Nippon Steel has launched operations at a new high-speed roughing mill with shiftable roughing stands at its Kamaishi special steel plant, producing high-quality wire rod.
The tailor-made roughing mill, now operational at Kamaishi, is designed for twist-free rolling of 130- to 168-mm billets at a rate of 130 tph. The installation of the shiftable roughing mill, within a limited space, has enhanced billet charging flexibility and efficiency. Previously, the mill could only roll 122-mm square billets.
The Kamaishi wire rod mill produces high-quality special steel wire rod in a range of grades, including mild and hard steel wire, low-alloy steel, spring steel, special melt wire, and bearing steel.
Key equipment includes two mono-groove vertical and horizontal housing less stands. These stands are individually shiftable by electric actuators, alternating the feed of 122-mm square bars to each line of the three-strand wire rod mill in a diamond configuration. Roll cartridges are automatically extracted and transported to the roll shop, where a compact Danieli roll-changing robot and an electric roll tilter are used.
A dedicated, three-strand pinch roll, spare cartridge units, special steel grooved rolls, and roller guides completed the project supply.
