1. Plasma Treatment Casting (PTC)

2. PTC’s Competitive Advantages for high grade steel ingot
Production cost reduction by 10%-20%
Ingot casting yield increase from 80% to 90%
Segregation reduction
Grain refinement
Mechanical properties improvement
Enables ingots casting with larger dimensions
Shrinkage and porosity elimination
Environmental emission reduction by 15%

3. The Effects of PTC Process
Replacing hot isolation- feeding the liquid metal with a concentrated energy
Reducing heat gradient - intensive heat exchange in liquid metal
Stirring liquid metal while solidification- through multi-dimension electric and electromagnetic fields
Producing additional pressure in risers - reducing risers height by exchanging potential energy with kinetic energy

4. The PTC Process
The PTC process applies plasma arc during metals and metal alloys solidification process. The rotating plasma arc moves along a prescribed path, defined by a special electrode.
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5. 1.6 Ton steel ingots Casting Yield increase from 80% to 93%

6. )center ( of 10 ton P-20 tool steel ingot
Microstructure
)center ( of 10 ton P-20 tool steel ingot
Conventional ingot
Plasma treated ingot
Top
Middle
Bottom
M x 50
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7. )R/2 ( of 10 ton P-20 tool steel ingot
Microstructure
)R/2 ( of 10 ton P-20 tool steel ingot
Conventional ingot
Plasma treated ingot
Top
Middle
Bottom
M x 50
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8. ) Surface (of 10 ton P-20 tool steel ingot
Microstructure
) Surface (of 10 ton P-20 tool steel ingot
Conventional ingot
Plasma treated ingot
Top
Middle
Bottom
M x 50
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9. PTC improves austenite grain size
of P20 tool steel
Top
Middle
Bottom

10. )Bottom (of 12 ton AISI 4130 steel ingot
Microstructure
)Bottom (of 12 ton AISI 4130 steel ingot
PTC
Conventional
10mm from surface
75mm from surface
150mm from surface

11. )Middle (of 12 ton AISI 4130 steel ingot
Microstructure
)Middle (of 12 ton AISI 4130 steel ingot
PTC
Conventional
150mm from surface
10mm from surface
75mm from surface

12. )Top (of 12 ton AISI 4130 steel ingot
Microstructure
)Top (of 12 ton AISI 4130 steel ingot
PTC
Conventional
150mm from surface
10mm from surface
75mm from surface

13. PTC improves grain size of AISI 4130 steel
Grain size [micron]
Grain size [micron]
Grain size [micron]

14. PTC improves hardness variation of AISI 4130 steel

15. PTC Improves Tensile strength
Relative Ingot height
Average in cross-section
Bottom
Top
Average along the ingot
Tensile strength variation in Conventional and Plasma Treated 1.6 ton steel ingots after heat treatment

16. PTC Improves Hardness variation As cast
Bottom
Top
Bottom
Top
Metal Hardness variation in Conventional and Plasma Treated 1.6 ton steel ingots as cast

17. PTC Improves Relative Elongation Variation
Relative elongation variation in Conventional and Plasma Treated 1.6 ton steel ingots after heat treatment (average along the ingot from top to bottom)

18. The PTC equipment

19. The PTC equipment

20. PTC position during the PTC process
The PTC equipment
PTC position during the PTC process