Siemens modernizes electric arc furnace at Swiss Steel: new equipment will shorten process times and cut conversion costs

Swiss Steel AG has placed an order with Siemens Metals Technologies for majormodernization work on the company's electric arc furnace in Emmenbrücke, in the Lucernecanton. The main goals of the project are to shorten process times and cut conversioncosts. Production capacity will rise to 650,000 tonnes of steel per year and, at the sametime, operating safety will be increased and maintenance costs reduced. The project is dueto be completed in August 2013. 

Swiss Steel AG operates an electric arc furnace with a tapping weight of 80 tons at itsEmmenbrücke plant. Siemens will be modernizing the unit, which was installed in 1999. To thisend, a completely new hydraulic system will be installed and the furnace equipped with a newtilting platform and gantry. Thanks to a new portal with prismatic electrode lifting columns, thefurnace roof, which will also be new, can in future be swiveled via a single-point suspensionsystem. Moreover, Siemens will be supplying a special ladle car for the existing tapping pit. Thiswill enable Swiss Steel to change the tapping spout, optimize the tapping process and to cuttapping times. 

Following modernization, it will be possible to lift the ladle out of the tapping pit with the EAF roofopen. All movements of the furnace can be speeded up. The gunning of the EAF can be startedwhile the casting ladle is still in the tapping pit, which will also reduce power off times. In total,thanks to the shortened process times, it will in future be possible to produce over 8,000 heats ayear. This corresponds to an annual capacity of 650,000 tonnes of steel. Moreover, the newfurnace design will enable lower tapping temperatures. This will shorten the necessary heatingtimes on the ladle furnace. Siemens has already supplied and modernized the ladle furnace andinstalled new current conducting electrode arms on the electric arc furnace for the electric steel millin Emmenbrücke.

In the European long products market, Swiss Steel AG is a leading vendor of quality, stainless andmachining steels. Steel production in 2011 amounted to around 560,000 tonnes. Principalapplications are in the automotive industry and in machine and apparatus construction. Thecompany is part of the Schmolz + Bickenbach Group, the world's largest manufacturer, processorand distributor of special steel long products. 

Further information about solutions for steel works, rolling mills and processing lines is available at http://www.siemens.com/metals

A photo supplements this press release. Please see: http://www.siemens.com/mt-picture/IMT201211237
(Electric arc furnace from Siemens. At Swiss Steel, a comparable system is beingmodernized by 2013 with a new furnace gantry, roof, tilting platform, hydraulic systemand ladle car). 

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Based on Siemens (Industry Sector, Metals Technologies) information