Russian steel manufacturer Severstal-Metiz, part of the Russian steel company Severstal, announced that it had installed and launched an additional heating line for its 2,000-ton press in the steel profile workshop of its Cherepovets plant. According to the company, the upgrade will increase the unit's performance by 30 percent.
The equipment is manufactured by a domestic company. Induction heating chambers and a billet transfer mechanism were integrated into the existing equipment. As part of the modernization, the hydraulic system was significantly upgraded, including an increase in the level of working fluid in the batteries, reconfiguration of pumps and installation of cooling systems. The new mechanism heats the workpiece for the future section in three minutes.
Sergey Kovryakov, CEO of Severstal-Metiz, said that the need for modernization in the current difficult economic conditions is dictated by market requirements, adding that shaped profiles of various cross-sections are in demand in a number of industries, including mechanical engineering, road construction, infrastructure, bridge construction and hydraulic engineering. He said that the company decided to increase the productivity of the 2,000-ton press in order to fully meet the needs of customers.
As soon as the upgraded unit reaches full capacity, production is expected to increase by more than 1,300 tons per year. Currently, heating modes are being worked out in the workshop and technological cycles are being adjusted to ensure uninterrupted operation of all three lines.
