A further milestone on the way to production: The arrival of the millstands

Transcription

1 THE MAZINE OF THE GROUP ISSUE 01 / 2016 Big River Steel A further milestone on the way to production: The arrival of the millstands Group The merger between and is highly advantageous for our customers. 04 COpper Finding the correct manufacturing process and benefiting from the advantages. 82 Plug & Work The operating personnel receive a clearer explanation of the production sequences. 88

2 contents sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 Contents 16 Start of production at Big River. 60 The first production facilities are in operation at Tianjin Zhongwang. PRocesscHAIN 20 IRONMAKING PLANTS 24 metallurgy and Environmental technology 39 Flat rolling mills 66 strip Processing Lines and Furnace technology 72 Tube & pipe plants 76 LONG PRODUCT PLANTS 88 electrical And AUtomation Systems 92 Production 98 Service 20 IRONMAKING PLANTS: Sinter cooler from The sintering of iron ore concentrate presents a challenge for the plants. 25 Metallurgy and Environmental technology: SIS Injector 4.0 Electric arc furnaces from productive and energyefficient. 40 Flat rolling mills Logistics system: High-bay stores for Aleris group is also supplying a cold rolling mill. 46 Hot rolling mills: Back to the future successful cooperation with Nucor. 52 cold rolling mills CCM a strongly desired offer from group A new order from Vietnam and successful commisioning in Bangladesh and Pakistan. 60 Aluminum: Aluminum strip for China Tthe first production facilities of the mega-complex in operation at Tianjin Zhongwang. 70 strip processing Lines and furnace technology Annealed steel strips in Sichuan Tthe anealing lines supplied by for the Panzhihua Iron and Steel Group have commenced operation. 2

3 contents 32 Revamp at SSAB Luleå. 86 Fast production. 106 Laser strip-welding symposium. 74 Tube & Pipe plants: NWZ orders three cold-tube pilger mills High cost-efficiency and precision for tubes made from special materials. 78 Long product plants Metallurgical technology: HybrEx ordered Royal United Metal and Glass from Dubai orders an extrusion press. 79 Heat treatment technology: EloFresh: Innovative monitoring and control system SsMS Elotherm has successfully commissioned an innovation for cooling and quenching plants for hardening machines. 88 ElectricAL and AUtomation Systems: Plug & Work also possible in 3D sms group trains the customer s operating personnel already before commissioning. 92 Production: Components for wedge press Oover a period of three years, group has replaced 15 machine tools during ongoing operation at the Mönchengladbach production location. 94 Service: Equipped for the first time with a loading robot Extrusion press revamped at ST Extruded Products Group for enhancing the production efficiency. StanDARDs 04 In Focus 08 Photo highlight 10 OUTLOOK RETROSPECT 16 News 106 EVents 109 PUBLICATIONS 109 Imprint The group app is now available in the App Store and at Google Play. Cover: Arrival of the mill housings at Big River Steel in Mississippi, USA. 3

4 In FOcUS sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 With concentrated forces for metallurgical plant engineering The two companies and have been merged since mid The new name of group now officially unifies the wide range of activities comprising, on the one hand, metallurgical plant and rolling mill technology and, on the other, tube, long-product, and forging technology. The customer will benefit from this merging of organizations. From the blast furnace to the bright-drawn steel plant, group is the world market leader in metallurgical plant engineering. This includes not only tailor-made electrical and automation systems but also comprehensive service provision and environmental technology. Close to the customer With their know-how and commitment, the experienced and highly qualified employees of group personify strongly motivated performance in the field of plant engineering. Around 12,000 employees are active in group. They ensure perfect interfaces and the greatest possible efficiency along the entire metallurgical process chain. The group is represented by contact persons worldwide. The employees are organized in a way that allows them to have precise knowledge of the technical and commercial expectations and to work closely with the customer at the regional level. group is thus able to serve the industrial centers of the steel and NF metals sector on all continents. This concentration of competences and contacts makes it even easier for our customers to gain access to the full wealth of our range of products and services, promises Burkhard Dahmen, Chairman of the Managing Board of group. Each of the ten Business Units is structured such that it can competently fulfill the customers expectations also at the level of small, highly focused units of performance. Units that share their functions find it easier to implement their activities, from the initial design concept to the finished turnkey works. Along the process chain In order to satisfy the widely differing requirements of our customers in a perfectly coordinated manner, we have organized our efficient provision of services along the metallurgical process chain. Here, we focus on continuity and, in some areas such as Services and Electrical and Automation Systems, on growth, while keeping our sights on our more than 140 years of experience in metallurgical plant construction and mechanical engineering. Our business units are closely harmonized with one another, and our processes intermesh in a customer- 4

5 In FOcUS Left: Dr. Heinrich Weiss, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of group. Bottom: group. More than 140 years of experience in metallurgical plant construction and mechanical engineering. 5

6 In FOcUS sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 Focusing on the customer s requirements: The Managing Board of group with the Chairman Burkhard Dahmen (center). i group The amalgamation of with group became legally effective on September 1, The former business areas are now operating in a coordinated and harmonized manner on the world market under the unified umbrella name of group. oriented manner. Our own workshops in those regions of the world where demand is high ensure uniform standards of quality that are tailored to the respective expectations of our customers. Our Business Units at a glance: Ironmaking Plants Metallurgical Plants and Environmental Technology Flat-product Rolling Mills Tube & Pipe Plants Long Products Plants Processing Lines and Furnace Technology Forging Plants Electrical and Automation Systems Production Technical Service Members with responsibility for central functions The owners of group as a familyrun business have clear ideas as to the firm s present and future course. Customer satisfaction has uppermost priority. The Chairman of the Supervisory Board is Dr.-Ing. E. h. Heinrich Weiss. The management of the company is undertaken by a seven-member Managing Board under the chairmanship of Burkhard Dahmen (CEO). The member responsible for Finances is Eckhard Schulte (CFO). The technical and operative leadership of the Business Units is under the control of Dr. Guido Kleinschmidt (Metallurgical Plants and Environmental Technology, Technical Service), Dieter Rosenthal (Flat Rolling Plants), Marcel Fasswald (Tube & Pipe Plants, Long Products Plants, Forging Plants), and Harald Rackel (Processing Lines and Furnace Technology, Electrical and Automation Systems, Production). They are the first contact partners for our customers at the Managing Board level of group. Torsten Heising is the Managing Board member with responsibility for the Restructuring and Efficiency Enhancement Program

7 2012 WURTH group 2009 group In focus WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH 2012 WURTH WURTH group group WURTH group group 2012 WURTH 2012 group WURTH group WURTH group 2012 group 2012 group group 2014 WURTH group group 2012 group 2014 group WURTH group group 2012 WURTH group 2012 group 2014 group group group 1999 group group group WURTH WURTH group 2011 WURTH group WURTH WURTH 2012 group group group WURTH More than 140 years of experience group WURTH group WURTH WURTH WURTH group WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH 1977 WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH 1977 WURTH 1999 WURTH WURTH 1977 WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH WURTH 1975 WURTH WURTH group WURTH Anciens Etablissements Anciens Etablissements WURTH Anciens Anciens Anciens 1920 Anciens 1920 Anciens 1920 Anciens Anciens Anciens Anciens Anciens Anciens Anciens Anciens 1920 Anciens Anciens Anciens 1920 Anciens 1920 Etablissements Etablissements 1921 Anciens Etablissements 1920 Etablissements Anciens Etablissements Anciens Etablissements Etablissements Etablissements Etablissements Etablissements 1921 Anciens Etablissements Etablissements 1920 Etablissements Etablissements Anciens Etablissements Anciens 1920 Etablissements 1920 Anciens Etablissements 1920 Etablissements Anciens Etablissements Etablissements Etablissements Anciens Etablissements Anciens Anciens 1920 Etablissements Etablissements Etablissements Etablissements Etablissements Etablissements Etablissements Anciens Anciens Etablissements Etablissements KGaA Anciens 1920 KGaA Etablissements KGaA KGaA KGaA 1907 KGaA 1907 KGaA KGaA 1910 KGaA 1907 KGaA 1907 KGaA KGaA KGaA KGaA KGaA 1907 KGaA KGaA KGaA KGaA KGaA 1907 KGaA KGaA KGaA KGaA KGaA KGaA 1907 KGaA 1907 KGaA 1907 KGaA KGaA KGaA KGaA Anciens KGaA Etablissements Eugène Müller Kesselfabrek Eugène Müller Kesselfabrek Eugène Müller Eugène Müller 1870 Eugène Müller 1870 Eugène Müller 1870 Eugène Müller 1870 Eugène Müller Eugène Müller 1870 Eugène Müller Eugène Eugène Müller Müller Eugène Eugène Müller Müller Eugène Müller Eugène Müller Eugène Müller Eugène Müller 1870 Eugène Müller Kesselfabrek 1870 Kesselfabrek Eugène Müller Kesselfabrek Eugène Kesselfabrek Eugène Müller Eugène Müller 1870 Eugène Müller 1870 Kesselfabrek Kesselfabrek Eugène Müller Kesselfabrek Kesselfabrek Kesselfabrek 1870 Kesselfabrek Eugène Müller Kesselfabrek Kesselfabrek 1870 Eugène Müller Kesselfabrek Eugène Müller 1834 Kesselfabrek Eugène Müller Kesselfabrek 1870 Kesselfabrek 1870 Eugène Müller Kesselfabrek 1870 Eugène Müller Kesselfabrek 1871 Kesselfabrek Kesselfabrek Kesselfabrek Kesselfabrek Eugène Müller Eugène Müller Kesselfabrek Kesselfabrek 1907 Kesselfabrek Kesselfabrek KGaA Kesselfabrek Kesselfabrek Kesselfabrek Kesselfabrek Kesselfabrek Eugène Müller Kesselfabrek group Eugène Müller Kesselfabrek holding group - 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Aktiengesellschaft group Elektro Elektro Elektro Elektro Elektro Elektro Elektro Elektro ElektroElektro ElektroElektro Elektro Elektro Elektro Elektro Elektroholding holding Elektroholding holding Elektroholding Elektroholding holding holding holding holding Elektroholding holding holding holding Elektroholding holding Elektroholding holding holding holding holding Hüttentechnik holding Elektro holding holding Elektro group Elektroholding holding ElektroElektro holding holding holding Elektro Hüttentechnik Elektroholding holding - Aktiengesellschaft group Concast group group group group group Elektro group group group group group group group group group group group group group group group group group group holding group group group group group group Elektro- Deutsche Gebr. MEER Aktiengeu. Gebr. sellschaft u. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. Gebr. u. Gebr. u. u. u. u. u. u. u. u. u. u. u. Gebr. u. Gebr. u. u. u. u. u. u. u. u. u. u. u. u. u. u. u. u. u.u. Gebr. u. Dahlbrucher Carl Eberhard WeissGebrüder Klein Mechanische SchmiedebetriebDahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Gebrüder Klein Werkstätten Harkort Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Eduard Dahlbrucher Dahlbrucher Mechanische Gebrüder Klein Gebrüder Klein Dahlbrucher Gebrüder Klein Dahlbrucher Gebrüder Klein Gebrüder Klein Gebrüder Klein Gebrüder Klein Gebrüder Klein Gebrüder Gebrüder Klein Klein Gebrüder Gebrüder Klein Klein Gebrüder Klein Gebrüder Klein Gebrüder Klein Gebrüder Klein Mechanische Gebrüder Klein Mechanische Mechanische Gebrüder Klein OHG Mechanische Werkstätten Harkort Gebrüder Klein Gebrüder Klein Mechanische Gebrüder Klein Mechanische Mechanische Mechanische Gebrüder Klein Mechanische Mechanische Mechanische Mechanische Gebrüder Klein Gebrüder Klein Gebrüder Klein Mechanische Mechanische Mechanische Mechanische Mechanische Gebrüder Klein Gebrüder Klein Mechanische Gebrüder Klein Werkstätten Harkort Dahlbrucher Gebrüder Klein Werkstätten Harkort Mechanische Werkstätten Harkort Mechanische Gebrüder Klein Werkstätten Harkort Mechanische Werkstätten Harkort Mechanische Werkstätten Harkort Werkstätten Harkort Werkstätten Harkort Mechanische Werkstätten Werkstätten Harkort Harkort Mechanische Mechanische Werkstätten Werkstätten Harkort Harkort Werkstätten Harkort Werkstätten Harkort Mechanische Werkstätten Harkort Mechanische Mechanische Werkstätten Harkort Mechanische Werkstätten Harkort Werkstätten Harkort Mechanische Werkstätten Harkort Werkstätten Harkort Werkstätten Harkort Werkstätten Harkort Werkstätten Harkort Werkstätten Harkort Werkstätten Harkort Gebrüder Klein Werkstätten Harkort Werkstätten Harkort Werkstätten Harkort Werkstätten Harkort Werkstätten Harkort Carl Eberhard Mechanische Werkstätten Harkort Weiss Schmiedebetrieb Dahlbrucher Gebrüder Klein Mechanische Werkstätten Harkort 7

8 Rolling like the professionals At the international trade fair Metec 2015, group presented the control pulpit of the future, with the electrical and automation system providing all information associated with the production process. On that occasion, group demonstrated its vision of machine operation in the future when all areas, without exception, will have been adapted to the activities of the operating staff. The new operating philosophy could be experienced live with the rolling mill simulator that offered the visitors to the group booth the opportunity to virtually roll in 3D heavy plate material. Further innovations under the aspect of Industry 4.0 will be advanced by group to reach market readiness in the near future. The photo shows Asa Hutchinson, Governor of the U.S. State of Arkansas. Standing right behind him, Dieter Rosenthal, member of the group Managing Board, is watching the rolling results. 8

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10 Ausblick OUTLOOK Rückblick RETROSPECT sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 At the new control pulpit, operators have a clear view of the production process. The BCT process. Finishing stand of a hot strip mill. 10

11 OUTLOOK RETROSPECT FOCUSING ON THE CUSTOMER WITH SOLUTIONS FROM A SINGLE SOURCE Dr. Guido Kleinschmidt on trends and challenges affecting plant engineering in the metal-producing industry. The recent international metallurgy trade show time. Overcapacities and the resulting rock-bottom prices and conference combo METEC 2015 in Düsseldorf of metal products are piling cost pressure on our customers. Added to this are other factors, such as growing de- was a big success especially for group. It attracted about 80,000 visitors from more than mand for special grades, stricter environmental protection 120 countries, so that the event was just as popular as the previous METEC a remarkable result considering today s climate in the industry. regulations, and resource scarcity, that pose huge challenges for the metal industry. Furthermore, in the age of globalization and digitalization, Particularly appropriate for companies can tap into a group is this year s motto The Bright World of Metals, because it draws attention not only to the versatile material steel, but also to other metals such as copper, aluminum, and ferroalloys. We took the opportunity of a large number of intensive talks with our customers, exhibitors, and other visitors to gain a clearer understanding of new trends and challenges in the wealth of complex information and data that open up new potentials of plant optimization and production transparency. As a leading systems supplier of plants, machinery, and services along the entire metallurgical value creation chain, group and its more than 12,000 employees are well placed to offer efficient, unique solutions with compelling economic benefits. metal production industry. The product portfolio of That s because listening closely and understanding customers are imperative to modern group ranges from high-performance individual components right through to turnkey plant construction. complete plants from one The rate of change in market requirements for plant construction in the steelmaking industry is accelerating all the Dr. Guido Kleinschmidt Member of the Managing Board, group. source. Characteristic of the 140-year history of the company are the continuous new developments that are a key to 11

12 Ausblick Rückblick sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 Illustration of a vacuum AOD process. Illustration of the 135 MVA furnace at POSCO SNNC, Korea. its success as a global leader in metallurgical plants and rolling mill technology. Belt casting technology for innovative steel grades There are good reasons why the automotive industry demands lightweight steels for manufacturing load-bearing chassis parts. These materials excel with good formability and high strength. That s why group, cooperating with TU Clausthal University and Salzgitter Flachstahl (SZFG), has developed an exciting solution: near-net-shape belt casting technology (BCT ). The industrial-scale plant operates at the Peine location where it is steadily being tested and refined. In contrast to conventional continuous casting, the liquid steel is poured freely from a casting system onto a water-cooled, circular conveyor belt, where it solidifies. That produces transfer bars free of bending stresses, without casting powder, and at casting speeds of 10 to 30 m/min. Typical dimensions of the cast plates are 8 to 20 millimeters thick and 1,000 millimeters wide. After re-heating, they are rolled and wound into coils. The plant has already produced high-manganese HSD steels that defy conventional casting processes. For group, the compact, cost-saving technology also offers new application options for producing carbon steels in mini steelworks. Normally, ferroalloys are produced in submerged-arc furnaces. Due to the process involved, the energy consumption is several times that of electric-arc furnaces used for steel production. To tackle this issue, group has developed systems that minimize thermal losses. For instance, the new DC-FeCr furnaces use air-cooled suspended-brick-type instead of conventional water-cooled roofs. As a result, the specific energy consumption is up to 15 percent lower than for a conventional water-cooled system. A patented thyristor furnace current controller increases the energy input up to 20 percent, especially in large FeNi furnaces. That makes mega-capacity furnaces possible. Last year, POSCO SNNC in Gwangyang/Korea commissioned a FeNi furnace with a rated power of 100 MW. During commissioning in August 2015, the 100 MW barrier was broken for the first time, something that can only be achieved with thyristor technology. It s a world record not only for FeNi furnaces but for all other submerged-arc furnace applications. Nonferrous metallurgy group activities and opportunities Consistently, for more than a hundred years, group has also applied its know-how to ferroalloys and nonferrous metals production. This is where submerged-arc furnaces are frequently the solution of choice, above all for ferroalloys and silicon grades. Today, there are a total of some 60 different metals and special slags produced with electric-arc furnace technology, and group is the global leader with a market share of over 50 percent. Equally noteworthy is that group has, in recent years, expanded its process and plant expertise in steel to encompass converters for nonferrous metals. This is reflected in the fields of refining ferroalloys and silicon where we already have a large catalog of innovative references. Ferroalloy producers are especially interested in the new 12

13 OUTLOOK RETROSPECT»The product portfolio of group ranges from powerful and efficient single components to turnkey integrated plants.«dr. Guido Kleinschmidt, member of the Managing Board, group vacuum AOD converter technology with CO 2 as the blowing medium. That s because it allows low-cost production of MC-FeCr and MC-FeMn grades. Primary copper production involves several different process stages and assemblies bearing some technical similarities to steel producing systems. Here again, it was logical for group to transfer its exceptional technological expertise from steel production to the copper production process. This will make it possible in the future to cover the entire primary metallurgical copper route with group technology. Reconciling ecology and economy group also works intensively on designing metal processing technologies that are more energy-efficient and generate fewer emissions. There are important economic and ecological reasons for this. First, saving energy and resources cuts costs. And second, protecting resources is becoming more and more important, with extensive environmental strategies being essential for every production facility. Ideal in this context is the group Ecoplants brand, providing sustainable solutions that give our customers significant economical as well as ecological advantages. group has defined these factors that identify the added value of Ecoplants solutions: Less raw material input Reduced input of energy and operating materials Minimized emissions Increased recycling quota at constant product quality Energy recovery systems achieve a palpable increase in en- ergy efficiency. Included here, for example, is the generation of steam using the heat from waste gas emitted by electric-arc furnaces, converters, or submerged-arc furnaces. Afterwards it is possible to use this steam for heating, cooling, or generating mechanical or electric power. To give an example: a Chinese customer will utilize the steam generated by the heat from the electric-arc furnace in its steelworks to drive the vacuum steam-jet pump in a vacuum degassing plant. Harmony between man and machine Will the metal producing plants of the future operate without personnel? Some experts think so. However, at group we believe metallurgical plants will continue to require human control, although machines will increasingly dominate. Essential here is that man and machine form a homogenous unit. Even complex tasks can be easy to accomplish in top technical and professional quality, supported by assistive automation. This requires that all the production data comes together in the control pulpit. group reacts to the increasing complexity of automated production plants by developing innovative visualization methods and designs that center on the operator much more strongly. Equally significant are optimized ergonomics and user-friendly workplace design. To achieve these improvements, group has developed new control pulpits and HMI masks that give operators a clear view of the production process while also displaying recommended actions. Crucial in the run-up to modernizations or new installations is preparing personnel for the changed production 13

14 OUTLOOK RETROSPECT sms group newsletter 01 / 2016»Fast, competent, trustworthy, and local with a worldwide network. Excellent features of Technical Service at group.«dr. Guido Kleinschmidt, member of the Managing Board, group process. Here, group relies on its proven Plug & Work method. That ensures shorter commissioning times as well as faster, dependable plant run-up. To achieve this even before delivery of the automation system the hardware and software components are installed in an group test center and put through their paces. The test center is also ideal for training operating crews. Industry 4.0 achieving the vision The term Industry 4.0 describes a possible scenario for the shape of industrial production in ten years time. Networked production processes will automatically organize and optimize themselves in local and global value creation chains. This is a development process already anchored in the steel industry, and it builds on available technologies. Work on uniform new standards is already ongoing. This entire field is moving at a highly dynamic pace. All market participants must keep up, and group is leading the way. Companies need to constantly review existing business models and working methods. They need to identify and develop new procedures that help achieve their goals. Applied in production, Industry 4.0 promises an end to the inefficiency of repairing faults. Instead, the focus will be on avoiding faults in the first place. Yet few manufacturers will build a Factory 4.0 on a greenfield site. That s why a key aspect is upgrading existing factories at low cost. There is a huge potential here for group as a global player with its own production and service workshops to increase the quantitative and qualitative capability of its machines and plants as well as its services. Using the digital, participative engineering and order processing methods it has been applying for years, as well as its own automation platform (X-Pact ), the group is perfectly prepared for this initiative and can respond dynamically to current developments in Industry 4.0. To give a concrete example: already in test operation is a data-driven, self-learning, real-time forecasting model for more efficient process control installed by group in a German steelmaking plant. This shows that group has, in fact, successfully branched out into Industry 4.0. In the near future, group will come up with further market-ready innovations in line with Industry 4.0. One of the goals is to offer customers solutions for conditionbased maintenance and repairs. Included here is overall functional connectivity of all machines, materials, and personnel along the very deep value creation chain in the steel industry. That will result in optimized production processes in terms of quantities and costs, product quality, flexible process logistics, warehouse management, and energy consumption. Focus on the customer services At group, the focus is always on the customer. Only by listening closely and considering customer requirements and experience can engineers design and maintain a plant that combines the technically possible with the economically useful. That s why, for many years, service has been a steadily growing field within group. Fast, professional, dependable, and local, yet backed by a global network. This is what sets group services apart. And that means more than just spare parts. Our ser- 14

15 Steam generation at Fuxin Special Steel, China. vice offers solutions that guarantee customers reliable, cost-effective operation of their plants throughout the service life. Whether replacement parts, maintenance/repairs, or large or small revamps of existing plants. Even after commissioning, group supports customers as a reliable partner. The backbone of any company is its workforce. Essential for this are the right expertise and comprehensive understanding of the task in hand. That s where the TECademy provides effective support. Maintaining a focus on practical and technical know-how, the training academy offers standardized as well as customized courses. On request, TECademy trainers can also travel to the customer s location and instruct staff directly on their own plant. The subjects covered include technology, plant operation, maintenance, and repairs. Today, customers usually expect rapid support, because a plant out of production costs a lot of money. That s why group insists on fast communication channels and a broad product portfolio of support and optimization. Whether an online shop for replacement parts, software for monitoring slab quality, the Genius Condition Monitoring System that prevents plant stoppages, or online training courses these are just a few examples of how group helps customers enhance plant performance. Modernization is an excellent way of increasing metallurgical facilities competitiveness at a more modest cost. Generally speaking, revamps are slightly more complex because they involve optimizing an old plant with the existing infrastructure and equipment. The advantages for the customer are obvious. Normally, improving the performance and efficiency of a plant that has already been written off is more profitable than erecting a new plant. group helps customers decide by providing studies and cost-effectiveness assessments. Fit for the future With its constant innovative approach, group demonstrates how it can satisfy both today s and tomorrow s markets. Experiences combined with vision have created a product portfolio that matches the new market requirements. 15

16 NEws sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 Arrival of the millstands for the cold rolling mill. 16

17 News Big River Steel looking forward to the start of production group delivering North America s most advanced steelmaking plant to Big River Steel. Already in 2016, the production of tube grades for pipelines, silicon steels for electronic sheet, and AHSS grades for the automotive industry in the South of the U. will start. The project of this size takes about two years to build. It is a complex process that has a large number of milestones to it. Milestones show the plant owner that the start of production is moving closer. Visitors to the METEC 2015 trade fair had the opportunity to get a first impression of the scope of supply at the group booth. There, a drive spindle was exhibited, which in the future will be driving one of the seven millstands at Big River Steel. The drive spindle was manufactured at the workshop in Hilchenbach and will be installed in the CSP plant at Osceola in the U.S. State of Arkansas. The drive shaft is characterized by a new, optimized toothing geometry allowing for larger angles and the transmission of higher torques. Arkansas is a leading state in steel production With the words Good for Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson, Governor of the U.S. State of Arkansas, signed the spindle during his visit to the booth at the METEC trade fair. group is very engaged in the construction of Big River Steel, which when it comes on line will make Arkansas the Number 1 steel producing region in the nation in the United States of America. So Arkansas is at the forefront of steel production and we re delighted with the partnership and engagement of group, the Governor said. Another important milestone of the project is the arrival of the millstands for the cold rolling mill. Mark Bula, Chief Commercial Officer at Big River Steel: We right now i Supply Package group scope of supply for Big River Steel The group scope of supply covers the entire equipment, including the mechanical equipment and the electrical and automation systems. For the steelworks, group is erecting two electric arc furnaces, two twin-ladle furnaces and an RH-TOP facility. Besides the provision of the electrical and automation systems, group is also focusing firmly on environmental engineering. The Big River Steel plant will be equipped with a gas cleaning system to be able to comply with the strict environmental standards. The finished CSP plant will consist of two CSP casters, two tunnel furnaces, the CSP rolling mill, laminar strip cooling equipment, and two downcoilers. Big River Steel operates the widest of all CSP plants, with a maximum strip width of 1,930 millimeters. The hot strip from the CSP plant will be processed to high-grade cold strip on the adjoining combined pickling line/tandem cold mill. The tandem cold mill supplies a wide range of products. In combination with the two downstream strip processing lines, hot-dip galvanized cold strip is produced on the continuous process route, via the annealing and galvanizing line together with an inline skin-pass mill. The convincing feature of the offline skin-pass mill stand installed downstream of the batch annealing furnace is its very high roll force. Big River Steel is able to manufacture strips in widths from 914 to 1,880 millimeters and gauges from 1.4 to 0.28 millimeters. 17

18 NeWS From 2016 on, Big River Steel will operate North America s most advanced steelworks on a total area of 567 hectares. receive about 40 to 50 crates a day from overseas, from all over where is producing this equipment. The next major milestone for us is beginning to assemble this equipment. The tandem cold mill is the next large step in our process. Arrival of the millstands Six other millstands, each weighing about 105 tons, were manufactured by experts in Germany and shipped across the Atlantic Ocean to the U. David Stickler, CEO at Big River Steel, on the millstands for the cold rolling mill: One of the things that I am most looking forward to is the arrival of the millstands. Those millstands were fabricated over in Hilchenbach. Some of my colleagues had the opportunity to travel to Hilchenbach and see those millstands actually being fabricated. That will be a very, very large milestone for this project. I think it s a compliment to that the millstands are arriving ahead of schedule. The inspection of those millstands before they were loaded on the ship was very, very, outstanding. group will supply the entire equipment for Big River Steel, including the mechanical equipment and the electrical and automation systems. In the first wave of con- struction, the works will produce 1.5 million tons of hot strip per year. It is planned to increase production stepby-step via several expansion stages. David Stickler: Ultimately, this mill will produce close to four million tons of steel. We are also working with our partners at, and are looking elsewhere in North America for future mill sites. Axel Sprenger axel.sprenger@sms-group.com 18

19 David Stickler, CEO at Big River Steel. In the background, the construction works for the completion of the steelworks are in progress. Transportation work at the Mississippi River. 1.5 You can call up a film on the arrival of the millstands at Big River Steel under: com/qr/brs-ws million tons of hot strip per year will be produced by the works in Osceola in the first stage of construction. 19

20 Ironmaking Plants sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 Sinter cooler from Sintering of iron ore concentrate is a high-temperature process immediately followed by the cooling of the sintered material a genuine challenge not only for the process equipment but also in terms of environmental protection and energetic efficiency. i is the group expert for primary processes of integrated steelmaking. The company s portfolio includes blast furnace technology, coke oven technology, sinter plants, and environmental protection equipment. Sustainability has become an increasingly urgent issue during the last few years. Therefore, there is a constant search for possibilities to make production and operational processes more efficient and more environmentally friendly. In this respect, hot sinter cooling offers ample potential for improvement. Numerous companies operating sinter cooling equipment rely on technology that is often more than 30 years old. At the same time, the requirements of the market and the legislator become increasingly exacting. While production volumes have been growing, increasingly stringent environmental regulations must be complied with. Sintering is a pre-stage to steelmaking. Sinter plants produce agglomerates of fine ore and concentrates in a high-temperature process. The agglomerates are subjected to cooling before they are ready for being fed into the blast furnace. Cooling frequently takes place in round coolers, which consist of a rotating ring equipped with various cooling air blowers, which by blowing the air through the cooler, reduce the sinter temperature. After about one rotation of the cooler, the sinter has usually cooled down so much that it can be removed from the cooler. However, due to their small height of just about one and a half meters they require a lot of space and very powerful drives for the cooler and the blowers. An alternative cooling technology is what is referred to as a shaft cooler. This technology has existed for many years and has proven very successful in practice. It provides for the sinter to be placed in a cooler, which is also round but several meters high. The sinter will remain in the cooler for several rotations. This cooling system requires much less space for an equivalent cooling capacity. Efficiency and ecology Umwelttechnik has been consistently working on sophisticating the shaft cooling technology in order to meet and even exceed the growing requirements of the market. It was decided to apply the counter-flow principle instead of the cross-flow principle for the cooling air. While the sinter in the cooler migrates from 20

21 Ironmaking Plants Sinter cooler at ArcelorMittal Tubarao, Brazil. the top to the bottom, the cooling air flows from the bottom to the top. The top of the cooler is fitted with a dust-tight hood that sucks the cooling air through the cooler. This principle achieves the counter flow of the air, fully exploiting the cooling potential of the air. The counter-flow principle brings along various direct and indirect benefits for the environment. Thanks to the high cooling efficiency, considerably less cooling air is needed. This in turn provides the benefits of needing smaller drives and reducing energy consumption. Capital investments and operating costs will be lower as a result, so will be emissions of CO 2. An additional effect of the counter-flowing air is that almost 100 percent of the dust particles sitting on the sinter are carried off and guided via the suction hood to a dust collection plant. Dust emissions near the cooler become so minimal that environmental thresholds are easily met or that the values remain even below them. Energy recovery By optimally exploiting the potential of the cooling air, the air temperature in the suction hood can be up to 450 C. This high air temperature is ideal for effective heat recovery. This makes it possible to connect a heat recovery system to the suction hood. Depending on the customer s request, a steam generator may be used to supply steam to the fresh steam network of the works or to generate electricity via a downstream steam turbine. Per ton of sinter, approximately 20 to 40 kw of electricity can be generated, equalling the electricity requirement of 20 to 30 private households. Depending on the size of the sinter plant, more than 20 MW of electricity can be generated. The generated power may be used for internal purposes or sold by feeding it into the external power grid. These options allow what 20 megawatts of electricity can be generated by recovering heat from a sintering plant. may be considered as undesired and useless waste heat from the sinter to be optimally exploited and result in cost savings for the overall works. 21

22 IronMaking Plants sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 Salzgitter commissions PCI system In the first quarter of 2015, Salzgitter Flachstahl (SZFG), Germany, started pulverized coal injection (PCI) at its blast furnaces. In August 2013, had received the order for the turnkey supply of PCI equipment for Salzgitter Flachstahl s blast furnaces A and B. The newly installed equipment comprises two coal grinding and drying plants, for a production rate of 50 tons of pulverized coal per hour each, and two injection systems designed for a capacity of 200 kg of pulverized coal per ton of hot metal. Thanks to the PCI technology implemented by, flat steel producer Salzgitter has been able to improve the productivity and efficiency of its blast furnaces. Main building of the PCI plant at SZFG in Salzgitter. Midrex and to build direct reduction plant in Algeria Midrex Technologies Inc. and have been contracted by Turkish steel producer Tosyali Holding to engineer and build a new multi-product direct reduction plant in Bethioua, near Oran, in Algeria. The Midrex NG plant will be designed for an annual production of 2.5 million tons of direct reduced iron (DRI). The plant will be able to make hot DRI (HDRI) and/or cold DRI (CDRI) without having to stop production when switching between the two. This combination plant, which will be the largest DRI unit of its kind in the world, will offer the operator maximum flexibility in the production of high-grade DR products. Midrex plant for the production of 1.54 million tons per year of DRI. 22

23 IronMaking Plants The best technology available Blast Furnace AF5 in Taranto, Italy In March 2015, following a decision of the Government of Italy, ILVA had to shut down No. 5 Blast Furnace, the largest one at Taranto works. The plant shall be upgraded by EUdefined Best Available Technologies in order to match latest environmental standards. As a result of the bidding process, the group, a part of group, has been awarded several packages for engineering, supply, and installation of technologies that will make up a state-of-the-art ironmaking facility. On the side of hot blast generation, the four existing Krupp-Koppers units will be completely replaced by a group of three one-dome hot blast stoves with external combustion chamber. This sub-plant will also feature s patented waste gas heat recovery system and a complete EIC system. Performance and maintainability of the BF top gas cleaning plant will be improved by replacement of the existing dust catcher, and by modification of the scrubber system. At the slag granulation plant, a new, seawater based steam condensation system will eliminate the release of sulfur-laden steam to the atmosphere. Finally, the furnace s stockhouse gets a brand new de-dusting system with equipment rated for a 2,000,000 m 3 /h suction capacity and ensuring a maximum of 5 mg/nm 3 dust content in the air leaving the stack. A challenging schedule foresees project completion by within 12 months. After completion of this largescale reline project, Taranto s steel plant will be able to operate its new BF5 in compliance with the latest environmental and safety standards. offers new service for coke-oven batteries In July 2015, commenced the hot repairs of coke-oven batteries 4A, AB, and 5 at CSN in Volta Redonda, Brazil. The activities are scheduled to take 21 months. This order, covering a total of 105 ovens, is the first ever hot repair order received by. With this order, has entered a new terrain in the coke-oven service business. Based on a very specific knowhow, coke ovens can be refurbished during running operation, resulting in minimal production loss. As only worn or damaged components are replaced and the overall repairs take less time, now offers an optimal solution to coking plant operators aiming to prolong the life of their coke-oven batteries. 23

24 Metallurgy and Environmental Technology sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 Georg Fischer orders Ecomelt melting furnace from Hertwich Engineering Georg Fischer from Altenmarkt, Austria, has placed an order with Hertwich Engineering, a company of group, for a multi-chamber melting furnace type HE-Ecomelt-PS70 for melting and holding aluminum with a production capacity of up to 90 tons per day. The new multi-chamber melting furnace operates with scrap preheating and uses the immersion melting process, thereby reducing the metal loss to less than 0.5 per- Multi-chamber melting furnace type HE-Ecomelt- PS70. cent. It is particularly suitable for melting ingots and thin-walled revert scrap even with adhering coolants and lubricants from machining. The multi-chamber melting furnace is characterized by high metal yield, low energy consumption, and reduced emissions. With less than 550 kwh/t, the heating energy consumption at nominal load is far below that of other plants in the market, the electric energy consumption is less than 30 kwh/t. The furnace achieves a melting rate of up to 4.5 tons per hour, its melt content is up to 25 tons. Due to the extremely limited space in the existing casthouse, the design of the new melting furnace had to be specially adapted by Hertwich to the local conditions. The plant is scheduled to start production in the 4th quarter of Metix: Reinier Meyjes retires Reinier Meyjes, for many years a member of the board of our South African subsidiary Metix, has retired. Reinier Meyjes founded Metix in Metix is active in plant engineering and as equipment supplier for the ferroalloys industry. The company s product and service portfolio comprises complete engineering for, and the supply of, plant and equipment especially for the production of ferrochrome and ferromanganese as well as sintering plants for chromium ore and manganese ore. 22

25 Metallurgy and Environmental Technology New generation: SIS Injector Electric arc furnaces from highly productive and highly energy-efficient. In the electric arc furnace (EAF), all processes from scrap melting, decarburizing, and temperature control of the bath through to tapping must be perfectly harmonized. In order to increase productivity and save on electrical energy, combined burner-injector units are used to melt the scrap and superheat the bath. While the energy input and the meltdown capacity are highest in the furnace center, cold spots occur at the wall panels. Burners or injectors supply additional thermal energy to these spots, making for a homogeneous temperature distribution inside the furnace. group has taken the SIS ( Injection System) one step ahead and has achieved first highly convincing operating results. Easy to handle The new SIS injector is easy to handle. The lateral gas burner for the generation of the hot shroud-gas jet has been dispensed with. Air and combustion gas are now directly and most efficiently fed into the coaxial casing pipe and ignited there, generating a shrouding gas jet made up of hot off-gas. If operating in injector mode, the coaxial shroud-gas jet protects the oxygen jet in the center, shielding it from the hot furnace environment. This leads to a markedly higher efficiency of the oxygen jet. In stand-by mode, the shroud-gas jet serves as a protection against splashing slag or metal for the entire injector. The SIS prototype was used at one single position on the 125-ton No. 2 EAF of Peiner Träger for the duration of one furnace campaign. The SIS had been designed for approx. 17 percent less oxygen. First tests have shown that the metallurgical results remain virtually constant. Jan Bader jan.bader@sms-group.com New generation: SIS Injector 4.0. For more information, please refer to the group paper presented at ESTAD

26 Left: First blooms arriving at discharge area. Jumbo bloom caster successfully commissioned at TISCO Right: Bloom in cooling chamber. The first blooms were used for wheels of high-speed trains. In 2015, the first heat was successfully cast on the threestrand caster for round blooms at TISCO (Shanxi Taigang Stainless Steel Co. Ltd.), Taiyuan, China. The plant is designed to cast blooms in size ranges of 390, 550, 690, and 800 millimeters. The new melt-shop equipment including twin CONARC with ERS, twin LF, and three-strand bloom caster was supplied by group. ANNUAL OUTPUT OF 530,000 TONS The continuous casting plant with a radius of 16.5 meters provides equipment for the production of highly sophisticated goods. The product range includes forging material, tool steels, and stainless steels. The scope of supply covers Convex molds with optimized primary cooling, mold, and final stirrer as well as air-mist spray cooling. For reducing center segregation and for minimizing core porosities the plant provides Dynamic Mechanical Soft Reduction (DMSR) with up to ten single modules per strand. These modules allow optimum adjustment of the modules depending on casting conditions and steel grades. After commissioning the plant has produced top-quality grades from the outset. Already the first blooms cast satisfied the strict feedstock requirements for producing high-speed train wheels and were awarded with the qualification certificate of the end user CHINA RAILWAY. The X-Melt CONARC furnace supplied by group is designed for charging both scrap and hot metal and the ERS (Energy Recovery System) improves the energy balance. To achieve this, steam is recovered from the waste heat of the CONARC furnace that is used by the customer for further processes. The plant has an annual output of 530,000 tons. i group The Shanxi Taigang Stainless Steel Co., Ltd. is the largest stainless steel producer in China. The company supplies steel products worldwide in the automotive, rail, shipbuilding, petroleum, oil, and chemical industries. 26

27 Metallurgy and Environmental technology 1000th ELECTROMNETIC STIRRER CONSTIR Customized stirrers for a better quality and higher productivity. In addition to the five-stranded Block & caster, group has successfully installed the 1000th electromagnetic CONSTIR Stirrer at Vizag Steel Plant (VSP) Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh/India). CONSTIR Stirrers are used in continuous casting to improve the steel quality and to stabilize productivity. group low-frequency stirrers deliver maximum magnetic force to the liquid steel for the strongest metallurgical effect. Slag, gas bubbles, and other impurities move away from the billet shell, resulting in enhanced surface quality. Stirring also breaks off the dendrite tips in the solidifying billet, resulting in the formation of new solidification nuclei, which further enhances billet quality. Convective heat transfer between the liquid steel core and the shell is also Extra-narrow stirrer housing for large round sections with small strand spacing. increased with a significant positive impact on product quality. Typical applications of the stirrer Mould Stirrer (CONSTIR-MEMS) Strand Stirrer (CONSTIR-SEMS) Final Stirrer (CONSTIR-FEMS) M-EMS: - Releases entrapped slag - Breaks up pinholes and blowholes - Reduces sub-surface inclusions, segregation and porosity S-EMS: - Expands equiaxed zone - Reduces center porosity, segregation F-EMS: - Reduces center porosity and segregation TAILOR-MADE Whether for a mould, strand, or final position, every electromagnetic stirrer is custom-built in order to meet each client s specific quality requirements. group has proven the robustness and cost-effective application of their stirrers over decades. group is at the forefront with simulation tools to further improve the application of every stirrer. 27

28 Metallurgy and Environmental technology sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 Changing the straightening rolls on the CRS straightener. Commissioning at Stahlwerk Thüringen group successfully completes CRS straightener modernization. Stahlwerk Thüringen, Germany, has successfully commissioned its CRS straightener following modernization by group. The goal of modernizing this straightener, which was supplied by in 2002, was to upgrade the machine and at the same time to extend the straightening range to include larger beams. From now on, Stahlwerk Thüringen will be able to supply the market with straightened beam qualities up to IPE 600, HE , and HEM 260. LONG-STANDING COOPERATION Stahlwerk Thüringen and group have benefited from a close partnership since the company took delivery of the combined section mill in With the modernization concept now implemented involving the continued use of existing machine components of the original straightener, it was possible to reduce the investment costs and completion time considerably. The modernization included a wider spacing of the straightening shafts and more powerful drive units. At the same time, the safety technology was brought up to date and an offline straightening model installed. After a shutdown of just two weeks, the machine was recommissioned and production started on schedule. The modernized plant means that Stahlwerk Thüringen can now not only meet the growing demands for long product mills in terms of productivity, flexibility, and cost-efficiency, but also increase its competitiveness on the domestic and international markets. sectionandbilletmills@sms-group.com 28

29 Metallurgy and Environmental technology Copper-matte settling furnace in operation Furnace supplied by Metix separates copper matte and slag in Zambia, Africa s most important copper mining area. The furnace for the separation of copper matte and slag, supplied by Metix, South Africa, to Kansanshi Mining PLC, has been started up successfully. With the new furnace, Kansanshi Mining PLC (majority shareholder: First Quantum Minerals) has expanded its copper smelting plant in the province of Copperbelt, Zambia s largest copper mining area. Metix s scope of supply comprised the engineering and supply of a copper-matte settling furnace, the feeding system, the refractory lining, the tapping sys- tem, the electrodes, the high-current system, and the transformers. The rectangular six-in-line furnace (six electrodes) features a hearth bottom area of approx. 26 x 9 meters and a transformer capacity of 24 MVA. The settling furnace separates matte and slag present in the form of an emulsion (a finely dispersed mixture of two liquids that are usually unmixable). The copper matte thus obtained is further processed into copper anodes. Technical data Size of furnace 26 m long x 9 m wide hearth x 6.5 m high Nominal installed power 24 MVA Electrode stroke 1,600 mm Slag capacity 353 m 3 or 1,132 t Copper matte production 91 tons per hour Slag output 142 tons per hour Democratic Republic of the Congo i group Photo bottom right: MellonDor/Wikimedia Copperbelt is an industrial area in Zambia, which also extends into the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the most important copper mining area in Africa. Copperbelt accounts for more than one tenth of the world s copper deposits. 29

30 Metallurgy and Environmental Technology sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 Unique in the world: Energy Collector E-CO group development saves resources and energy. The Energy Collector E-CO, an group development, is the first system of its kind in the world. The application of the Energy Collector E-CO, which is designed to capture radiant heat, requires that the system is directly exposed to a hot material of more than 600 degrees Celsius. Example: continuous slab caster. On the roller table, the hot slabs are transferred to a position covered by a heat exchanger. There they rest until the next hot slab arrives. The onward movement of a slab in order to give way to the next red-hot slab is triggered by automated roller table controls. Thus, the next arriving slab will automatically stop under the heat exchanger. The slabs radiate between 30 and 45 kw of energy per square meter, depending on their surface temperatures. The heat exchangers absorb the radiant heat and convert it into steam. i Facts and figures Modular expandable design No impact on production process Maintenance-free, fully automatic Specific radiant heat of kw/m² of slab surface Pilot plant at SZFG, May ton of saturated steam/hour Fast run-up in only five days Functional principle of the Energy Collector E-CO. 30

31 Metallurgy and Environmental Technology Salzgitter Flachstahl (SZFG) has been using the E-CO pilot plant built by group to its full extent. Interview A perfect solution Interview with Dr. Peter Müller, Head of Continuous Casting Plants & Finishing Lines at Salzgitter Flachstahl. idea. After clarifying and specifying a few aspects, we agreed to have the E-CO plant implemented. Dr. Müller, at Salzgitter Flachstahl, you place great emphasis on environmental protection, and you have been very active in this field. Obviously, environmental awareness is more than just an image promotion for your company. With our environmental targets and measures, we strive to make an ongoing contribution to a better environment. Our main focus is on reducing emissions and conserving resources. Almost half of our environmental targets relate to the conservation of resources. We look at both, direct ways of resource saving and ways to reuse by-products. A continuous caster releases a lot of thermal energy. At your continuous casting plant, you are now recovering part of that energy and using it for other purposes. What is the story behind that technology? The colleagues of group had suggested that we should install a pilot plant that would recover unused radiation heat from hot slabs by means of heat exchangers and feed that energy in the form of steam into our saturated steam network steam that would no longer have to be generated by our power plant. We were immediately thrilled by the What are the results? Does the E-CO plant provide what you had expected? The pilot plant provides an average steam capacity of almost one ton per hour. The peak values are much higher than forecast, reaching up to two tons per hour. That is much more than our specified target and allows us to make another highly valuable contribution to the protection of the environment. A further important aspect for us is the fact that the pilot plant in no way affects the slab transport. Can you recommend the E-CO technology? For works with a steam network, E-CO is a perfect solution. And, it should not go unmentioned that this project was sponsored by the German Federal Environmental Foundation. I think this speaks for itself. There will most likely be additional possibilities of using the recovered heat, for example by producing hot water that could be fed into district heating systems. So why should we let the energy simply escape? Thank you very much for this interview. 31

32 Metallurgy and Environmental technology sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 One of the two new converters at SSAB Luleå. SSAB LULEA WELL EQUIPPED FOR THE FUTURE THANKS TO REVAMPS Revamp with lamella converter suspension systems from group increases yield. 32

33 Metallurgy and Environmental technology At SSAB Luleå, Sweden, group has successfully commissioned the modernized converter shop and the pertaining environmental technology. SSAB fully achieved its own target of increasing the yield of both converters and satisfying the high environmental standards demanded. Kurt Lindqvist, Project Manager of the Converter Shop at SSAB Luleå, is highly satisfied with the performance of. The proven technology of provides very good results. Furthermore, the cooperation and communication during the erection and commissioning went very smoothly in an atmosphere of strong team spirit. group supplied two converter vessels with lamella suspension and the tilt drive systems. The two-motor tilt drive systems are easily accessible and very maintenancefriendly. The scope of supply also included the converter trunnion bearings, the height increase of the existing trunnion pedestals, and the installation of the vessels and trunnion rings. 130 PROVEN TECHNOLOGY Thanks to the design concept developed by group, the new converter vessels have become significantly larger: With an unchanged quantity of charge material of up to 130 tons, the internal volume of the converter has been increased by 10 percent. The additional capacity enables more environment-friendly process control and efficient energy recovery. This increase in capacity was achieved by improved utilization of the existing installation space. This was possible thanks to the lamella converter suspension system developed and patented by group. It is a maintenance-free converter suspension system designed for arranging the converter vessel in the trunnion ring without restraint. The converters are well prepared for the thermal loads thanks to the use of the lamella suspension system, along with the design of a larger clearance and the use of highgrade heat-resistant fine-grained structural steels. This is achieved without any additional cooling fluids; sufficient cooling is ensured merely by the natural thermal conditions. group s Ecoplants solution comprised the revamp of the primary gas cooling system of the BOF steelmaking plant. For this, the cooling stacks of both converters were modified in a first phase and provided with easy-to-maintain group Baumco adjustable skirts. These are lowered hydraulically onto the converter mouth during the blowing phase and they enable the primary gases to be extracted efficiently under suppressed combustion. In addition, diffuse dust emissions are substantially reduced. Gas recovery is used in the best possible way by generating CO gas under suppressed combustion. The group scope of supplies and services included the revamp of the primary gas cooling system as well as the engineering and supply of the major cooling stack components. These incorporate the adjustable skirts with labyrinth seal and the modernization of the inlet section leading into the scrubbing tower for further flue gas cooling. The steam produced in the cooling stacks is used as process steam in the entire integrated iron and steel plant. The complete energy recovery from the two cooling stacks is thus performed with extremely high energy efficiency. We are highly satisfied with the Ecoplants technology and we have a clean environmental conscience as regards production, is the opinion of Kurt Lindqvist, Project Manager of the Converter Shop at SSAB Luleå, Scandinavia s largest producer of flat steels. i Ecoplants Ecoplants is the hallmark of for sustainable solutions. Sustainability has become a key growth factor for our customers: for economic reasons because because saving energy and raw materials reduces costs; and ecologically because protecting resources is becoming increasingly important. Ecoplants solutions do justice to both aspects. tons is the charged material quantity. And yet following the revamp the internal volume of the converter was increased by 10 percent. Jan Bader jan.bader@sms-group.com 33

34 Metallurgy and Environmental technology sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 Ladle furnace at Metal Ravne. INCREASED CAPACITIES and MARKET SHARE Group has extended the existing production line meant for tools and special steels consisting of EAF-, LF-, VD-Ingot Casting at Metal Ravne, a Slovenian steel producer in the first half of s supply package broadly included- LF, VD-VOD and a separate de-slagging station as well as a filter plant. Metal Ravne s intention behind the installation of the new ladle metallurgical center was to increase its overall production and achieve additional production capacity in secondary metallurgy to include stainless steel in its product range, which will ultimately open up new markets for Metal Ravne and increase its market share of re-melted steels. The plant comprises a movable tank car and a stationary cover for the VOD as well as a stationary cover for the ladle furnace. These were designed to treat heats with nominal weights from 45 to 60 tons. Also included in the scope of supply was the vacuum system, the temperature and sampling device, the electrical lifting system and the gantry, a wire feeding machine, the electrical, instrumentation, process automation systems and erection, and cold and hot commissioning. In 2015 group successfully commissioned the newly erected Secondary Metallurgical Center at the Slovenian steelmaker, Metal Ravne. LAYOUT OF THE LADLE METALLURGICAL CENTer As the average number of heats to be treated was only ten, both the LF and the VD units were designed as a single unit. Both units are connected by a rail track to transport the ladle quickly from one unit to the other without any crane handling and the transport is 34

35 Metallurgy and Environmental technology Andrej Gradišnik Managing Director, Metal Ravne, SIJ Group.»The investment into a new LF, VD-VOD plant, which was installed at Ravne in cooperation with Mevac and INNSE, is part of the modernization activities in our steel plant. The aim of this investment is to increase our productivity and to expand our possibilities also to the area of the production of low-carbon steels.«managed by one tank car. Therefore, in each treatment position only the respective treatment cover has to be lifted or lowered to start the treatment. Both stations are equipped with manual argon couplings with high-temperature-resistant hoses intended for supplying the inserted ladle with bottom-stirring gas. The vacuum tank is connected to a vacuum pump system with a suction pipe and the graphite electrodes are connected to the transformer via high-current cabling. The VD/VOD cover is equipped with an oxygen lance for forced decarburization and a semiautomatic lance for hydrogen measurement (HYDRIS). Both the units LF and VD-VOD have equipment for semiautomatic sampling and temperature measurement at atmospheric pressure. The treatment covers are lifted and lowered hydraulically. Likewise, mounted on the vacuum cover is a vacuum lock for the feeding of bulk additives like ferroalloys and slag formers, also during vacuum treatment. At the LF, there is a collecting hopper for material addition during treatment and additionally one four-strand wire-feeding system for the feeding of metallurgical wires after treatment. The de-slagging stand is equipped with a movable de-dusting hood, a ladle tilting stand, and a hydraulically operated de-slagging machine. Besides the de-slagging equipment at this position, there is also an immersion lance, which serves for addition of gaseous nitrogen for steel grades with defined nitrogen contents. INCREASED CAPACITIES INCREASED MARKET SHARE Metal Ravne has extended the existing process line to have the metallurgical capability of treating special construction steels that require degassing for removal of undesired elements like H, N, or S as well as stainless steel grades. Together with the existing LF and VD unit, Metal Ravne has now considerably reinforced and improved the ladle metallurgical capability. Not to mention, with stainless steel picking up demand in various segments, Metal Ravne will definitely reap the benefits of this successful extension. Axel Kopp axel.kopp@sms-mevac.com 35

36 Metallurgy and Environmental Technology sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 New silicon-metal works for Iceland Turnkey plant on the basis of hydropower and geothermal energy PCC BakkiSilicon hf has placed an order with group for the turnkey supply of a silicon-metal works, including the design and construction of the plant. The new works will be laid out for an annual production of 32,000 tons. Built at Húsavík in the north of Iceland, the plant is scheduled to start producing in The main assets of the works will be two submerged-arc furnaces (SAF), including the cooling water plant and the transformers. Each of the furnaces will have an installed power of 24 MW. They will both be powered by renewables, namely geothermics and hydropower. will equip the works with X-Pact electrical and automation systems. The primary and secondary dedusting plants that will clean the air and the process gases will use proven group environmental technology. The separated dust will be compacted, collected in silos, and sold, for example, as an ingredient of concrete. The filter house for primary dedusting will be designed as backwashable filters allowing fine filtration of solids and, as a result, significantly more efficient cleaning. The dedusting plant design will allow for an energy-recovery system to be retrofitted at a later stage in order to further improve the efficiency of the plant. group as a strong partner group will supply the material and product handling systems all the way down to the dispatch area, the pouring bay equipment, the workshop, laboratory equipment, as well as the cranes and vehicles. PCC is an internationally active group of companies led by PCC SE located in Duisburg, Germany. The production of silicon metal requires the use of quartzite. The quartzite for the new works in Iceland will be shipped from Poland where PCC owns a quartzite mine. Martin Köneke martin.koeneke@sms-group.com Dr. Peter Wenzel, member of the Managing Board of PCC BakkiSilicon hf (left) and Burkhard Dahmen, CEO group, signing the contract. 36

37 Metallurgy and Environmental Technology DELEGATION OF AIST VISITED GROUP in Düsseldorf Participants gained insight in three-dimensional design. On the occasion of a study tour focusing on continuous casters, 32 members of AIST (Association for Iron & Steel Technology) visited group. Representatives of ten American customers were fascinated by the three-dimensional design in virtual reality. Demonstrations and lectures also informed the delegation on new group developments. Ronald J. O Malley, Second Officer at Large of AIST and head of delegation, presenting a commemorative certificate on the plant tour to Lothar Fischer, Head of Technical Sales Continuous Casting Plants at group. 37

38 Metallurgy and Environmental Technology sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 The Mevac experts know the technological requirements placed on vacuum pumps. Specialists in mechanical pump systems Mevac boasts vast experience in the field of vacuum pumps. Within group, Mevac is the center of competence for all aspects of secondary metallurgy of steels and the associated plant and process technology, with special emphasis on RH/RH-OB and RH-TOP plants. Mevac has a track record of more than 180 such plants sold and commissioned worldwide. The Mevac experts also know what requirements such applications place on vacuum pumps and their proficiency allows them to offer operators of ladle-metallurgy plants solutions that are perfectly tailored to their needs. Among the various ladle-metallurgy processes, the vacuum treatment of liquid steel plays an outstanding role due to its versatility, especially in the production of higher-grade steels. Clear cost advantages In modern, efficient ladle-metallurgy plants, the fine vacuum required for the vacuum treatment of steels is set by steam ejector or mechanical pumps. In order to be able to decide which of these systems would be the most appropriate choice in a particular case, not only the metallurgical task and the specific operating costs have to be taken into account, but also the possibility of optimizing the overall system including the ancillary facilities. Mevac has already equipped VD/VOD plants with mechanical vacuum pump systems in the past, most of them in electric steelmaking plants that do not have any internal steam generation capacities and therefore rely on the use of mechanical pumps. Meanwhile, operators also request that RH plants which have a much larger evacuation volume be equipped with mechanical pumps. Calculations have shown that, although they involve higher investment costs than steam ejector vacuum pumps, mechanical pumps pay off much faster. Jochen Schlüter jochen.schlueter@sms-mevac.com i Mevac Mevac now offers its expertise in secondary and tertiary metallurgy also in the form of consulting services, which allow customers to plan their revamping or building projects in a most targetoriented way. 38

39 FLAt rolling Mills LOGISTICS SYSTEMS LITHO COILS PACKED GENTLY To Bridgnorth Aluminium Limited, Logistiksysteme will supply an automatic coil cantilever store with downstream coil packaging line, which will more than double the production capacity for lithographic material. The storage system is directly connected to a new litho finishing line and comprises an inspection area, an automatic coil manipulator, and 28 double cantilever arms to receive the litho coils weighing about 11 tons. The new packaging line is arranged to follow immediately and permits the coils to be automatically placed on shipping pallets with the axis either in horizontal or vertical position. These packages are then wrapped for shipment, strapped, weighed, and finally provided with a shipping label. An essential characteristic of the line is that, during the entire transport as well as deposition on the pallet, handling of the extremely shock-sensitive litho coils is accomplished exclusively through the coil eye and not at the circumference to avoid damage. Once the coils have safely been deposited on the pallet, the subsequent packaging process is performed automatically without need for moving them again. CONVINCING CONCEPT The concept offered by Logistiksysteme convinced us, says Smith, Project Manager in charge of the litho expansion project at Bridgnorth Aluminium. The automatic coil handling exclusively through the eye ensures the sensitive litho foil is gently interim-stored and fed to the packaging line on demand. This con- cept does not only provide the necessary buffer between production and packaging, but also helps us react to impulse customer requests at short notice and deliver promptly. Another benefit for the customer: thanks to the compact design of the system, the space required for the interim store and the packaging line is clearly smaller than expected. With this investment, Bridgnorth Aluminium Ltd. will increase its capacity and further consolidate its position among the top suppliers of lithographic quality aluminum strip in Europe. Stefan Mathmann stefan.mathmann@sms-logistics.com The new packaging line for litho coils at Bridgnorth Aluminium.

40 FLAt rolling Mills sms group newsletter 01/ 2016 High-bay store for aluminum coils. 40

41 FLAt rolling Mills LOGISTICS SYSTEMS HIGH-BAY STORE FOR ALERIS, U. At its Lewisport location in the U.S. federal state of Kentucky, Aleris Rolled Products, Inc., is going to enhance the production capacity of its automotive body system. For the new facility, group is to supply a cold rolling mill, while for interim coil storage between the individual processing steps, a high-bay store including connected transport equipment was ordered with Logistiksysteme. It was the technically mature overall concept that tipped the scale in favor of Logistiksysteme and also the large number of successfully established reference systems, explains Grégory Misonne, Project Manager. Another factor that impressed us was the features of the warehouse management system precisely developed to meet our needs. HIGH-BAY STORE WITH Two Stacker Cranes The coils leaving the hot strip mill are loaded on large-size pallets able to receive four to six coils and then carried over a distance of about 100 meters, to the new facility by a shuttle car. Energy supply to the car is accomplished by a motorized cable reel. The car is furthermore provided with all required safety equipment to make fencing of the driving route superfluous and hence to permit cross-traffic of forklift trucks or individuals. In the unloading area, the load is automatically registered and measured by means of a laser scanner. Thereafter, a manipulator takes the coils and carries them to the high-bay store. Before the coils are stored, however, their ID is scanned and all data are compared to the production plan data provided by the superordinated control system. If the values are identical, a coil car will transport the coil to the high-bay store. There, the coil is placed to stock by one of the two stacker cranes. To the engineers of Logistiksysteme, the space conditions, in particular, meant a major challenge in finding the right concept with respect to the concrete structure and to installation as the storage system is to be estab- lished upstream cold rolling mill between the existing rows of support pillars of two halls. The spatial size of the store is determined by the large distances between the transfer positions of the two annealing lines and the cold rolling mill, as they all have to be within reach of the stacker cranes. OPTION FOR FUTURE EXTENSION To be prepared for future demands, the store is designed for easy extension by further bin locations without having to modify the steel structures. Subsequent installation of a coil cooling system will also be possible. Horst Thorn horst.thorn@sms-logistics.com 41

42 FLAt rolling Mills sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 i WMS The WMS provides a good overview of all relevant data and offers various possibilities for processing these and for monitoring the material flow. It seamlessly integrates both existing system configurations and those which are still being developed. From top to bottom: The stocks on hand can easily be sorted, filtered and processed in the form of a table. The user can adapt the display to his or her personal requirements and store it. Moreover, details can be viewed and actions, such as transport, can be initiated. The interactive 3D visualization provides a dimensionally true and real-time reflection of the situation in the works. In coordination with the customer, different features can be shown up in color. These include, for example, coil temperatures, next production step and position status. 42

43 FLAt rolling Mills LOGISTICS SYSTEMS LONG-LASTING SUCCESS STORY The Warehouse Management System (WMS) of Logistiksysteme is an in-house development incorporating decades of experience from programming and commissioning of warehouse management systems. With its comprehensive range of functionalities, the system provides an attractive and reliable solution for automated material flow control and warehouse administration. Quite recently, Logistiksysteme put the entire WMS concept to the test and revised it thoroughly. When designing a completely new user surface, the software engineers paid particular attention to intuitive operation, high performance, and optimized search and filter functions. Within seconds, the operator can view all information on the stock level and see the current system status. A special highlight here is offered by the revised 3D display. Stock level and material transports are visualized in real-time the current transport situation and also the warehouse itself are hence convenient and visually appealing to view. FLEXIBLE APPLICATION The WMS core was optimized and can now be flexibly extended and precisely adapted to customer-specific requirements. The system is independent of both the operating system and the database. The client-server architecture is designed to permit an unlimited number of clients to be connected to the server. The benefit for the customer: if so required, it can install WMS clients on any PC within a few seconds without paying additional license fees, which provides it with a high degree of flexibility. In addition to the typical functionalities of a warehouse management system, the WMS offers support in the planning of production sequences. If processing steps have been determined in advance, the system will use this information to optimize transport and storage strategies. In line with the customer s request, it is also possible to initiate material transports at a specified date on the basis of predefined shipping schedules. MANY ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS Further functions such as user and rights management, language change, consistent input validation and web administration interface for expert settings, reporting functionality, temperature curve simulations, and many more offer the user additional benefit. Apart from providing the respective software, Logistiksysteme takes care of the design, procurement, and installation of suitable server hardware and network infrastructure using redundant high-availability systems and configuring automatic backups. The WMS comes with interfaces with subordinated controls as well as with the superordinated system. In particular situations, when the conveying system operates in the manual mode, the functionalities of the WMS make sure the material flow can still be supervised fully automatically. The improved current version of the WMS has already proven its worth in numerous major projects and impressed the customers with its future-oriented functions. It will be part of the orders from Aleris and AM for high-bay stores and will coordinate all material tracking and warehouse management tasks. Justus Deussen justus.deussen@sms-logistics.com 43

44 Flat Rolling Mills sms group newsletter 01 /

45 FLAt rolling Mills Hot Rolling mills Coilbox without mandrel The coilbox alteration at Tata Steel Jamshedpur will lower temperature losses and reduce maintenance. Tata Steel Ltd. has placed an order with group for modifying the coilbox of the Jamshedpur, India, hot strip mill to a mandrel-less coilbox. The alteration of the coilbox, which had been installed in 1993, to a design without mandrel will reduce wear and the effort for maintenance. Furthermore, temperature losses at the inner windings of the coiled strip will be avoided in the future and make the rolling stock enter the finishing mill at a homogenous temperature over the entire length. Foundation work for the alteration can be kept to a minimum as the design of the coilbox will be adapted accordingly. After the alteration, the coilbox will work without mandrel. Link fehlt Coilbox With x-pact Automation The new X-Pact automation system for the coilbox will be installed and tested in advance during ongoing operation and thus permit the changeover to the new system to be accomplished during the downtime period, which is scheduled to take about two weeks. On this occasion, too, will integrate the crop shear automation into the new system. All drives in the coilbox area will be changed by group from DC to AC. Uwe Warnke uwe.warnke@sms-group.com 45

46 Flat rolling mills Back to the future Twenty-five years after the supply of the first CSP plant, the pioneers in thin slab technology, Nucor Steel and group, recently modernized the CSP plant in Berkeley (South Carolina), which has been in operation for 18 years. Wider strips, smaller final gauges, and lower energy use are the results of a successful collaboration. Also outstanding technologies, like the thin slab technology launched by group in 1989 under the name Compact Strip Production (CSP ), must be constantly advanced. Nucor Steel, U., had immediately recognized the benefits of this technology and commissioned the world s first CSP plant in Crawfordsville, Indiana, U. as early as in The plants in Hickman (Arkansas) and Berkeley (South Carolina) followed in group upgraded the Berkeley plant in 2013/2014, during a project period of just a few weeks. Now, as we can make widths of 1,880 millimeters, we can with even better cater to our customers requirements, says John Witherow, Hot Mill Manager at Nucor Steel. group has developed a cost-optimized modernization concept specially for us. It is perfectly tailored to our needs and provides us even more flexibility. Through the revamp, the final strip width has been increased from 1,680 to 1,880 millimeters. At Nucor Steel, group for the first time implemented a new modernization concept designed to expand the product range and 46

47 Flat rolling mills HOT rolling mills Successful cooperation: John Witherow, Nucor Steel, thanks Alexander Volland, group, for the successful revamp of the CSP plant. reduce energy consumption at the same time. For the very first time, an induction heating system was installed upstream of the CSP rolling mill. To make this possible, the existing tunnel furnace was shortened by approximately 6.5 meters, explains Alexander Volland, Project Manager at group. This solution provides two advantages: by means of the induction heating units supplied by Elotherm, it is possible to increase the temperature of the thin slabs, as required, right before they run into the rolling mill. This enables Nucor Steel to achieve greater reductions per pass and expand its mix of products in the thin gauge range. A wider portfolio of grades can now be produced. SIGNIFICANT ENERGY SAVINGS An additional benefit of the inductive heating systems is the fact that the energy consumption of the CSP plant can be even further reduced. The possibility of flexibly adjusting the thin slab temperature prior to rolling provides the precondition for lowering the furnace temperature to a 47

48 Flat rolling mills sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 From top to bottom: A world first: Never before had the experts of group installed an inductive heating system in a CSP plant. The continuous casting plant received a new bending and straightening unit. The width was increased by 200 millimeters. i Nucor With an annual production of more than 21 million tons (2014), Nucor is one of the largest steelmakers in the U. As its first user, the company was instrumental in helping the CSP technology, developed by, to achieve its worldwide breakthrough. level suitable for rolling the major part of the steel grades and strip gauges, without compromising process stability or the product quality. For all strips requiring a higher entry temperature, the inductive heating systems will be there to provide the extra heating. By means of this concept, it is possible to achieve both the extensive product range typical of the CSP technology and marked savings on energy. DETAILED PLANNING Additionally, the modernization measures comprised modifications to one of the two CSP casters, the extension of the CSP rolling mill, and the renewal of the X-Pact electrical and automation systems. The CSP caster was fitted with new molds, a new four-cylinder oscillation system, markedly wider segments, and a new bending and straightening unit. Thanks to the implementation of the Liquid Core Reduction (LCR 3) module in the containment zone, the thickness of the thin slabs can be infinitely adjusted between 48 and 63 millimeters. Although increasing the casting width by 200 millimeters was definitely a challenge at the beginning of the project, the implementation eventually did not pose any major problems thanks to the good planning and successful collaboration, says Volland. 48

49 Flat rolling mills HOT rolling mills Interview Reducing the energy consumption of the furnace roller by 40 percent group added a seventh finishing stand to the CSP rolling mill. The new stand features CVC plus technology, like the stands F1 through F6. The CSP rolling mill also received a new X-Pact level-2 automation system including shape, contour, and flatness control systems as well as a cooling model. With the experts of group, we had partners at our side who we could rely on at all times. Despite the challenging project implementation, the cooperation was always very constructive and trusting, says Witherow. The modernized plant has markedly improved our competitiveness in the market for premium flat steel products. What was so special about this CSP modernization at Nucor Steel? It was the world s first CSP plant receiving an induction heating system to be installed between the equalizing furnace and the rolling mill entry. Also the increase in width by 200 millimeters is certainly worth a special mention. What are the benefits of installing the induction heating system? The induction technology efficiently combines two aspects. The starting point was the fact that only very few products made on a CSP plant need the maximum tunnel furnace temperature. The combination of a gas-heated tunnel furnace and an inductive heating plant makes it possible to reduce the tunnel furnace temperature to a lower level. Those products requiring a higher entry temperature are now heated up, as required, by the inductive system directly ahead of the first stand of the CSP rolling mill. With the furnace temperature now being lower, it is easier to use non-cooled, dry transport rollers inside the tunnel furnace. These dry rollers reduce the heat losses in the furnace compared to the water-cooled variants. The use of dry rollers thus helps to cut the energy consumption by 40 percent. Alexander Volland Project Manager, group. Is it possible to transfer this concept to other CSP plants? Yes, definitely. With this concept, it is possible to expand the product mix and reduce the energy consumption of any CSP plants. As to the width increase, the specific plant features and conditions must be taken into account. As far as the latter aspect was concerned, especially in the CSP rolling mill, the Nucor plant had major reserves. 49

50 Flat rolling Mills sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 Partnership with Houghton International Plants and fluid technologies from a single source for efficient and ecological cold strip production Partnership for integrated plant engineering and lubricant technology. In December 2015 group and Houghton International Inc., with head office in Pennsylvania, USA, agreed their partnership for the development and marketing of oil-based cooling lubricants and emulsions for cold rolling mills. Two leading suppliers have joined forces in this partnership with a view to providing their joint customers with the added value obtained from a harmonized symbiosis of plant and fluid technology. Strategic Partnership Houghton International Inc., is a top-of-therange supplier in the field of fluids and special chemicals for metal processing. The partnership covers the common development and marketing of oil-based cooling lubricants and emulsions for steelmaking. Under this partnership, and Houghton will be pooling their research and development resources with a view to offering the innovative cooling lubricant technologies to steelmakers. We are happy to have entered this partnership as it will enable the group and Houghton International to become even better at satisfying the ever more exacting demands of the market relating to product quality and productivity, both at present and in the future, says Rüdiger Holz, Vice President at group s Flat Rolling Plants Cold Rolling Mills Business Unit. This partnership offers innovative solutions to our joint customers worldwide in the metal-producing industries. We are most happy to be able to announce this exclusive partnership because both and Houghton are leaders in the fields of rolling technology and fluids, says Marcello Boldrini, President for Global Metals & Mining and Asia at Houghton. We can now provide the worldwide manufacturers of steel and other metals with the only systems that integrate plant engineering and lubricant technology, thus allowing us to offer the most advanced integrated solutions to our customers. Patrick Wischnewski patrick.wischnewski@sms-group.com i Houghton International Since 1865, Houghton International Inc. has been serving the aluminum and steel industries as well as various other sectors with the development and manufacture of special chemicals, oils and lubricants. With its head office in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, USA, Houghton operates development and production facilities all over the world. 50

51 Flat rolling mills Cold Rolling Mills Pure Rolling Oil For Bright Strips As part of the modernization of the 20-roll cold mill SG3 at its location in Krefeld, Germany, Outokumpu Nirosta awarded a follow-up order to group covering the adaptation of the existing rolling oil system. Outokumpu group is one of the leading producers worldwide of sophisticated stainless steel materials. At the Krefeld location, the mono-block 20-roll cold mill SG3 which had been supplied by more than 45 years ago is used to produce high-quality stainless steel strips. To be able to roll also ferritic materials of thin strip dimensions and high-gloss quality (2R bright-annealed), Outokumpu Nirosta commissioned group in September 2014 to modernize all equipment required for that purpose. In 2015, Outokumu Nirosta awarded a follow-up order to group comprising the modernization of the existing rolling oil system to make the rolling mill fit for producing such highgloss grades. Part of the equipment remains and will be re-used. The most important equipment to be newly installed include a dirt oil tank with automatic pre-separator and the extremely fine filter system SUPAFINE from. In the future, vertical filter pumps will discharge the rolling oil contaminated by the rolling process from the dirt oil tank to the SUPAFINE filter system for cleaning. The cleaned oil will then be fed to the existing clean oil tank and be used again for the rolling process. The mixture of rolling oil and abrasive particles obtained in the course of SUPAFINE filter backwashing is conditioned in a further filtration stage and the recovered rolling oil returned to the system. As the SUPAFINE filter elements are suited for backwashing, an extremely high filter fineness is achieved without using any filter aids that would create high additional costs for consumption and disposal. CONVINCING SUPAFINE FILTERS Customers are impressed with the performance and efficiency of the SUPAFINE filter systems supplied by group. This is testified by the number of 210 SUPAFINE filters that have already been installed all over the world until now. To comply with Outokumpu Nirosta s request, group will modify the mechanical mill stand equipment and the rolling oil system within a very tight time schedule to ensure Outokumpu Nirosta can start producing the desired material grades on this mill as early as possible. Example of a rolling oil facility with SUPAFINE filter system.

52 FLAt rolling Mills sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 CCM - A SUCCESS STORY FOR UP-AND-COMING COUNTRIES A new order from Vietnam and successful commissioning in Bangladesh and Pakistan. 52

53 FLAt rolling Mills cold rolling mills CCM sets new benchmarks for thin strips On August 16, 2015, the new Compact Cold Mill (CCM ) at KYCR Coil Industries Limited started operation in Bangladesh. The cold rolling mill is based upon an existing reversing cold mill, which was revamped by group within the scope of a flexible and economical extension concept. Bangladesh is a newly industrializing country with a continuously growing economy and a steadily developing industry. Beside the publically noticed branches of the textile industry and ship breaking, now expansion efforts of the steel industry are coming into the focus. An example for this is the young company KYCR Coil Industries Limited. KYCR is a subsidiary of KDS Steel and therefore belongs to the conglomerate KDS group. In 2000, the modern cold strip production complex of KYCR was erected in Kumira, located at 25 kilometer s distance to Chittagong. The main production plant of this facility was the reversing cold mill (RCM) by group in 6-high design with CVC plus, operating since In addition, there is a pickling as well as a slitting and recoiling line installed. With the cold strip produced there, KYCR further processes roofing sheets via a continuous galvanizing line and a color coating line. After more than twelve years of mill operation, KYCR decided to extend capability and capacity of the RCM and to use the flexible extension concept offered by group. The company placed an order with group for the extension of the RCM to a twin stand Compact Cold Mill (CCM ) with X-Pact electrical and automation systems and capacity adjustment of auxiliary plants as parts of the supply scope. Flexible extension concept In order to keep the retrofit as short as possible, group had designed the RCM foundations in a way that the second mill stand could be installed with low efforts. Only the exit side equipment like tension reel, coil car, and belt wrapper had to be relocated. In August 2015, KYCR for the first time rolled a strip on the CCM. The mill produces very thin strips for the local market with widths between 600 and 1,050 millimeters and final gauges down to 0.09 millimeters. The annual production capacity now is 170,000 tons. Helmut Klatt, Project Manager Technology in the order handling and execution department of group, says: beside CVC plus, the CCM is provided with highly dynamic control systems covering set-up approaches and technological control loops. This ensures the economy of the production process and high product reliability and quality, and helps KYCR to strengthen its own market position. Helmut Klatt helmut.klatt@sms-group.com KYCR s new CCM prior to hot commissioning. 53

54 Flat Rolling Mills sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 Compact Cold Mill at Abul Khair has started operation On April 23, 2015, the new Compact Cold Mill (CCM ) at Abul Khair Strip Processing Ltd. started operation. group has designed this CCM especially for rolling of very thin strip qualities. The new CCM by group occupies a central position in the cold strip production facilities of Abul Khair Strip Processing Ltd. in Chittagong. On the CCM the Bangladeshi cold strip producer rolls strips with widths up to 1,250 millimeters and incoming thicknesses up to 4.00 millimeters to final gauges down to 0.09 millimeters. The CCM has an annual capacity of 185,000 tons. The quality-determining mill components originate from in-house manufacturing. Rolling technologies such as CVC plus combined with work roll and intermediate roll bending, entry and exit side multi-zone cooling system, plus dry strip system offer Abul Khair the guarantee, that the products will meet all customer requirements on strip thickness, flatness, and surface quality. group also supplied the emulsion plant with chain-type magnetic separator and vacuum filter for the efficient cleaning of emulsion. By using speed-controlled pumps, the emulsion volume is supplied tailored to requirements, which ensures energy-saving operation of the emulsion plant. For this reason, the CCM does not only operate flexibly but also saves resources. A BENCHMARK FOR QUALITY Markus Gümpel, Project Manager Technology at group comments on the commissioning: Already a few days after the first strip we were able to roll prime coils to final gauges down to 0.4 millimeters with excellent flatness and surface results. The further progress of the commissioning satisfied Abul Khair as well. With this new plant, the company definitely establishes a new standard for cold strip quality on its local markets. Markus Gümpel markus.guempel@sms-group.com 185,000 The first finished strip is being coiled on the tension reel. The CCM at Abul Khair has an annual capacity of 185,000 tons. The mill specializes in thin strip. 54

55 Entry section with pay-off and tension reel 1. The recently commissioned RCM of Nam Kim Steel will soon be complemented by a twin-stand CCM. Nam Kim Steel expands production of high-grade cold strip in Vietnam After the successful ramp-up of the new reversing cold mill at Nam Kim Steel in April 2015, the steel producer in Vietnam entrusted group with full line supply of a Compact Cold Mill (CCM ). Nam Kim Steel Joint Stock Company is a leading supplier of surface-coated cold strip in Vietnam. Esmech Equipment Pvt. Ltd., joint venture partner of group located in India, supplied in cooperation with India Pvt. Ltd. for electrical and automation systems a high-performance reversing cold mill (RCM) with proven rolling technology by group to Nam Kim Steel, which successfully started operation in April The RCM in 6-high design with CVC plus by group rolls strips with widths up to 1,250 millimeters to minimal exit gauges down to 0.11 millimeters. Already with this mill Nam Kim Steel has set new benchmarks for cold strip quality on the local market. In the course of further company expansion, in April 2015 Nam Kim Steel placed an order with group for the reversing full-line supply of a twin stand Compact Cold Mill (CCM ). Nam Kim Steel once more entrusts Esmech Equipment Pvt. Ltd. as supplier of the mechanical equipment, combined with rolling technology and core equipment by group Germany, and of all auxiliary plants. As for the RCM, electrical and automation systems will be provided by India Pvt. Ltd. ROCK-SOLID PLANT TECHNOLOGY The CCM in 6-high design will help Nam Kim Steel to increase the annual capacity for high-grade cold strip up to 435,000 tons and to strengthen its own position on the regional market. This will be supported by the modern and rock-solid plant technology by group. The CCM is equipped with CVC plus in combination with positive and negative work- and intermediate roll bending and provides a very large setting range for roll gap adjustment. Together with the X-Shape flatness measuring and control system, a precise rolling result with best flatness is ensured. By both belt wrappers on the tension reels, smooth winding of the finished strip on sleeves is supported. Devices for fast work and intermediate roll change reduce nonproductive times and increase the mill s productivity. It is estimated that at the end of 2016, Nam Kim Steel will be able to produce on the new CCM. Torsten Seeger torsten.seeger@sms-group.com Technical data Commissioning End 2016 Annual capacity 435,000 t Strip width 650 1,250 mm Strip thickness mm (entry) mm (exit) Material Carbon steel 55

56 FLAt rolling Mills sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 ISL s CCM. Pakistan s first CCM in operation On July 26, 2015, the first coil was successfully rolled on the new Compact Cold Mill (CCM ) of International Steels Limited (ISL). With the successful commissioning of the CCM to International Steels Limited (ISL) in Karachi, Pakistan, and issuing of the acceptance certificate on December 12, 2015, the extension project of the cold strip producer is brought to a close. In the center of the production development there was the reversing cold mill (RCM), supplied and commissioned by group in Already when designing the RCM, has considered the opportunity for later extension. SUCCESS STORY Only a few years after commissioning, the cold rolled products have become so successful in the markets that ISL urgently required a capacity increase. In 2014, ISL placed an order with group for the extension to a CCM, through wich the annual production capacity increases up to 450,000 tons. In addition to the existing mill stand, group supplied for the CCM an identically constructed second 4-high mill stand with hydraulic gap control, CVC plus and work roll bending as well as X-Shape flatness measuring and control system. During the installation of the new equipment, the concept of has proven itself. To create space for the new mill stand, only the exit side equipment had to be relocated. Thus, the first strip was successfully rolled after a short shut down. Thereby, ISL is provided with a state-of-the-art twin stand reversing cold mill for precise, reproducible high-quality rolling results. Torsten Seeger torsten.seeger@sms-group.com Technical data Commissioning July 26, 2015 Annual production 450,000 t Strip widths 700 1,250 mm Strip thickness 1.6 1,250 mm (entry) mm (exit) Material Carbon steel, deep drawing material 56

57 Flat rolling mills Cold Rolling Mills Cold rolling all-rounder for Indonesia Indonesian steel producer PT Gunung Raja Paksi (GRP) has placed an order with group for the full-line supply of a reversing cold mill (RCM) in CVC plus 6-high design with skin-pass operation mode. GRP, located in Bekasi, West Java, was founded in 2001 and belongs to Gunung Steel Group. Since 1996, GRP has operated a steckel mill from group and produces a large range of hot rolled flat products at an annual capacity of 1.2 million tons. Gunung Steel Group is convinced about group s expertise in metallurgical plants. Currently, further orders in the fields of steel production and long products are in different stages of realization. On the new RCM, GRP is going to produce cold strip products, to be primarily applied in the construction industry for facade and roof cladding. The full-line supply comprises the complete mechanical and electrical equipment, automation system, as well as the auxiliaries. GRP places value on single-source supply and technologically well-synchronized production plants. TWO OPERATING MODES The new reversing cold mill will roll strips with width up to 1,270 mm and maximum entry thickness up to 5.0 mm to final gauges down to 0.15 mm. Depending on the product requirements, the operation mode can be changed between rolling and skin 6-high stand of a similar RCM with CVC plus. Technical data Material Carbon steel Strip width 600 1,270 mm Strip thickness mm (entry) mm (exit) Coil weight Max. 27 t Rolling speed 1,200 m/min. Rolling force Max. 5 MN Work roll diameter 300/350 mm passing. With the maximum rolling speed of 1,200 meters per minute the mill is designed for an annual capacity of approximately 200,000 tons. The high quality requirements of the rolled strips are ensured by modern actuators like hydraulic gap control, wedge adjustment, CVC plus in combination with positive and negative work and intermediate roll bending, entry and exit side multi-zone cooling, and most modern dry strip systems. The X-Pact automation includes the online Level 2 system and provides fully automatic, precise, and efficient plant operation. Part of the highlights of the online measurement and sensor systems is the proven X-Shape flatness measurement roll by. The X-Shape roll is going to be installed both on the entry and on the exit side. In spring 2017, the combined reversing and skin-pass mill will start operation. Torsten Seeger torsten.seeger@sms-group.com 57

58 Flat rolling mills sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 STARCORE ORDERS X-SHAPE FLATNESS CONTROL SYSTEM Flatness control of the latest generation for Starcore. Starcore Co. Ltd. has placed an order with group to supply an X-Shape flatness measuring system with entry and exit side measuring rolls and an X-Pact flatness control system for a 4-high CVC cold rolling mill at its works in Rayong, Thailand. The cold rolling mill was supplied and commissioned in 2012 by the Indian company Esmech Equipment Pvt. Ltd., which is part of group. The cold rolling mill produces cold strip in reduction and skin-pass operation. The extension of the CVC cold rolling mill will be completed at the beginning of The X-Shape flatness measuring system is being manufactured in the group workshop in Hilchenbach, Germany. With the stand-alone flatness measurement and control system from group, almost every cold rolling mill can be retrofitted in a smooth, quick, and cost-efficient manner. Thanks to the extension of the CVC cold rolling mill, Starcore Co. Ltd. will be able to provide products of even higher quality. Equipped with the X-Shape flatness measuring roll from, Starcore s RCM will be capable of rolling even higher-quality cold strip for Thailand in the future. Detlef Böttner detlef.boettner@sms-group.com The highly precise and, at the same time, robust X-Shape flatness measuring roll can be smoothly integrated in existing cold rolling mills, too. 58

59 Flat rolling mills Aluminum Interview 50th Multi-Plate filter Since when has been offering the Multi-Plate filter? How has the concept been created? We can count on twelve years of experience. The concept was originally developed in 2003 and then quickly advanced to market maturity. Which was the biggest Multi-Plate filter has ever made? We can choose from a modular system. The filter size depends on the requirements of the end user. The largest one to date is a so-called MPF 3-21, which is able to filter up to 12,500 liters of rolling oil per minute. MPF 3-21 means three filter stacks with 21 filter chambers each. Until now, we have built a total of 19 plate filters of that large size. A successful product developed by a whole team: Jan-Peer Remy, second from left, and his colleagues in the Hilchenbach workshop. The dispatch of the 50th Multi-Plate filter caused the editorial team to interview Jan-Peer Remy, Product Area Emulsion, Rolling Oil, and Filter Systems at, on the recipe for this success. Mr. Remy, what do you think is the reason for the Multi- Plate filter being such a successful product? The Multi-Plate filter supplements our sophisticated aluminum cold rolling mills with a harmonized, in-house made filter technology that supports efficient and environmentally friendly plant operation. Which are the special features that characterize this filter system? Our filters stand out due to the filter plate material. We use high-performance plastic material offering us, and hence our customers, two crucial benefits: on the one hand, the filter weight is much lower, a fact that simplifies transport and reduces the cost of foundations. On the other, the material ensures good tightness between the individual filter chambers. After assembly, the filters are thoroughly checked and tested to ensure smooth and rapid commissioning on the customer s site. And which one was the smallest? The smallest filter supplied so far has been an MPF 1-16, that is one stack with 16 filter chambers. It had a filter volume of 2,750 liters per minute. The smallest available size, in theory, is an MPF 1-10, which is stored in the modular system, but has never been manufactured to date. This filter covers the smallest filtrate volumes of 1,400 liters per minute. What further developments are planned for the system? In the meantime, we have gained extensive practical experience in filter manufacture and operation. Based on numerous feedbacks we receive from starting-up or from the workshop, the plate filter is consistently improved and advanced. Thanks to these tried-and-tested adjustments, we are able to make a superb product even better. The compact Multi-Plate filters made by group are used for highly-efficient cleaning of cooling lubricants needed for the cold rolling of aluminum and of nonferrous metals. In the Hilchenbach workshops, the pre-manufactured individual components are supplemented by in-house made elements and finally assembled to the Multi-Plate filter unit. Thereafter, the Multi-Plate filter is subjected to a function test of several days, which simulates the entire future filtration process in the customer s plant. Each individual cycle is run, tested, and optimized. Tobias Hänel tobias.haenel@sms-group.com 59

60 Flat rolling mills sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 Aluminum strip for China First production plant of the mega-complex at Tianjin Zhongwang was put into operation. 60

61 Flat rolling mills Aluminum 2.96 millimeters is the final gauge with a strip width of 1,650 millimeters. Left: The first strip is wound up precisely. Bottom: automation commissioning team (SDT) and project team Tianjin Zhongwang (dressed in orange). Rightly happy about the first strip rolled are Gustav Foditsch, supervisor electrical systems assembly (in the foreground) and Klaus Siegert, technical project manager (in the background). Both from group. On June 30, 2015 the first aluminum coil was rolled successfully on the aluminum cold rolling mill (CRM3) at Tianjin Zhongwang Aluminium Co. Ltd. The first strip came with a 1,650-millimeter width and a 4.00-millimeter entry thickness. It was reduced to a 2.96-millimeter final gauge. During the continuing ramp-up phase, the mill will now be set up in an optimal way for its rolling jobs. The material to be produced on this mill is mainly dedicated to the production of plates and composite strips. Beside the cold rolling mill CRM3, the rolling mills include two further hot rolling lines and five other cold rolling mills (among these, two tandem cold mills). group also supplies a color coating line, two plate stretchers, and four ingot scalpers from one source. The hot rolling mill (HSM1) commenced operations on August 15, 2015 with the production of the first aluminum plate and on September 18, 2015 with the first rolled aluminum hot strip. A further cold rolling mill, the CRM2, went into operation on November 24, Klaus Siegert klaus.siegert@sms-group.com 61

62 Flat Rolling Mills sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 PRODUCTION OF HIGH- QUALITY ALUMINUM PLATES AND STRIPS Guangxi Alnan Aluminium Fabrication Co., Ltd. granted group the final acceptance of the 1+1 hot rolling line, comprising plate stand, and single-stand finishing mill, and of the cold rolling mill. November 21, 2014, and February 25, 2015, are important milestones in the company history of the Chinese aluminum producer Guangxi Alnan Aluminium Fabrication Co. Ltd., since on these two days the company assumed responsibility for the new hot and cold rolling mills that had been completely supplied and commissioned by group and started operation at their location in Nanning, capital of the Chi- nese province of Guangxi. With the new rolling mills, Guangxi Alnan produces a wide range of high-quality aluminum plates and strips including special aluminum alloys for the aircraft and transport industries. HOT ROLLING MILL The hot rolling mill is one of the most efficient facilities worldwide to produce special rolled products of alu- minum. It is designed as a 1+1 hot rolling mill, which means it consists of a plate/roughing stand and a finishing stand. The plate/roughing stand is equipped with one of the most powerful drives worldwide for aluminum stands and is able to produce aluminum plates with a width of up to 3,800 millimeters in a thickness range between 8 and 260 millimeters and a maximum 62

63 Flat Rolling Mills AlumiNum length of 38 meters. The rolling line also includes a finishing stand with CVC plus technology. This finishing stand is able to produce up to 2,900-millimeter-wide coils with a final strip thickness between 2.2 and 12 millimeters. The maximum coil weight is 31 tons. An edger, two dividing shears, and an automatic plate piler able to move plates from 4 to 38 meters in length and a weight of up to 31 tons supplement the rolling line. COLD ROLLING MILL On the cold mill Guangxi Alnan is rolling extra-thick and -hard aluminum grades. The material range includes the 2xxx to 7xxx series with a maximum ongoing thickness of 10 millimeters and a final thickness of minimum 0.2 millimeters. Strip widths are between 1,200 and 2,650 millimeters. The cold rolling mill comprises a mill stand with CVC plus, which, in concerted action with the work and intermediate roll bending system, offers a wide adjustment range for flatness control. The tight strip edges that are typical in aluminum cold rolling are prevented by a Hot Edge Spray system (HES). Finally, a multi-zone cooling system compensates asymmetrical flatness defects. Last, but not least, the X-Shape flatness measuring roll contributes its share to the excellent strip quality. group equipped both the hot and the cold rolling mill with X-Pact electrical and automation systems in- cluding AluControl. Furthermore included in the supply package were drives, instruments, and measuring devices as well as the level-1 process controls and the technological models of level 2. All media and filter systems required for operation of the hot and cold rolling mills were also supplied by group. Thomas Döring thomas.doering@sms-group.com Guido Fick guido.fick@sms-group.com The length of 400 meters is not the only impressive feature of Guangxi Alnan s hot rolling line. 63

64 Flat Rolling Mills sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 Mr. Chen, President of Shandong Iron and Steel (4th from left) and Dieter Rosenthal, member of the Managing Board of group, with the responsible Project Managers from both companies. group will supply a complete flat steel complex to Shandong Iron and Steel Rizhao. 64

65 Flat rolling mills Cold Rolling Mills GREENFIELD PROJECT FOR THE PRODUCTION OF AUTOMOTIVE GRADES group to supply complete flat steel complex including high-performance quality assurance system and operation know-how to China. Shandong Iron and Steel Rizhao, China, has contracted group to supply a complete flat steel complex including a newly developed quality assurance system and special operation know-how to Shandong province on China s east coast. A special feature of the project will be its crossprocess know-how covering simultaneous monitoring, documenting, and securing of product characteristics. The flat steel complex will comprise a hot wide-strip mill, a pickling tandem mill, as well as a hot-dip galvanizing line and two annealing lines. Thanks to this investment in high-quality equipment technology combined with extensive know-how and an innovative quality surveillance system (PQA = Product Quality Analyzer), Shandong will have one of the most up-to-date plants worldwide. In addition to producing tube grades and cold strip for the construction and household appliances industries, the focus will be on sophisticated steel grades for the automotive industry. The steel complex is scheduled to commence operation in Shandong will then be able to produce almost five million tons of hot strip and two million tons of surfacefinished cold strip per year. Olaf Stalfort olaf.stalfort@sms-group.com i Group In the next issue of our customer magazine you will learn more about this major order. 65

66 sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 From top to bottom: The optimized turbulence pickling process continues to be the most efficient solution for pickling steel strip. Based on the experience gained in 55 new plants and numerous modernization projects, group will further develop the turbulence process in a continuous manner. i group The new developments have already proven themselves in practical operation and have been successfully implemented in several references after being tailored to the respective requirements. 66

67 Strip processing Lines/Furnace Technology New developments for efficient pickling group has extended its range of products for efficient pickling around the proven turbulence pickling system with several innovations. New developments such as the ECO Pickling and Production model, the recuperator tank, and the Spray Boost Cells will amplify the performance and efficiency of pickling lines. Especially the low maintenance and operating costs, the reduced consumption of resources and the high pickling capacity speak for themselves. Based on the experience gained from 55 successfully installed new plants and numerous modernization projects, group has further developed the already established turbulence pickling process in a continuous manner, thus providing the most efficient solution for pickling steel strip. This particularly applies to new plants, but also to modernization projects. LOW CONSUMPTION, HIGH PRODUCTIVITY The newly developed ECO Pickling and Production model records and monitors all process and material data relevant for the pickling process and automatically controls production. In the turbulence tank pickling system, the relevant process parameters are rapidly adapted to the respective requirements, so that a high-quality pickling result can be achieved with minimum resource consumption. Furthermore, the model optimizes the 55 successfully installed new plants and numerous revamps form the basis for the continuous further development of the already established turbulence-tank pickling system. strip sequence and the transition process between the different strips. With this Industry 4.0 approach, the process yields an optimum production result at low operating costs, thus maximizing the operating result. Spray headers continuously spray heated acid into the flat channel of a turbulence tank pickling system, thus generating extreme turbulences. This maximizes the contact between the pickling acid and the entire strip surface. A patented immersion cover seals the surface of the acid, thus minimizing evaporation and the resulting energy losses. The newly developed recuperator tank arranged upstream of the first pickling tank provides for a further increase in efficiency. Here, pickling acid that has already been used in the process is applied to the incoming strip. In doing so, loose scale particles are removed from the strip while the strip is preheated at the same time. Furthermore, the surface is chemically activated and the downstream pickling process therefore accelerated. In addition to the optimized pickling result and the saving of thermal energy, also the consumption of acid is reduced because no loose scale particles are transported into the acid cascade. With the innovative Spray Boost Cells, a very high pickling capacity can be achieved on a short distance. This system is an efficient solution specially for modernizations in the framework of which the pickling capacity is to be increased with only limited space available. Here, the acid is sprayed onto the strip at high pressure, thus achieving a high pickling capacity. The spray headers patented by ensure a homogeneous distribution of the acid across the entire strip width. Furthermore, the desired pickling capacity can be flexibly adapted here via the process parameters. strip.processing@sms-group.com 67

68 FLAHWALZWERKE Flat Rolling mills sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 The new pickling tank during a turbulence test with water. One of the pickling tanks was completely replaced within a short downtime period last summer. CONSISTENTLY IMPROVED Further modernization of Outokumpu s stainless steel annealing and pickling line. It is a particular connection that group has with Line 76 of Outokumpu Stainless in Avesta, Sweden. The stainless steel annealing and pickling line, which had already been established in 1976 for an annual production of 300,000 tons of hot and cold strip, has been repeatedly modernized in the course of the years. This made the performance of the line continue to grow whereas operating costs were lowered. In addition to further components, the line was equipped with jointly developed and patented plastic pickling tanks for stainless steel strip and with a tension leveler of 120 tons tension. Further modernizations were carried out within the two-week summer downtimes in 2013 and REPLACEMENT OF PICKLING TANK Last summer, replaced one of the three pickling tanks. The new tank features a higher pickling performance and improved sludge removal. Modified pipelines and an additional pump increase the turbulence inside the tank and hence also the pickling rate. The optimized tank design permits easier automatic discharge of the sludge generated by the pickling of stainless steel grades. Furthermore, it is now possible to simply remove the grinding stones for tank cleaning. The tank is made from a special polypropylene material as Outokumpo mainly produces Duplex steels that can only be pickled by means of highly concentrated and very aggressive hydrofluoric acid. In 2013 already, the four squeezing chambers and six compensators had been replaced. Thanks to an improved installation of the spray beams in the squeezing chambers, it was possible to lower the exhaust air volume. An optimized arrangement of the sliding doors excludes leakages. The new compensator design simplifies compensator changes and reduces the time needed for this work from previously one day to a maximum three hours now. Nordine Beskri nordine.beskri@sms-group.com 68

69 Strip processing lines / Furnace Technology MMK ordered hot-dip galvanizing line Russian steelmaker will produce highquality steel plates for the construction industry as of the beginning of 2017 The Russian steelmaker MMK (Magnitogorsk Metallurgical Combine) awarded group an order to supply a hot-dip galvanizing line for the production of high-quality steel plates for the construction industry. The line will have an annual capacity of 450,000 tons and will be installed in the company s main plant in Magnitogorsk in the southern Ural Mountains. MMK is one of the leading steelmakers in Russia. With this investment, it will expand its production of galvanized cold strip for the construction industry. The strip will also be used to make facade panels. The finished material will have a width between 800 and 1,400 millimeters and a thickness ranging from 0.25 to 1.0 millimeters. The maximum speed in the process section will be 180 meters per minute, whereas the strip will pass the entry and exit sections at a maximum of 250 meters per minute. The first step in the line will be to remove residual dirt particles from the strip surface in a cleaning section by means of spraying, brushing, and rinsing actions. A fully horizontal Drever furnace will first heat the strip in a preheating zone, followed by a direct-fired zone and a radiant tube zone. A gas cooling system will reduce the strip temperature for the galvanizing process. The eco-friendly furnace is equipped with several facilities to recover energy. The preheating zone, among others, takes advantage of the hot emissions from the burners. Furthermore, the combustion air is heated by energy from the exhaust air of the burners and radiant tubes. The downstream air-knife system made by precisely sets the thickness of the zinc layer. A four-high skin-pass mill stand, a tension leveler and spray passivation will be available for material posttreatment. Strip edge straightening and strip width adjustment will be accomplished by an ASC side trimmer with integrated scrap chopper. As the shear will be of twin-head design, the trimming knives can be changed in maintenance position while production is going on. Training the operating staff group will supply the complete plant from one source including mechanical equipment, process technology, furnace technology, as well as automation and electrical equipment. In addition to design and manufacture, the scope of supplies will include the supervision of erection and commissioning assistance. The complete plant control system will be simulated, tested, and optimized in a Plug & Work Test in advance. On that occasion, the future operating staff of the line will be trained to manage the upcoming tasks. Numerous facilities made by Commissioning of the hot-dip galvanizing line is scheduled to take place at the beginning of MMK and group are proud of their long-standing cooperation. In Magnitogorsk, MMK operates numerous facilities supplied by, such as another hot-dip galvanizing line as well as a combined annealing and hot-dip galvanizing line that was supplied as part of the cold rolling complex Cold Mill 2000 and was commissioned in Reinhard Reddel reinhard.reddel@sms-group.com The investment helps MMK boost its production capacity of highquality, galvanized cold strip for the construction industry. 69

70 FLAHWALZWERKE sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 The two continuous annealing lines are designed to produce more than 1.7 million tons of high-quality steel strip per year. Annealed steel strip in Sichuan Two continuous annealing lines put on stream at Panzhihua. The two annealing lines supplied to Panzhihua Iron and Steel Group have started operation. In July 2014 already, line No. 1 produced its first coil in the new plant in the province of Sichuan in southwest China and, shortly after commissioning, achieved a monthly production of nearly 80,000 tons. In the summer of 2015, this was followed by the second line, which mainly produces CQ, DQ, and DDQ grades and later on also high-strength material grades. In total, Panzhihua s two lines will be capable of producing more than 1.7 million tons of high-quality steel strips to be used in the electrical appliance and automotive industries, among others. The annealing process and the particularly high cooling rates serve to reduce material strain-hardening resulting from the rolling process and to precisely set the desired mechanical properties. HOMOGENEOUS MECHANICAL PROPERTIES The two lines are equipped with identical components. They mainly differ in the maximum steel strip widths and strengths. In addition to designing the mechanical equipment and to manufacturing several special components, the group s scope of supplies included the supervision of erection and commissioning. For both lines, Drever International supplied high-efficiency annealing furnaces with integrated ultrafast cooling system to produce highstrength material grades. Another important process component is one six-high skin-pass stand per line to give the strips their homogeneous mechanical properties as well as the required strip shape and surface quality. strip.processing@sms-group.com Technical data Line No. 1 Line No. 2 Capacity 920,000 t/a 810,000 t/a Strip width 870 1,870 mm 870-1,620 mm Strip thickness 0.35 to 2.0 mm 0.3 to 2.5 mm Entry speed 700 m/min 700 m/min Process speed 420 m/min 430 m/min Exit speed 840 m/min 840 m/min Steel grades CQ, DQ, DDQ, SEDDQ, CQ-HSS, DQ-HSS, DDQ-HSS, BH-HSS, DP, TRIP 70

71 Strip processing Lines / Furnace Technology 80 PERCENT LOWER CONSUMPTION OF NATURAL GAS S.p.A., Italy, carried out a modernization at ArcelorMittal Asturias, Spain, covering the walking-beam furnace of the wire rod mill, which has a throughput of 150 tons per hour. The result of the modernization is a reduction in operating costs to boost competitiveness. The project mainly covered the conversion of the combustion facilities. Up to date, the furnace has been operated on the basis of natural gas, but can now also use blast furnace gas as fuel, if so desired. The new combustion equipment offers the option of using a natural and blast furnace gas mixture in different proportions. The blast furnace gas is preheated in a newly installed recuperator unit. Thanks to these measures, about 80 percent of the natural gas consumed so far can now be saved. Furnace modernized by. SHORT REVAMP PERIOD, FAST COMMISSIONING The technical approach had been developed over a long time in close cooperation between and ArcelorMittal with respect to several goals such as fuel saving, reduction of pollutant emission, and the shortest-possible conversion time. The narrow time frame for this turnkey project provided for the furnace to resume operation in September 2015 already, after a downtime period of only one month. Within the scope of the project, the whole combustion system was adapted to the latest European safety standards (in compliance with European Safety Standard EN 746/2:2010). The new equipment permits the complete material portfolio to be heated, without any exemptions. The billets processed have cross-sections of 150 x 150 millimeters and lengths between 12,000 to 15,200 millimeters. The combustion facilities as described above are permanently monitored by the newly developed Prometheus system, to optimize the combustion process. This system contributes to the targeted improvement of the metallurgical properties through, for example, advanced temperature homogeneity and the minimization of negative influences like decarburization or increased scale formation. In addition, Prometheus helps save fuel by applying heating strategies, minimizing temperature set points and, at the same time, ensuring the specified temperature values in the final stock. Simone Zussino simone.zussino@sms-group.com 71

72 Tube & Pipe plants sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 NEW heat treatment line FOR TIMKENSTEEL group is to design, manufacture, and install a complete new heat treatment plant for tubes and bars at TimkenSteel at the company s Gambrinus complex in Canton, Ohio, U. The new heat treatment line, named the Advanced Quench & Temper Facility (AQTF), will set new performance standards among existing comparable facilities. Several months of close collaboration between Timken- Steel and resulted in the development of the AQTF a compact line, characterized by a combination of induction preheaters and combustion furnaces for both the austenitizing and tempering processes. QUENCHING SHELL WATER SPRAYER Unique in this field, s deliverables under its contract with TimkenSteel will include plant erection and commissioning. The line will be capable of processing up to 10 tons per hour of tubes and bars, ranging from 4'' to 13'' in diameter, made up of a variety of different steel grades that characterizes TimkenSteel s portfolio. The cornerstone of Tubes and bars are heated up and soaked with a combination of induction and combustion furnaces. the AQTF line will be the brand new Quenching Shell, an advanced OD/ID water sprayer, characterized by highquench severity and, at the same time, great flexibility to adapt to changing process conditions. The Quenching Shell, although a concept created to fulfill the requirements of this specific project, promises to become the standard for similar applications. The challenging time schedule provides for to bring the line into operative conditions in the second quarter of 2016, this is just a half-year from greenfield to commercial operation. i TimkenSteel Corporation TimkenSteel creates tailored steel products and services for demanding applications, helping customers push the boundaries of what s possible within their industries. Pietro Della Putta pitro.dellaputta@sms-group.com 72

73 Rohranlagen The commissioning team. Corinth has commenced production at its large-diameter pipe mill in Thisvi. Large-diameter pipe mill at Corinth Pipeworks commissioned The Greek pipe producer, Corinth Pipeworks, is commencing production at the JCOE large-diameter pipe mill in Thisvi. The Greek pipe producer, Corinth Pipeworks, has commissioned the JCOE large-diameter pipe mill at its works in Thisvi. Corinth rolled the first longitudinally welded pipe there on June 11, During August, the first order for 30 /36 x 38.1 mm has been produced. In future 400,000 t of pipes are to be produced here with outside diameters between 16 and 56 in wall thicknesses up to 40 mm and lengths up to 18.3 m. The starting material consists of high-strength steel plates with grades up to X100. CPW will supply the new pipes to customers from the oil and gas industry worldwide. Our good cooperation with has paid off once again, says Athanasios Tazedakis, Deputy Director Engineering and Technology at CPW. It enabled us to put the large-diameter pipe mill into production on schedule. LSAW@sms-group.com i group The CPW largediameter pipeline offers a size range that has been extended considerably. Pipe sizes with high wall thicknesses and small pipe diameters can also be produced in cost-effective quantities. 73

74 TUbe & Pipe Plants sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 NWZ orders three cold pilger mills High cost-efficiency and precision for tubes of special materials. Signing the contract (from right to left): Zhao Yuhua, Wang Wie, Yuan Gaihuan (all NWZ), Gerd Müller and Oliver Strehlau (both group). The Chinese company Northwest Zircocladding Co., Ltd. (NWZ) in Baoji, Shaanxi Province, has placed an order with group for the supply of three cold pilger mills, two cold pilger mills of type KPW 18 LC+ and one KPW 50 LC. Commissioning of the plants is scheduled for the third quarter of The two KPW 18 LC+ represent the latest generation of cold pilger mills with their innovative drive concept based on direct drives. The improved drive concept minimizes the oil consumption, with the extensive design optimizations leading to an energy saving of around 20 percent. The larger KPW 50 LC offers a finished tube diameter in a bigger range and is equipped with a conventional crank drive and up-line speed-shift gearbox. All three cold pilger mills will be equipped by with fully automatic PLC control that permits stepless setting of feed rate and turn angle of the shells during continuous rolling, two aspects of crucial importance for the tube quality. NWZ has specialized in high-quality products for the power generation industry, including in particular tubes of zirconium alloys. With the new machines from group, the company will be able to expand its tube production. high-quality seamless tubes The cold pilgering process is particularly suitable for high-precision reduction of tubes made from materials that are difficult to form. The distinctiveness and cost-efficiency of cold pilgering derives from the fact that thanks to the large cross-sectional reduction, intermediate processes such as annealing, pickling, cleaning, straightening and cutting are necessary far less often than with other processes, such as drawing. Furthermore, cold pilgering allows selective positive influencing of the microstructure of the rolled product due to the three-axis compressive stresses applied to the material. These three new machines represent a continuation of the successful partnership between NWZ and group. group had already delivered new machines to NWZ in previous years. seamlesstubeplants@sms-group.com i group During the cold pilgering process, a large number of forming steps improves roundness, stresses homogeneity and the surface roughness of tubes. group s cold pilger mills are also suitable for forming difficult materials that are beyond the capabilities of other processes, e.g., drawing. 74

75 From left to right: Pinaki Chakraborty, Amit PROFILWALZWERKE Swarnkar, Derek Michael Shah HÜTTENTECHNIK (all Larsen & Toubro Limited), Tadayuki Baba (Marubeni- Itochu Steel), Tariq Al Wahedi, Jamal Salem Al Dhaheri (both Senaat), Marcel Fasswald, Frank Lüth (both group). group to supply turnkey production facility for large-diameter pipes to Al Gharbia Greenfield project in Abu Dhabi for the production of high-grade large-diameter longitudinal welded steel pipes. Al Gharbia Pipe Company has awarded the consortium of Larsen & Toubro Limited and group as the EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) contractor with the supply of a turnkey LSAW (Longitudinal Submerged Arc Welded) pipe production facility. group will be responsible for the engineering and supply of process equipment for the large-diameter pipe production facility to be built in Abu Dhabi. Larsen & Toubro Limited s partner in the consortium will be responsible for the civil works and erection of the equipment. The new LSAW large-pipe production facility, which will be located within the Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD), will start producing in Material grades up to X80 will be processed at a production capacity of 240,000 tons per year. The pipes will be suitable for use as offshore line pipes and onshore applications. The new line will be designed to make pipes up to 12.2 meters long with an outside diameter ranging from 18 to 56 inches. The maximum wall thickness will be 44.5 millimeters. Besides the engineering and project planning, scheduling, and coordination, group will supply all key machinery as well as the process equipment. This also includes workshops, laboratories, and MES (Manufacturing Execution System) equipment. The production line will consist of an edge miller, a crimping press, a JCOE pipe forming press, tack welder, inside and outside welder, mechanical expander, and a hydrostatic pipe tester. FLEXIBLE IN DIAMETER, STRONG IN WALL THICKNESS The JCOE pipe forming process developed by offers a whole range of advantages as the plant operator can change over to other pipe dimensions quickly, allowing them to produce even smaller batch sizes economically with the utmost precision. All presses are equipped with variable speed pumps (VSP) providing for an efficient hydraulic system with pressures up to 450 bar, which reduces energy consumption by 30 percent compared with conventional hydraulic systems. The shape automation system developed by performs the fully automatic control of the forming process. It improves the performance as well as compensates the influences of plate inhomogeneity in the forming process. Thus, a consistently high pipe quality can be guaranteed. Al Gharbia Pipe Company will manufacture high-grade large-diameter longitudinal welded steel pipes mainly for the energy sector and is targeting at markets in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE (United Arab Emirates). With the development and production of oil and gas forecast to be robust in these countries, the demand for high-quality steel pipelines to transport these resources is expected to grow. Al Gharbia Pipe Company is a joint venture of investment company Senaat, JFE Steel, and Marubeni-Itochu Steel (MISI). The new company is leveraging JFE Steel s technology for high-quality large-diameter longitudinal welded steel pipes, MISI s sales capabilities, and Senaat s industrial footprint in Abu Dhabi. LSAW@sms-group.com 75

76 Long product Plants sms group newsletter 01 / Energy Achievement Award For its application of the tapered fume exhaust hood and new fume treatment plant, Ovako Bar AB, with head office in Smedjebacken, Sweden, has been honored with the Energy Achievement Award 2015 by the AIST Committee for Energy and Supply Engineering. The award was presented during the AISTEch meeting in Cleveland (Ohio) in May It rewards an individual, group, or organization that has implemented and achieved energy conservation or a significant improvement in energy-related productivity through the application of new technology, practices, and/or engineered methods in the iron and steel producing sector. REDUCED ENERGY CONSUMPTION Fully engineered, manufactured, and erected in Smedjebacken by the Italian Group company located in Tarcento, the awarded application commissioned at Ovako succeeded in strongly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, the most significant environmental aspects of Ovako s business. While maintaining all the tasks provided for by the BAT, the plant works using the same electrical energy consumption but with an increased suction capacity of approximately 40 percent more than before and with emissions, in terms of contaminants, always less than half those required by EU norms and stringent local regulations, and with a boundary noise level below 40 db(a). This successful application has led the way to the recent sale of two similar stand-alone fume treatment plants, one located in Qatar and the other in Sweden. Marco Peter Cudicio marco.cudicio@sms-group.com Awarding of the Energy Achievement Award for the tapered fume exhaust hood and fume treatment plant at Ovako. (From left: K. Nygren, Ovako Bar AB and M.P. Caruso, Concast Italia Spa). 76

77 Long product Plants Metallurgical Technology Optimum monitoring Ferriere Nord has placed an order with group for Level 2 automation to be installed in their scrap yard facility in Osoppo (Udine), Italy. Using a series of innovative solutions, the new system will track and document the quality of all the scrap passing through the yard on its way to the Ferriere Nord melt shop, which produces low-carbon steel billets. The ultimate goal is to evaluate the compliance of the incoming scrap loads and produce evidence to support claims against suppliers when necessary. Following the success of the EAF-LF-CCM Level 2 system already deployed, group looks forward to continuing the technological partnership with Ferriere Nord for this challenging new project. Scrap bucket charging at Ferriere Nord. Francesco Fabris francesco.fabris@sms-group.com High-speed commissioning Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) has successfully commissioned its high-speed eight-strand billet caster at its Angul Odisha Plant. The caster is the largest highspeed billet caster in India. The JSPL and group team has commissioned the plant within 13 months from ground-breaking. Most of the equipment has been manufactured at Raipur manufacturing works of JSPL, based on the design and engineering drawings of. The supplied billet caster is able to attain the speed of 3.6 m/min for sections of 165 x 165 mm and can produce 2.3 million tons per year. It has a casting radius of 9 m with 8 strands, and is designed to cast low- and high-carbon steels, ball bearing steel, and free-cutting steel. With this new high-speed billet caster with CON- VEX technology, JSPL will benefit from lower operation costs. www. sms-concast.com High-speed eight strand billet caster at JSPL Plant in Angul, Odisha. 77

78 Long products plants sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 Royal United orders HybrEx Royal United Metal and Glass from Dubai (United Arab Emirates) has placed an order with group for a HybrEx 32 extrusion press and the up-line inductive billet heater. The IAS TEM-PRO billet heater NIB 650.5/229x1,300 Al/ITN-2P consists of two induction furnaces, each with a rating of 650 kw. It ensures precision heating in five zones of aluminum extrusion billets with a diameter of 229 mm and a length of up to 1,300 mm exactly as required for the process. The CADEX (Computer Aided Direct Extrusion) software calculates the optimum extrusion speed curve and the minimum billet temperatures required on the basis of the current process parameters and controls the billet heater according to the results. CADEX boosts productivity by up to ten percent compared with extrusion without feedback. The extrusion press also operates with a billet length optimization tool. It calculates the optimum billet length on the basis of the extruded billets and the set extrusion parameters in order to increase the material yield. The result is fed back to the hot saw that cuts the billets to the required length for the extrusion process. This allows the scrap rate to be reduced. energy as it uses the hydraulics only for extrusion. The ancillary movements of the extrusion press are performed by dynamic, electric servo drives. Compared with those in conventional presses, the drives achieve twice the speed with 1,000 mm/s and thus reduce the dead cycle times. A shortening of one second here translates into an increase in production of up to 100 t/year. HybrEx is group s latest generation of extrusion presses. The machine enclosure ensures a high standard of safety even without additional measures. Royal United Metal and Glass decided in favor of group because we could offer them the care-free package, says Jens Magenheimer, Sales Manager Extrusion Presses at. The significant energy savings that the new press concept offers compared with other processes was an important argument here. The HybrEx extrusion press is equipped with internal gear pumps, which operate efficiently over the whole speed range. Thanks to its special design, the HybrEx requires less space compared with earlier plant types. The enclosure makes barriers unnecessary, and no additional noise emission control measures have to be taken. Royal United will use the press for the production of aluminum profiles for facades and windows. It extrudes 9 billets and has a capacity of approx. 14,000 t profiles per year. The plant is scheduled to go into operation in the fourth quarter of Axel Bauer axel.bauer@sms-group.com ENERGY SAVINGS OF UP TO 55 PERCENT Compared with conventional presses, the HybrEx saves up to 55 percent of 78

79 Long product plants Heat Treatment technology EloFresh: Innovative Media Analysis Solution Elotherm has successfully commissioned the first EloFresh Monitoring and Control system for cooling and quenching of hardening machines. tion as well as a display of ph- and conductance value of the system s cooling water. Apart from this base module, customers also benefit from three optional modules: ELK Modul 2 offers a time-based water usage control and indicates inductor leakages, ELK Modul 3 provides the post-dosing of biocide and copper inhibitor. Elotherm EloFresh operator interface on a modern Elotherm hardening machine. EloFresh ensures high process reliability for the hardening process itself, and consequently for the induction tooling. The induction tool life depends significantly on the mechanical wear and the electrical stresses, but also on the optimal cooling of the induction coil, which in turn is influenced by the quality of the cooling water of the electrical circuit (ELK). Using EloFresh achieves the optimal cooling, and thus lifetime, of the inductors as also prohibits corrosion. The standard system ELK Modul 1 provides monitoring of the water quality by a corrosion-measuring sec- INCREASING THE PROCESS RELIABILITY The focus in the module for quenchant circuit ( AMK Modul ) is on hardening process safety. Fully automatically and continuously, the concentration of the quenchant is monitored and corrected as needed. Obligatory manual measurements of the concentration and lab analyses are not required. Especially, the innovative integrated monitoring and control of the cooling and quenchant circuits of Elotherm s innovative EloFresh system stand for a meaningful increase of the process reliability of hardening processes compared to today. Loïc de Vathaire l.vathaire@sms-elotherm.com 79

80 Long products plants sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 The Sutton MK-V 27. presented the latest generation of press at a ceremony to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Sutton brand. group builds new generation of Sutton extrusion press Manufactured in the U. for the American market, with group know-how. group is building a new generation of the Sutton extrusion press in the U. During a ceremony to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Sutton brand, presented the new Sutton MK-V in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. The extrusion press has been developed over the last two years. All mechanical, hydraulic, and electrical components and spare parts come from the U. This guarantees that they can be procured relatively easily and quickly a competitive benefit for the extrusion press companies in the NAFTA region (U., Canada, and Mexico) at which the new press is targeted. The fifth generation of the Sutton extrusion press combines the best of the two worlds of and Sutton, says Holmer Kleist, Project Manager Forging at group. In concrete terms this means the plate-type press frame now employed an development makes the construction of the press significantly more rigid and more resistant. The linear guides for the container holders and moving crosshead operate precisely and are practically maintenance-free a major advantage compared with the flat guides previously used. REDUCED COSTS THANKS TO A HOLISTIC SOLUTION In this new press generation, the pumps are again located inside the tank. This reduces the space requirement by 80

81 Long products Plants Forging Plants around 30 percent compared to the installation on the shop floor. The holistic solution developed by for American extrusion press operators also includes the foundation, the design of which is better suited for the Sutton press. This reduces the costs of the extrusion press for the owner. The motors of the press are started using soft-starters. This allows the pumps not required during the extrusion process to be shut down and facilitates a soft run-up when they are switched back in. This method saves up to 25 percent of the energy used compared to presses with conventional drives, where pumps that are not required continue to idle. The Sutton MK-V is offered on the NAFTA region market in four different sizes with press forces ranging from 2,000 to 4,000 U.S. short tons, corresponding to 18 to 35 MN. Robert Saroli signed the contract for this press right at the site in Cranberry Township. I am very impressed by the workmanship of the press, said the owner of the Canadian aluminum processing company, Can Art Aluminum Extrusion Inc. And the press has just the right size for us. Saroli is convinced that the new press will help Can Art improve its position on the hotly contested market. The press will go into operation at Can Art in January The U. is an important extrusion press market for. The new Sutton press is specially tailored to the needs of customers in the automotive industry and in the construction and transport industries. The extrusion presses are equipped with Allen Bradley controllers. A further benefit for the customers is that manufacture in the U. means an elimination of import duties. The Sutton extrusion presses are marketed and sold in the U. through the national company, Technical Services LLC. Customers therefore have the right contacts directly on hand, making order handling and service support faster and more flexible. The Sutton Engineering Company was founded in After being a member of the family since 1979, in 1998 Sutton was eventually merged with the company Eumuco. Up until 2001, extrusion presses were manufactured in Bellefonte under the name Sutton. Axel Bauer axel.bauer@sms-group.com Induction furnace system for Brazeway Brazeway Inc. has ordered a TEM-PRO induction furnace system from IAS for its plant in Shelbyville, Indiana, U.. The order is supported by a local energy supplier within the scope of a sustainability project. The system is equipped with two parallel multi-zone furnaces and a block handling unit that ensures low material wear-out. It is also equipped with an energy-saving IGBT converter of the fourth generation and assures very close temperature tolerances. During the process, extremely fine and narrow aluminum tubes are produced for HVAC applications, such as for heat exchangers. Compared to other systems, the wastage produced by the TEM-PRO is up to 20 percent lower thanks to continuous power control and more even heating of the material. The new system enables Brazeway to increase its production quantity in Induction furnace with loading unit. spite of it having replaced two older systems. Brazeway has another two IAS induction furnace systems in operation in Kentucky. 81

82 Long Products Plants sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 Copper: Which manufacturing process is more efficient? Smartphones, PCs, tablets, LED-TVs, automotive electronics, sun collectors, wind power plants, fuel cells, power cables... copper truly deserves the name the red gold. 82

83 Long Products Plants Forging Plants Our modern lifestyle is unimaginable without copper and copper alloys. And this doesn t only apply to electrical engineering. The hygienic properties of the metal are ideal for water pipes and the thermal conductivity of copper tubes is used for air-conditioners. It can easily be defined which properties should be achieved by a copper product in everyday use. But the route to the desired top-quality end product is complex. For manufacturing copper tubes, two different process routes are available, including numerous other variations. Manufacturers thus face the question: which of the competing production processes are most efficient to reach my goals? WHICH PRODUCTION VOLUME? group therefore offers a neutral process-independent consultation. Since, as worldwide leading manufacturer, is able to produce almost all variations of copper lines with more than 50 years of experience in this sector, nearly all configurations can be realized for the customers. End product and production volume are the criteria for selecting the process route. An illustrative example for copper tubes: when a customer plans its copper tube production with high annual output the process line, including vertical continuous caster, hot forming with extrusion, and subsequent drawing is the most economically efficient solution. For smaller production volumes and thin-walled tubes with small diameters, a route via a horizontal continuous caster in the directube process is more meaningful. In this way, a near-net-shape tube is directly cast, which is subsequently rolled out into a mother tube in a planetary rolling mill and then formed to its final tube geometry by drawing. This process is compact and cost-efficient since hot forming is omitted. For both process routes other units are also employed. To be able to attain the desired metallurgical properties such as soft, semi-hard, or hard, annealing facilities are used. Even special requirements such as for air-conditioning pipes can be fulfilled. On inner grooving lines the copper tubes are provided with a larger surface improving heat exchange. DECISION-MAKING BASIS Conclusion: not only offers complete plants from a single source but also provides support for the analysis of future profitability, thereby establishing a well-founded decision-making basis for plant owners. Patrick Schneider, Head of Sales Copper Plants, Forging Plants Business Unit of group, is aware that much know-how is disclosed at a pre-order stage: Experience shows us that in the vast majority of cases our trust and know-how investment is rewarded by the customers. Moreover, we need not fear competition. Our machines are excellent, we offer patented technology in part, all at a fair price/ performance ratio. Our process-neutral advice pays off for us and for customer satisfaction. Patrick Schneider patrick.schneider@sms-group.com i Service Copper scope of supply of group Electric arc slag refining furnaces Anode casting wheels Melting furnaces Horizontal and vertical continuous casters Stationary sawing lines Cold rolling mills Hot rolling mills Billet heating Extrusion presses CONTIROD plants directube plants Combined drawing lines Drawing cascades leveling and polishing machines Drum-type drawing lines Inner grooving lines Level winders Tube manufacturing lines Material transport systems 83

84 Long Products plants sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 Interview The customer benefits twice from us Mr. Schneider, you supply plants or processes completely from a single source. For whom would this offer be beneficial? There are basically two customer groups: newcomers and customers with metallurgical knowledge who already operate plants. Our offer is of interest to both of them. The newcomers are often companies with the intention to strengthen their value-added chain, for example a manufacturer of air-conditioning units who wants to manufacture air conditioner pipes in-house. Within the scope of a greenfield project, these companies receive from us all machines and perfectly harmonized process steps from a single source. And what really counts ist that these customers have the assurance that it works. Companies ordering individual machines who are already operating plants also benefit from our know-how as a full-service system supplier since we have detailed knowledge of the interfaces to up- and down-line processes. We know for example which workpiece tolerances our machine has to produce to be seamlessly integrated into an existing process chain. What does process-independent consultation mean? To manufacture a copper product different manufacturing processes are possible. Since almost all machines are in our portfolio we do not prefer a certain method but are free to choose. We know the differences and can compare them in the interest of the customer. These are often technical aspects such as the possible size range of the end products in connection with desired annual capacities, material flow diagrams of individual process routes and reviewing possibilities in structural design. In many cases, we also provide support in determining the conversion costs and compare the individual processes in terms of energy and media consumption and personnel expenses. On this basis, we are able to provide a clear and well-founded decision-making tool for the customer. One contact person for customers what does that look like in practice? The interaction of the plant manufacturer s individual departments must be arranged in-house. We have created an organizational structure that will make this possible, enabling us to assent internally, making use of short communication channels. The customer benefits twice: on the one hand, the way of the customer into our company organization is easy, and on the other hand, advisory services are improved and sped up in the project planning phase as well as within processing in the event of order. Patrick Schneider patrick.schneider@sms-group.com Patrick Schneider Head of Sales Copper group. 84

85 Long product plants Forging plants TR-device as of now available in the product portfolio of group Insertion tool for long crankshafts in hydraulic processes. With a TR-device large crankshafts are produced. The device realizes forming required for large multiple-cranked shafts with cranks offset against each other. While avoiding an interrupted fibrous structure to the greatest possible extent, the geometry is close to the final contour. In principle, the TR-device is able to produce unlimited long crankshafts since forming only takes place partially, meaning that only subsections are heated and formed. group now offers the TR-device in its product portfolio either as retrofitting for an existing installation or directly in combination with a hydraulic forging press. The TR-device can be easily integrated into a forging press, offering strategic advantages to the plant operator as a useful extension of his product range. i FACTS AND FIGURES Technical specification of required forging press (35 MN) Recommended pressing force to make use of the max. pressing force of the device 35 MN Installation height 3,660 mm Installation width 2,896 mm Product range Max. envelope circle diameter (blank) 1,000 mm Crank length mm Max. crank radius (1/2 Hub) 350 mm forgingplants@sms-group.com Weights and dimensions Total delivery weight Length (of supporting beam) Width Height (closed state, without ribs) 105,000 kg 5,160 mm 2,800 mm 2,550 mm TR-device for producing large crankshafts. 85

86 Long Products Plants sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 SCHUM TECHNOLOGY WITHIN group With the restructuring of group, the Bright Steel Processing Lines Product Unit moved from Aachen to Mönchengladbach and the product portfolio is now based in the Long Products Plants Business Unit. PM0 peeling machine. 86

87 Long Products Plants Forging plants Pulling together out of tradition since the sale of the first combined drawing machine to a German steel mill in 1929, no other name symbolizes the drawing process as much as the brand name of SCHUM. Since the beginning of this 610 millimeters is the maximum processing diameter during peeling, depending on the process and product. year, the mechanical engineering division of the traditional brand from Aachen including the product program KIESERLING have been operating under the umbrella of group at the Mönchengladbach location. The move into the new office buildings and the integration into the Long Products Plants Business Unit lead to the closer linkage of products, reducing the number of interfaces. Thanks to the new structure, synergy effects can be combined. The type catalog was therefore revised to further increase competitiveness. Besides production, sales, and engineering, the service competence of the Business Unit has also been combined. Since 2008, group has been offering all the processes regarding drawing, peeling, straightening, grinding, and finishing. Depending on the process and product the manufacturing diameters are up to 600 millimeters. High speeds, large size ranges, and minimized tool changing times ensure the highest productivity at consistently high manufacturing tolerances. Top: Bright steel; Bottom: Bright steel center. Service The integration into the service structure with its worldwide service centers ensures not only the supply of spare parts of the existing SCHUM, KIESERLING, and bright steel processing lines, but other services such as maintenance, training, and modernization are also available. In addition to that, OEM (original equipment manufacturer) knowledge ensures high availability for the entire life cycle of the machines. Sebastian Schulz sebastian.schulz@sms-group.com Vertrieb brightsteelplants@sms-group.com 87

88 Electrical and Automation Systems sms group newsletter 01 / million tons of steel will be the plant s total capacity once the final construction stage has been completed. Above: The customer s personnel take an active part in the Plug & Work Tests. Left: The participants are prepared for their future tasks at the original control pulpits. 88

89 ElectricAL and Automation Systems Plug & Work ALSo possible in 3D group trains a customer s operating personnel before the actual commissioning on-site. group has been commissioned by the Brazilian construction company Construtora Andrade Gutierrez to build an integrated steel plant for the state-owned Venezuelan steel company Siderúrgica Nacional (SN). The complex to be erected in Ciudad Piar in the Venezuelan state of Bolivar will comprise an electric steelworks, a continuous casting plant and a heavy-plate mill. A second construction phase will see the addition of a ladle degassing station and a Steckel mill. The product range will consist of heavy plate and hot strip for the domestic industry. In order for the future operators to be familiar with the supplied equipment and the associated operating elements before the commissioning of the plant, a great number of Siderúrgica Nacional employees took advantage of the opportunity to actively participate in the Plug & Work tests parallel to a training course organized as part of the TECademy. Plug & Work tests in 3D The Plug & Work tests for the electric steelworks, the continuous caster, and the heavy-plate mill were conducted in the presence of the future plant operators. That involved the visualization in 3D of the caster and the rolling mill. Compared to 2D, Plug & Work in 3D provides an enhanced and easier-to-comprehend view of the complex functions and processes represented. Manuel Ortiz, Project Manager at Siderúrgica Nacional (SN), is highly satisfied with the effect of the Plug & Work tests. Peter Waldhoff peter.waldhoff@sms-group.com Interview Mr. Ortiz, how would you rate our test fields? To say it in one word: excellent. The atmosphere was highly professional. The group experts were always available and ready to answer our staff s questions and explain how solutions can be found. In other words, the collaboration was very good. Had you heard of our Plug & Work concept before? Yes, indeed. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to attend an integration test in Hilchenbach. At that time, seeing the complete automation system tested prior to its installation at the customer s site had been an entirely new experience for me. I had never thought that such a thing would be possible. Last but not least, training the customer s operating personnel at the original control pulpits had also been a very extraordinary service. Has it been helpful for your employees to see the processes visualized in 3D during the integration test? Visualization in 3D helps us to understand the mechanical components of the plants and the way they operate even better. This is particularly beneficial in situations where operators are presented with the new equipment for the very first time. Also the individual process steps within a plant are much more comprehensible in a 3D visualization. Manuel Ortiz Project Manager at Siderúrgica Nacional (SN). 89

90 ElectricAL and Automation Systems sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 EZDK, Egypt: Revamping order for CSP plant The planned revamp will focus on upgrading the electrical and automation systems. Al EZZ Dekheila Steel Company (EZDK) has contracted group for a comprehensive revamp of its CSP plant in Alexandria. EZDK is a subsidiary of Ezz Steel, Egypt s biggest steel producer. The CSP plant was first commissioned in Its current annual capacity amounts to one million tons of flat steel products. EZDK s primary objective is to regain a high level of plant availability by replacing obsolete automation and drive systems. A second target is to expand the product range in terms of steel grades and product formats, while improving the product quality. group is to supply complete modernization package and group will renew the complete automation equipment, namely Level 1 (basic automation) and Level 2 (process automation), of the CSP plant. Throughout the plant, innovative X-Pact solutions will be used, implementing the technological know-how via extremely highly performing hardware systems. EZDK will benefit above all from the fact that these latest technological solutions will all be provided by a single supplier. improved product quality In the area of the CSP caster, group will implement the technological process model Dynamic Solidification Control (DSC) and the Mold Monitoring System MMSplus. DSC will provide sustainably improved product quality as it optimizes the cooling strategies throughout the casting process. MMSplus will pro- The modernized CSP plant of EZDK Upgrade of Liquid Core Reduction (LCR) New caster auxiliary drive systems New mill main drive converters Super reinforced laminar cooling New caster automation system Leven 1 and Level 2 incl. Dynamic Solidification Calculation (DSC) and Mold Monitoring System (MMSplus) New mill and coiler automation systems Level 1 and Level 2 incl. PSC, PCFC, CSC and MPM (Material Property Model) New static VAR compensation (SVC) New mill and coiler auxiliary drive systems Upgrade of thickness profile gauge 90

91 ElectricAL and Automation Systems Harald Rackel, member of the Managing Board of group (5th from left), together with the responsible Project Managers at the time of signing the contract. vide reliable data about the in-mold processes. The integrated breakout prediction system will reduce incidents of expensive production loss and repair costs to a minimum. In addition to the comprehensive revamp of the automation equipment, group will also equip the containment zone of the CSP caster with Liquid Core Reduction (LCR). This will allow EZDK to flexibly adjust the casting thickness. In the rolling mill area of the CSP plant, the proven Level 2 models (PSC, PCFC, and CSC) developed by group and the high-performance technological controls will allow the industrial production of strips down to New generation edge masking for all cooling groups New surface inspection system 1.0 mm thickness. Additionally, the MPM Material Property Model, a model developed by group for microstructural calculations, will assure the quality of the mechanical properties and reduce the need of sampling. The model also facilitates the development of new and the sophistication of existing steel grades. Being a one-stop shopping supplier, group will also replace all auxiliary drives and the direct converters of the stand drives in the CSP rolling mill. Additionally, will equip the laminar cooling system with more powerful cooling groups and a new-generation edge masking system. The possibility of more intensive cooling will reduce the consumption of alloying elements and make it possible to produce higherstrength steel grades while leaving the chemical composition unchanged. The newly developed asymmetrical edge masking system improves strip flatness, especially in the strip edge area. group s scope of supply also includes a surface inspection system featuring the latest optical techniques to assess and document the surface quality directly after rolling. New operating elements Within the framework of this modernization project at EZDK, also the systems serving the operation of the CSP plant will be completely renewed. group will replace all control pulpits, local operating units, and the HMI. The innovative operating concept will be designed according to latest ergonomic findings, providing for intuitive operation and facilitating a most clear view of the production process to achieve optimal results. Well-conceived concepts Before commissioning on-site, group will test the X-Pact automation systems, which are part of the overall supply package for this CSP revamp, using its proven Plug & Work procedure. Prior to the installation at the customer s site, the automation system will be tested and optimized in the test field in Hilchenbach in a near-reality simulation, mapping the entire mechanical equipment, the drive systems, and the processes. Pre-commissioning and optimizing the automation equipment in such tests will pay off later through less time needed for cold commissioning and faster ramp-up. Additionally, the operators of EZDK will be trained on the virtual plant to be optimally prepared for their future tasks. These measures complement the tailor-made modernization concept most favorably, minimizing the necessary downtime and the ramp-up of the plant. The modernization of the CSP plant is scheduled to be completed in the second half of Georg Padberg georg.padberg@sms-group.com 91

92 Production sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 Components for wedge press: Time saved with manufacture Over a period of three years group has replaced 15 machine tools at the Mönchengladbach manufacturing location during ongoing operation and restructured the mechanical manufacture not only technologically, but also organizationally and in terms of process. A major advantage for customers is that the throughput can now be realized even faster. Pitman of wedge press 1.5 m wide x 4.9 m long and 2.8 m high, weight 33 tons. 92

93 Production 1,800 Ram of wedge press Ram with protection plate mounted underneath approx. 2.5 m wide x 2.8 m long and 3.2 m high. The Upper sliding surface on which the wedge moves is approx. 3.9 m long. The weight is approx. 92 tons. Interim assembly work could be performed directly on the metalcutting machine. No additional workpiece transport was required. machining hours at least were used up in three-shift operation in two months. The components for a wedge press and a trimming press can be considered as an example for a successful manufacturing process. They have been recently manufactured by group for Asian customers at the Mönchengladbach site. The three workpieces of the wedge press could be manufactured in parallel by a varied selection of metal-cutting machines for large components (up to 180 tons). In two months, more than 1,800 machining hours were used up in a threeshift operation. The result is a reduction of the throughput time by 1.5 months. With the wedge press of group forgings in a longitudinal direction can be manufactured. Ram of trimming press Weight: 28 tons. Manufacturing procedure: pre-machining on boring machine inserting the bushes during assembly finishmachining on boring machine. The ram could be manufactured in an assembly hall so that only crane transport was required. Time-consuming operations with a plateau trolley from hall to hall could therefore be prevented. Wedge of wedge press 2.3 m wide x 3.1 m long and 3.2 m high, weight approx. 64 tons. Owing to a mobile applicable hardening process, no additional trans porting of the workpiece was necessary. The quality check was carried out directly on the metal-cutting machine. 93

94 Service sms group newsletter 01 / ,000 employees work at the Japanese technology group STEP/G, it reaches an annual turnover of 2.9 billion US dollars and operates 23 extrusion presses in 6 plants worldwide. From top to bottom: Central control station (position was maintained). Precise robot grip on billet after measurement for exact insertion into the press. i Services Technical Service develops individual solutions in cooperation with the customer. A robot is being used for the first time for loading an extrusion press. 94

95 Service Extrusion press equipped with loading robot for the first time Upgrade of extrusion press at ST Extruded Products Group. group has successfully modernized a 42.5-MN extrusion press from 1972 at ST Extruded Products Group (STEP/G) in Bitterfeld, Germany. The upgrade included converting the press to front-loading technology, increasing the extrusion force, a billet extension, use of a new billet loading robot, new automation software and hardware, and new safety engineering according to the EU Machinery Directive. In addition to that, group was responsible for supervision of the erection and commissioning. AN INDIVIDUAL SOLUTION The Bitterfeld plant of STEP/G formerly belonged to the Aluminum Extrusion Division of Aleris. With the sale of the Division at the beginning of April 2015, the Japanese company Sankyo Tateyama became the new owner and plant operator. The Japanese technology group has 8,000 employees, reaches an annual turnover of 2.9 billion US dollars and operates 23 extrusion presses in 16 plants worldwide. The upgraded extrusion press in Bitterfeld is employed for the production of forging stock and aluminum profiles. Special feature: due to a restricted space situation within the plant conventional loading facilities for the press were not an option. The technicians of STEP/G and the service experts of group have therefore developed a customized solution: a robot is used for the first time for loading an extrusion press. ENHANCED EFFICIENCY This particular space-saving solution at STEP/G replaces the billet loader including the periphery, achieving excellent results in practical use. The seven-axis robot provides a floor-guided linear traversing axis, caring for billet loading and ensuring that the billets are safely and quickly positioned in the press center. Due to shorter distances and quicker loading, temperature losses in the billet are minimized and energy efficiency of the whole process is enhanced. Furthermore, the robot offers cost advantages in terms of maintenance. Thanks to free programming of the robot it can be quickly readjusted to new process sequences or modified billet geometries. Apart from the use of the robot, other basic modernization measures were performed by group. Owing to the billet extension from 1,000 to 1,350 millimeters and the extrusion force increase from 42.5 MN to 50 MN, the plant output is significantly higher than before. The conversion to frontloading technology and the increasing of the extrusion force was realized by using new hydraulic and cylinder components in combination with adaptations and overhauling the existing machinery parts. After exact positioning by the robot, the billet is first clamped against the die by means of the extrusion ram. After the container has crossed the billet, concentric billet upsetting takes place from the center and then the recipient is vented. The reamer is loaded into the press from behind between the container and ram. Filling and extrusion billets for a size range from 400 to 1,350 millimeters are loaded into the press from the front between die and container. The upgrade by group shows that even an aging extrusion press can be efficiently brought up to date by a specific conversion and extension project. Ben Zander ben.zander@sms-group.com 95

96 Service sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 Precision the driving force at STP Successful for decades through the use of plants and thanks to expert services of group. Whether long highway journeys, stopand-go traffic in major cities, or dynamic driving pleasure on winding country roads,... modern cars must always perform reliably under all conditions. At the same time, the aim is to consume less and less fuel, minimizing CO 2 emissions. This can only be achieved with quality parts made of high-strength materials maintaining precision even when subject to extreme stress. Schmiedetechnik Plettenberg (STP), Germany, is a re- Dismantling and cleaning of MP 1000 in the workshop of group. nowned and experienced manufacturer of precision components for the automobile industry. With about 400 employees, the owner-run company mainly produces highly precise gear, motor, and drivetrain components used in passenger cars and utility vehicles. Every year, approx. 20 million forgings are produced from around 65,000 tons of starting material at STP. Despite this large quantity, each single part must fulfill the quality requirements of STP. This can only be achieved with plant technology that permanently ensures high productivity and precision at the same time. For decades STP has relied on forging machines and inductive heating systems of group. Business relations date back to At that time, supplied a reducer rolling mill to STP then still operating under the name Hammerwerk Schulte. The good cooperation continued in the years to follow: STP operates two closed-die forging plants, two preforming presses, a screw press, two reducer rolling mills, two ring rolling machines, several forge hammers, and induction lines from. Successful expansion The ring rolling machines are typical examples of the cooperative partnership between STP and group. In 2007, the forging company successfully expanded its product range by ring rolled gear components, ring gears, and crown wheels using the first ring rolling machine supplied by. integrated the machine into an existing line. The demand for new products increased so that group received another order for a ring rolling machine from STP. The special aspect: due to good experiences in the past has been awarded the order for a complete fully automated production line and in 2015 it supplied all quality-crucial core components. Robert Düser, Sales Ring Rolling + Wheel Rolling Machines of group: We have improved the machine and process details together with the cus- 96

97 Technischer Service 20 million forgings are produced by STP per year. To ensure that each single part fulfills high quality requirements there has been close and long-term cooperation between STP and group experts. tomer so that the availability of the ring rolling line was optimized and the yield compared to the existing line could be increased by 20 percent. The new ring rolling line consists of an inductive billet preheater from Elotherm heating the small round billets to forging temperature. Via a transport device they reach the transfer position where the billets are inserted into a generally overhauled closed-die forging press by a robot. In three forging processes a ring blank is produced reaching the lifting table of the ring rolling machine via a conveyor belt. At this point, the decisive ring rolling process of the components takes place, then the billets are unloaded via the lifting table and further transported to the sizing press by another robot where the precise final dimensions of the workpiece are achieved. Robert Düser: With the Dismantling and cleaning of MP 1000 in the workshop of group. new machine the customer was not only able to more than double the capacity of the plant but it also has a redundancy in the production process. This is an important requirement of the automotive industry from its longterm suppliers, that is now fully met by STP. Efficient modernization But not only new facilities are in the focus at STP. The company puts high value on all machines in top condition and therefore relies on the services provided by group. In 2014, a closed-die forging press in monobloc construction of the MP 1000 type from 1989 was subjected to a general overhaul. Zijia Guo, Project Manager from group: The customer has commissioned us to carry out a general overhaul of the Maxi press to perma- nently ensure production and quality and to prevent unplanned downtimes. As a full-support service partner of STP we have provided all services completely from a single source: from dismantling the machine via transport to our service workshop and basic overhaul up to successful recommissioning. Within the scope of a general overhaul a newly forged eccentric shaft was delivered by and the main assembly groups such as push rod, ram, compensating cylinder, brake, coupling, and ejector were overhauled. In addition, the press was provided with a new lubrication system. The result: the 26-year-old press not only looks like new but also achieves highly precise products in continuous operation. service@sms-group.com 97

98 To have the required spares at its site as fast as possible, the experts establish the warehouse close to the customer s plant. WAREHOUSING AT CLOSE QUARTERS TO THE CUSTOMER group undertaking the complete logistics process. 98

99 Service group offers to undertake all its customers activities involved in the stock-keeping of spares and wear parts. Under the heading of Warehousing the service experts define, together with the business partner, the required storage concept and the store size. To make sure response times are as short as possible, recommends that the warehouse to be established in the direct vicinity of the production site. To group, warehousing means everything to do with stock-keeping and the related services and comprises complete logistics from the receipt of goods to packaging and further to subsequent goods issue. This full support of an entire logistics process means there will be one contact partner for all concerns the customer may have. CUSTOMIZED SERVICE Thanks to this close contact, both sides are able to adapt further service activities to the particular plant or system involved always aiming to ensure high plant availability or even increase it. For such individual warehousing the customer will have to pay a predetermined amount according to its stock volume and the scope of services. Costs for individual parts will have to be paid only after the parts have been requested. Additional services offered by group help the demand of spares to be defined and reflected with the aim of warehousing optimization. One of the services provided by the experts is machine-specific equipment checks. Regular inspections and maintenance measures help ensure plant efficiency and detect potential weak points at an early stage. A combination of both concepts reduces the amount of tied-up capital. Warehousing by group makes sure all required spare parts are permanently available. If so requested, the group s experts will run the warehouses 24 hours per day and seven days a week. Plant users can hence focus on their core business and may rest assured that all required spare parts will be on-site quickly and reliably. will take care of the inventory and only supply new components in compliance with the current state of the art. service@sms-group.com i group Services Individual warehousing concepts 24/7 availability of spares Full range of services for the logistics process Selected references Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant JSC in Pervouralsk, Russia; Surface area approx. 4,000 m 2 In operation since 2011 TNC Kazchrome in Aqtöbe, Kazakhstan; Surface area approx. 940 m 2 In operation since 2014 Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works in Magnitogorsk, Russland Surface area approx. 900 m 2 In operation since 2010 Arcelor Mittal Ruhrort in Duisburg, Germany Surface area approx. 610 m 2 In operation since 2012 SULB Company B.S.C. in Hidd, Bahrain Surface area approx. 560 m 2 In operation since

100 sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 Drawing carriage after repair well-proven technique in modern design. Chamfered bright steel processing lines of high quality straightness and precision for finishing processes thanks to upgraded equipment. Modernization of drawing lines Higher availability and maximized output. group revamps drawing lines and brings machines up to date mechanically, electrically, and electronically. This also applies to SCHUM equipment: group has taken over the Mechanical Engineering Division of the traditional brand offering all components and services in OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) quality. Existing machinery and equipment are upgraded to increase productivity and product quality. The requirements for drawing speed, drawing force, and material dimensions are becoming constantly more demanding. Nevertheless, plant operators are still producing competitively even years after commissioning of their drawing line, tapping into new markets with improved products because group offers a number of modernization measures that can specifically enhance individual characteristic values and plant parameters. The pre-straightener of a drawing line, for example, may be retrofitted to a sturdier model. In addition, we upgrade the drawing unit by replacing the assemblies or converting the drawing jaw control. For the straightener, Service experts are able to provide professional advice with regard to questions on suitable rolling corrections and reduce setup times through automation of the straightening roll adjustment. Moreover, various modernizations can be performed in the finishing processes. In this way, for example, individual storage concepts or optimizations of the sawing and chamfering units may be carried out subsequently and individual assemblies may be replaced or re-engineered. Well serviced The product portfolio of group Services covers the complete production process: it ranges from handling of the feedstock in the form of bars or coils up to the testing and bundling devices for drawn and straightened bar material. The drawing lines ensure highly accurate dimensions and a flawless surface quality. The dimensions range from two to 60 millimeters. With drawing forces up to 450 kn and drawing speeds up to 250 meters per minute, the machines set standards group Service experts make sure that this remains over the entire lifetime of the machine. Sebastian Schulz sebastian.schulz@sms-group.com i Reduced downtimes SERVICES Improved process reliability Reasonably priced and available spare parts 100

101 Service Straightener of type Sutton KTC. Mold plate with the new bionic-textured mold surface. Conversion in a fortnight Straightener back in reliable operation. molds last longer The new surface texture, known as bionic-textured mold, lengthens the service lives of copper plates. In only two weeks group converted a Sutton 2 KTC Straightener for the straightening of tubes and long product components for the leading steel producer in Ohio this June. The reconstruction work was performed around the clock including weekends. sub-supervised the subsequent new start-up at the plant. It was the second conversion of this straightener; the first was carried out in 1989 at the former Sutton manufacturing plant in Bellefonte. The steel producer is now operating five KTC straighteners of the Sutton type in Shelby, all in use for the straightening of welded tubes with diameters between 2 3/8 and 12 inches. At this location, the company manufactures welded tubes for varied industries, among them automotive, industrial, and building industry equipment. service@sms-group.com For its customers, group has developed a new idea as to how the molds necessary for continuous casting achieve a longer service life: the specially designed texture bionictextured mold surface improves the flow rate of steel and reduces the thermal and mechanical loads on the mold plates. A mold in continuous casting consists of water-cooled copper plates or tubes. Liquid steel in the mold is cooled to such an extent that it forms a thin shell while it is shrinking. This solidification in the mold is crucial for the quality of the end product it is only with a flawless strand shell that a slab is formed, which can be further processed into high-quality flat steel bars. A bionic-textured mold surface achieves different roughness values. The casting powder accumulates in the cavities and is evenly distributed between mold and strand shell i.e., less powder is needed. Also the heat distribution is enhanced, mainly in the mold level area. The slab can thus be pulled out of the mold using less force and the risk of cracking is diminished. Since time-consuming and costly polishing work is eliminated thanks to the innovatory rough surface, maintenance time and costs are less compared to a smooth mold. Apart from this new texture, offers special coatings for mold plates, increasing service lives by up to 100 percent. A global service network with specially trained expert staff offers coating, servicing, and refurbishing of mold plates. Oliver Wiens oliver.wiens@sms-group.com 101

102 Service sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 Innovative coatings for copper molds For exacting process requirements offers its customers the UniGuard mold coating. In order to achieve a trouble-free process flow in continuous casting and a cast strand of prime quality, it is necessary to make sure that the mold plates are in an optimal condition, particularly in terms of heat dissipation and wear condition. The copper plates, which act as heat exchangers, must fulfill two main tasks: First and foremost, their function is to form a fault-free and sufficiently strong strand shell. Defects on the strand surface, such as longitudinal cracks, are a major quality impairment and may even result in a failure of the caster. The solidification processes taking place in the continuous casting mold are highly complex and dynamic, as a varying number of solidification phases take place depending on the steel grade. The difference between ingot casting and continuous casting is that the continuously cast strand solidifies dynamically due to the effect of the oscillating mold and a preset casting speed. UniGuard Coating The second major requirement is to maximize the service life of the mold plates, which are exposed to extreme thermal and mechanical loads. To minimize wear due to mechanical im- Wasserkasten mit UniGuard - Beschichtung. Water jacket with UniGuard coating. 102

103 Service pact, plant operators have been using electroplated or metal-ceramic coated mold plates. Especially the metal-ceramic coating has been proved to provide a significant improvement in the service life and quality of the equipment. For most exacting process requirements, group offers the UniGuard coating. UniGuard is a tungsten carbide metal-ceramic coating that is applied using the HVOF (High Velocity Oxygen Fuel) method. During high-velocity flame spraying (HVOF), fuels are continuously combusted under high-pressure conditions inside a water- or aircooled combustion chamber. The combustion chamber is mainly charged with spray materials in powder form. By means of the carrier gas, the coating particles are accelerated to supersonic velocity resulting in dense spray coatings with excellent adhesion characteristics. METAL-CERAMIC MATERIAL - TUNGSTEN CARBIDE Tungsten carbide was originally developed for use in cutting tools because it contains ceramic crystals of only a few micrometers in size in a shapeable metal alloy compound. Being a hard, brittle ceramic material, it forms a hard cermet (metal-ceramic) material in combination with cobalt. The resulting coating excellently withstands the compressive loads and friction stresses acting on the mold during the casting process and provides appropriate wear and oxidation resistance at high temperatures. Furthermore, the tungsten carbide/cobalt material is characterized by high thermal-shock resistance and therefore is able to withstand sudden temperature changes. Another highly valuable property of a cermet material is that it contributes to an improvement of the product quality. The distribution of forces and stresses in the strand shell is lower due to the more homogeneous heat density. This means that the strand solidifies in a more constant manner and the shell has homogeneous contact around the circumference of the mold, significantly reducing depressions with longitudinal cracking. The UniGuard coating is highly wear-resistant. This property is beneficial especially when casting special and carbon-manganese grades, as these steels are cast at lower casting speeds. It is not unusual to achieve more than five-times longer service lives of the narrow and broad faces. Without sufficient wear protection, the hard material would grind down the profile of the plates. This in turn would reduce the dimensional stability of the strand shell during the primary solidification. The result would be intensifying and excessive movements and permanent stresses in the microstructure within the thin and sensitive strand shell. Therefore, the group service experts recommend operators of slab casters that process a mix of critically solidifying hard steel grades to make use of the metal-ceramic UniGuard coating. Oliver Wiens oliver.wiens@sms-group.com UniGuard coating applied by means of the HVOF (High Velocity Oxygen Fuel) method. 103

104 Service sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 i Services DUMA-BANDZINK offers comprehensive services to their customers: Spare parts Technical support Inspections and maintenance Repairs and coatings From top to bottom: Dr. Guido Kleinschmidt, member of the Managing Board group, in his opening address in Mönchengladbach. Prof. Pino Tesè, Executive Vice President, Technical Service, (third from left) in front of the novel HVOF (High- Velocity Oxygen Fuel) coating line. 104

105 Service NEW WORKSHOP, NEW MACHINERY NEW SERVICE BUSINESS DUMA-BANDZINK opened new workshop in Business Park, Mönchengladbach, Germany. DUMA-BANDZINK, which has successfully positioned itself on the market with its galvanizing plants, oiling machines, and modernization concepts for strip processing lines, has already been part of group since 2008 and has now massively invested in the expansion of the service business. At the beginning of 2015, it combined its locations of Duisburg and Langenfeld in the Business Park in Mönchengladbach. In late summer of 2015, Mr. Daniel Plätzer, Managing Director of DUMA-BANDZINK, was able to welcome an international audience at the opening of the new workshop facility. In their opening addresses, Dr. Guido Kleinschmidt, member of the Managing Board group, and Prof. Pino Tesè, Executive Vice President, Technical Service, emphasized the great importance of the service business. In his address, Dr. Holger Behrens, Executive Vice President, Strip Processing Lines and Furnace Technology of group, presented current trends in the field of strip processing technology to a great number of German and international customers. The Mayor of the City of Mönchengladbach, Hans Wilhelm Reiners, was visibly impressed by the new machinery and equipment, which were shown to an international audience in a live demonstration, and emphasized how much he appreciated the strengthening of Mönchengladbach as a business location. Investments were made in mechanical processing capacities with a new CNC lathe and a CNC grinder for machining roll diameters up to 1,600 millimeters, as well as a complete roller coating line, comprising sandblasting cabin, coating center, and heat-treatment furnace. As a special highlight, the novel HVOF (High-Velocity Oxygen Fuel) coating line could be presented. Consequently, a Japanese delegation of the longtime technology partner and licensor, Tocalo, was also among the guests. On a Growth path group likes to invest in promising models, which DUMA-BANDZINK has already proved in its recent past and will also demonstrate in the future with an increased focus on the service business, Dr. Guido Kleinschmidt said at the opening ceremony. After exter- nal vendors have been increasingly used in the past by DUMA-BANDZINK for grinding and coating work of, among other things, zinc bath and furnace rollers as well as other process rollers from strip processing lines, the new investments at the Mönchengladbach location play an important complementary role in the services offered to the European market. 1,600 mm is the maximum diameter for machining rolls on the new machining centers. 105

106 Events sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 The brochure X-Pro Laser Welder publish ed on the occasion of the event is available from the ordering service. A large number of details were discussed during the inspection of the machine in the workshop in Hilchenbach. Through the use of special strip processing equipment, which includes the welder, existing strip processing lines maintain and enhance their competitiveness, explains Markus Jaenecke in his introductory presentation. 106

107 Events Enthusiastic about laser welding Using co 2 and fiber lasers Laser Strip Welding Symposium at group in Hilchenbach. In November 2015, a Laser Strip Welding Symposium was held at the location in Hilchenbach. The event focused on the demonstration of the X-Pro Laser Welder and on welding tests using a conventional CO 2 laser source and a modern fiber laser. Around 50 participants representing steel and aluminum makers from all over Europe did not miss the opportunity to let themselves be convinced of the machine s capabilities and also to weld their own plates. The participants watched in fascination as the first weld was produced: a blinding laser beam travelled from one side of the plate to the other, and, simultaneously, the weld was inductively preheated and post-heated. Then, the result was presented and a strength test made. The weld looks really good and the test shows that it can withstand high stresses, confirmed Heikki Nisula, General Manager Maintenance and Investments at SSAB Hämeenlinna site in Finland. He had sent the 3.6 millimeter thick plate, which was difficult to weld owing to its high boron alloy content. I wonder whether they have been practicing secretly, because each time the first try shows a brilliant weld, said Nisula after further successful welds. We, too, are enthusiastic about directly attaining such a good result, was the opinion of Christian Dornscheidt, the responsible Project Manager for the laser welder at, but this is exactly what the machine was designed for. ADVANTES OF THE LASER WELDER The major advantages of the machine are its patented inductive pre-treatment and post-treatment of the weld and the automatic adaptation of the welding parameters on the basis of a melt analysis of the material as well as the integrated automated weld seam monitoring system. A further impressive feature of the machine is its cycle time of less than 60 seconds. The event began with an introduction by Michael Cottin, Executive Vice President, Strip Processing Lines and Furnace Technology at group. This was followed by information on i Fiber laser PG Laser, Germany, made a welding source available for the successfully conducted fiber laser tests. The exchangeability of the welding sources, allowing a rapid response to new developments, guarantees the secure future of the X-Pro laser welder. 107

108 Events sms group newsletter 01 / 2016 Michael Cottin Executive Vice President, Strip Processing Lines and Furnace Technology at group.»i am highly satisfied with the great popularity of our machine among the customers. It shows that there is demand for a reliable and innovative welding machine, and that the customers are open to new technologies such as the fiber laser.«special strip processing equipment by Sales Manager Markus Jaenecke. The equipment components he referred to can be installed easily and quickly into existing strip processing lines and thus maintain and enhance their competitiveness. Further papers werepresented specifically on the subject of welding metal strips. Dr. Dirk Petring, Head of Macro-Joining and Cutting at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT, explained general trends towards the use of laser technology in strip processing lines. Markus Jaenecke markus.jaenecke@sms-group.com The X-Pro laser welder in action. The participants convinced themselves of the high quality of the first weld, with the strength also being tested by means of the Erichsen cup test. The Laser Welder Team is pleased with the altogether positive feedback from the participants and with the ideas and suggestions from the discussions. 108

109 group METALLURGICAL PLANT and ROLLING MILL TECHNOLOGY Strip Processing Lines Publications New releases: Publications and films from group Brochures and various film formats provide a detailed insight into the range of products. Imprint group newsletter Issue 01 /2016 Publisher group Corporate Communications, Eduard- -Straße Düsseldorf, Germany Responsible under Press Law: Thomas Isajiw Phone communications@ sms-group.com The group product range is growing continuously. New technologies and machines are being developed. Orders are being completed successfully. To provide our customers with more detailed information on our innovations, we publish all essential news in our brochures, magazines, and videos. In the following, please find a selection of our latest releases: Strip processing lines are especially characterized by highly sophisticated processes for improving material and surface properties, such as pickling, annealing, or coating. As an integrated systems supplier, is able to deliver efficient plants for the manufacturing of high-quality products all from one source. Our portfolio includes mechanical equipment, process engineering, heat treatment, electrical and automation systems, and the required production know-how. The new brochure Strip Processing Lines Product Portfolio, Technology, & References shows our extensive range of services. Fuxin Special Steel Co. Ltd., Taiwan, has successfully commissioned a steel plant delivered by for the production of stainless steel slabs at their location in Zhangzhou in the Chinese Fujian Province. It is the first stainless steel plant in the world to utilize the STRIP PROCESSING LINES Product Portfolio, Technology & References waste heat from the AOD converter and the electric arc furnace. The interactive video is available in Chinese, German, English, and Russian. Efficient vacuum converter for individual needs is the title of a brochure that provides a detailed description of another innovation from. The vacuum converter for the production of stainless, acid, and heat-resistant steel grades and high-alloy special-purpose steel was developed by. For Steel Dynamics (SDI), successfully expanded the existing bar mill in the USA. With the modernization, SDI has doubled its production capacity and extended its product portfolio, especially to include high-quality bars in special bar quality (SBQ). The video provides interesting insights into the modernization process. communications@sms-group.com EFFICIENT VACUUM CONVERTER FOR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS Refined steels and ferroalloys Printing and prepress processes Druckhaus Kay Hagener Straße Kreuztal, Germany Published on January 29, 2016 group / circulation in German 6,600, in English 14,000 / printed in Germany The information provided in this magazine contains a general description of the performance characteristics of the products concerned. The actual products may not always have the characteristics described and, in particular, these may change as a result of further developments of the products. The provision of this information is not intended to have, and will not have, legal effect. An obligation to deliver products having particular characteristics shall only exist if expressly agreed in the terms of the contract. Learn more about upcoming events at: com/en/press/ trade-showsconferences.html 109