EUROPEAN STEEL TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATION DAYS 2017 - ESTAD 2017

In June 2010, after almost three years of intensive preparation work and intense technical discussions, PRIMETALS TECHNOLOGIES (PT) received an order from Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI) to design, engineer and supply a new, fully integrated hot-rolling mill on a process-turn-key basis which included a water treatment plant. PRIMETALS successfully executed this project by using the interaction of different in-house engineering locations for mechanic/fluid (Austria-Linz and USA-Canonsburg) and electric/automation (Germany-Erlangen and USA-Alpharetta). The mill is capable of rolling a wide range of highly diversified carbon and stainless steels and specialty metals at widths up to 2,083mm. The rolling forces are the highest ever to be supplied for a hot-strip mill allowing ingot to coil, ingot to slab and slab to coil (incl. slab to plate) production. ATI embarked on this strategic investment in order to shut down an old hot rolling mill which operated since the 1950’s, to enhance its production capabilities, to strengthen their top-position in the market and to handle future material developments. This advanced specialty metals hot-rolling and processing facility (HRPF) has been in operation since late 2014 at ATI in Brackenridge, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The new facility is designed to produce a unique and very diverse product mix that includes flat-rolled austenitic, ferritic and martensitic stainless steel alloys, grain-oriented electrical steel, titanium and titanium alloys, nickel-based, corrosion-resistant and high-temperature alloys, zirconium alloys, and other specialty metals. The rolled and processed products are used in the aerospace, automotive, defense, petroleum, chemical, construction, mining and power industries, as well in various medical, food-equipment, machine and cutting-tool applications. Carbon rolling (e.g. APIgrades up to X100, Dual Phase grades) is also within the overall capability of this unique mill. An overview of the most powerful hot strip mill as well as impressive operational results and project highlights will be presented in the paper.