MPT International 5/2019 (October)

Metallurgical Plant and Technology G 25074

ISSN 0935-7254

October June 2016 2019

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Blechexpo 2019 in Stuttgart: Highlights from the sheet tech trade show (page 16)

Arvedi ESP ultra-thin strip technology reaches hot strip of 0.6 mm (page 42)

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EDITORIAL

After the fair is before the fair is after the fair... In the last issue, we had our finger on the pulse of the steel industry with METEC. Currently, we are dialled into EMO Hannover and the Blechexpo / Schweisstec double trade fair. A more targeted and less general view. EMO, the world's leading tradeshow for the metalworking industry, did something very important: it provided clarity in uncertain times. As an innovations platform for production technology, EMO once again featured the relevant trends for the years ahead. AI, IIoT, and Industry 4.0 are the keywords. You will find our review on pages 26 and 27. The two complementarity industry events Blechexpo and Schweisstec will provide expert visitors with comprehensive product and service offerings, dealing with all facets of thermal and mechanical processing, as well as welding, joining and fastening technology. You will find our preview on pages 16-25.

Torsten Paßmann

In addition to cross-company topics, we also take a look at individual companies. There is no way around this one company, because as one of Europe's central steel producers it is an exciting object of observation from all perspectives: thyssenkrupp. On the one hand, the group, which has just been removed from the German DAX index, has restructured its management team (page 6). But business goes on, and one of its units has selected Schuler subsidiary Farina with the supply of one of the world's largest presses of its kind, to produce truck front axles and crankshafts (page 24 and 25). Also, I recommend the article about synchropress on page 22 and 23. They developed a purely electrically operated press, with their servomotors guaranteeing 4,000 kN pressing force in the smallest space. If you are looking to dig deeper into metallurgy we recommend reading about: Uddeholm, who are pushing their performance to the limit or the article on Arvedi ESP’s unique ultra-thin strip production technology which reaches a hot strip thickness of 0.6 mm, and Schmidt + Clemens "Advancements in the metallurgy of centrifugally cast high alloy rolls for roller hearth furnaces“ (see pages 36-41). There is still much to discover - be it at a trade fair or in this issue. With this in mind, we hope you enjoy reading!

Torsten Paßmann Chief Editor, MPT International

MPT International 5 / 2019

››› CONTENTS

International Industry News 6

People & Positions thyssenkrupp, worldsteel, a science slam winner – and more

Americas, Asia, Europe Shigang, Tenaris Tamsa, Ternium, NLMK La Louvière, and more

13 Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) has awarded SMS group with the supply of a complete CSP steel production line The plant at the new Sinton location in Texas will have an annual crude steel capacity of 2.7 million tonnes, commissioning is scheduled for mid-2021.

COVER STORY: The EMO motto "Smart technologies driving tomorrow's production" accurately reflected the key issues the industry is facing today. This feeling was shared across all exhibitor segments.

14 Events calendar Titanium USA 2019, Iran Metafo 2019, Moscow Metal-Expo, and more

BLECHEXPO 16 Blechexpo 2019: Sheet Metal and Joining Technology Highlights The 14th Blechexpo, in combination with the 7th Schweisstec, will be covering all aspects of sheet metal, pipe and profile processing between 5 and 8 November this year.

20 EMW/Schäfer: Portfolio and Digital Services Expanded Conclusion of ESTAD: Dr. Hans Bodo Lüngen, Steel Institute VDEh, takes stock of the conference, which offered 550 presentations.

22 synchropress’ Servomotors guarantee 4,000 kN pressing force in the smallest space The 4M-4000 autonomously produces a considerable portion of the electricity it requires by means of a regenerative braking unit for energy storage.

24 Schuler builds new groundbreaking press for thyssenkrupp One of thyssenkrupp’s biggest mechanical facilities will soon begin its production of truck front axles and crankshafts. MPT International 5 / 2019

Events 26 EMO Hannover 2019 provides clarity in uncertain times From 16 to 21 September, some 117,000 production specialists from 150 countries attended the EMO Hannover, the world's leading tradeshow for the metal-working industry

Business 30 Germany’s mechanical engineering industry steers through rough waters The consequences of the trade dispute between the USA and China are becoming increasingly painful for Germany’s machinery builders.

32 worldsteel Short Range Outlook October 2019 – Steel demand remains resilient In mid-October, the World Steel Association worldsteel - held its annual conference in Monterrey, Mexico. The association states that, despite an uncertain global economic environment, global steel demand remains resilient, driven by developing and emerging economies.

34 First Saudi Steel Conference sets stepping stones for local steelmaking Saudi Arabia has 870 million tonnes of iron ore reserves that can be utilised to provide raw materials security for the country’s steelmakers, present and future.

Metallurgy 36 Advancements in the metallurgy of centrifugally cast high alloy rolls for roller hearth furnaces New developments in the metallurgy of these cast rolls allow for enhancement in their functional properties by intelligent alloying and tailoring of the microstructure, writes Schmidt+Clemens.

42 Arvedi ESP reaches hot strip of 0.6 mm According to Primetals, Arvedi ESP is the first hot rolling process ever to produce cold rolled substitutes on an industrial scale, and a large variety of final products are now produced directly from ESP hot band without implementing a cold rolling process.

20 Industry 4.0 52 Noodle.ai and SMS group team up to advance the “learning mill” at Big River Steel Noodle.ai’s software and Enterprise AI data platform analyze historical and current high-frequency data from the American mill’s approx. 50,000 sensors attached to the equipment.

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT 54 Wuppermann Austria, thyssenkrupp Steel, Fives in China

Columns 3 Editorial 56 In the next issue 56 Imprint

48 Safety in Meltshops Thanks to Machine Intelligence BM Group describes new technology developed to increase the safety in dangerous areas, increase the traceability and reduce the risk of mistakes in the production. MPT International 5 / 2019

››› INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS

thyssenkrupp: change of CEO & new executive for steel

Martina Merz took over on 1 October, as chief executive of thyssenkrupp AG. Merz, former chairperson of the supervisory board, will be delegated to the executive board for a maximum period of twelve months, after which she is to return to the supervisory board. The decision to replace Guido Kerkhoff came two weeks earlier and rather unexpectedly at an extraordinary meeting of the supervisory board. I would like to thank Guido Kerkhoff for his commitment to thyssenkrupp,” Merz said on the day of her appointment. “Last year, he took on the responsibility as CEO in a difficult situation and he did not hide. That deserves great respect.” Kerkhoff’s one year in office was marked by the process to forge a joint

Premal Desai, CEO of thyssenkrupp Steel

Klaus Keysberg, CEO of thyssenkrupp

since June 2019

Materials Services since January 2019

venture with Tata Steel Europe, which eventually was blocked by the European Commission. Still, his latest strategy that places emphasis on steel in the group will be continued, according to the ad-hoc statement. The parent AG’s board will have an additional executive assigned to the steel segment in Klaus Keysberg, who turned CEO of thyssenkrupp Materials Services (the unit for distribution of steel & metals) on 1 January this year.

The ousting of Kerkhoff gives evidence of the delicate balance of power in the group. Among the major shareholders, equity investor Cevian is pushing for faster restructuring of the group’s activities. Meanwhile, thyssenkrupp’s traditional strong force in the ownership structure, the Krupp Foundation, was reproached last year for having remained too passive while the company appeared to be in crisis. A massive loss in share price also triggered thyssenkrupp AG’s demotion from the Dax 30 stock market segment, of which Thyssen AG was a founder company 30 years ago.

Happier times? – Martina Merz and Guido Kerkhoff

Yu Yong of HBIS Group new chairman of Worldsteel The Board of Directors of the World Steel Association (worldsteel) elected Yu Yong of HBIS Group as the new chairman of the board at its annual general assembly in Monterrey, Mexico. He will succeed André Johannpeter, worldsteel chairman 2018/2019 and Executive Vice Chairman Gerdau. The new officers elected for a oneyear period are

MPT International 5 / 2019

• Chairman - Yu Yong, Chairman, HBIS Group Co., Ltd. • Vice Chairman - Sajjan Jindal, Chairman and Managing Director, JSW Steel Limited • Vice Chairman - André Johannpeter, Executive Vice Chairman, Gerdau S.A. • Treasurer – Roger Newport, Chief Executive Officer, AK Steel

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INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS

Aniruddha Dutta, doctoral student at the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung (MPIE) in Düsseldorf and German science slam champion 2018/19, has won the European Science Slam Championship 2019/20. His competitors from Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Russia met at the contest in Vienna on 27 September. Dutta is originally from India and joined the MPIE in 2016 in the group

Edouard Guinotte to become CEO of Vallourec Edouard Guinotte was selected by the supervisory board of Vallourec to succeed Philippe Crouzet as chairman of the management board. After four years on the post, Philippe Crouzet did not wish to take on a new term of office, and will step down on 15 March 2020. Edouard Guinotte joined the executive committee in 2017 with responsibility for the Middle East and Asia region. 48-year-old Guinotte, a graduate of the Ecole des Mines de Paris, joined Vallourec in 1995 as head of logistics and production at Vallourec Composants Automobile. He spent his entire career within the group in various positions in various countries. Olivier Mallet will continue as chief financial officer on the executive board,. He will exercise his mandate until the 2023 Ordinary General Meeting.

“Mechanism-based Alloy Design”, after completing his master studies at the RWTH Aachen University. He will finish his PhD on medium manganese steels this year. In his slam “Think in terms of an Auflauf” (“Auflauf” meaning “casserole”) Dutta explained the concept of high entropy alloys. This kind of alloys consists of more than five different elements in equal proportions, giving special properties to the bulk materials. During science slams, scientists present their research topics within a few minutes to an audience, which then decides the winner by an applause or score cards. The slammer who explains their research in the most understandable and entertaining way, wins the slam. The aim is, on the one hand to enable young scientists to present their current research project and develop their presentation skills. On the other hand, science slams aim to awaken the general public's interest in science.

Metallurgist wins European Science Slam Championship

Aniruddha Dutta takes centre stage

“I have been participating in science slams since 2015. At the beginning, I just wanted to find a way of practicing my presentation skills and getting to know new research fields. Being the European champion is a great honor for me”, says Dutta.

SMR’s Stainless Steel Executive of 2019: Hartwig Haertel, Boellinghaus Steel Austrian consultancy group SMR (Steel & Metals Market Research) has awarded its 13th award for the Stainless Steel Executive of the Year to Hartwig Haertel, the 5th Generation owner and CEO of Boellinghaus Steel. The 150 year old company is a global market leader for high-quality flat and square stainless steel bars, with its production plant in Portugal. “Adjusting the sails and changing the course in changing winds is what he does best,” said Markus Moll, CEO of SMR Group, who awarded this prestigious award for the 13th time to Mr. Haertel (72). Despite the uncertain economic outlook, he currently has planned the biggest investment in the history of the company. For this optimism, he was selected for the award. SMR is an independent market research company founded by Markus Moll in 1994.

MPT International 5 / 2019

››› INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS

Americas Brazil Brazilian steelmaker ArcelorMittal Monlevade has started operating a 130-ton-hot-metal desulfurization station (DeS) and a new dedusting system supplied by Primetals Technologies. It represents the first installation of Primetals combining a volumetric dosing device for Magnesium (Mg) and a pressure dispenser for Calcium Oxide (CaO). Low sulfur levels of lesser than 0,005% (50ppm) can be achieved. The consumption of desulfurization agents is significant reduced and processing times are reduced to less than 30 minutes compared to treatment in a torpedo car. The associated level 2 system supplied by Primetals Technologies predicts the end sulfur content with high accuracy, deviations of real from predicted value is below 5ppm on average. The dedusting system installed in the melt shop processes approximately 900,000 m3/h. A handling system for 130-t-hot-metals ladles was also part of the project. The new equipment is part of an expansion and quality improvement program at ArcelorMittal Monlevade.

Mexico Ternium chose Danieli to supply an inventory management system and fully automatic handling equipment that will feed 4.1 Mtpy of slabs to a greenfield hot-strip mill at Pesqueria, Mexico. The purpose is to optimize incoming slab flow by applying artificial intelligence for the Slab Yard Management System (SYMS), in direct connection and communication with the downstream process of the Hot-Strip Mill. A complete handling system - including 10 EOT cranes, seven transfer cars and two destackers - will receive slabs from the mill and to distribute and transfer these products through the intermediate and final storage areas. The Slab Yard Management System (SYMS) calculates the task for all operating equipment according to the foreMPT International 5 / 2019

cast production mix submitted by the Plant MES; optimizing the movements and the relocation of each slab; and thus in real-time tuning the mission to the actual needs determined by the product mix and equipment status. Slabs in the charging bay are stored according to the RHF charging sequence, in order to optimize the crane cycles during the loading phase, to reduce the loading cycle time and increase the flexibility in case of any change in the production schedule.

Danieli Olivotto Ferrè has started up a tube roller hearth annealing furnace at Tenaris Tamsa, in Veracruz. The furnace is designed to treat steel tubes coming from cold or hot processing with a maximum throughput of 5 tons/h. The flexible furnace is able to perform different heat-treatment cycles, including normalizing, annealing, tempering and stress relieving. The pipe to be treated has OD range from 15 to 120 mm, thickness from 1.5 to 20 mm and length up to 16 meters. An important feature of the furnace is the possibility to perform heat-treatment cycles under different protective atmospheres: reducing, 100% N2 and air. The reducing atmosphere is fed by a dedicated endothermic gas generator supplied together with the furnace.

duces 160-mm square billets in open and submerged stream casting, mainly for rebar but also for profiles on the company’s rolling facilities.

China Shijiazhuang Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. (Shigang), a member of HBIS Group, has awarded an order to SMS Concast covering the supply of a second continuous bloom caster. The order was placed within the frame of a relocation program to reduce the environmental impact on the city of Shijiazhuang, China. Within the same program, Shigang had already ordered two 130-ton SHARC electric arc furnaces and a three-strand vertical continuous caster producing high-quality blooms from SMS group

Rectangular blooms cast on a continuous caster made by SMS Concast.

Asia Bangladesh A 55-ton LF and 3-strand billet caster supplied by Danieli Centro Combustion have started at BSRM, in the new meltshop in Mirsharai, Bangladesh. The ladle furnace has two ladle cars positioned at 90° and a 10 MVA + 20% (overload) transformer. It is equipped with Bus Bar Electrode Arms and “Inert Roof” to minimize the electrode-side oxidation, the slag/steel oxidation, as well as oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen pickup in the refined and clean liquid steel. The 3 strands 8-m radius caster features Mould-EMS for LC and MC steels, casting at a rate of 30 ton/hour. It pro-

at the beginning of the year. This second continuous caster will be a traditional curved-type machine for the production of high-quality blooms. The product range will include steel grades from engineering steels and tire cord grades up to stainless steel. A wider portfolio of special steels will also be possible to be produced on this caster. With its three strands, the machine will cast blooms of 410 x 530 millimeters cross-section with lengths between 5.0 and 6.1 meters. The caster with a radius of 16.5 meters will allow operating the caster at high quality level with a wide operating window for the Dynamic Mechanical Soft Reduction (DMSR). Just like the vertical caster, this machine will be equipped with state of the art technology to produce special steels for a wide range of applications and a wide selec-

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INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS tion of alloys. The technological package will include electromagnetic CONSTIR mold and final stirrers, a high-precision tandem resonance oscillator and a finely adjustable air-mist secondary cooling system with seven independently controllable cooling zones. Within the scope of digitalization, the plant will be provided with a state-ofthe-art automation and data recording system to ensure fully digitalized quality tracking. Additionally the system will increase the yield through optimization of the cut lengths of the blooms.

Zenith Steel Group Co., Ltd. (Zenith Steel) awarded an order to Primetals Technologies to modernize a 10-strand billet caster in its converter steel making plant #3 in Changzhou. The billet caster will be the first one worldwide to be equipped with the new SRD (Single-Roll DynaGap) segments. The SRD segment has been specially developed for use in the area of final solidification, and it enables the upper rolls to be pressed down individually onto the solidifying strand. This enables the final solidification point to be followed precisely. Technological packages like DynaPhase, Dynacs 3D and DynaGap SoftReduction 3D will further improve the internal billet quality with regard to center porosity and center segregation. Start-up of the modernized casting machine is expected for March 2020. The 10-strand billet caster of Zenith Steel in its Changzhou, Jiangsu Province plant has a rated capacity of 2 million metric tons per year. It produces section

3-D view of withdrawal unit with SRD segments for hard reduction.

with a cross section of 160 x 160 millimeters at a maximum casting speed of 2.4 meters per minute. Steel grades processed include low, medium and high carbon steels as well as tube, spring, cold heading and tyre cord steels. Within the current modernization project, Primetals is also responsible for the basic and detail engineering and supply of mechanical equipment like roller blocks, spray header and WSU units as well as the complete basic (level 1) automation system.

Danieli is expanding the production capacity of high-performance steel strip of Wälzholz New Materials, Taicang, Jiangsu province, China. The project is lead by Danieli Fröhling, in close collaboration with the Wälzholz headquaters in Germany. The new cold reversing mill is designed to roll a wide product mix of special steel grades, from an entry thickness of more than 5 mm down to a finish thickness of below 1 mm at a maximum strip width of 670 mm. The mill can also be operated in skin-pass mode. The mill is designed with independently driven, “twin drive” work rolls, and high-torque drive spindles. Danieli Automation will provide electrics and automation, including HiPAC automation system which provides real-time automatic thickness and flatness control. An intelligent data analysis systems, ready for Industry 4.0, will be connected to the Wälzholz proprietary process data management system.

India Metso has been awarded with an order to deliver a Texas Shredder PS for Tata Steel’s upcoming steel scrap recycling plant. The order marks the first steel scrap shredding facility in India, Metso says. Tata says it Tata Steel said it pands to start the scrap processing unit in Rohtak, Haryana in spring next year. Reportedly, the order is worth around $22 million. The 500,000 tonnes/year unit will collect scrap from households, industries and end-of-life vehicles, and process it for use as EAF steelmaking feedstock.

News in brief NLMK La Louvière, Belgium, a company of Russia’s NLMK Group, has commissioned Primetals Technologies with a €150 million project to revamp its hot strip mill, expanding production of thinner, stronger and more environmentally friendly steel. With this upgrade NLMK La Louvière will increase production from 1,7 mt to 2,2 mt by 2022 with a bigger share of the niche HRC market in the EU. The upgrade will enable the mill to expand production of high strength thin hot rolled coil (down to 1.2 mm), increase the range of high-strength products beyond 1000 MPa yield strength and provide customers with best-in-class surface and dimensional tolerances. Ningbo Iron & Steel Co., Ltd., China, issued to SMS group the FAC (Final Acceptance Certificate) for the successful execution of the laminar cooling modernization in its HSM. The rolling mill consists of three walking beam furnaces for slab reheating, a two-stand roughing mill, a sevenstand finishing train, the run-out table with the laminar cooling system as well as three down coilers. The mill capacity is 4 million tons per year in the strip thickness range between 1.2 and 19 millimeters and strip widths between 900 and 1,630 millimeters. The main targets of the cooling train modernization were on the one hand improved cooling performance with tighter tolerances for the coiling temperature and on the other hand the extension of the product mix by dual phase steel grades DP 600 and DP 800 for automotive purposes, pipe grades X60 and higher as well as non-grain oriented electrical steel. Centravis, the main supplier of extruded specialty steel pipe to the Ukrainian market, has contracted Danieli Breda to revamp the runout system for its extrusion line. The new runout concept, developed to improve the metallurgical quality of the pipes and to reduce process inconsistency and plant availability, will be delivered during 2020. A new cooling system equipped with double cooling stations, visual inspection, and a tank bypass system, plus scrap glass recovery tools, have been custom-engineered for highly demanding pipe requirements and to meet the customer’s expectations.

MPT International 5 / 2019

››› INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS

Metso’s Metal Recycling offers a wide range of solutions for the fragmentation, compaction and separation of metal scrap through the Lindemann, Texas Shredder and N-Series product lines. The Finland-based machinery manufacturer achieved sales of about EUR 3.2 billion in 2018, with over 14,000 people in more than 50 countries. Metso and Tata Steel have a history of more than 25 years of successful cooperation in India, the supplier says.

Kobe Steel announces that it has developed galvanized steel sheet (1500 MPa class after hardening) for hot stamping with outstanding productivity during pressing. It has begun mass production of the coated steel sheet for use in automotive body frame parts. In 2017, Kobe Steel developed coldrolled steel sheet for high-productivity hot stamping and began mass production. In comparison to conventional cold-rolled steel sheet for hot stamping, Kobe claims that its material has improved hardenability. Productivity during pressing by the customer has improved as much as six times, compared with conventional hot stamping steel sheet, the steelmaker says. The cold-rolled steel sheet is noted for its lower occurrence of strength deficiency from uneven quenching. Moreover, it offers greater flexibility in pressed part shapes. As the cold-rolled steel sheet can be trimmed during the pressing process, laser cutting after pressing, which is traditionally required in the conventional process, is unnecessary. Kobe Steel has subsequently developed cold-rolled steel sheet treated with a galvanized coating for hot stamping. Now in mass production, the coated steel sheet is supplied to Spain’s Gestamp, a manufacturer of automotive metal components. Gestamp processes the coated steel sheet into parts for supply to a European car manufacturer. This is the first time that this coated steel sheet for hot stamping has been used by a European car manufacturer. MPT International 5 / 2019

Japan

Metso’s Texas Shredder PS 88

Europe Czech Republic Třinecké Železárny ordered the Danieli Automation 3Q LPC model to estimate casting product temperatures for two continuous casting machines at its operation in the Czech Republic. The longproducts steelmaker produces more than 2.5 million tons/year for Eastern European markets, including wirerod, shaped steel, special steel rod, drawn bars, rails, wide steel, seamless tubes and semi-finished products. Třinecké Železárny supplies over a third of all steel produced in the Czech Republic. Danieli Automation has provided the 3Q LPC off-line, liquid pool control model for two CCMs, which is a real-time mathematical model that estimates the product temperatures. The Q3 LPC can simulate casting process steel temperatures by setting several process variables, including steel grade and product dimensions, among other things. The main output information will be temperature distribution along strand and solid/liquid fraction distribution along the strand. Start-up and commissioning for 3Q LPC are foreseen in coming months.

Germany thyssenkrupp Rasselstein GmbH has awarded SMS group an order covering the modernization of the oil application system of the tandem cold mill No. 2. With the current modernization, thyssenkrupp Rasselstein wants to adjust the oil application system of the tandem cold mill to the continuously increasing future market requirements regarding product quality and thus further expand its market position. At the time of commissioning in 1971, the six-stand tandem cold mill No. 2 already had a high degree of automation and achieved very good strip qualities at rolling speeds of up to 2,400 meters per minute. The modernization is aimed at achieving a high degree of flexibility regarding the control of various process-influencing parameters for the production of state-of-the-art end products. In addition to providing the required design services and supplying all mechanical equipment as well as the electrical and automation systems, the contracted scope of SMS group and its subsidiary Lux Automation GmbH includes the dismantling of the old systems as well as the erection and commissioning of the new equipment. The

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INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS

The six-stand tandem cold mill of thyssenkrupp Rasselstein GmbH will be provided with a new, process-optimized oil application system from SMS group.

modernization will be implemented in two stages of construction. Commissioning of the second construction phase is scheduled for 2021. Furthermore, thyssenkrupp Rasselstein has ordered a new chromium plating line from Andritz. The scope of supply and services includes engineering, manufacture and supply of the mechanical, process engineering and electrical equipment as well as erection work and startup of the entire line. Production of the first coil is scheduled for the first quarter of 2022. The chromium plating line to be supplied by Andritz will comply with the new EU directives (chromium6+ – ban by the EU chemicals directive REACH). The process used in the new plant (known as TCCT – Trivalent Chromium Coating Technology) for chromium plating of packaging steel uses trivalent chromium for surface treatment, thus meeting the REACH requirements. The process applied up till now (ECCS – Electrolytic Chromium Coated Steel) uses hexavalent chromium.

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NLMK Metiz selected Danieli Centro Combustion to supply a new bell annealing furnace installation for the Berezovki facility. This new system will heat-treat (recrystallize) steel wire coils in 100% N2 atmosphere. The charges will be 21-t coils in seven stacks of three coils each. The project consists of two phases: In Phase 1, DCC will supply two bases, one heating hood, two inner covers, and one cooling hood. Phase 2 will match the first part of the project. The furnaces will have a direct coupled base fan; special design diffuser and plenum; hydraulic locking system; and silicon-carbide head burners, each one with its own recuperator. DCC will supply all mechanical, electrical and automation equipment, and provide technical assistance during erection and commissioning. MPT International 5 / 2019

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››› INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS

Switzerland Stahl Gerlafingen, a subsidiary of Italy’s Beltrame group, has started operating a new electric arc furnace. The Swiss maker of reinforcing bar and merchant bar invested CHF 2.5 million ($2.5m) in the new furnace, which replaces an older one after 12 years of operation, and melts 80 tonnes of steel scrap in 45-minute intervals. “It was clear more than a year ago that the old EAF would have to be replaced. We had reached the point where it had reached its age," says the mill ‘s technical director, Thomas Demsky. The service life of such a furnace is ten to twelve years, he notes. In order to get the 50-tonne furnace to its place, the entrance to the hall was specially widened for the delivery. "We had to cut out a piece of wall so that the two parts for the melting furnace could be moved into the hall," says Stefan Wilck, who headed the project. Stahl Gerlafingen makes around 625,000 tonnes of sections, merchant bar and rebar per year. Its workforce at Stahl Gerlafingen over the past 18 months grew by 10% to around 500.

plant in its Dilovası meltshop to a VOD (Vacuum Oxygen Decarburization) plant. With a heat size of 295 metric tons, the VOD plant will be the largest worldwide. The aim of the modernization project is to enable the production of special steels, like IF grades, ULC grades or stainless steels. This will help Çolakoğlu to broaden its product range and enter additional markets. The VOD plant is expected to be operational in March 2020. For the new VOD plant for Çolakoğlu, Primetals is responsible for the engineering and will supply all the core components. These include, for exam-

ple, valve stands, the oxygen blowing lance system as well as filters and a filter cleaning system installed before vacuum pumps. The scope also encompasses the modernization of the existing automation system. The level 2 system including process models will be modernized in order to operate the VOD plant. Additionally, all required instrumentation of the equipment will be supplied by Primetals. Çolakoğlu operates an electric steel plant in Dilovası, in the west of Turkey. The main products of the plant are slabs for further processing in a hot rolling mill, and billets for producing reinforcing steel bars and steel rock bolt.

Turkey Turkish steelmaker Çolakoğlu Metalurji A.S. (Çolakoğlu) has placed an order with Primetals Technologies to upgrade an existing VD (Vacuum Degassing)

In the Dilovası meltshop of Turkish steelmaker Çolakoğlu Metalurji A.S. (Çolakoğlu), Primetals Technologies will upgrade an existing VD (Vacuum Degassing) plant to a VOD (Vacuum Oxygen Decarburization) plant.

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MPT International 5 / 2019

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INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS

Steel Dynamics chooses SMS group as supplier for greenfield plant in Texas Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) has awarded SMS group with the supply of a complete steel production line, from the steelworks to the CSP plant and from the cold rolling mill to the galvanizing line for its new Sinton location in the state of Texas. The plant will have an annual crude steel capacity of 2.7 million tonnes, commissioning is scheduled for mid-2021. SMS group will equip the steelworks with two direct-current electric arc furnaces (DC-EAF) having a capacity of 190 tonnes each and two twin ladle furnaces (LF) and a double vacuum tank degasser (VD). The CSP plant will enable SDI to produce thin slabs with thicknesses of up to 5.2" (130 millimeters) and slab widths of up to 84" (2,134 millimeters). The CSP continuous caster is designed as a single-strand curved mold plant (VLB – Vertical Liquid Bending). With a metallurgical length of over 82ft (25 meters) a yield of 7.5 tonnes per minute and casting speeds of up to 19.7ft/min (6 meters per minute) are attained. An eight-stand rolling mill will enable SDI to produce API hot strip grades with thicknesses up to 1" (25.4 millimeters) and widths up to 84" (2,134 millimeters). The mill is designed for a minimal strip thickness of 0.047" (1.2 millimeters). Following the CSP plant, a five-stand pickling line/tandem cold mill will be arranged. It will be equipped with turbulence technology and a 600-kN

leveling unit. With the aid of a payoff reel upstream the tandem cold mill, the pickling line and tandem cold mill can be operated in parallel independent of each other. This permits the hot strip to be pickled and oiled or directly guided to the tandem cold mill. The annual pickling capacity will be 1.0 million tonnes. The five-stand, six-high tandem cold mill will have a wide roll gap setting range and thus ensure excellent cold strip tolerances and strip flatness. The strip width is 78" (1,981 millimeters). The tandem cold mill will be able to roll the cold strip down to 0.08" (0.20 millimeters). A carousel reel will finally coil the rolled cold strip. In coupled mode with the continuous pickling line the annual capacity will be 770,000 tonnes. The skin-pass mill for post-treatment of hot and cold strip with priority at cold strip skin-passing is designed for an annual capacity of 400,000 tonnes. For cold and hot strip galvanizing, the plant will be equipped with a continuous galvanizing line including a horizontal Drever furnace heated by a

direct-fired and a radiant-tube zone. The line will be prepared for the later installation of an ultra-fast gas cooling section to allow for future production of high-strength steel. The scope of supply also includes a DUMA-BANDZINK air knife system that will homogeneously and precisely set the zinc layer thickness to ensure high surface quality. A change system with two zinc pots will permit the strips to be coated with a conventional zinc layer or an aluminum-zinc alloy. For post-treatment, the line will be equipped with a four-high skin-pass mill stand, a tension leveler and two horizontal shuttle-roll coaters, as well as with an oiling machine in the exit section. The galvanizing line will be able to process strips with a thickness of up to 0.16" (4 millimeters) and a width up to 76" (1,930 millimeters). Its annual capacity will be 500,000 tonnes. In addition to the mechanical equipment the scope of supply by SMS group comprises X-Pact electrical and automation systems as well as technical support during installation and commissioning. MPT International 5 / 2019

››› EVENTS

› 11 – 13 November 2019 Buenos Aires, Argentina Organizers: Alacero – The Latin American Steel Association www.alacero.org Alacero – Since 1959, the Latin American Steel Conference has been organized to ensure that steel companies are prepared to respond to the needs of the market, and, more specifically, to the demands of the Latin American society to advance the development of ethical and responsible business practices. With an average of 800 participants, the event offers lectures with updates on current issues and generates a clear networking space by reinforcing the links in the productive chain.

› 12 – 15 November 2019 Moscow, Russia Organizers: Expo-Park Exhibition www.metal-expo.ru/en METAL-EXPO 2019. Despite the use of synthetic materials and the most up-to-date digital technologies, products of the steel industry, mechanical engineering and metalworking remain highly significant across all industry segments. Metal-Expo presents the most interesting solutions through its conferences, seminars, and roundtables. This year’s largest exhibit showcases Russian equipment made with the latest innovative technologies.

› 15 November 2019 Houston, Texas, USA Organizers: Kallanish Commodities https://kallanish.com/en/events/ conferences/ Houston Networking Night. An opportunity for players in the North American Steel industry to grow their network is the upcoming Kallanish Houston Networking evening at the Houston Omni Hotel on 15 November 2019. Amongst a crowd of senior executives you will hear presentations from two regional experts on the future outlook of the steel markets.

MPT International 5 / 2019

› 20 – 23 November 2019 Bangkok, Thailand Organizers: Reed Tradex www.metalex.co.th Metalex. This year, the trade fair for machine tools and metalworking machines, will open up a new world of smart metalworking technologies, many of which will make their debuts in the ASEAN region. The event will focus on new technology for metal wire & cable as well as tube & pipe, on new materials such as aluminum and lightweight materials, smart sensors, wireless and the internet of things (IOT). This year’s partner country will be Germany.

› 22 – 25 November 2019 Mobile, Alabama, USA Organizers: International Titanium Association www.titanium.org/events TITANIUM USA 2019. The event will provide a platform to gain insights into the worldwide titanium industry and will serve as a premier networking event for business executives and consumers of titanium alike.

› 25 – 27 November 2019 Örebro, Sweden Organizers: ASMET, the Austrian Society for Metallurgy and Materials, www.mamc2019.org The Metal Additive Manufacturing Conference. This year, the conference will be held at Orebro Castle in Sweden, with exclusive focus on the processing of metals. It will be followed by a 2-day course in Design for Metal Additive Manufacturing in collaboration with some of the globally recognized experts/lecturers.

› 26 – 28 November 2019 Maastricht, Netherlands Organizers: KCI BV www.stainless-steel-world.net/ ssw2019/ Stainless Steel World Conference & Exhibition. Biennial gathering of

the global stainless steel community, bringing together the highest concentration of experts and key stakeholders from across the engineering landscape and supply chain. More than 280 companies present their products and solutions to 6,500 middle-to-higher management visitors. For those seeking to update their knowledge base, the conference affords a perfect setting to catch up on the latest developments, technologies and trends.

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29 November – 2 December 2019 Tehran, Iran Organizers: Nama Negar Co. www.iranmetafo.com/en

IRAN METAFO 2019. The exhibition presents iron and steel technology and products. More than 350 companies from 17 countries are going to showcase their expertise in Tehran International Permanent Fairground Halls No. 5, 6, 7, 8-9, 10-11 and 27. Round about 10,000 visitors are expected.

› 10 – 13 March 2020 Düsseldorf, Germany Organizers: German Machine Tool Builders’ Association (VDW) www.metav.de METAV. The leading exhibition for metalworking technologies in Germany, will take place at its traditional location in Düsseldorf for the 21st time. So far, more than 560 exhibitors have registered for the event.

› 30 March - April 2020 Düsseldorf, Germany Organizers: Messe Düsseldorf www.wire-tradefair.com www.tube-tradefair.com Tube + wire. The famous twin fair for the key players in the wire, cable and tube industries will bring together some 2,600 exhibitors in 2020. The fair has extended to 15 exhibition halls. For the first time, the new multi-purpose Hall 1, which holds up to 10,000 people will offer Tube exhibitors new presentation options. The trade fair duo expects more than 70,000 visitors from some 130 countries.

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FIMIGroup at next exhibitions: Blechexpo - Stuttgart | D Metal Expo - Moscow | RU 05 - 08 November 2019 12 - 15 November 2019 Hall 10 - Stand 10712 Hall 75 - Stand 2C09

››› BLECHEXPO

Blechexpo 2019: Sheet Metal and

The Blechexpo-Schweisstec trade fair duo takes place once every two years, taking turns with the Euroblech fair in Hanover. Months before the event opens its doors it was already clear that this year will see more exhibitors, require more exhibition floor space and be more international than two years ago. Over the summer, an increase amounting to more than 150 primary exhibitors and a 20% rise in floor space compared to 2017 was confirmed. A total of roughly 1,500 exhibitors will set the tone in nine exhibition halls at Blechexpo-Schweisstec in Stuttgart. Bookings and reservations from foreign countries have even doubled as compared to 2017. More than a year ago, it was already clear that the 2017 figures for technology companies from Italy, China, Turkey and Spain will be exceeded. The number of exhibitors from some countries has even been doubled”, said project manager Georg Knauer. The organizers attribute the reason for this surge to the strictly practical-oriented concept of the trade fair duo: Blechexpo-Schweisstec claims to cover all

The 14th Blechexpo, in combination with the 7th Schweisstec, will be covering all aspects of sheet metal, pipe and profile processing between 5 - 8 November this year. The two complementarity industry events provide expert visitors with comprehensive product and service offerings dealing with all facets of thermal and mechanical processing, as well as welding, joining and fastening technology.

relevant issues and trends relevant to the digitalised, automated world of sheet metal and metal processing.

Sheet metal as a structural material As a structural material – along with pipe and profile materials – sheet metal has evolved into a common alternative to conventional cast iron, steel and plastic constructions. Lightweight de-

sign and modular component systems characterise the image of modern, material, weight and cost-saving vehicle, machinery and equipment manufacturing – all the more reason to attend the Blechexpo and Schweisstec. Precision cutting, stamping and forming of high-strength and ultrahigh-strength sheet metal are just as much on the forefront at Blechexpo as innovative machine building solutions, tooling with a long service life and changing equipment for rapid tool changeovers. Pre-processing and final processing, module assembly and surface finishing of optically sensitive components, as well as lightweight design and construction solutions are also at the centre of attention. The fair also covers associated issues from handling and quality assurance to digitalisation and automation solutions.

Knowledge Transfer: Stahlnews Expert Meet and Blechexpo Forum On the evening of the first day, on 5 November 2019, the 4th Stahlnews Expert Meet will provide a first opportunity for the exchange of ideas and knowledge transfer, with five presentaMPT International 5 / 2019

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BLECHEXPO

Joining Technology Highlights tions scheduled. Then, over the following days, some 30 presentations by representatives of renowned companies will be held at the Blechexpo Forum. Both Stahlnews Expert Meet and Blechexpo Forum go by the motto “The Steel Industry in Times of Globalisation and Industry 4.0”. (see separate box). All participating companies will profit from the trade fair’s international setting in 2019, because it is only possible to gain truly comprehensive insights into the respective sales markets and their supply chains at a worldclass technical event. “We feel that our concept targeted at strict process orientation is being confirmed by the international influx of leading companies. Demonstrating the practicality and applicability of the exhibited technologies for routine industrial use at a technical trade fair is obviously being very well received throughout Europe, as well as in the USA and in China,” the organisers say. A new floor plan and exhibitor distribution concepts provide even better orientation. They guide and bundle the flow of visitors in a thematic fashion. Experts are guided to the offerings in which they’re explicitly in-

terested in a targeted manner with minimal legwork. New space for processors in hall 10 Leading sheet-metal processing companies will unveil their innovations in halls 1and 3 of the Stuttgart Exhibition Centre. Halls 4 and 5 will have an emphasis on stamping technology. The latest technologies on pressing and forming will be presented in hall 8. Visitors with an interest in cutting and welding or joining will be able to explore offerings in halls 5 and

7, respectively, and may move on to other segments with minimal distances to walk. The new, comparatively larger hall 10 now gives adequate space for expanding offerings in the field of steel processing services. Numerous new exhibitors are taking advantage of this opportunity to introduce themselves to global expert visitors, and established, longstanding participants will be able to increase their booth floor space as well.

stahlnews-ExpertMeet – on the evening of the first fair day, November 5 These experts have confirmed that they will be on hand and will hold presentations each lasting roughly 15 minutes: • Prof. Dr. Matthias Liewald Director of the Institute for Forming Technology at the University in Stuttgart Topic: “Brief Overview of Current Research Focal Points on the Forming of Steel and new Approaches to Industry 4.0 Processes” • Norbert Thumfart CEO, Weyland and director of the Board at ARGE Stahl- und Metalldistribution Topic: The Future of the Steel Industry and its Suppliers in Eastern Europe • Tim Milde Managing Director and COO, XOM Materials GmbH Topic: eCommerce and Platforms as an Opportunity for the Metals Market

• Dr. Markus Reifferscheid Vice President R&D at the SMS Group Topic: The Learning [Steel] Plant • Dr. Ir. Menno van der Winden General Manager Advanced Analytics at TATA Steel Europe Topic: WEF “Lighthouse 2019”: Distinction for Dramatic Improvement in Production through Advanced Analytics

Blechexpo Forum In addition, further representatives of renowned companies will hold brief presentations at the Blechexpo Forum on the following days of the fair. Some thirty talks have been scheduled by companies including Tata, Kasto, ArcelorMittal Commercial, and Welser Profile.

MPT International 5 / 2019

››› BLECHEXPO

ARKU Maschinenbau GmbH, Germany ARKU’s new deburring machine EdgeBreaker 3000 features two sequential processing zones which deburr and round sheet metal parts up to 80 mm thick on both sides in a single pass. The patented brush change click system enables quick and easy replacement of the abrasives, thus rapid and flexible adaptation to the deburring task. The automatic calibration system measures the abrasive consumption and compensates for this. Exhibition hall 1– Booth 1001

Dee Tee Industries Ltd., India Dee Tee’s Smart Slit is an industry-oriented slitter line tooling management software. It helps in examining tool life and performance. With Smart Slit one can define the knife’s slitting capability and hence can prevent knife chipping and blunting. Exhibition hall 10 – Booth 10108

Prima Power GmbH, Germany Making its world premiere at Blechexpo will be Prima Power’s new bending solution, the eP Genius 1030, consisting in the integration of a servo-electric press brake eP-1030 with an automatic tool change storage. The highly dynamic, accurate, and reliable servo-electric technology, granting constant performance over time thanks to the absence of hydraulic oil, combines with the benefits of a fast and dynamic automatic tool change system. The result is a more versatile, faster and more reliable bending system, which eliminates the manual set-up of the machine. Exhibition hall 3 – Booth 3504

Lantek GmbH, Germany Lantek, which claims to be a pioneer in the digital transformation of companies in the metal sector, will be showcasing the “Lantek MetalShop“ – a web interface that enables the quotation, sale, and production planning of metal parts by sending a .DXF file. Subsequently, using the correct import of a geometry, the algorithm can precisely estimate fundamental parameters such as cutting times, cost of material, stock levels, and margins to apply. “ Exhibition hall 5 – Booth 5309

MPT International 5 / 2019

WILA B.V., Netherlands WILA will show its Smart Tooling Concept: a smartphone app which offers tool management for press brake tools. The Smart Tooling App allows WILA customers to experience the advantages of digitalization and data connectivity: access to tool data anytime, anywhere; major time savings; error-free tool data entry and simplified stock management. The Smart Tooling App is part of the WILA Smart Tooling concept, which adopts a step by step approach to take tool management for press brake tools to Industry 4.0 standard. Exhibition hall 1 – Booth 1405

Schuler Pressen GmbH, Germany The completely redesigned MC 125 stamping press now also offers smart functions to medium-sized companies. Thanks to additional integrated sensors, the condition of the MC 125 can be fully monitored at all times. This ensures the productivity and can prevent unplanned shutdowns. Visitors to the Schuler stand at Blechexpo can experience this on their mobile devices themselves. The mechanics have also received an update: Schuler has now implemented the sliding guide via prestressed, play-free roller guides. Exhibition hall 8 – Booth 8511

Autopulit - Maquinaria para el pulido automático S.A., Spain Spain’s Autopulit will exhibit the CRHU-150 robotic cell, developed as an automatic system for weld dressing of sheet metal shaped parts, guaranteeing constant finish in spite of the geometric variations from the manufacturing process. A measuring system checks the real dimensions of each part, prior to the weld dressing process. When executed, the reference program adjusts to the specific geometry of each part, modifying the trajectories in real time according to the dimensional differences measured. Automatic recognition of the piece holding tool allows the different parts references to be processed randomly. Exhibition hall 5 – Booth 5308

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BLECHEXPO

Roemheld GmbH, Germany Roemheld at the Blechexpo will be introducing an element for the fully automatic clamping of dies on the press ram, which can measure real-time data on clamping forces and transmit them to the machine control. The new series of the rapid clamping system Flexline is therefore suitable for predictive maintenance and use in Industry 4.0 applications. Also, the company provides an overview of components for the efficient, fast and safe transport and change of heavy dies. On display are various transport carts, carrying Exhibition hall 8 – Booth 8507 consoles as well as roller or ball bars for machine tables. Exhibition hall 8 – Booth 8507

Voortman Steel Machinery B.V., Netherlands The new Voortman V310 CNC plasma cutting and drilling machine means all known advanced technologies of our current range, plus extra additions. Equipped with a drill spindle, the V310 meets diversity and flexibility in processing where cutting, drilling and marking are carried out in one process list. Holes up to 40mm can be carbide drilled with the SK40 drill spindle.It has the fastest height control in the market combined with the reduced cut-to-cut cycle time of our Instant Cut Technology, you are able to gain a 30% processing time improvement for each product. Exhibition hall 5 – Booth 5107

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››› BLECHEXPO

EMW/Schäfer: Portfolio and digital services extended

Since the beginning of the year, the SSC’s new logistics centre at the headquarters in Neunkirchen has been in operation, with notable improvement of order processing and overall capacity. Following the launch of the “Yoursteel“ customer portal at the end of 2018, EMW now has the capability to retrieve all important information on orders and stocks at any time, as well as being able to download various documents such as test reports, delivery notes and much more. “By setting up and launching the “Yoursteel” platform, we can offer our customers an even more efficient service and are ideally equipped to meet the demands of Industry 4.0,” says Michael Mockenhaupt, managing director of the EMW Steel Service Centre.

New location in Saxony, new space at home The company opened a new location at the beginning of this year. The plant in the Saxony town of Treuen will not only serve customers in the Saxony and Thuringia regions but also inter-

Since it was founded in 1952, EMW has developed into one of Germany’s largest independent steel service centres and will deliver over 900,000 tons to its customers this year alone. To warrant the right material at the right time is only possible with over 130,000 tons of stocks specially geared to the needs of the automotive industry and a logistics concept specially devised together with the customer. For the production of slit strip and cut-to-size blanks, there are five slitting and multi-blanking lines available with thickness ranges of 0.4 to 4 millimetres and coil weights of up to 32 tons.

MPT International 5 / 2019

EMW Steel Service Centre and Schäfer Perforated Metal will be among the exhibitors at the 14th Blechexpo in Stuttgart. At stand 10201 in hall 10, the two business divisions from the Schäfer Werke Group will be presenting a selection of their product and service portfolios.

Production line at EMW Service Centre and Schäfer Perforated Metals

national clients in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and other central European countries. Meanwhile at the headquarters in Neunkirchen in the Siegerland area of North Rhine Westphalia, two new halls are closing the gap between service centre halls 3 and 6. Together with SSI Schäfer’s warehouse management software WAMAS, these approx. 12,000 m² facilities will significantly improve internal logistics processes and reduce loading times, the company states. Increasing demand, new areas of application and steady growth in customer numbers were behind the decision to extend the capacity of the Steel Service Centre yet again. Priority was given to increasing the safety and speed of the overall intralogistics capacity of the new building. These goals were achieved by a new unloading and loading concept, which allows a higher throughput and at the same time minimizes turnaround and waiting times for trucks. This guarantees smooth loading in a three-shift operation. The new intralogistics are controlled by a warehouse management system, which is designed to comprehensively map and permanently im-

prove all requirements. The system receives the data required for control via a direct connection to the SAP system and so, by integrating control of the raw material stock, production and dispatch, an optimal material flow can be created.

Perforated sheets by Schäfer Since the middle of this year, Schäfer Perforated Metal has been on the market with an extended portfolio of instock perforated sheets, new perforation patterns and stainless steel grades. The aim is to respond to current market demands with new products and focus even more on digital services. Since 2018, the entire range has been available in an online shop, which guides users to the very product they are looking for in just a few clicks and with numerous filter and selection options. The online shop can be found at lochblech-shop.de. “This comprehensive digitalisation will improve both the production processes as well as our customer-oriented processes. If you’re the type who prefers direct contact, we are happy to arrange personal meetings, and if you feel more

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BLECHEXPO

at home online, we can now offer you an extensive range of digital services,” says Alexander Tumasjan, head of sales at SchäferPerforated Metal.

Cooperations with Daimler and Schürholz For more than 20 years, the EMW Steel Service Centre has been supplying premium car manufacturer Daimler AG with cut-to-size blanks and slit strip. During this time, EMW has seen and accompanied many changes in grades and coatings at Daimler AG. Whether Bonazink or Granocoat, electrolytically galvanised or hot-dip galvanised, all product changes were mastered together, EMW claims. Deliveries go to the sites in Bremen, Hamburg, Sindelfingen, Mettingen and Gaggenau. The slit strips are then processed into so-called structural elements (connecting plates, reinforcements and supports) at the Daimler production plants. EMW also highlights its long-standing cooperation with automotive sup-

plier Schürholz Group, of which it says “is more of trusting partnership than a conventional business relation.” For Schürholz, the focus of this cooperation lies on the lowest thickness tolerances, specially limited strengths and

edges that can be rounded. All these material demands have been worked out and defined by Schürholz and EMW in numerous talks and trials over recent years to ensure the input material is of a consistently high quality.

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››› BLECHEXPO

Lack of product quality due to strong tilting tendency synchropress’ Servomotors guarantee 4,000 kN pressing force in the smallest space. When operating at maximum force, presses used in metalworking need to be as precise as possible in order to prevent costly production defects and time-consuming corrections. Due to the pressure they exert during operation, hydraulic or mechanical systems do not possess the necessary rollover stability that is essential for a precise pressing process. This can therefore lead to a significant decline in metalworking quality when dealing with very long tools and the consequential considerable eccentric loads. To address this issue, synchropress GmbH has developed the 4M-4000 as a purely electrically operated press with four synchronised spindles to move the press ram downwards in accordance with the pulling principle. As a result, the machine is extremely resistant to tilting and guarantees a uniform process with a maximum press force of 400 t. Since one revolution of the integrated servomotors can be subdivided into up to 4 million individual steps, the system can be controlled in a 10-2 mm (0.01 mm) range, allowing sensitive as well as individually adjustable ram movements. In addition, the synchropress system, produces autonomously a considerable portion of the electricity it requires by means of a regenerative braking unit for energy storage, making it extremely energy efficient. “Progressive tools are frequently used to deal with complex metalworkMPT International 5 / 2019

ing tasks; they are mounted inside the press, where they cut, form, bend or stamp different points of the workpiece”, explains Johannes Hülshorst, managing partner at synchropress GmbH, based in Hövelhof, North Rhine Westphalia. Conventional systems have a strong tendency to tip if one of these processes requires high, eccentric pressing force, i.e. off-centre relative to the press bed. This means that the tools become less precise and are therefore unable to produce exact results that conform to the metalworking specifications. The 4M-4000’s computerised controls manage all servo-powered spindles of the press as a key element in creating this precision. The intuitive control panel enables free programming of parameters such as stroke, speed and force and therefore ensures delicate movements for precise metal-

working results. The control unit also allows the integration of numerous additional options and the collection of process data, whereby the access times in these cases are significantly below one millisecond. “This enables real-time monitoring and guarantees synchronised movements of all four motors”, says Hülshorst.

Compact design and energy-efficient operation The compact design is yet another advantage of the electric spindle press, besides the necessary tipping stability and the individual control options. Like with the guaranteed precision, this advantage is due to the pull principle used to operate the system and the integration of the four motors beneath the press bed. “Unlike numerous other hydraulic or mechanical presses that have

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BLECHEXPO the drive units mounted above the moving parts, the synchropress system does not need to press the moving part downward during the process and can instead pull it toward the press bed”, explains Hülshorst. “Inversely, this means our press also ends at the upper edge of the moving parts.” This enables a squatter design, which favours customers with complex ceiling constructions or low production facilities. Additional foundations are also unnecessary, as the reduced height significantly cuts the weight as well. But the four servomotors are important for more than just the space requirements for the press or the guaranteed lightweight design – they also contribute to its energy-efficient operation. “Granted, motors use electricity when they accelerate. But they also generate energy when they brake, which we store using capacitors”, explains Hülshorst. “So we are able to use this energy if the spindles have to shift the moving parts upwards at the end of a process step.” This means that the 4M-4000 autonomously produces a considerable portion of the electricity

The 4 M spindle press

it requires by means of a regenerative braking unit for energy storage. The 4M spindle press by synchropress will be presented at Blechexpo 2019 in Stuttgart. Dipl.-Ing. Johannes Hülshorst, Managing Partner, Alexan-

der Hülshorst, Project Engineer, and Marcus Hülshorst, Commercial Project Management, will be present at stand 8116 in Hall 8 to answer any questions and provide advice. www.synchropress.de

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››› BLECHEXPO

Schuler builds new groundbreaking press for thyssenkrupp

With a pressing capacity of 16,000 tons, a weight of 1,700 tons and a height of 10 meters, Schuler’s Farina forging press, commissioned by thyssenkrupp Gerlach, is one of the biggest machines of its kind in the world. Starting in 2021, the GLF 16000 press will produce truck front axles and crankshafts at the Homburg site. The extremely heavy forging press breaks several records. According to Dr. Franz Eckl, CEO of the thyssenkrupp Homburg facility, the eccentric press is a world first in terms of size, power and production speed. The powerful machine will soon enable thyssenkrupp to produce approximately 360,000 forged components every year. Simon Scherrenbacher, Press Officer of Schuler Group, explains how such a high performance rate could be achieved: “The construction and production methods of the press ensure great structural rigidity, which in turn enables a high-precision forging process. It also makes it possible for strong eccentric forces to be absorbed.” Furthermore, the forging press’ compact design simplifies transport to the customer’s facility. Scherrenbacher adds that the special design and the cutting-edge FEM calculation methods used in the production process considerably reduce the weight of the press. Environmental conditions such as dirt, heat, and vibrations require forging presses to be extra durable. Scherrenbacher explains how, despite these challenges, a smooth operation is possible: “With smaller forging presses, the machine frames are usually monobloc welded designs to ensure high flexibility. Bigger presses are constructed using separate castings. These allow for an ideal use of materials, particularly when dealing with components subjected to high stress. Due to the compact design of the 16,000-ton press, essential components can be produced as welding parts.” MPT International 5 / 2019

One of the world’s biggest mechanical facilities located in Homburg will soon begin its production of truck front axles and crankshafts.

The Farina forging press has a pressing capacity of 16,000 tons.

Forging press makes new product segment possible According to thyssenkrupp, the Homburg facility is one of the most powerful production sites within the global manufacturing network of the compa-

ny’s own forging business. The facility began operating in 1947 and today it offers employment to 760 people. This makes it one of the region’s largest employers. The 1,700-ton machine will be the main press of the new production center, which will be built at the exist-

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At the Homburg site thyssenkrupp produces truck front axles and crankshafts.

ing Homburg site and will cover an area of approximately 12,000 square meters. Construction will begin in early 2020. Completion of the construction and start of production are planned for early 2021. With an annual turnover of over one billion euros, thyssenkrupp’s business unit “Forged Technologies” is one of the biggest forging companies in the world. Its product portfolio includes forged and machined components and systems for the automotive, construction machinery and general engineering sectors. According to thyssenkrupp, the Homburg site leads the market production of crankshafts and delivers its products to automotive industry clients all over the world. With the production of truck front axles, thyssenkrupp taps into a new product and customer segment. The chassis components are compatible with all types of motors. This means that even as e-mobility continues to make greater inroads into the transportation sector, these components will remain relevant.

Major contract with new subsidiary With the acquisition of the Italian press manufacturer Farina in 2018, Schuler was able to expand its product portfolio in the areas of forging and single-stroke presses. This allowed the company to accept thyssenkrupp’s major contract. Back in 2008, thyssenkrupp already ordered a 4,000-ton press from Farina. Highly satisfied with the performance of the machine, thyssenkrupp has now ordered a new model with a quadrupled pressing capacity of 16,000 tons. Schuler will manufacture

the giant press at its Erfurt site. Several dozen workers are involved in the project’s construction, procurement, production and assembly processes. There was no reason to increase the number of regular employees for the project. Scherrenbacher points out, “The effective Schuler and Farina team will make it possible for the project to be completed in record time without the need to hire more people. ”

Special means of production The press and tool manufacturer Schuler was able to realize thyssenkrupp’s new forging line in a very short amount of time. Scherrenbacher attributes this to the “experience with large-scale plant construction projects and Turnkey front axle centerlines.” The company’s extensive production capacities also play a vital role in the execution of the project. According to Scherrenbacher, Schuler is highly accomplished in the finite element calculation of large components and the welding of heavy machinery. He also adds that “due to our flexible welding execution, Schuler was able to adjust to thyssenkrupp’s unique requirements, which consequently guarantees the production line’s high output rate.“ Taking these factors into account, Schuler was able to quickly design a first draft of the 160,000-kN press. It was also a great opportunity to demonstrate the potential of the new subsidiary Farina to thyssenkrupp.

Benefits for both parties Scherrenbacher emphasizes that Schuler is the perfect candidate for making the

Completion of the construction and start of production are planned for early 2021.

thyssenkrupp project a reality. He explains that the company’s product portfolio is unique in the forging world since it covers the entire service spectrum “from cold to hot working, from small forging presses to forging hammers, from hydraulic presses to largescale, mechanical plants and from the automation to the management of entire forging lines.” Just looking at Schuler’s range of screw presses, you find machines with pressing capacities ranging from 250 to 32,000 tons. So the company can provide its customers with small parts as well as with products weighing several tons. Scherrenbacher adds that truck front axles and crankshafts in particular have become one of Schuler’s specialties as in the past few years, the company was able to complete several large-scale projects of this kind in Europe and Asia. thyssenkrupp’s 80-million-euro project greatly benefits from Schuler’s extensive experience in this area. Schuler Group also benefits from this collaboration and Scherrenbacher emphasizes that these benefits are not only of a financial nature. “This is a very important flagship project for us. On the one hand, it makes Schuler a part of one of the most efficient truck front axle and crankshaft production lines in the world, and on the other hand, it allows us to expand into the market of large forging presses.” MPT International 5 / 2019

››› EVENTS

The umati showcase at EMO Hannover saw 70 partner firms participating

EMO Hannover 2019 provides clarity in uncertain times From 16 to 21 September, some 117,000 production specialists from 150 countries convened attended the EMO Hannover, the world's leading tradeshow for the metalworking industry, organized by Germany’s machine tool builders association VDW. The subdued economic expectations over the past several months caused a moderate drop of attendance. But EMO general commissioner Carl Martin Welcker stressed the increase of the share of foreign attendees: "Against all expectations, we can wrap up EMO Hannover 2019 on a positive note,” he said.

Mixed mood – investmentreadiness bodes well for postshow business While the Motion Control Business Unit of Siemens, for example, was delighted about an “incredible” visitor interest at its stand, firms with a stronger focus on the passenger car industry seemed to be less upbeat. "Firms are clearly more reluctant to commit themselves, given the general uncertainty over where the market is heading," remarked Christian Lang, CEO of Liebherr-Verzahntechnik. While some exhibitors spoke of a historic paradigm shift in the automotive industry, which still needed to be mastered, othMPT International 5 / 2019

ers reported successfully negotiating business deals with automakers during the fair. At the start of EMO, there was some worry about the news that many customers were cutting their travel budgets. Yet the percentage of company executives among tradeshow attendees was about as high as two years ago, at 58 percent. Around half of these came armed with capital investment plans, and for foreign visitors, this figure was even higher, at more than 62 percent. 25 percent of attendees actually placed orders during the fair or planned to do so in the near future. And a further 20 percent intended to spend money downstream from the fair. The main focus was on expansion and replacement investments in flexible manufacturing, production machines, tools and automation. "First we need to find out what is happening in the industry, then we will make our investment decisions after EMO is over," said Kiyokazu Sugiyama of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd, after spending three days at the fair.

Strong Asian presence at EMO Hannover More than half of all attendees came from abroad, split almost evenly between other European countries and overseas. A 20 percent growth in attendance from overseas in comparison with the 2017 event was particularly impressive. This included a high percentage of Asian guests, who accounted for almost one third of visitors from abroad, with China, Japan, Taiwan and India heading the rankings. The higher number of Asian exhibitors at this year's event encouraged their customers to visit them in Hannover. Other countries with strong representation at the event included Italy, Poland, Sweden, Russia and Turkey.

AI, IIoT, Industry 4.0 – and umati As an innovations platform for production technology, EMO is expected to chart the trends for the years ahead, and once again the mission was success-

‹‹‹

EVENTS ful. The EMO motto "Smart technologies driving tomorrow's production" accurately reflected the key issues facing the industry today. This feeling was shared across all exhibitor segments. "The positive visitor response to our cloud-based simulation tools and monitoring system as an Industry 4.0 application was striking," commented Marie-Sophie Maier-Wember, CEO of Haas Schleifmaschinen GmbH. And the buzzwords of IoT platforms, apps, digital twins, artificial intelligence (AI), edge and cloud computing were omnipresent at the fair. This highlighted just how much has changed since the most recent event two years ago. This year's EMO featured the first AI applications in the Start-up area and at the stands of the relevant trailblazing companies. Along with the strong interest in AI and machine learning, visitors' appetite for future visions was reflected in the accompanying events and forums, where the topics included not only AI, but also additive processes, the industrial internet of things (IIoT), 5G and not least OPC UA or

More Asian visitors coming to EMO Hannover

umati, the new standard interface between machine tools and overarching IT systems. The standout attraction consisted of the big umati showcase, which included 110 machines from 70 international firms and partners. All in all, there is still demand for capital investment in the market-

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››› BUSINESS

VDMA President Carl Martin Welcker at the 11th German Mechanical Engineering Summit in Berlin.

Germany’s mechanical engineering industry steers through rough waters The 11th German Mechanical Engineering Summit in Berlin: The consequences of the trade dispute between the USA and China are becoming increasingly painful for Germany’s machinery builders, says the Mechanical Engineering Industry Association, VDMA. At the same time, the industry prepares to improve climate protection with its technologies. Germany's export-driven mechanical engineering industry is increasingly suffering from the many distortions on the international markets. The trade dispute between the USA and China and a growing protectionism around the globe have a big impact on this industrial branch which counts among the world‘s export leaders. Other factors include the global economic downturn, Brexit and structural change in key customer groups. "All of these factors have already led to concrete burdens for numerous customers of our machines and systems worldwide and they unsettle investors, who are therefore reluctant to invest. A sustainable change for the better is not foreseeable in the near future,” VDMA states.

Economic weakness or a real recession? – minus 2% in 2019 and 2020 Overall, orders in the first eight months of the year in the mechanical engineering sector were 9 percent lower in real MPT International 5 / 2019

German machine exports by country of destination

terms than in the previous year. According to preliminary figures, production fell by 1.6 percent in the same period. "It is still unclear whether we are only in a phase of economic weakness

or at the beginning of a real recession. But a rapid upturn is definitely not in sight," said VDMA president Carl Martin Welcker at the 11th German Mechanical Engineering Summit in Ber-

‹‹‹

BUSINESS lin. "We are therefore sticking to our production forecast, which predicts a decline of 2 percent in real terms for both 2019 and 2020." The industry’s capacity utilisation has thus been maintained to date at 86.6% , albeit just above the long-term average. The number of employees remains high at more than 1 million (VDMA’s statistics only cover companies with more than 50 employees). Internationally, a recent survey conducted by VDMA member companies active in China shows that the mood there is also suffering from the trade conflict, with 40 percent of the companies now describing their current business situation as "poor", and another 40 percent as "satisfactory". "As if that weren't enough, the industry has to cope with losses in key emerging markets. Whether in Russia, Turkey, Iran, Mexico or Argentina - business in these profitable markets is increasingly becoming politically difficult for us," says VDMA’s chief economist Ralph Wiechers.

Paris climate targets ask for a mix of technologies CO2 reduction targets for individual sectors are wrong In the context of the conference, VDMA underlined that climate protection as a social task can only succeed if the necessary technologies are available. Mechanical engineering develops these technologies, which

Imports into Germany rose from €70 billion in 2017 to €75 billion in 2018

are used worldwide. "We are a key player in climate protection, without us it cannot succeed," emphasised the VDMA president. It is, therefore, all the more important that the political framework conditions are always created on the basis of open technology. "One single technology will not enable us to achieve the Paris climate agreements. An efficient mix is needed," said Welcker. State funding for production research for climate protection makes sense because it would enable new climate protection technologies to be developed more quickly and in line with market requirements. CO2 reduction targets for individual sectors are also the wrong way to go. CO2 pricing which has a real incentive effect must come, but it must be cross-sectoral – and cross-cultural: “Germany can only be the beginning, a European solution must be found to achieve the Paris climate targets," said Welcker. VDMA has recently pointed out a pos-

sible way for a market-based reorganisation of energy pricing in an expert opinion. It proposes a uniform, emissions-based taxation for all energy consumption and a standardisation and systematisation of levies. CO2 then receives a continuously rising price, at the same time existing levies and taxes such as the EEG levy or the electricity tax would have to be abolished. "The change would be revenue-neutral, but it would boost investment in CO2 -efficient technologies," Welcker said summarizing. According to chief economist Wiechers, opportunities are seen in structural change. Digitalization, new forms of mobility, and CO2 -neutral production offer new prospects for innovative, well-positioned companies. But this must be accompanied by a reasonable political framework. "In general, in times of economic weakness and political confusion, innovation can make it possible to compensate for the resulting losses," says Wiechers.

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››› BUSINESS

worldsteel Short Range Outlook October 2019 – Steel demand remains resilient In mid-October, the World Steel Association - worldsteel - held its annual conference in Monterrey, Mexico, where it released its short range outlook for 2019 and 2020. The association states that, despite an uncertain global economic environment, global steel demand remains resilient, driven by developing and emerging economies. “While the global economic outlook is highly unpredictable, we expect to see a further growth of 1.7% to 1.806 million tonnes in steel demand in 2020, with emerging and developing economies, excluding China, contributing more. This forecast faces significant risks if the current level of uncertainty prevails.”, said Al Remeithi, chairman of the worldsteel Economics Committee.

MPT International 5 / 2019

Chinese steel demand showing high growth in 2019 owing to a strong real estate sector, but forecasted to slow down in 2020 While the Chinese economy continues to decelerate and is expected to record its lowest GDP growth since 1992, steel demand is still expected to grow by 7.8% to 900 million tonnes

in 2019, largely driven by real estate investment. Conversely, its automotive industry has contracted for 13 months in a row. worldsteel expects the Chinese economy to worsen in the later part of 2019 and in 2020 with the unresolved trade tensions adding further pressure. Its steel demand is expected to see a growth of 1.0% in 2020.

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BUSINESS *Note: The statistical issues reported by worldsteel in previous outlooks relating to the closure of induction furnaces and the consequent underreporting of demand in official figures will have now largely played through the system. However, it is believed that some degree of underreporting from 2018 could still affect the 2019 growth rate. Due to this effect, while nominal growth points to 7.8% in 2019, worldsteel estimates real growth to be 4.0%.

Steel demand in the developed world stagnates with weakening manufacturing

and broadening across several major markets including Germany, Turkey, China and South Korea. The automotive market has been hit by more than global economic factors, including, market saturation, reduction in purchasing and promotion incentives and most importantly customer hesitancy during the transition of the auto industry from combustion engine-powered via hybrid to fully electric vehicles. This decline has been particularly severe in Germany and China with passenger car production declining by -10.6% and -13.8%, respectively in the first eight months of 2019.

Mechanical machinery After strong growth in 2017-2018, global mechanical machinery is expected to decelerate to remain flat in 2019-2020 as the deceleration of the global economy and continuation of trade tensions hurt global investment activities. The mechanical machinery output in major exporters - China, Germany and Japan - is expected to keep falling in 2020. The Chinese mechanical machinery sector is expected to decline by -1.0% in 2019, even though the replacement demand for equipment will provide some support in 2019 and 2020.

After growing by 1.2% in 2018, steel demand in the developed economies is expected to show a small contraction of -0.1% in 2019. The consumer sectors and construction maintained positive momentum, but manufacturing slumped due to a deteriorating environment for export and investment. In 2020, with the effect of some technical rebound, steel demand in the developed world is expected to grow by 0.6%. Growth of steel demand in the emerging economies, excluding China, is expected to slow down to 0.4% in 2019 due to contractions in Turkey, MENA and Latin America. But the growth is expected to rebound to 4.1% in 2020 due to infrastructure investments, especially in Asia.

Construction The global construction sector’s growth is expected to increase by 1.5% in 2019 and by 1.2% in 2020, after growth of 2.8% in 2018. The picture is somewhat mixed. In the USA, for example, the sector is expected to weaken in 2019 with no recovery in 2020. In emerging markets, construction will be strong, largely influenced by infrastructure projects. In China, the real estate sector drove growth in construction activity in 2019, but in 2020 this will slow down. Infrastructure investment is expected to be boosted by government stimulus. In ASEAN and India, active infrastructure investment is expected to drive construction.

Automotive Global automotive production decelerated in 2018 and is expected to contract in 2019 with recession deepening

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MPT International 5 / 2019

››› BUSINESS

Impressions of the first »Saudi International Iron and Steel Conference«

First Saudi Steel Conference sets stepping stones for local steelmaking The first Saudi International Iron and Steel Conference, which was held in Riyadh on 16-18 September, saw more than 800 delegates from global iron and steel companies attending. It was organised by the country’s National Committee for Steel Industry in cooperation with Kallanish Commodities, under the patronage of the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar bin Ibrahim Al-Khareef. The organisers aimed to encourage and attract investors. Saudi Arabia’s steel industry needs to ensure that it has the right product mix to cater for the kingdom’s economic expansion, the newly-appointed Saudi industry and mineral resources minister Bandar bin Ibrahim Alkhorayef said at the start of the event. The country currently has a »… very narrow base« of production, which must be expanded to added-value products. Two important authorities have been created in Saudi Arabia. One is the local content authority that will ensure that a greater deal of local input materials are used in production, while the other is the foreign trade authority that will help protect local producers. The latter »… shows that the government is really keen on abiding by World Trade Organisation rules, but at the same time we MPT International 5 / 2019

don’t want people to take advantage of our market,« Alkhorayef emphasised. Thanks to the country’s Vision 2030 initiative and the development of economic cities, the future is bright for Saudi’s construction industry. As well as industrial expansion, the kingdom will see huge investment into new sectors such as tourism and entertainment. There are opportunities for steel suppliers across a range of existing and future industrial clusters, from automotive, to shipbuilding, to military. The strong drive to increase local content presents an opportunity for investors to develop capacities for flat and other value-added steel products not currently available in Saudi Arabia. A key message during the conference was that this industrial and economic de-

velopment should be integrated between government authorities, investors and suppliers.Saudi Arabia has 780 million tonnes of iron ore reserves that can be utilised to provide raw material security for the country’s steelmakers, present and future. Feedstock security is crucial, especially when raw materials prices increase far quicker than finished steel prices, as they have this year. And, »as we become more environmentally conscious, we should consider technology that can recycle EAF dust and reduce steel industry waste,« the minster noted.

Establishing a steel academy To support future investment, Saudi Arabia must focus on implementing

‹‹‹

BUSINESS trade measures to protect local production. Also, as was learnt from the experience of India and China, quality standards are necessary to prevent sub-standard imports. Very importantly, in order to attract foreign investment, Saudi needs to be able to compete with countries with competitive cost bases, such as India and Ukraine. To do this, it is crucial that Saudi Arabia provides natural gas supply and competitive energy prices for industry. Also, the country must introduce strict rules for local steel content requirement in national projects to support local steelmakers and encourage further steelmaking capacity investment. As an example, the USMCA trade agreement between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada stipulates that 75% of automotive content is made in North America. It would be a privilege for the National Committee of Steel Industry to cooperate and work together with the Indian Steel Association, as mentioned at the conference by association Secretary General Bhaskar Chatterjee. Steel will be integral to the development of Saudi’s economy. And the annual organisation of this conference will allow the steel industry to stay at the top of the agenda. Another crucial factor is investment into education to prepare the next generation of bright young engineers that will drive the steel industry for-

ward. In this context, the chairman of the conference and the National Committee for Steel Industry, Eng. Rayd Al-Ajaji, emphasised that the idea of establishing a specialised academy within the iron and steel industry to train the kingdom’s youth is a key part of the committee’s agenda. Preparing the next generation of engineers to work in the steel industry will encourage foreign investment into the Saudi steel sector, he noted. National production of special steel grades is becoming necessary for the kingdom's ship building, automobile, oil and gas and defence applications, said senior consultant Anjan Mukherjee. »A series of consultations with the Saudi government and an extensive survey of the existing capacities concluded that only few additional facilities for upgrades are needed in order to begin producing high strength micro-alloyed steel grades for commercial and defence

Bijan Farhangi, Event organiser at Kallanish Commities: 5 Key Take-Aways from the Conference Stage 1. Saudi Arabia has 870 million tonnes of iron ore reserves that can be utilised to provide raw materials security for the country’s steelmakers, present and future. 2. There are opportunities for steel suppliers across a range of existing and future industrial clusters, from automotive, to shipbuilding, to military. 3. Saudi needs focus on implementing trade measures to protect local production and to learn from the experience of India and China to prevent sub-standard imports. 4. It is crucial that Saudi Arabia provides natural gas supply and competitive energy prices for industry. 5. The kingdom requires investment into education to prepare the next generation of bright young engineers that will drive the steel industry forward.

industry applications,« Mukherjee noted. Internationally, Saudi Arabia should use its G20 presidency as an opportunity to focus on tackling global steel overcapacity; locally it should implement trade defence measures to protect local steelmakers and encourage further steelmaking capacity investment, delegates were heard proposing at the conference.

Nadia Al Amoudi, Business Development Advisor, Saudi Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources.

Peter Marcus of Steel Dynamics, Rayed Abdullah Al-Ajaji, chairman of the Saudi National Committee for Steel Industry and Nae Hee Han, Director, Economic Studies and Statistics at worldsteel. MPT International 5 / 2019

››› METALLURGY

Advancements in the metallurgy of centrifugally cast high alloy rolls for roller hearth furnaces

New developments in the metallurgy of these cast rolls allow for enhancement in their functional properties by intelligent alloying and tailoring of the microstructure. Aluminium-containing heat resistant cast alloys offer the highest oxidation resistance as well as creep resistance. It opens up a possibility to use dry rolls instead of water-cooled ones and thereby offers an excellent opportunity for steel mills to realize further improvements in equipment reliability as well as savings in energy costs. The production of hot rolled coils by directly linking the casting process to rolling has brought improvements in product yield, savings of energy and reduction in production cost for the manufacture of flat products in the steel industry. One of the critical components in this process is the roller hearth furnace. Furnaces typically link one or two strands of continuous casters with a rolling mill and thus decouple the casting process from the rolling process. The furnace thus provides the logistical link between the continuous caster and the rolling mill. These furnaces are known in the industry as roller hearth furnaces, soaking furnaces or alternatively as tunnel furnaces.

Dr.-Ing. Shankar Venkataraman, Schmidt + Clemens GmbH +Co. KG, Contact: www.schmidt-clemens.com Email: s.venkataraman@ schmidt-clemens.de

MPT International 5 / 2019

Roller hearth furnaces are increasingly used in the manufacture of hot rolled products and for heat treating various steel grades. They consist of rolls arranged transversely to the direction of transport. These rolls, made of high alloyed material and produced by the centrifugal casting process, require an excellent combination of high temperature mechanical strength and oxidation resistance.

These rolls require an excellent combination of high temperature mechanical strength and oxidation resistance.

These furnaces are sub divided into heating, soaking and buffer zones. The zones essentially serve to provide reheating of the slab, realize equal slab temperature along the length and cross section of the slab prior to rolling and to hold the cast slab until the rolling mill is ready to process it. Alternatively, roller furnaces are also used for the heat treatment of long products, i.e. for hardening, solution annealing as well as normalizing. There is currently a wide product spectrum in terms of the steel grades produced by steel manufacturers. Mild-carbon steels, high-strength low alloy steels, line pipe steels, heat treatable steels, spring steels, tool steels, wear resistant steels, electrical quality steels as well as stainless steels are processed using thin slab casting and rolling technology. Each of these steel grades has processing requirements which

are dictated by their chemical composition as well as property requirements. For example, microalloyed steel grades contain a combination of niobium, vanadium and titanium. It is desirable to have the niobium to remain in solid solution to maximize the strengthening effect by precipitation hardening during thermomechanical hot rolling. The nitrogen content in the steel influences the precipitation of Nb(C, N). It is there-

Furnace rollers

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METALLURGY fore necessary to have a hot rolling starting temperature of 1200 °C for Nb containing steels whereas that for vanadium containing steels is lower, i.e. 1150 °C. This example illustrates that the soak temperatures in the furnace must be sufficiently high and the retention time that the slabs need to spend in the furnaces needs to be optimized to prevent the microalloying elements from precipitating prematurely and excessive grain growth from occurring. This is essential to maximize the property gains during the subsequent thermomechanical processing step to realize the right microstructure and properties as required by the market. Among the key components in roller hearth furnaces, rolls are possibly the most critical component in terms of functionality since their trouble free performance has a direct impact on the operation and reliability of the furnace, and have a real influence on the overall hot rolled coil productivity and operational efficiency. Rolls used in roller hearth furnaces are essentially motor driven rolls, either water cooled or dry. Water-cooled rolls are typically used in the heating zones of the furnace whereas dry rolls are used in the transfer sections of the furnace where the furnace temperature is higher than at the entry part of the furnace. Roller hearth furnaces use natural gas as fuel for firing the chamber and temperatures are in the range of 1120 – 1250 °C. This necessitates the usage of heat resistant materials. The rolls must demonstrate their functionality at such high temperatures for a continuous service and must not have any interaction with the product material to avoid damage/contamination which can either influence the product quality or the roll surface. Furnace rolls, both water cooled as well as dry, are made of heat resistant alloys. Their cylindrical shape favors the use of centrifugal casting, a technologically superior foundry technique, to manufacture such rotationally symmetric components. Advancements triggered by innovation in the metallurgy of heat resistant alloys used for the design of furnace rolls are the focus of this contribution. By properly understanding the

By properly understanding the microstructure-property-processing relationship, it is possible to realize new alloys with improved functional properties.

microstructure-property-processing relationship, it is possible to realize new alloys with improved functional properties. These, in turn, enable users to maximize benefits in their processes.

Property Requirements When designing high-temperaturestressed components such as dry furnace rollers, a few special features must be considered by the design engineer, since these components are subject to high loads at very high temperatures and long term service reliability is a key requirement. Experienced furnace designers know that at room temperature (or only moderately elevated temperature) the material behavior does not change over time, but when designing furnace rollers, a time-dependent creep deformation must also be taken into account because with increasing load duration lower tensions remain in the roller material. The mechanical properties such as tensile strength and yield point, which are the main design values in the mechanical engineering, are only appropriate for short term usage or low temperature applications (e.g. ≤ 500°C - 600°C – depending on the material used). For all heat-resistant materials to be used at elevated temperatures, Schmidt + Clemens provides, in addition to the mechanical properties, the values for the stress and creep rupture behavior for the whole temperature range of the offered roller materials, enabling design engineers to design furnace roll-

ers with the required operational reliability with regard to the resistance to high loads, temperature and time. For the design of dry furnace rollers for high-temperature applications, appropriate safety factors must also be taken into account. Furnace rolls are components with a corrosion-limited lifetime since they operate continuously at elevated temperatures, leading to faster degradation rates. Mechanical properties at service temperatures are of vital importance for structural integrity. Creep resistance is an essential characteristic to be displayed and is one of the most important in deciding material selection. Creep resistance defines the ability of the material to resist deformation over a long period upon exposure to high levels of stress and depends on the time of exposure, level of stress as well as temperature. The long term behavior of a material at a given stress and temperature level can be quantified by performing creep testing as well as stress rupture testing. The creep test is time dependent and measures dimensional changes that occur to a specimen at a temperature when a constant stress or load, below its yield strength, is applied. The elongation is measured. This value is useful to determine how and at what speed a component will change in shape during service. Creep testing is valuable for determining the speed at which a component or part will deform at a given load and temperature. Creep testing data is required when designing rollers. It is not un- >> MPT International 5 / 2019

››› METALLURGY

Figure 1: Schematic of the horizontal centrifugal casting process.

common in the industry to rank material based on stress required to create 1% elongation at 10,000 h at specific temperatures. The stress rupture test is used to determine the time necessary to produce failure while material is subjected to constant load at a constant temperature. This value is useful in the selection of materials where dimensional tolerances are not critical, but rupture cannot be allowed. Stress rupture testing is similar to creep testing, except the stresses are higher. Normally stress rupture testing is short term testing while creep testing is much longer. The Larson-Miller parameter (LMP) describes the equivalence of time at temperature for a high temperature alloy under the process of creep-stress rupture. The data is plotted as log stress to rupture versus a combination of log time to rupture and temperature. It permits the calculation of the equivalent times necessary for stress rupture to occur at different temperatures. Every alloy has its own LMP plot and can be used as an aid to material selection. The determination of such data for each specific material is a time consuming and costly affair, and only research and technologically driven foundries are able to provide such data (both in terms of number of heats and number of test variants) for their specific alloys to support design as well as material selection for rolls used for high temperature furnace applications. Another very important material characteristic that is required from metallic materials used for furnace rolls is the oxidation resistance. Oxidation resistance is based on the possibility of the metal and the gas to form an oxide MPT International 5 / 2019

scale that subsequently separates the metal from the gas and thereby offers resistance to the underlying metal. An effective oxide scale is one which is chemically stable, compact and displays slow kinetics of growth. Oxides like FeO, NiO grow fast whereas SiO2, Cr2O3, and a-Al2O3 grow slowly. Because of this, the oxidation protection for engineering applications is most often based on Cr2O3, SiO2 and a-Al2O3. Tensile testing data at elevated temperatures is important to get an idea of the mechanical properties, especially the ductility and strength at elevated temperatures. Mechanical testing data at room temperature gives an idea of the properties at room temperature and are thus of no significant use as the properties at elevated temperatures are essential for the functionality. However, they are routinely asked for quality control purposes. Other properties that play an important role in materials selection are physical properties such as thermal conductivity and coefficient of thermal expansion.

Manufacturing Process of rolls The biggest advantage that the casting process displays amongst all metal manufacturing processes is the freedom of selection of chemical composition. This allows the possibility to develop specific alloy chemistries to realize specific properties. This is truer if the applications necessitate the need for alloys for extreme environments. Centrifugal casting of metals has been a well-known process for the past 200 years. Henry Bessemer viewed this process as the ultimate means of remov-

ing nonmetallic inclusions from steel. This is definitely true when comparing the static casting process with centrifugal casting. Centrifugal casting can be done in two ways, horizontal and vertical. The horizontal process is the most used of the two and is also used for the manufacture of furnace rolls. Figure 1 shows the schematic of a horizontal centrifugal casting process. In this process, molten metal of the desired composition is introduced to one end of a rotating, preheated metallic mold. Due to the rotation of the mold a centrifugal force is experienced by the liquid metal as it solidifies. Solidification starts from the outside wall of the mold and is directional in nature. This means the inside wall is the last to solidify and solidification induced defects like shrinkage porosity are limited to the inside bore. These can be normally removed by a subsequent inside machining process. A positive effect of the centrifugal force is the separation and concentration of unwanted impurities, such as slag on the inside wall of the bore. This results in a cleaner product and superior properties of a centrifugally cast component when compared with a statically cast component. Centrifugally cast rolls are normally supplied in the outside machined condition and depending on the customer desire it may be also machined from inside. The inside machining step ensures that defects from the solidification process as well as impurities are removed. This processing step safeguards from potential crack development in the material during service. Cast heat resistant components are normally supplied in the as-cast con-

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METALLURGY dition and without any heat treatment. Microstructural changes occur upon exposure to the service temperature and these changes contribute towards the necessary mechanical properties as well as hot corrosion resistance that is necessary for the application. Centrifugal casting results in a rapid solidification of the liquid and results in supersaturation of the austenite with carbon and other carbide forming elements. This carbon is then subsequently precipitated in the form of secondary carbides upon exposure to the service temperature to realize the creep resistance. Depending on the design, the rollers are either made as a 3-part construction (Fig. 2(a)) or it can be a 5-part construction (Fig. 2(b)). In the 3-part design, centrifugally cast rolls are shop welded to trunnions. Trunnions are normally forged components made of wrought heat resistant alloys since they are neither directly exposed to the furnace temperature nor have to bear the load of the slabs, billets or blooms. Wrought alloys normally have inferior creep resistance when compared with cast variants due to their grain size disadvantage. In case of the 5-part construction there is an additional cast component – the cone which is a cast component and connects the centrifugally cast roll with the trunnion as a cast-weld construction.

Alloying concepts and innovations Heat resisting cast austenitic alloys have been successfully used as roll materials. These alloys have an austenitic matrix microstructure since auste-

nitic microstructure has favorable mechanical properties at elevated temperature relative to ferritic, martensitic and duplex alloys. Additionally, the austenite is stable to temperatures up to the melting point and offers phase stability. The austenite phase is a soft phase and this phase can be strengthened by solid solution strengthening. To realize the high temperature strength, a combination of solid solution strengthening and precipitation hardening by carbides is employed to derive the requisite properties. To generate strong oxidation resistance elements like Cr, Si and Al are added because these elements have a more natural affinity to oxygen. Alloying elements like nickel stabilizes the austenitic structure and contribute to ductility as well as resistance to high temperature corrosion forms like carburization or nitridation. Nickel decreases the difference between the thermal expansion coefficient of the oxide layer and then, aiding aids in reducing stresses at the metal/metal oxide interface. Carbon is an essential when it comes to high temperature strength. The presence of carbon leads to formation of primary as well as secondary carbides in the matrix. These carbides are responsible for the resistance to dislocation motion at higher temperatures and thereby provide the creep resistance. Chromium is an important element since its addition in sufficient quantity leads to attainment of creep resistance as by the formation of chromium carbides it has been realized that additions of strong carbide formers like Nb as well as microalloying additions of Ti and Zr can lead to further improvements in the

creep strength by formation of secondary carbides. Chromium is also important from the oxidation resistance point of view. Its addition results in the formation of a stable chromia layer (Cr2O3) on the surface. This layer is thermodynamically stable to temperatures of up to 950 °C beyond which it volatilizes. This requires sufficient chromium to be present in the matrix to compensate for the surface depletion to have the protective chormia to regenerate. Aluminium as an alloying element has resulted in the formation of alumina scale (a-Al2O3) as a surface oxide layer and offers the highest form of oxidation resistance and thus enables heat resistant alloys to be used for higher temperatures without any negative impact on the service life. Tungsten is also an addition in cast heat resisting alloys and contributes to mechanical strength by solid solution strengthening as well as precipitation strengthening. A complete understanding of metallurgy, phase transformation in terms of thermodynamics and kinetics as well as solidification is necessary to understand the complex interplay of various alloying elements in realizing the right microstructure which is stable at the service temperatures to realize the desired properties. The cast heat resistant alloy manufacturing industry is dominated by numerous proprietary grades which have replaced standardized grades because of the realization of superior creep rupture properties as well as surface oxidation resistance. It is therefore very common in the industry to have trade names specified rather than work with UNS numbers.

Figure 2: Centrifugally cast roll used for roller hearth furnaces (a): 3-part design (b): 5-part design MPT International 5 / 2019

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Table 1 shows a summary of cast heat resisting alloys used for rolls and their maximum application temperature. Figure 3(a) shows the microstructure of cast heat resisting alloys in the ascast state. It consists of primary eutectic carbides as well as an austenitic matrix. The primary carbides are found in the dendritic boundaries. The primary carbides are mainly M7C3 (M is primarily Cr) and in case Nb is added as an alloying addition MC (M is primarily Nb). The addition of Ti results in the formation of Ti(C, N) which are already present in the melt. They pin the subsequently forming austenite boundaries and thus restrict grain growth. Figure 3(b) shows the microstructure of a cast heat resistant alloy after exposure to service temperatures. During exposure to service temperatures the primary M7C3 carbides transform into blocky and chain like M23C6. Additionally there is also the precipitation of new i.e. secondary M23C6 in the matrix. Tailoring the amount of micro alloying carbide formers (Ti,Zr) as well as casting parameters and quality control of raw materials used for the alloys help in realizing the best properties. These transformations which occur during service are responsible for the attainment of the mechanical properties necessary for optimum service. Creep resistance is time dependent since it depends on the ageing ki-

Table I Heat resistant high Ni-Cr-Fe cast alloys for rolls.

netics of carbides. Carbides coarsen with time and this coarsening rate is enhanced at higher temperatures since diffusion is easier. Coarsening makes the alloy loose its ductility. Alternatively, carbides can also transform to undesirable phases which can impact the functionality. Innovation in cast heat resistant alloy metallurgy for increasing the creep resistance is significantly concentrated on understanding the phase transformation behavior and its influence either by the addition of new elements by exertion of close control of the chemistry to realize alloys which can be commercially utilized. Table 2 summarizes the improvements in mechanical properties that can be achieved. Comparing the rupture strength of Centralloy® G 4855 with Centralloy® G 4852 MICRO, there is a 69% increase in the creep

Figure 3: Microstructure of heat resistant alloy used for rolls (a) Bulk: As-cast state (b): Bulk: service exposed state (c): Surface: chromia forming alloy (d): Alumina forming alloy MPT International 5 / 2019

rupture strength at 1000 °C. If we are considering a continuous application temperature of 1100°C, the choices become less and the microalloyed variants i.e. Centralloy® G 4852 MICRO as well as Centralloy® G 4879 MICRO display the higher stress to rupture as compared with the non microalloyed variants. For even higher temperatures i.e. for temperatures of up to 1250 °C, chromia formers are no longer the right choice but alumina forming alloys are needed to achieve the property requirements. Chromia scale is protective as long as the temperatures are low. However, chromia starts to evaporate at temperatures starting from 950 °C. To compensate for the depletion of surface chromium, chromium carbides in the matrix transform and this leads to softening of the alloy since the chromium carbides are necessary for the strength. Figure 3(c) shows a chromia scale being disintegrated and this leads to oxidation. Chromia forming cast heat resisting alloys can be used as long as the service temperatures are 1180 °C but are not a technical solution in case the temperatures exceed 1180 °C since this creates a rapid fall in oxidation resistance and creep resistance and leads to disintegration of the material. The Centralloy® HT E and Centralloy® 60 HT R are alumina forming alloys which also demonstrate superior creep resistance. The Centralloy® 60 HT R is specifically developed to target dry furnace roll applications. Due to its high nickel content as well as tungsten, a solid solution strengthener the creep resistance is excellent. For e.g. at 1100 °C the stress required to cause 1% elongation is increased by 95% when compared with the corresponding value for Centralloy® G 4852 MICRO and

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METALLURGY

Table II: Creep test data on various heat resistant alloys used for furnace rolls * Testing under progress

N.A.= No data since application temperature exceeded

for temperatures of 1200 °C and above there is no other know cast alloy solution than to use alumina formers. Alumina formers were predominantly developed to realize enhancements in the oxidation resistance. The addition of aluminium as an alloying element requires good understanding and control of the foundry variables and ladle metallurgy. Aluminium needs to be added in the right amount because too little and the formation of the surface protective layer will not occur and too much can lead to embrittlement of the material. The addition of the right amount of aluminum in the alloy results in the formation of a a-alumina layer which is dense, thin and most importantly does not evaporate at the service temperatures (Fig.3(d)) It is also self-healing in the sense that diffusion of aluminum atoms to the surface is possible should there be a breakage of the alumina layer. Because there is no chromia scale, the chromium is bound to the carbides and this leads to the highest creep resistance among cast heat resistant alloys. The development of highly creep resistant and oxidation resistant aluminum containing heat resistant alloys opens up an excellent opportunity for services in the steel industry.

Dry rolls for furnaces and opportunities Energy efficiency in the steel industry is becoming increasingly important as

a part of strategy to mitigate human induced climate change. Minimizing energy costs as well as life cycle costs has become a goal for capital intensive critical equipment. Premature failures cannot be tolerated, and plant safety and achieving zero production loss are constant goals for every operator. In the past, the steel industry has been using water cooled rolls made of low alloyed materials. The justification for purchase of water cooled rolls is often their lower purchasing cost. However, this solution is not energy efficient since it requires water cooling, increases the energy costs, leads to heat losses and is maintenance intensive and more prone to failures. Using dry rolls made of alumina-forming cast heat resistant alloys offer a technologically superior as well as energy efficient solution. Firstly, their superior creep resistance and oxidation resistance offers operators to realize operation at even higher operational temperatures and thereby retain the right metallurgical state of the slab prior to rolling as well as offering extended life time over chromia-forming cast heat resistant alloys. A Life time extension of up to 2.5 times is possible due to the improved properties for the same operational conditions. Secondly, they do not necessitate the usage of water cooling, and associated maintenance which leads to enormous savings in energy related costs as well as maintenance costs. An operator has realized 95%

savings by using centrifugally cast heat resistant dry rolls made of alumina forming alloy, Centralloy® 60 HT R. A heat treatment furnace customer has realized 55% savings in energy and 250% increase in the life time of rolls by switching to dry rolls made of Centralloy® 60 HT R. Overall this has led to savings of up to 2.3 million USD/y.

Conclusion Centrifugally cast rolls made of high alloyed heat resistant alloys are successfully employed for industrial furnace applications. They display an excellent combination of high temperature mechanical strength and oxidation resistance. Chromia forming alloys are suitable for lower end of the temperature range but have their limitations exposed when higher temperature operation is desired. Alumina forming high performance cast alloys displays the ultimate oxidation resistance due to the formation of a dense and stable alumina layer on their surface as well as displays the highest creep resistance. These properties enhance their functionality to be used as dry rolls in realize improvements for the industry in terms of process benefits, energy savings as well as improved reliability. Dry rolls made of superior metallurgy offer a technologically superior alternative for roller hearth furnace and heat treating applications. MPT International 5 / 2019

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Arvedi ESP reaches hot strip of 0.6 mm Arvedi ESP’s unique ultra-thin strip production technology has made major advancements by setting new hot rolling world records with final strip thickness down to 0.6 mm. According to Primetals, it is the first hot rolling process ever to produce cold rolled substitutes on an industrial scale and a large variety of final products are now produced directly from ESP hot band without implementing a cold rolling process. Energy consumption and related CO2 emissions are drastically reduced by the compact layout of ESP lines as well as by omitting subsequent cold rolling steps. Arvedi ESP - Endless Strip Production is a unique hot rolling technology already widely established in the market. This endless rolling technology enables production shares of up to 50 % of strips with thicknesses below 1.0 mm.

World’s first 0.6 mm Hot Strip Since the introduction of the Arvedi ESP process in 2009, the process and plant design has been constantly improved to follow new customer and market demands. This development peaked in the world’s thinnest hot rolled strip ever produced. On October 2, 2018, an ultra-thin hot strip with a thickness of just 0.6 mm was rolled at an Arvedi ESP plant belonging to the Chinese steel producer Rizhao Steel Group Co., Ltd (Rizhao). A picture of the 0.6 mm thick coil can be seen in figure 1. The line entered service in April 2018, just six months before setting this new record. In figure 2 an overview of the rolling sequence including 8 coils below a thickness of 0.8 mm can be seen. The minimum thickness was reached by successively reducing the thickness in endless operation from approx. 3.5 mm down to 0.6 mm. The thickness steps for de-

Andreas Jungbauer, B. Linzer, T. Lengauer, S. Grosseiber Primetals Technologies Austria GmbH, Turmstr. 44, 4031 Linz, Austria, Phone +43 732 6592-5540, Andreas.jungbauer@primetals.com

MPT International 5 / 2019

Figure 1 Arvedi ESP mill produced ultra-thin hot strip with a thickness of 0.6 millimeter

creasing and increasing the thickness below 0.8 mm were chosen to be 0.05 mm. Such an outstanding performance was made possible by the familiar

characteristics of the ESP process, such as an extremely high process stability accompanied by constant speeds and temperatures. At the same time, advances were made in control technol-

Figure 2 Overview of the 0.6 mm hot rolled coil sequence

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METALLURGY ogies that had formerly only been used in cold rolling mills. To illustrate the ultra-thin rolling operation for thicknesses below 0.8 mm, level 1 process data are shown in figure 3. The finishing mill (FM) exit strip thickness is depicted together with the high speed shear (HSS) cut signal, which indicates the separation of the endless strips into individual coils just in front of the down coiler. Additionally the small inductive heater (IH) exit temperature deviation, stable finishing temperature (FDT), constant looper tensions and excellent strip flatness down to 0.6 mm can be seen. Endless production is vital for ultra-thin hot strip production, since no head/tail threading through the finishing mill has to be done. Thickness changes during endless operation are done by means of a so called “Flying Gauge Change” (FGC). Figure 5 presents details of the Flying Gauge Change from 0.65 to 0.60 mm strip thickness. The Flying Gauge Change was finished rapidly within about 0.4s, corresponding to only about 6 m strip length. The finishing mill exit strip speed at 0.6 mm is about 14m/s!

Figure 3 Process data at 0.8 to 0.6mm rolling showing outstanding stability and flatness

Ultra-Thin Rolling Stability Mass Flow Control Consistant conditions are key to rolling ultra-thin strips in the finishing mill. A high specific mass flow (>>t/ min/mm) without big fluctuations over serval hours is required to achieve optimal performance. For mass flow control, especially in the finishing mill, Primetals Technologies has developed an innovative strip control concept for endless rolling. The target of the control is to improve the stability and thickness performance during rolling of ultra-thin strips below 1 mm thickness. Furthermore, it is connected to the “Thickness Feedback Monitor”, which controls the final strip thickness. The new mass flow controller called “UltraThin Rolling Control” (UTR) [4] is an adapted cold rolling concept which uses the roll gap of individual rolling stands to control the strip entry tension. The load cells of the looper roll (located between two stands) measure the strip tension between rolling stands while the looper position is kept constant. The Ultra-Thin Rolling control is implement-

Figure 4 Thickness profile of 0.6 millimeter strip

Figure 5 FM exit thickness measurement showing detail of extremely fast Flying Gauge Change from 0.65 to 0.6mm taking only about 0.4s!

ed at each mill stand of finishing mill, except for the first stand. With UTR the strip thickness performance (deviation of target strip thickness) can be significantly improved over conventional hot rolling control concepts. The Ultra-Thin Rolling control achieves excellent results at Rizhao ESP and the control is used for endless rolling of strips with exit thickness below 3 mm. To prove the capability, the exit

thickness performance of two similar sequences is compared with Ultra-Thin Rolling mode and with conventional hot rolling mode. Such comparable sequences with exit thickness between 0.7 mm and 1.0 mm and a period of 2 hours are shown in Fig. 6. The standard deviation of exit thickness deviation is used over the whole period as performance indicator. In the conventional endless hot rolling mode se- >> MPT International 5 / 2019

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quence, the standard deviation of the whole period is 3.1 µm. In Ultra-Thin Rolling mode, the sequence has a standard deviation of 2.4 µm, which corresponds to an improvement of more than 20%.

Work Roll Wear Compensation Typical sequences including ultra-thin gauges are of a rolled length (work roll durability) of more than 170 km. It immediately becomes clear, that this brings big challenges in respect to work roll wear compensation, roll stack and profile control. It has been proven crucial to strongly adapt work roll and back-up roll shapes compared to the conventional hot strip mill philosophy. Adaption of roll shapes is not reduced to a parameter variation of conventional shapes, but is a completely new approach especially in the last finishing mill stands. Furthermore the exploitation of the interplay between work roll and back-up roll shape in combination with wear compensation and constant work roll lubrication is required to achieve a good profile and hence stable rolling. As can be seen in figure 7, ESP specific process design, together with a tailored automation, leads to remarkable geometrical performance parameters.

Profile Control To maintain rolling stability for more than 170 km rolled length, it is important – especially for high amounts of ultra-thin strips - to keep the strip pro-

Figure 7 Picture of a 0.8 mm thick and 1500 mm wide hot rolled strip in partly uncoiled condition. Since no tension is applied to the uncoiled strip part, it gives a very good impression on the achievable

Figure 6 Exit thickness performance of Ultra-Thin Rolling control compared to

profile and flatness performance

conventional hot rolling control

MPT International 5 / 2019

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METALLURGY

approach - especially in the last finishing mill stands. Furthermore the exploitation of the interplay between work roll and back-up roll shape in combination with wear compensation and constant work roll lubrication is required to achieve a good profile and hence stable rolling.

ESP Material for Direct Application

Figure 8 Profile control cone between edge and center buckle limit to target a flat strip for a ≤0.8 mm thick product.

file (strip thickness over strip width) in a controllable range and in a “good” shape (which is of course directly related to strip flatness). To achieve a proper strip profile, additional points need to be considered compared to conventional hot rolling. One point is the small profile control window necessary for rolling ultra-thin strips. Thin strips are very sensitive to flatness defects, which means the relative allowable strip profile change (relative profile error) gets very small especially towards the last finishing mill stands. The allowable crown change for a 0.8 mm strip to stay within the limits for flat strip is given in figure 8. Conditions in the finishing mill need to be very stable (no roll force and speed fluctuation, no temperature drift etc.). Simulations and operational experience imply that only endless operations, preferably with applied work roll lu-

brication, can provide respective conditions for appropriate profile control. Another point is that it has been seen, that with conventional work roll and back-up roll shapes (roll stack) only very small amounts of thin products can be rolled. For industrial scale ultra-thin strip production, the work roll and back-up roll shapes need to be adapted in such a way to enable compensation of work roll, wear on the one hand and stable profile control on the other hand. Even though work roll and back-up roll shapes are strongly adapted to allow a special wear shifting strategy, it has been proven that these roll shapes compared to the conventional hot strip mill philosophy are resulting in an advantageous flat profile, figure 9. Adaption of roll shapes is not reduced to a parameter variation of conventional shapes, but is a completely new

The required properties for rolled steel strip products are strongly related to their respective field of final application intended. Therefore, there is a vast amount of components in customer specifications for each steel grade, going far beyond its strength class reflecting market requirements for value-added products. The requirements characterizing a specific steel product may be categorized in terms of mechanical properties, e.g., yield and tensile strength as well as elongation, r- and n-value for characterizing drawability and strain hardening as well as internal properties partly reflected and/or required by mechanical properties such as cleanliness, microstructural homogeneity or texture. Besides this, geometrical properties such as thickness, profile, flatness or width as well as surface appearance characterized by tip to tip and average roughness, color, density of imprints or scale defects and suchlike are crucial. To facilitate comparability among products of different suppliers, the above mentioned requirements were cast into international norms and standards such as EN 10111 [5], EN 10025 [6], EN 10163 [7] which charac-

Figure 9 Measured strip profile (with X-ray gauge) at exit of finishing mill of a strip with thickness 0.8 mm and width of 1500 mm. MPT International 5 / 2019

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terize requirements for hot rolled general mild steels and structural steels as well as their cold rolled counterparts. Traditionally, the majority of final products was constituted by cold rolled material, especially for the class of mild steel grades. Beside technical limits of respective production equipment, this fact is reflected in the corresponding standards which are much wider for hot rolled than for cold rolled material in nearly every above mentioned category, making hot rolled products appear as being partly viewed as semi-finished products. Historically, a rather small amount of value-added products could be delivered directly to the market via classical hot rolling facilities without any further downstream processing. However, because of the necessity for tighter tolerances and the limited thickness range for thin gauge accessible via this route, the number of applications and, hence, market share was rather limited. Having a short look at cold rolling production, derived from a comparison of worldwide cold rolling facilities, the thickness distribution can be roughly estimated as shown in figure 10. ESP mills are guaranteed to produce strip thicknesses of 0.8 mm, which are used industrially and traded on the market for direct applications. Whereas a strip thickness of 0.8 mm covers around 50 percent of cold-rolled thicknesses, a strip thickness of 0.6 mm can cover more than 80 percent of coldrolled thicknesses. Conventional hot strip production has a lower thickness limit of 1.8 mm, or 1.2 mm for special processes. This widens Rizhao's range of products, especially for cold strip substitutes. With Arvedi ESP it is not only possible to produce high quality hot rolled coils but it also enables partially substituting cold rolled material in just one production step.

Figure 10 Thickness distribution on cold rolling market

Energy Consumption and Emissions The ESP line in Cremona has been audited by TÜV Germany Süd and received a PAS2050 Green certificate identifying extremely low emissions. Compared to conventional plants ESP shows a CO2 reduction of 39% and minus 88% of NOX emissions. Part of the certificate is also the attestation of 131.6 kWh/t energy consumption for production of 2mm thin and 1,500mm wide low carbon steel. ESP needs no gas for preheating of slabs. When operating the plant for direct application pro-

duction as cold rolled substitutes energy consumptions and emissions of cold rolling plants are completely omitted.

Conclusion Detailed process considerations are only one part of the complex challenges of ultra-thin strip production. Furthermore, the interaction of all mechanical and electrical components as well as an especially precise state of the art automation system, that is able to cope with very sensitive tension control and extremely prices tolerances, make this next step of hot rolling possible.

MPT International 5 / 2019

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HMI of the scrap yard crane, stock pile and bucket scanning PolySCRAP

Safety in Meltshops Thanks to Machine Intelligence BM Group describes new technology developed to increase the safety, reduce the manpower needed in dangerous areas, increase the traceability and reduce the risk of mistakes in the production. The integration, made in different steps, both in automation and robotics side introduce the concept of the industry 4.0, the digitalization of the information shared with the existent automation and the efficient and friendly interface allow to increase the productivity and reduce the human presence out of the control pulpit.

In the existent Melt-shop few different kind of revamping and machines integration are made in different steps, the main scope of that plant integrations and evolution are made for change the role of the worker involved in the melt shop process from an operative, man-

ual and dangerous approach, highly exposed to an harsh environment to a supervision role mainly from safe and ergonomic pulpits. This different approach to the meltshop production is a natural evolution of the plants in the countries where the

Plant data 1 External scrap yard 400 m length with 23 boxes 1 EAF 150 t capacity 1 LF Furnace 1 CCM Billet casting 6 strands 150x150 x 15000 mm BM Group, Borgo Chiese, Province of Trento, Italy anna.zoppirolli@bmgroup.com

MPT International 5 / 2019

Robotized cell for temperature, sample and 360° visual inspection of EAF PolySAMPLE EAF & PolyEYE

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METALLURGY safety requirement rising up and also the trend in the average age of workers is rising more and more. That integrations described below are ordered by the process flow. Revamping of the existent gantry crane in the scrap yard for automatic load the bucket, revamping and automatize the locomotors for move the scrap bucket from scrap yard to the meltshop, new robotized cell with automatic dispenser for cartridges for take the measure in the EAF furnace without helper for loading, the remote tapping with thermal camera, new robotized cell with automatic dispenser for cartridges for take the measure in the LF furnace and tapping position without helper for loading, automatic samples unloader and relative transportation, the automatic laboratory for the sample, automatic laboratory for samples, a new robotized cell for the high temperature billet tagging, the automatic crane for the billet unloading. Hereunder a detailed description of the single steps implemented in the plant for reach the level of safety and the reduced presence of the man in the plant floor.

Automatic Scarp Yard crane for bucket loading In this mill, one of the two gantry cranes already present in the mill are revamped, scope of this revamping consist in the installation of an absolute positioning system with the anti sway for reduce the hook swaying during the automatic movement, the load cell for know the weight of each loading cycle, 6 laser scanner for reconstruct the 3D profile of the scrap yard, the software for calculate and optimize the positioning and the trajectories from the stock pile to the bucket, the remote supervision of the crane from the main Furnaces pulpit. This crane can load up to 200 t/h with two round magnets. In order to increase the quality of the produced steel, from the level 2, the customer communicate automatically the receipt for create the charge, each box present in the scrap yard is scanned with the lasers and the volume is communicated to the MES of the plant for manage the purchasing. The system manage also the locomotors for minimize the time for load the bucket.

Thanks to the implementation no operators are needed directly on the crane and the supervision of the crane is managed from a centralized pulpit where Cranes, EAF and LF are supervised remotely.

Automatic crane for bucket charging in EAF In the mill the existent charge crane is revamped, scope of this revamping consist in the installation of an absolute positioning system for manage the crane and the trolley positioning automatically, an absolute encoder calculate automatically the length of the rope, the trajectories and the anti sway system increase the productivity of the crane and reduce dramatically the maintenance thanks to the automatic movement. The crane operator is no longer needed and the crane is supervised in a centralized furnaces pulpit. The pulpit operator can choose the mission and the crane is autonomously drive to the target, just the final positioning of the hooks during the bucket approach is managed manually. The

Machine vision, automatic grinding analysis PolyLAB MPT International 5 / 2019

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Billet tagging PolyTAG BLE

charge in the furnace is confirmed by the pulpit operator. The precision of the positioning system is about +10mm.

Robot system for temperature and sampling and visual inspection A new temperature and sampling system is installed instead the existent manual manipulator this new cell reduce the presence of the operator on the floor increasing his safety for load the cartridges each cycle, reduce the downtime, and guarantee certain time between two cycles. The new version of this robotic cell include also automatic tool changing for the offline mainte-

MPT International 5 / 2019

nance of the lances and block contact and include a robust 360° viewing system for inspect inside the furnace just after the tapping. The robotic system can be implemented in the future also with other different tool for automatize some other manual activities.

Robot system for temperature and sampling in the LF and TAP position A new temperature and sampling system is installed instead the existent manual lance, this new cell reduce the presence of the operator on the floor increasing his safety, reduce the downtime, and guarantee certain time between two cycles.

In this plant, thanks to the layout of the mill, the cell can take the temperature in two different positions for this reason the robot have a 9 meter track motion axis, with this track motion the robot are capable to reach the tap position and the ladle furnace position. The cell load automatically the cartridges from a dispenser and a special tool separate the sample autonomously, cool it and transfer with a belt to the automatic laboratory.

Robot system for automatic sample grinding and analysis The cell can receive the sample from manual loading or the automatic robotized cell, a machine vision system identify the position of the sample on the inlet belt, communicate to the robot the coordinate of the position, the robot take the sample and grind it with two different sand paper, cool it with water and air, the robot move the sample to the machine vision for inspect the result of the grinding, the robot put the sample in the spectrometer for the analysis, after the analysis the last sample of each heat is analyzed also in a radioactivity control, stamp with a microdot punching system the number of the heat and save an image of the analysis in the server for track the production. Thanks to this cell all the risk related to the handling of hot metal sample and the operation for grind and analyze it are au-

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METALLURGY

tomated and the operators are not exposed.

Robot cell for hot billet tagging The cell is installed in order to prevent the exposition of the operators to the harsh environment and big mechanical part in movement, the operations for identify the billet produced is today in charge of an automatic robotized cell, this cell use metallic tag coated with a white ceramic paint and printed with a laser marking system in order to reduce the maintenance, the autonomy up to 4000 consumables increase the autonomy of the cell without specific intervention of the operators, the installation in a conditioned container have simplify the installation like a plug and play system and

have reduce also the maintenance. The stud used for apply the tag to the billet surface is studied for retain autonomously the tag without specific vacuum system and the type of welding used guarantee an exceptional retain force, the studs can be made with specific metal compostion in order to guarantee to loose it in the RHF.

Automatic crane for cooling bed unloading This existent crane is revamped in order to manage automatically the cooling bed billets unloading from the hot side or the cool side of the bed to four different target places, wagon 1, wagon 2, billet yard 1 and billet yard 2. The implementation in the crane are, absolute and robust positioning system for the crane and the trolley,

encoders for know the position of the main and auxiliary hooks, the software for manage the positioning of the existent pliers and thanks to a scale check the expected weight with the real one. The crane and the software related track the billets and prevent the mistake in the cold and hot charging, the supervisor can check the position and the composition of each pile of billets and choose the heat needed. Thanks to this integration, the crane operator is no longer needed and the crane is supervised in the continuous casting machine pulpit. An intelligent TVCC system switch automatically the cameras view automatically, based on the position of the crane and the ergonomic pulpit increase the safety in the process. In this new era where the digitalization and automation is part of the mill evolution following the industry 4.0 revolution in a lot of different sector, is very important to consider the role of these technologies not only in the man power reduction and the process optimization but also as a driver for increase the safety of the operators. Reducing the exposition of the persons to an harsh environment and the presence near the molten steel area in the future role of the humans switch from an operative and manual side like today to a supervision and maintenance high skilled role. MPT International 5 / 2019

››› INDUSTRY 4.0

Noodle.ai and SMS group team up to advance the “learning mill” at Big River Steel Enterprise Artificial Intelligence® provider Noodle.ai and SMS group, have announced a partnership to jointly further optimize the world’s first learning steel mill for Arkansas-based Big River Steel. To help Big River Steel conserve resources and control energy output, SMS group and Noodle.ai joined forces to combine SMS group's experience in the metals industry and process knowledge with Noodle.ai’s AI expertise. The joint solution was created by implementing Noodle.ai’s learning algorithms in SMS group’s X-Pact® MES 4.0. Noodle.ai was able to seamlessly leverage the fact that SMS group’s X-Pact® MES 4.0 was engrained into the steel mill’s IT environment and into their SaaS (Software as a Service) applications. The new end solutions digitize applications throughout every stage of the steelmaking process – starting at the liquid phase all the way to strip finishing. Noodle.ai’s software and Enterprise AI data platform analyze historical and current high-frequency data from the mill’s approx. 50,000 sensors attached to the equipment. Noodle.ai uses the mill's data plus these sensor values and external data sources to sense, predict, and recommend corrections that maximize production yields, enhance product quality, mitigate safety risks, and minimize costs. For example, these insights can help minimize transition losses regarding steel grade, strip width or strip thickness, and predict how much energy is being consumed by the mill each hour and/or each day. This allows the steel mill to trade back energy to the market or change production schedules to make consumption more predictable. “By working with SMS digital, we are empowering an industry to turn business challenges into competitive advantages through the use of Enterprise AI®,” said Noodle.ai CEO Steve Pratt. “Our mission is to create a world withMPT International 5 / 2019

Enterprise Artificial Intelligence and powerful process automation systems work together to maximize production yields, enhance product quality, conserve energy and reduce costs.

out waste. Given the intensive energy and material needs of the metal industry, efficiency improvements will not only improve business operations and the bottom line, but positively impact the entire ecosystem that surrounds manufacturers.” “In order for SMS group to implement digital solutions and therefore increase value for customers like Big River Steel, we knew that strong partners with excellent AI and machine learning capabilities were essential,” said Bernhard Steenken, CEO at SMS digital GmbH. “Noodle.ai’s solutions gave our existing tools within Big River Steel’s mill the power to help them achieve maximum plant performance with minimal maintenance effort, along with high product quality and revenues.” As early as 2017, Big River Steel was awarded the certificate for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Noodle.ai applies advanced

data science (Artificial Intelligence AI) to industries at the core of the global economy to create a world without waste. With advanced AI applications business leaders who make, move, and sell things are empowered to make better decisions, reduce wasted energy, money, and resources, and ensure their businesses are built to last. Founded in 2016, Noodle.ai is led by executives previously with the top firms in data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and management consulting. Noodle.ai focuses on radical efficiency for supply chain, transportation & distribution, and manufacturing using leading-edge artificial intelligence. SMS digital GmbH, the digital subsidiary of SMS group GmbH, and SMS group Inc. Digital Solutions collectively are a market leading supplier of digitalization for plant and equipment used in steel and NF-metals production and processing.

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››› ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

Wuppermann Austria joins E-LEEN energy network in second round Wuppermann Austria GmbH will join the second installment of the E-LEEN network, a learning energy efficiency network which deals with various industries. E-LEEN is backed by the energy utility of the Austrian state of Styria, Energie Steiermark AG, and had its first project period from October 2015 to June 2019. Wuppermann had promised a savings of 1,459 MWh/a for the period mentioned, and eventually reached 1,742.69 MWh/a. The company was able to achieve the three largest savings by renewing the cooling air fans

(319.85 MWh/a), induction heating of the strip galvanizing line 1 (498 MWh/a) and generating hot water using a heat pump (711.8 MWh/a). Many smaller savings were achieved by replacing the lighting in various buildings which, in total, made a significant contribution. In terms of annual energy consumption, this represents a total savings of 8.2 %. Despite this success Wuppermann Austria says it will not rest on its laurels, but is convinced that it will find further potential. For this reason, a second run of the E-LEEN network

will be launched in autumn 2019. Germany’s Wuppermann processes surface-finished flat products, tubes and tubular components. It currently has five production facilities and more than 800 employees. Wuppermann Austria GmbH in Judenburg produces narrow, galvanized slit strip as well as galvanized tubes and profiles. It specialises in particularly high corrosion protection with coatings of up to 1,200 g/m² (zinc) and 1,000 g/ m² (zinc-magnesium), in particular for applications in the construction industry and solar industry.

Since 2011, thyssenkrupp Steel has invested a total of around EUR 100 million in a fabric filter project at its Duisburg site to clean the air from the sinter plant. The last of three fabric filters is scheduled to go into operation in spring 2020. In the course of the project another section of the filter has now been moved into position: with a weight of 17 tons, it took two 80- and 220-ton cranes to do the job. The creation of dust in the sintering process is unavoidable, and electrostatic precipitators usually collect most

MPT International 5 / 2019

of this dust. thyssenkrupp claims it is setting new standards in air cleaning with its large fabric filters and collecting even the smallest dust particles. The sinter plant in northern Duisburg consists of three belts. A fabric filter for the smallest belt has been in operation since 2011. The filter unit on the largest of the three belts was commissioned in 2017. Now it’s time for belt number three. “The fabric filter system in Duisburg is among the biggest and most effective of its kind in the world,” says project manager Tibor Hänsel.

Fabric filter at thyssenkrupp sinter plant makes progress

thyssenkrupp Steel in Duisburg: A crane is moving the 17 ton section of the filter into position.

‹‹‹

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

thyssenkrupp and Equinor: study on “blue” hydrogen thyssenkrupp Steel Europe, Norwegian-based broad energy company Equinor and natural gas transmission system operator Open Grid Europe have launched a joint feasibility study to explore the decarbonized production of “blue” hydrogen from natural gas. The study’s premise will be the production of hydrogen from natural gas and permanent offshore storage of carbon dioxide accrued in the process, potentially in the Equinor- operated Northern Lights storage facility project on the Norwegian shelf. The study will evaluate several options for sourcing and transport of hydrogen to the

thyssenkrupp site as well as options for transport and storage of carbon dioxide. Open Grid Europe will add their knowledge in transmitting and transporting gases to the study. “We are exploring several new business opportunities by reforming natural gas to hydrogen, while capturing and storing the CO2 offshore, as a potential way to help our customers in the power, industry, transportation and heating sectors,” says Stephen Bull, Senior Vice President Wind and Low Carbon Solutions at Equinor. To exploit the full potential, “we have to develop the hydrogen tech-

nology and viable business models across the whole value chain,” says Jörg Bergmann, CEO of Open Grid Europe. With a pipeline network of around 12,000 kms, Open Grid Europe is one of Europe’s leading transmission system operators. thyssenkrupp Steel is currently pursuing two technological routes for fossil-free steelmaking. One is the avoidance of carbon dioxide emissions by injecting hydrogen instead of coal into its blast furnaces. The other, Carbon2Chem, is based on a carbon capture and utilisation approach, with the conversion of cogeneration gases to valuable and sustainable chemicals.

Fives has been awarded two strategical contracts to design and supply reheating furnaces for Chinese steelmakers, both with very strict requirements on energy consumption and NOx emissions. The first project covers an ultra-low NOx emission furnace to reheat long products, such as stainless steel bars, coils or wires for Yantai Walsin Stainless Steel, a subsidiary of Walsin Lihwa. Fives’ Stein Reheating WBF, a walking beam furnace, has a capacity of 85 tons per hour and will be equipped with the latest generation of AdvanTek burners, designed in France. The AdvanTek burners will guarantee energy efficiency and ultra-low NOx emissions, less than 100 mg/m3. The second contract was signed with HBIS SHISTEEL - Shijiazhuang Iron & Steel Company within China’s HBIS Group for two reheating furnaces, each with a production capacity of 130 tons per hour. Fives’ Stein Digit@l Furnace, also a walking beam furnace, operating on natural gas equipped with patented wide flame burners and

Fives delivers reheating furnaces to China

Fives’ Stein Digit@l Furnace for long product reheating

a combustion system with individual on/off control. The wide flame burners improve the crosswise and lengthways temperature profiles of the products, while the individual on-off control allows high thermal efficiency while reducing fuel consumption and NOx emissions. HBIS SHISTEEL is now relocating its steelmaking facilities 80 kilometers outside Shijiazhuang city to

set up new standards for cleaner, more flexible and more efficient steelmaking in China. The scope of both projects on EPC basis includes engineering, equipment supply, erection and commissioning, which will be completely executed by Fives Stein Metallurgical Technology (Shanghai), a Fives’ subsidiary in China. MPT International 5 / 2019

››› IN THE NEXT ISSUE...

Advanced Equipment Blechexpo 2019 in review – Strategies and plans of the major steelmakers and strip processors projected at the Stuttgart trade fair.

Economy & Business Brexit and its repercussions on the steel industry on both sides of the Channel: An assessment from experts at credit insurer Coface.

Events The wire & Tube fairs are considered the most prestigious events of their kinds. 30 March to 3 April 2020 will again see the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre turn into the global information and communication hotspot for the key players in the wire, cable and tube industries.

This preview may be subject to change.

Advertiser’s index ABB AB 33 AUMUND Holding B.V. 57 Braun 27 Danieli & C. Officine Meccaniche S.p.A. 28,29 F.I.M.I. S.p.A. 15

Metallurgical Plant and Technology

Frigor Tec GmbH IMS Messsysteme GmbH Pfeiffer Vacuum GmbH Primetals Technologies Austria GmbH Rheinbraun Brennstoff GmbH

27 31 21

Saar-Metallwerke GmbH SMS group GmbH Paul Wurth S.A. Zumbach Electronic AG

23 2 Beihefter 19

58 11

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AUMUND technology provides solutions for numerous conveying applications in ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy as well as in foundries. Specific expertise and an excellent position in the market are in evidence in specialized conveying equipment adapted to materials at temperatures of up to 1,000°C, optionally incorporating the use of inert gas, as well as in technology for cooling iron briquettes and similar materials without damaging them.

Direct reduction process AUMUND has developed innovative conveyors to take hot DRI (direct reduced iron or sponge iron) either from the Midrex shaft furnace or in other processes from the rotary hearth, rotary furnace or fluidized bed. This means for example that the material can be directly charged into an electric-arc furnace (EAF) while it is still hot. Several special applications have been developed for this technological environment. AUMUND’s hot material and cooling conveyors are unmatched internationally.

Sintering plants Here sinter is conveyed at temperatures of up to 1,000°C from the sintering plant to the cooler, or after the cooler if the material is still too hot for standard belt conveyors. Main advantages and characteristics of the AUMUND sinter conveyor: • Lower energy requirement and lower noise emissions, therefore better working conditions in comparison to vibrating conveyors • As relative motion between the sinter and the conveyor is eliminated, wear and sinter break-up are reduced • The precise, overlapping design of the conveyor pans minimizes spillage • Low maintenance

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For the different process stages in Iron and Steel plants AUMUND provides solutions and products for • Conveying, storing, extracting, feeding and blending of coal, iron ore or limestone • Cleaning of raw material and coke ramps as well as silo or bin discharging • Conveying of DRI, HBI, HCI, Fe-Pellets, Fe-Sinter and coke up to 1100 °C • Conveying in inert atmosphere or seal gas • Conveying and smooth cooling of HBI • Additional cooling of Fe-Pellets or Fe-Sinter • Conveying of various kinds of hot and cold scrap or residuals • Conversions or retrofits of existing material handling equipment Cooling and Conveying of Pellets Modern sinter shaft coolers utilize energy from the hot sinter and are connected by insulated AUMUND sinter conveyors in order to optimize energy recovery.

Pellet cooling In cases where the main cooler does not cool the pellets sufficiently, an AUMUND conveyor acts as extended cooling line. It is designed with special air flow features and dedusting at the inlet. Thus additional air cooling of hot pellets is provided.

HBI cooling Controlled, slow cooling down (“smooth cooling” rather than in a quenching tank) of the HBI on the patented AUMUND cooling conveyor with a mixture of mist and air for high quality briquettes. Main advantages and characteristics of the AUMUND HBI cooling conveyor: • Cooling with the aid of a defined water mist but with low water consumption • Avoidance of sludge formation • Clean environment due to closed system • Improvement of the HBI quality by slow cooling

AUMUND Fördertechnik GmbH / Germany · T: +49 2843 72 0 · E: metallurgy@aumund.de · www.aumund.com

PIONEERS AT HEART

MPT International 5/2019 (October)

Articles inside

Blechexpo 2019