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To address the unique quandary facing Connecticut Steel Corporation
(CSC), SinterMet developed an equally unique solution customized
expressly for this mill based in Wallingford,Connecticut.
CSC is a welded wire reinforcement 15 stand Morgan bar/wire
mill with a 10 stand Morgan No-Twist finishing block. CSC produces
300,000 tons a year of low-, medium-and high carbon rod.The company also produces
wire rod by drawing or cold rolling to produce rolls,sheets and
structural welded wire reinforcement.
To facilitate the manufacture of .2187 ”-.50 ”wire rod,
wire mesh and #3 and #4 rebar in coils, CSC utilizes various grades
of SinterMet ’s
carbide rod mill rolls for the finishing block.
“Connecticut Steel previously used our third generation
SM-63 10% binder grade tungsten carbide rolls in the finishing
stands of the rod
block,” explains Bill Posey, regional sales manager at SinterMet. The
third generation features an optimized cobalt-nickel-based binder
along with a modified tungsten carbide hard phase and combines
high toughness, corrosion resistance, impact resistance and heat
checking resistance.
“The roll performance using SM-63 was excellent, but because
the last two stands are so critical to CSC ’s product, their mill was
consistently shutting down to change rolls,” says Bill. Shutdowns
were creating problems for CSC, which serves markets in the
Northeast, Mid-West and Mid-Atlantic states.
To determine the optimum grade for their operation, SinterMet
evaluated CSC’s mill parameters, including the shape of their products,
the speed of their operation, cooling conditions,machining capabilities
and reduction per stand.
SinterMet developed its fourth generation SM-80N 7% binder
grade specifically to address CSC ’s problem. When compared to the performance
of the third generation grade, the fourth generation provides even
greater impact resistance and improved heat checking and corrosion
resistance.
With initial installation in April 2001, the use of SM-80N
has doubled the mill ’s roll wear performance versus its performance
when SM-63 was used. “This is an incredible increase in throughput,” says
Bill.
“Connecticut Steel is obviously extremely pleased. I ’m
confident that they ’ll continue to perform at an optimal level,”
adds Bill. “We ’re looking forward to evolving the business relationship
and addressing future concerns with a solution that directly
meets their needs.”
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