Innovative Technology for Reduced Treatment Costs

By means of a 4.5 million euro investment, the company has set up a new line with an alternative production line, which uses sandblasting instead of treatment with acid. This means that the oxide is removed from steel strips mechanically without the use of chemical agents. Head of Technology Janez Katnik and engineer Bojan Finc started developing the procedure approximately five years ago. They have also developed a brushing technology for the cleaning of steel strips after sandblasting. The new sandblasting machine was designed by the company Siapro from Most na Soči, whereas the construction was managed by the German SMS Group. That way Acroni has avoided environmental risks, as well as especially the treatment with acids and the neutralisation of waste. The operating costs of the new line will be lower by 15% compared to the old treatment procedure. The results are better than expected and the procedure is now being tested also with other types of sheet metal.