At Ellwood Specialty Steel, they are dedicated to quality and service -- with the world's most advanced steelmaking equipment in the business. Ellwood Specialty Steel is a fully integrated producer of a wide range of specialty steels. Steelmaking Capabilities A skilled workforce combined with the world's most advanced equipment means an exceptionally reliable product with the best warranty in the business. Ellwood Specialty Steel products are used in applications with the most demanding cleanliness, strength, fatigue and impact toughness requirements. ESS steel is manufactured using a state-of-the-art 50-ton electric arc furnace (EAF), ladle refining and vacuum degassing equipment. The EAF is dedicated to fast melting, and the ASEA-SKF split secondary steel making unit is dedicated only to refining. Advanced ladle metallurgy techniques produce ultra-clean steels; minimum chemistry variation is assured in all steel grades. This tight control in the melt shop permits production of custom-designed chemistries for special applications. The very low sulfur and oxide content allows for excellent machining and polishing characteristics. Supplemental VAR and ESR remelting is also available for those applications demanding an even higher level of quality. The Process Scrap is loaded into clam-shell buckets and charged into an ultra-high powered (UHP) eccentric bottom tapping (EBT) electric arc furnace. Scrap is melted. Carbon and phosphorus are removed under an oxidizing slag. Steel is tapped slag free into a preheated ladle. During tapping, deoxidation and alloy additions are charged, followed by a reducing top slag. The ladle is transferred to a heating station for alloy adjustment and refining. Arc heating and induction stirring at this step insures homogenous mixing and interaction of steel and stag. The ladle is next transferred to a vacuum degassing station where the steel may be calcium treated via deep bath powder injection lance. The steel bath undergoes vacuum degassing whereby hydrogen is removed to a level of less than 1ppm. Combined induction and argon gas bubbling is used during vacuum treatment. Heats are sent to teem at a consistent pre-designated temperature. All ingots are bottom poured at a controlled rate of rise. A teeming car allows faster turnaround. Argon Shrouding may be employed to minimize reoxidation and pick up of nitrogen and hydrogen. Forging Capabilities Predictable, precise products manufactured in a fraction of the time normally required. The Forging Facilities are comprised of four hydraulic presses, automated forge heating furnaces, manipulators, and auxiliary equipment. Knowledgeable, dedicated employees oversee every aspect of the manufacturing process. Heat Treating and Machining Thermal treatments maximize forged steel strength. Skilled finish machinists meet your exacting specifications. Employing a sophisticated work flow model, your steel is cycled through the thermal treatment process required to meet the metallurgical demands of your final application. This can include hardening, quenching in agitated water or polymer baths, tempering, annealing, normalizing and stress relieving. Choose the degree of finishing you want. The Finishing Facility maintains one of the industry's most extensive selections of machining equipment and systems. Quality Assurance Rigorous testing, attention to detail, the quality you demand-built right in. The specialty steels ESS supplies undergo testing throughout all stages of manufacture, often beyond what you require. Testing methodologies employed are chemical analysis; mechanical testing; nondestructive testing including Level III ultrasonic; liquid penetrant and magnetic particle testing and dimensional inspection. Rest assured, attention to quality is a total commitment of ESS. With manufacturing facilities certified to ISO 9002, products adhere to standards of a world-recognized, quality management system.