Tiangong International expands PM capabilities with new HIP press from Quintus Technologies
June 2, 2021
Tiangong International Company Limited, one of China’s largest producers of tool and die steel, has expanded its Powder Metallurgy capacity by acquiring a QIH 232 M URC® press from Quintus Technologies, Västerås, Sweden. The Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) press will be installed at Tiangong’s manufacturing facility located in Danyang City, Jiangsu province, and is scheduled to be operational in August 2022.
Responding to Tiangong’s need to meet increasing demand for PM production, the new press is equipped with Quintus’s proprietary Uniform Rapid Cooling® (URC) technology, which provides high productivity. The fan-assisted temperature uniformity and distribution, combined with controlled heating and cooling, enable a consistent and high-quality process. Accelerated cooling under pressure minimises thermal distortion and improves material properties. Tiangong makes high-performance high-speed steel with high ductility and wear resistance for customers in the tool and die industry.
The QIH 232 press offers a high-capacity work zone of 119 cm (46.8 inches) in diameter and 260 cm (102.4 inches) in height. It operates at a maximum temperature of 1,400°C (2,552°F) and a maximum pressure of 2,070 bar (30,000 psi).
“We chose to work with Quintus Technologies because the company has more than sixty years of history in the application of high pressure in advanced material densification,” stated Zhu Xiao Kun, Tiangong CEO.
Tiangong has supplemented its press purchase with a long-term Quintus® Care Program. In addition to application support and full access to the Quintus HIP knowledge base, Quintus Care offers a preventative maintenance agreement that hopes to enable flawless production, operation, and press performance at a fixed annual cost. The programme also includes regular recertification of Tiangong personnel and inspections to confirm the highest press reliability and availability.
Jan Söderström, CEO of Quintus Technologies, commented, “We are very pleased to be working with a company that has such a strong presence in the Chinese steel industry. With our long history in Powder Metallurgy, we are a good partner as Tiangong ramps up its production of high-performance high-speed steel billets.”
