Deutsche Edelstahlwerke grants SMS group FAC for quenching line

Deutsche Edelstahlwerke GmbH (DEW) has issued the final acceptance certificate to SMS group for the new quenching line at its Witten (Germany) location. The new quenching line, installed downstream an existing blooming mill, consists of a walking-beam furnace and a cooling section. This project is one of DEW’s most significant and biggest investments of the last few years. It is intended to further enhance the quality of the rolled products and to make production more energy-efficient and climate-friendly.

In December 2016, after just slightly less than two years of very close cooperation, DEW issued the FAC to SMS group.

The new quenching line, which is the first of its kind in terms of layout, has been designed for round bars in diameters ranging from 55 to 250 millimeters and lengths between four and 17 meters. Rolled grades include all stainless steels, for example bearing steel; rust, acid and heat-resistant steels, and engineering and tool steels.

The new quenching line uses the available rolling heat to set the desired material properties by a controlled bar quenching process. For this purpose, the bars are directly charged into the reheating furnace via a roller table. The furnace equalizes the heat losses that the material has suffered by then. After the material has been reheated to a specified temperature, it is delivered to a cooling section in which it is cooled down uniformly and in a controlled manner to the desired end temperature. Then it is discharged from the rolling mill via the cooling bed.

In addition to the mechanical equipment, SMS group supplied the process models CCT^® (Controlled Cooling Technology) and SMSPrometheus for determining and pre-calculating the necessary process parameters in an offline process.

This project has once more demonstrated SMS group’s competence and proficiency in successfully implementing most complex plant modifications and upgrades under extremely tight space conditions and during running production.

New heating concept to make production more energy-efficient and climate-friendly

Deutsche Edelstahlwerke has integrated a new heat treatment line and quenching section into the existing rolling mill

Based on SMS group information