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Siemens Modernizes Ferriera Valsabbia Rebar Rolling Mill
03/25/2009 - Siemens VAI Metals Technologies helps expand annual production capacity of Italian steel producer Ferriera Valsabbia with the installation of a hot-charging system for billets as well as a system for single-bar high-speed delivery.
Siemens VAI Metals Technologies recently helped to expand the annual production capacity of Italian steel producer Ferriera Valsabbia by some 25% with the installation of a hot-charging system for billets as well as a system for single-bar high-speed delivery. The new delivery system allows rolling speeds of up to 27 meters per second in two-slit rolling mode.
Completed as part of a two-stage modernization project, the expansion project brought the facility’s annual capacity up to 750,000 tonnes of reinforcing steel. Ferriera Valsabbia’s goals for the rolling mill upgrade included expansion of production capacity as well as increased production flexibility.
The new rolling mill is designed to process billets with a 150- x 150-mm square cross-section and length of 9 meters to yield rebars with diameters ranging from 8 to 40 mm. In two-slit rolling mode, the maximum bar diameter is 20 mm. The re-heating furnace has a capacity of 100 tonnes per hour if the billets are cold-charged, and can be accelerated to up to 130 tonnes per hour with the help of the hot-charging system supplied by Siemens.
Siemens supplied 14 new Red-Ring stands for the rolling line, and also modernized the seven pre-existing stands. Following the upgrade, the rolling line’s rollers and stands can be rapidly replaced, facilitating a more flexible changeover to different end products.
Bar transfer to the new 64 meter-long cooling bed takes place either by means of a lifting apron with magnetic brakes or by means of a high-speed bar delivery system. The high-speed bar delivery system is designed to allow individual steel bars to be transferred to the walking rakes even in two-strand rolling mode, which helps to streamline counting and bundling of the bars further down the line. The high-speed delivery system helps to facilitate rolling speeds of up to 27 meters per second, which compares to rolling speeds of 15 meters per second when the lifting aprons are used.
Bar transfer to the new 64 meter-long cooling bed takes place either by means of a lifting apron with magnetic brakes or by means of a high-speed bar delivery system. The high-speed bar delivery system is designed to allow individual steel bars to be transferred to the walking rakes even in two-strand rolling mode, which helps to streamline counting and bundling of the bars further down the line. The high-speed delivery system helps to facilitate rolling speeds of up to 27 meters per second, which compares to rolling speeds of 15 meters per second when the lifting aprons are used.
Siemens VAI’s scope of supply also included all rolling line shears, the cold cutting area, and machines for counting and bundling the steel bars. In addition, Siemens provided the lubrication and hydraulic systems, and was responsible for supervision of the installation work and commissioning of the rolling mill. Siemens also supplied consulting services in order for Valsabbia to apply for the safety certifications for the individual machines as well as the overall plant, as required by Italian / European regulations.
Siemens VAI carried out this project in two phases, which took place during 2007 and 2008. Project planning and execution took into account the existing equipment and spatial restrictions in order to minimize down times and production outages.
The Siemens Industry Sector (Erlangen, Germany) is a leading international supplier of production, transportation, building and lighting technologies. The Sector consists of six Divisions: Building Technologies, Drive Technologies, Industry Automation, Industry Solutions, Mobility and Osram. With around 222,000 employees worldwide Siemens Industry posted in fiscal year 2008 a profit of EUR3.86 billion with revenues totaling EUR38 billion.
With the business activities of Siemens VAI Metal Technologies (Linz, Austria), Siemens Water Technologies (Warrendale, Pa.), and Industry Technologies (Erlangen, Germany), the Siemens Industry Solutions Division (Erlangen, Germany) is one of the world's leading solution and service providers for industrial and infrastructure facilities. Using its own products, systems and process technologies, Industry Solutions develops and builds plants for end customers, commissions them and provides support during their entire life cycle. With around 31,000 employees worldwide Siemens Industry Solutions achieved an order intake of EUR 8.4 billon in fiscal year 2008 (preliminary and unaudited).
