Hi, I am wondering if anybody could help me with my dilemma! I would like to strand anneal stainless steel and high nickel alloys wire. My problem is I only need to run about 2,000 to 3,000 lbs a week . I would like to run the line about 2 days a week aprox. 12 hrs per day. Wire size range between .012" (.30mm) and .080" (2.00mm ) Is there a efficient annealer out there that can be turned on and off and be reasonably priced for under $1000,00.
I appreciate any input. Thanks , Woody

I saw your message but was the comma in the wrong place? Were you saying $1,000 or $10,000?. If the later there might be some very simple annealers that might could do the job. What it boils down to is wire speed (annealing is a time temperature relationship) so if the speeds are high, the annealer would need to be fairly long. At $10,000 it would have to be a very simple system -- basically an insulated box with a wire tube surrounded by multiple heaters. A couple of connections so you could pump inert atmosphere into the tube, etc. I would use as simple a controller as I could.

Woody,
Another solution would be to make your own resistance annealer. A basic 600-800 watt DC power supply, two contacts for the wire to pass over, and a tube for the wire to pass through with a non- oxygenated gas ( ie: hydrogen,argon,nitrogen ).
I bet you can build it for less than $1k and it is either on or off. Believe me, I have done it before and it does work. This will work but physical properties of the alloy may not be conistent. The only thing you can count on would be elongation.

Tech1: How are you? Long time no posting.

I did'nt think you could build anything for $1,000 today.

Spectre,
I am doing fine ( I think ). Kids are driving me crazy lately and wife is spending too much money for X-mas. Anyway, Speaking about equipment to buy for less than $1k or as cheap as you can get is one of my favorite things to do. Building something from nothing is completely amazing ( especially when it makes money ). Check this one out, at one time I wanted to build a coating line in my garage. As you know, coating lines are very expensive. My solution, ( don't laugh now ) a series of toaster ovens all bolted together. Each toaster oven costs approximately $20 and temperatures reach 400f to 500f. At these temperatures, Thermoplastics cure wonderfully and some types of polyimides along with our favorite PTFE coatings.

Interesting experiment with the toasters. While working on a project to make protective masking (think plastic wrap with a tacky surface) I visited the client company in Shanghai. They had a system that they used to cure adhesive on plastic film. The film was about 12 inches wide and 0.003 thick. the curing system was about 100 feet or so long. It was a series of wooden boxes with incandescent bulb to heat it. Obviously it processed the film very slowly. Modern equipment which is also used to make magnetic tape for VHS, old type floppy disc, etc. can be used to cure the adhesive and runs at more than 1,000 feet per minute and the entire system is only about 20 feet long.

Have a happy new year.

richard