GRINM GROUP: Higher specimen throughput thanks to multi-furnace solution
Case Study
- Customer: CHINA GRINM (Guobiao (Beijing) Testing & Certification Co., Ltd
- Location: Beijing, China
- Industry: Metals & testing services
- Topic: High-temperature tensile tests with 2-furnace solution
GRINM Group
Founded in 1952, CHINA GRINM (formerly known as China General Research Institute for Nonferrous Metals) is a large research and development organization and a high-tech incubator with strong core competence in the nonferrous metals industry in China. The Group focuses on three core business areas: advanced non-ferrous metal materials and processing, mineral processing and metallurgy, and analysis and testing. The family of companies includes more than 40 companies, including innovative platforms, high-tech companies, investment companies, publishing and service companies. The Group has established production sites and research and development organizations throughout China, the United Kingdom and Canada.
The task
Challenge:
CHINA GRINM needed a solution to increase the efficiency of its testing services. The heating and cooling phases are time-consuming and difficult to influence, especially in high-temperature tests. For a service laboratory, this idle time represents a financial factor, as no further tests can be carried out during this time. The aim was therefore to increase the specimen throughput and thus be able to carry out more tests in less time.
The ZwickRoell solution
Two high-temperature furnaces and non-contact strain measurement
ZwickRoell developed an innovative testing solution for this particular challenge. Two high-temperature furnaces are mounted on the rear of the Z100 TEW AllroundLine testing machine for easy access. While one specimen is being heated up and tested, the operator can prepare the second furnace for the test in parallel and bring the specimen to test temperature. As soon as the first test is completed, the high-temperature furnace, including the load string and tested specimen, is swiveled out. The second furnace, including the load string and the already heated specimen, can then be swiveled into place. After that, another test can be started. The 2-furnace solution therefore doubles the specimen throughput. The strain measurement required for the high-temperature tensile test (to ISO 6892-2) is performed without contact using the laserXtens 2-120 HP/TZ. The optical measuring method eliminates the need for gauge marks, which speeds up specimen preparation considerably and also reduces operator influence.
“ZwickRoell provided us with the exact solution we were looking for. By integrating two furnaces into a single machine, the desired increase in testing capacity has been successfully achieved. The excellent reputation and the high number of references were decisive factors in our decision.”
Mrs. Hongju Zhang (CHINA GRINM Guobiao (Beijing) Testing & Certification Co., Ltd.)
The result
Achieved:
The temperature control of the specimens is reproducible and user-independent thanks to the automatic 3-zone control, which ensures uniform temperature distribution along the specimen without overshooting. The integrated automatic heating function allows the furnaces to be heated up before work begins, saving even more valuable time.
In addition, non-contact strain measurement with the laserXtens 2-120 HP/TZ helps to increase efficiency, as there is no longer any need to apply gauge marks and therefore no influence by the operator. This not only leads to faster preparation, but also to high measurement accuracy. The low costs incurred for the operation of a non-contact extensometer quickly compensate for the higher acquisition costs.
Parallel testing and test preparation as well as strain measurement with the laserXtens have significantly increased the cost-effectiveness of the GRINM GROUP's testing services. This combination of two-furnace technology and non-contact strain measurement represents a sustainable optimization of testing processes.
