Description
The paper outlines plasma annealing of stainless steel and nickel alloy wire in the diameter range of 0.5 mm to 5 mm. The workings of the plasma annealer and its components are explained. The production process is compared to the traditional tube annealing furnace in terms of process layout; production speed/output per line; pre-cleaning concept and environmental impact of both processes; power consumption; gas consumption; maintenance; and mechanical and surface properties and related drawability of the annealed materials.
