Electralloy announced plans to add a consumable electroslag remelt facility and argon-oxygen decarburization (AOD) refining vessels at the Oil City, PA site. The company says it's responding to a market recovery in the demand of high-technology stainless, duplex stainless, and nickel alloys.
An additional 125,000 ft2 building will be added to the existing three-furnace (two vacuum arc remelt - VAR - and an electroslag remelt - ESR) facility. Phase One will include a 40-ft. Consarc VAR furnace and 50-ton crane, providing Electralloy future expansion capacity for additional remelt and heat-treat furnaces. The additional VAR allows Electralloy to meet customers' needs and supply additional grades that weren't previously available. Commissioning of the new furnace is slated for October 2005.
The AOD refining expansion will be achieved by upgrading the "A" AOD unit to match the "B" AOD unit's flexibility and tonnage capacity. Both will have the ability to refine 18-, 22-, or 30-ton heats, allowing additional tonnage to be produced while retaining the flexibility to produce smaller, custom-refined heats. A scheduled plant shutdown to complete the upgrade is scheduled for July.
The approval for the expansion was given at the company's board of directors meeting in late April.
Electralloy produces custom-melt material in the form of forging quality billets, ingot, master alloys, bar, slab, block, weld wire, and G.O. Carlson plate. The company provides materials to the forging, aerospace, power generation, nuclear, military, and other demanding application markets.