The Chinese company Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Union Co Ltd from the province of Inner Mongolia has placed an order with SMS Meer, Germany, for the supply of a heavy section mill. With this new mill Baotou will be able in future to produce beams with web heights from 200 to 1,000 mm, rails from 52 kilogram per meters to 75 kilogram per meters and U-shaped sheet piles up to 600 mm.

Thanks to the modern CCS roll stands and a nine-roller CRS straightener, quick section changes are possible within just 20 minutes, giving Baotou flexibility and profitability. The mill has a capacity of 1.2 million tonnes per year. The scope of supplies and services includes the planning and engineering, the core technological equipment, training of the customer personnel and the supervision of erection and commissioning.

The heavy-section mill is fitted with universal CCS roll stands. The hydraulic roll adjustment control and the rigid stand construction allow the final dimensions to be rolled with close tolerances. The straightening equipment consists of a nine-roller CRS straightener with hydraulically adjustable rollers supported in bearings on both sides for the straightening of beams and rails. An additional vertical straightener which is also equipped with individually driven straightening shafts is required for the production of rails.

The rolled stock is cut into finished lengths on cold saws from SMS Meer characterized by low cutting costs, a high throughput and high availability. The heavy-section mill operates to the XH universal rolling principle which permits rolling on a compact tandem group. This means that all the stands are in operation at each pass. The XH rolling process will enable Baotou to produce beams more cost-effectively, as the process guarantees a higher productivity and lower roll wear.

Commissioning of the mill is scheduled for the end of 2012.