London, 29 June 2015

Primetals Technologies receives FAC for blooming mill at Acciaierie Venete in Italy

• Greater cross-section reduction cuts conversion costs
• Mill processes up to 110 metric tons of blooms per hour
• New line entirely or partly dispenses with downstream processing steps

Acciaierie Venete S.p.A. has issued the Final Acceptance Certificate (FAC) for a blooming mill extensively modernized by Primetals Technologies at its Camin, Italy location. Within the scope of this project, a new blooming stand including ancillary system was installed and integrated into the existing line. The production capacity is up to 110 metric tons per hour. The main aim of the project was to improve the quality of blooms with the option of entirely or partly dispensing with downstream processing steps. The project was handled on a turnkey basis, and its value was in the low double-digit millions Euro range.

Acciaierie Venete is a private manufacturer of rods and profiles made of carbon and high-grade steels that has several production facilities in Italy. The company's headquarters is in Camin in the province of Padua. Acciaierie Venete produces around 1.5 million tons of steel every year. The new blooming mill at the Camin steelworks allows for greater reduction of cross-sections throughout the rolling process. This improves the metallurgical properties of end products. As a result, additional processing steps such as forging can be dispensed with either in whole or in part. This means that although the specific conversion costs are lower in total, steel grades as required in particular by the automobile industry or manufacturers of wind turbines can still be produced.

Primetals Technologies installed the blooming line from the exit point of the new bloom caster. From there, a transfer crane transports the blooms either to the run-in roller table of the new reheating furnace or to the cooling bed. This is realized as a walking beam system and is able to provide different cooling profiles for specific products. Roller tables equipped with elevating and rotating fixtures feed the reheating furnace with the capability of hot charging. As a special feature, the reheating furnace has two exits. This ensured the supply of ingoing material to the existing continuous rolling line during the construction of the new blooming line.

A high-pressure descaler was installed between the furnace and the blooming mill. The blooming mill itself is conceived as a duo reversing blooming stand with transverse sliding movement for pass change. It features an inline quick-change system for simple and fast replacement of rolls and chocks. The rolls have a length of 1,500 millimeters and a diameter of 1,060 millimeters. Per hour, the blooming stand can process around 110 tons of blooms with a weight of up to ten tons and diameters of between 350 and 600 millimeters. Products with square cross-sections of 180x180, 240x240 and 280x280 millimeters and round stock with diameters between 180 and 315 millimeters are rolled from carbon and quality steels, and cropped by a hydraulic shear. A roller table to the existing continuous long product rolling mill completes the blooming line's mechanical equipment. The scope of delivery also included the electrical, drive and automation technology, including medium-voltage transformers for the blooming stand, AC main drives including two motors with a power output of 1,800 kilowatts each, AC auxiliary drives, the complete level 1 automation, mechatronic components and a CCTV system.

Primetals Technologies was also responsible for the installation and commissioning and for customer training. Primetals Technologies also assisted the customer in obtaining the required safety certification for the machines and the plant in compliance with Italian and European regulations.

New blooming stand by Primetals Technologies at Acciaierie Venete S.p.A in Camin (PD), Italy

Primetals Technologies, Limited, headquartered in London, United Kingdom, is a pioneer and world leader in the fields of engineering, plant building, and the provision of lifecycle services for the metals industry. The company offers a complete technology, product, and services portfolio that includes integrated electrics and automation, digitalization, and environmental solutions. This covers every step of the iron and steel production chain—from the raw materials to the finished product—and includes the latest rolling solutions for the nonferrous metals sector. Primetals Technologies is a joint venture of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and partners, with around 7,000 employees worldwide. To learn more about Primetals Technologies, visit the company website www.primetals.com.