools as well as on staff and materials. And so, as a bonus, environmental pollution can be prevented through the use of steel profiles. This is helped further by the constant optimisation of ZOLLERN ISOPROFILs fabrication processes.

EXAMPLES OF APPLICATIONS

The following pages provide a cross-section of examples of structures with steel profiles and are designed to give a brief overview of possible applications.

Hot rolling process

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1 (From left to right): steel profiles for the maufacture of cross plates, support tabs, hydraulic components, toothed wheels for window winders, seat belts pivots 2 Linear guides 3 Ball bush with associated profile and finished component (after machining)

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Linear guides General mechanical engineering

In general mechanical engineering profiles are used first and foremost as linear and prismatic guides; but other linear guide components, such as bogie trucks or components of a ball bush, are also made of profiles. All these profiles are characterised by the highest degree of precision. Steels for guides must exhibit high resistance to wear. The choice of appropriate materials ensures that this is the case. Increasingly the surfaces subjected to wear are also being induction-hardened. Hardness figures up to 62 HRC depending on the material - can be achieved in this way without any problem. Details on this can be found in Chapter Induction hardening and in the material tables.

Automotive engineering
Steel profiles are used in automotive engineering in areas with very different requirements. The cross plate for the metering unit of a diesel injection pump is drawn with narrow tolerances; no further machining of the outline is required. Gearbox components represent a broad area of applications for preformed profiles, whether as largely prefabricated components for automatic transmission systems like the support tab in the illustration or as an optimised material for the manufacture of hydraulic components for supplying transmission fluid. Modern automotive engineering is making more and more use of electric power systems e.g. for seat adjustments or window winders. The toothed-wheel profile in the illustration is an important component of an electric window winder. The use of SPC (statistical process control) to monitor fabrication ensures the quality of parts which, like for example the seat belt pivot, are classified as safety components. In the event of impact this pivot has to absorb the totality of forces transmitted through the belt.

Medical engineering
The range of sections used in this field extends from bone marrow nails to guides. As the photograph of machined guide rails shows, perfect surfaces are created here. In most cases the use of steel profiles in medical engineering requires anti-allergic and, of course, rust-resistant materials.

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Woodworking machinery
In woodworking machinery our profiles are used as supports, HSS plane knives, clamping and retaining devices, thrust pads, or as devices to keep shavings away from plane heads. The support in the illustration is fully machined an blackgalvanised before being delivered to the customer. The demands on the shape tolerances are very high in the case of the devices for keeping shavings away from plane heads; at the same time the contour is very complicated. Thrust pads, by contrast, have a relatively simple contour, though very high demands are placed on them in relation to straightness, torsion and quality of the surface. The plane shaft in the illustration shows the use of the thrust pad and the shavings device.

1 Guide rail profile, machined guide rail and marrow nail 2 (From left to right): Profiles for holder, shavings device, thrust pads 3 The complete plane shaft with profiles for thrust pad and shavings device

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Textile machinery
In the construction of textile machinery profiles are used as draw-off rollers, yarn carriers, needle slides or slide rails and also as arbors. The demands placed on the quality of the surface are very high either for functional reasons or for optical effect.

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1 Yarn carrier profile (left) and needle slide profile 2 Flat knitting machines

Energy
The energy industry provides a wide range of applications for steel profiles. Thus, for example, ZOLLERN ISOPROFIL steel profiles are used as switch components and switch shafts, and particularly as turbine blades. These turbine blade profiles are made from heat-resistant and even very heat-resistant materials.

Guns for hunting and sport

Components in guns for hunting and sport, place especially high demands on the surface condition, the contours and the dimensional tolerances. The use of our steel profiles for breech-blocks, triggers, firing pin pieces and barrels proves the high standard of quality of ZOLLERN ISOPROFIL. A trigger lever is illustrated here as an example.

1 Turbine blade profiles 2 Trigger lever profile 3 Walther P99

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1 Toothed-wheel profile and finished toothed wheel, door check profile 2 Profiles for use in printing presses 3 Printing press Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105

Toothed-wheel profiles
With profiles it is possible to produce toothed wheels with all conceivable variations of toothing. The toothed-wheel profile for window winders, which was mentioned above, is shown here also as a finished window winder wheel after machining. It provides visual evidence of the short fabrication route from the profile to the finished component. Particular benefits arise with regard to toothed components with an asymmetrical shape, such as for example the door check profile illustrated here.

Printing presses
Tensioning rails and clamping devices made from steel profiles are used in printing presses. Here narrow radii and undercuts are produced, whilst at the same time the high demands with regard to dimensional tolerances are met.

Toolmaking and machining

Cut-off tools or clamping jaws are only two examples of how profiles are used in toolmaking and in machining. These profiles are supplied in stress-relieved condition, so the tendency to distortion during further machining by the customer is kept low.

MACHINING AND TREATMENT

On request ZOLLERN ISOPROFIL will supply not only profiles, but also finished components which are ready for use. We carry out machining, heat treatment and surface treatment operations. By arrangement we will supply your profiles in whatever condition you wish. The seat belt pivot in the illustration for example is quenched and tempered after machining. It is the galvanised and chromated to protect against corrosion.

Machining
In addition to the usual sawing or shearing of profiles we are able in our Herbertingen works to carry out not only conventional turning, drilling, milling and grinding, but also all further machining of our profiles on the latest CNC machining centres. The Aulendorf works for their part are equipped for work on sectional pieces up to 8 metres long. End machining, radial and axial drilling or the making of tapping holes are carried out with special machines which are specifically designed for long components.

(From left to right): rough-rolled profile, drawn profile, fully machined and surface-treatet component.

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Heat treatment
Heat treatment gives the material specific properties for its use or further processing. ZOLLERN ISOPROFIL has annealing facilities which can be used to carry out all forms of heat treatment on steel profiles in-house. The various processes of heat treatment are as follows:

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Soft annealing
Here the metal is heated up to the Ac1 transformation point at about 720 C. Subsequent slow cooling produces a soft, stress-relieved state. Simultaneous conversion of the carbides into spheroidised form significantly improves subsequent machining or chipless cold forming.

Normalising
Normalising comes about through heating above Ac3, which corresponds to a temperature of more than 900 C. In order that the desired uniform ferrite and pearlite microstructure is obtained, rapid cooling must follow. The effect of previous cold forming on the microstructure is thus eliminated.

Spheroidising
Spheroidising with a high degree of spheroid formation is a special annealing process over long time at temperatures around Ac1. As a result of the almost complete spheroidisation of carbides the material can be machined easily or formed and subsequently hardened with little distortion.

Stress relief annealing

This form of heat treatment is carried out to reduce internal stresses (residual stresses). For it steel is annealed at a temperature of between 500 and 650 C, i.e. below the Ac1 transformation point. The effect on mechanical properties can thus be kept small. Internal stresses are reduced to the dimensions of the yield point at elevated temperature. Stress relief annealing does not produce any microstructural changes.

Induction Hardening
ZOLLERN ISOPROFIL has extensive experience hardening steel profiles. As well as hardening the special profiles from our own factories, we will process standard shapes, rectangular or square sections and tubes on a sub-contract basis. General Induction Treatment: Inductive case hardening Inductive through hardening Inductive quenching and tempering

Induction Hardened Steel Profiles Hardened area (only the dark areas have been hardened): The martensitic structure in this area is characterised by highest wear resistance. Unhardened area (light-grey area): all positive properties of the steel profiles, such as cost-effective machinability, ductility etc., are kept in this area.

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Induction hardening machine to harden cold drawn steel profiles with cross sections of up to 4000 mm2 and specified lengths from 2200 mm up to 9000 mm. Effective hardening depths of 0.5 up to 5.0 mm are possible. As well as hardening the ZOLLERN steel profiles, we will also process on sub-contract basis.

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Application Examples: Linear guides, transmission system components, torsion bars, splined shafts, chain guides, knife blades, spring mechanisms, etc. Induction Hardening provides technical and cost advantages over conventional methods:

Induction Hardened Profiles can be in lengths of up to 9000 mm and

will keep to the highest straightness requirements.

By selectively hardening the component areas subject to wear

distortion is kept to a minimum. Less straightening rework Reduced grinding allowances The risk of cracks from straightening and grinding is minimized

Economic and flexible machining of unhardened areas Quick heating cycles prevent scale and surface decarburization
Post-processing of the surface can be considerably reduced

Precise heating by induction provides short heating and austenitizing times

Residual austenite and undesirable increases in grain size, which can

result in the premature wear of components, is virtually avoided

Short process times Very consistent mechanical properties

STANDARD CASE HARDNESS FOR INDUCTION HARDENED STEELS

Surface hardness HRC 66 64 62 60 58 56 54 52 50 48 46 44 42 40 38 C22 St 52-3 C35 C45 Cf53 C67 42CrMoV4 58CrMoV4 90MnCrV8 100Cr6 115CrV3 Material

Surface treatment
ZOLLERN ISOPROFIL supplies steel profiles with various surface characteristics, ranging from untreated, drawn or rolled surfaces through to blast-cleaned surfaces and electroplated coatings. Electroplated coatings serve first and foremost to protect against corrosion. One possibility here is for example galvanising with subsequent chromating. In order for particularly high optical requirements to be met steel profiles can however also be burnished or with protection against corrosion at the same time nickel-plated or chrome-plated.

STEEL PROFILES

ITEMS SUPPLIED

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Cross-sections
Steel profiles with cross-sections between 10 mm 2 and 6000 mm 2 can be made. The maximum width of a steel profile is 120 mm.

Surface roughness
ZOLLERN ISOPROFIL supplies drawn profiles in accordance with Roughness Class N8 under DIN-ISO 1302. This corresponds to a centre line average roughness of Ra 3,1 m or an average peak-to-valley height of Rz 16 m. In the case of sandblasted surfaces or after induction hardening the values Ra 5,0 m and Rz 25 m are achieved.

Length
ZOLLERN ISOPROFIL steel profiles can be supplied as rods in factory lengths and specified lengths up to 9 metres, depending on cross-section. The length tolerance here is 2 mm.

Dimensional tolerances
Depending on the nominal range of measurement basic degrees of tolerance of at most IT 9, in accordance with ISO 286, are achieved.

ZOLLERN GmbH & Co. KG ZOLLERN Steel Profiles Postfach 12 20 D-72481 Sigmaringen Tel. +49 75 71 70 24 6 Fax +49 75 71 70 27 5 zst@zollern.de www.zollern.com

Z443 04.2005

Errors and Omissions excepted.

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