The Chinese steel group Nanjing Iron & Steel Co Ltd has awarded an order to SMS Siemag, Germany, to build a new 4.7 meter wide heavy plate mill.

The order comprises the supply of a finishing stand with CVC® plus technology, a pre leveler, a hot plate leveler and a shearing line.

These components will be delivered together with the technological X-Pact® automation systems such as profile and flatness control and leveling model.

The new plant will be built in Nanjing and will start operation in 2013.

With this heavy plate mill, NISCO aims at attaining an annual production of 1.6 million tonnes. The product range covers all steel grades currently demanded by the market such as tube and pipe steel, ship plates and other high strength steel grades.

The finishing stand has a rolling force of 120 MN and is equipped with hydraulic adjustment systems, work-roll bending system and CVC® plus system (Continuously Variable Crown). In combination with SMS Siemag's profile and flatness control (PFC), CVC® plus enables the production of plates with close geometrical tolerances and a high throughput.

The pre leveler is equipped with seven leveling rolls and will be installed upstream of the plate cooling system. It removes flatness deviations prior to cooling, thus contributing to uniform cooling.

The hot plate leveler will be designed as a nine roll unit and has a leveling force of 44 MN. The leveler rolls have purely hydraulic adjustment. The pre-leveler and hot plate leveler will use SMS Siemag's technological control systems.

The shearing line consists of a cropping shear, a double side trimming shear and a dividing shear. All shears operate with the rolling cut principle, cutting high strength plates which are up to 50 mm thick.