Dec 8 2015
VHE of Iceland has completed the installation and has commissioned three rodding plant machines for Century Aluminum, Hawesville smelter, Kentucky, USA.
The three machines comprise a stub straightener, a rod straightener and an anode-rod mating station and were shipped to Hawesville during August. VHE engineers have now overseenthe installation and have successfully commissioned all three.
VHE has supplied a number of stub straighteners to smelters worldwide and is able to offer designs suitable for all yoke configurations and stub diameters. The machines are designed to remove stub toe-in and return stubs to the original yoke geometry. A hydaulically operated press controlled by a PLC provides for fully automatic operation.
The rod straightener from VHE is a multi-point design, able to remove complex bends from the rod stem. A number of hydraulically operated cylinders apply straightening forces to the stem, removing bends. Concurrently the yoke alignment is checked and adjusted as necessary to the original rod configuration.
VHE‘s Anode-Rod Mating Station is installed immediately prior to the Rod / Anode Sealing Station. The Mating Station automatically assembles anode rods and anode carbon blocks, correctly locating the rod stubs into the anode holes, centering them to ensure optimal cast iron thimble formation.