As part of the Baowu Group, Baowu Aluminium’s new aluminum hot rolling line, installed by Primetals Technologies, has strengthened its position as the leading flat-rolled products producer in China, with the capability to supply a wide range of products to world-class quality standards.
Challenge
As the demands for aluminum increase in terms of quality and quantity, so do the demands on the equipment that produces the aluminum. Today’s rolling mills are, therefore, expected to produce high-quality stock without compromising production levels. The mill from Primetals Technologies has been designed to meet Baowu Aluminium’s need to expand capacity to over 300,000 metric tons per annum at widths in excess of 3.1 meters, servicing the high-quality strip and sheet markets, including aerospace plate, automotive can body, can lid, and electronics.
Aluminum 1+3 hot rolling mill line
Solution
The hot rolling mill was supplied to Baowu Aluminium Technology Co., Ltd., located in Sanmenxia City, Henan Province, China, and started up in December 2020.
The new hot aluminum rolling line included a vertical edger, a single-stand roughing mill, two crop shears, a three-stand tandem finishing mill, mill exit equipment, coil handling equipment, hydraulics, lubrication, and coolant systems. Primetals Technologies provided process support on the hot mill project, which ensured the smoothest start-up and quickest production build-up, with the first slab being rolled on schedule.
Primetals Technologies was responsible for the mechanical and electrical equipment supply, engineering, and advisory services for the implementation. The electric and automation solution comprises basic (level 1) and process (level 2) automation systems, drive systems, instrumentation, and sensors.
Results
Product Data
Feed stock: aluminum and aluminum alloys
- Slab width: 1,050–2,650 mm
- Slab thickness: 400–830 mm
- Slab length: 2–8.4 m
- Plate thickness: 12–250 mm
- Plate width: 1,020–4,350 mm
- Plate length max.: 38 m
- Finished coil thickness: 2–12 mm
- Coil width max.: 2,950 mm
- Coil weight max.: 30 t
Aluminum 1+3 hot rolling mill line
Benefits
Flexible, cost-efficient rolling of a wide range of products
- Most advanced and innovative automation
- Tightest strip thickness and profile tolerances
- High surface quality
- Reliable, consistent performance
- Realize tight tolerance right from the strip head
- Maximum operation efficiency
- Integrated occupational safety concepts
Conclusion
Capacity expanded to over 300,000 metric tons per annum at widths in excess of 3.1 meters
- Resulted in flexible, cost-efficient rolling of a wide range of products
- Improvements in surface quality
