The rolling mill features numerous technological innovations. It not only offers maximum flexibility in terms of the product range, but also makes a decisive contribution to sustainability by significantly reducing emissions. It boasts an annual capacity of 700,000 tons, producing 300,000 tons of stainless steel and 400,000 tons of carbon steel. In addition, the new facility is designed to allow its production capacity to be expanded to 1.2 million tons.
Integrated line for a wide product mix
The new heavy plate mill was developed in close collaboration between the experts at TISCO and SMS group. It consists of a 4,300 mm four-high finishing stand, a vertical edger, a shearing line, a process line for extra-thick plates, a normalizing and tempering heat treatment line for carbon steels, as well as solutions for stainless steels and pickling, grinding, and packaging lines. Plates 1,550 to 4,200 millimeters wide and five to 120 millimeters thick are produced on the mill in a variety of material grades. The new heavy plate mill also includes plant automation entirely supplied by SMS group including numerous technology packages with sophisticated process models from the automation solutions of the X-Pact® family.
Multiple benefits for TISCO
The new plant will be able to roll both extreme ingot dimensions and small-dimension slabs into plates. This enables flexible and dynamic production while maintaining the tightest geometrical tolerances.
- High flexibility: The new plant will be able to roll both extreme ingot dimensions and small-dimension slabs into plates. This enables flexible and dynamic production while maintaining the tightest geometrical tolerances.
- Near-net-shape plate: With heavy plates ranging from 1,550 mm to 4,200 mm in width and 6,000 mm to 38,000 mm in length, near-net-shape primary products for large components as well as for components with optimized weight and structure can be manufactured.
- Top quality every time: Thanks to the innovative rolling technologies, TISCO achieves outstanding performance not only in terms of surface quality but also in terms of thickness, profile and flatness tolerances.
- Wide product portfolio: A standout feature of the mill is the wide range of materials that can be rolled. This means that TISCO is able to serve various target markets, for example the infrastructure sector, the chemical industry, shipbuilding, or offshore and onshore wind farms.
Mill stand equipped with new technologies
Boasting a rolling force of 109 MN and featuring work rolls with dimensions of 1,150 x 4,600 mm and backup rolls of 2,300 x 4,300 mm, the four-high stand is setting standards in forming. The maximum rolling speed is seven meters per second. One innovation is the co-axial CVC® plus system with its large roll gap opening. TISCO is thus able to process rolling stock with an entry thickness of up to 960 millimeters. Moreover, the interaction of hydraulic roll adjustment, work roll bending, and sophisticated process models for temperature, profile, and flatness, as well as advanced control systems for thickness and mass-flow, stabilize the rolling process and enable high quality production.
Future-proof design concept
The mill stand is characterized by innovative technologies. For example, there is no reciprocal action between the balancing/bending forces of the work roll and the balancing force of the backup roll. In other words, the balancing cylinder of the backup roll can be equipped with the standard design for heavy plate mills of this size. The top balancing/bending cylinders of the work roll are fixed on top of the mill housings (via a hydraulic pipe connection, not a hose connection).
Vertical edger for maximum precision
Another impressive characteristic of the vertical edger is its outstanding performance in achieving highly precise plate widths. For example, the rollers have a diameter of 1,000 mm and transmit a rolling force of 7,000 kN with a torque of 2 x 260 kNm. The mill stand is equipped with an automatic width control (AWC) system, which activates the combined mechanical/hydraulic roll adjustment system. Thanks to the supporting roller table equipped with a novel design drive, the edger is also capable of processing very short slabs.
Maintenance-friendly plant concept
A further special feature of the rolling mill is its easy serviceability. As market leader in the field of heavy plate rolling technology, SMS has put into practice its decades of vast experience gained from the operation and maintenance of its plants and feedback from its customers.
A role model for sustainability
Aspects such as environmental compatibility and sustainability in production were also taken into account during the construction of the plant. For example, the stand group is fitted with a newly developed integrated exhaust system, which collects fumes directly at the roll gap during rolling and prevents emissions from being released into the environment.
“The integration of sustainability and eco-friendly solutions into our plants is a central element of our corporate philosophy. The significant reduction in emissions with the new heavy plate mill is yet another example of how we are making industrial processes more environmentally friendly.”
Wolfgang Fuchs, Head of Hot and Plate Rolling Mills at SMS group
High-performance automation
At TISCO, the X-Pact® automation system from SMS group controls the rolling process fully automatically and guarantees a high plant efficiency. Thanks to the holistic X-Pact® Plug & Work integration tests at an early stage and the partnership between SMS and TISCO, the first plate was rolled just one and a half months after the I/O check. As a result, the originally scheduled commissioning time could be reduced by two weeks.
“The integrative interaction of all components of the X-Pact® automation system and the successful commissioning thanks to the X-Pact® Plug & Work integration test within such a short time underline the advantages of our automation technology. Added to this is the excellent collaboration between TISCO and SMS group.”
Yu Ping, Technical Manager for electrical and automation scope of supply
Process automation
The level 1 automation system of the new heavy plate mill is packed with a wide range of X-Pact® solutions. The X-Pact® Vision control concept is just one of its highlights. Latest knowledge about ergonomics was taken into account to develop intuitive controls for the users and thus to optimizeprocess management. All processes are visualized in real-time in the centralized operator station X-Pact® One Pulpit and monitored from there.
Highly developed technological process models are integrated into the level 2 process automation, including X-Pact® PSC® (Pass Schedule Calculation) and X-Pact® PFC (Profile and Flatness Control).
