Reheated billets pass through a high-pressure descaler before they enter the rolling mill. Mill stands have entry roller guides and automatic tension controls. The billet passes through, stops on a free-bar table, and then enters the rest of the mill. Running the roughing mill faster reduces the rolls' cooling and wear, says Ron Murach, process metallurgist at the Cuyahoga Heights mill. That enhances your surface quality.
Bars then enter the precision-sizing block.
The sizing block uses three rolls to reduce the bar rather than the usual two. The technology isn't new, but the Cuyahoga Heights plant uses the Kocks block for both rolling bar and as the first rolling stand for rod production. But Birmingham might work with customers to develop products that have more restrictive tolerances for specific applications, Murach says. The Memphis melt shop started operations in late November and is expected to be operating at capacity before the end of 1998. All the finishing stands have three rolls for reducing the bar.