Modernization of continuous pickling line No. 3 in Cherepovets, Russia
Severstal commissions new side trimmer from SMS group
PAO Severstal has trimmed the first strip in its continuous pickling line No. 3 in Cherepovets, Russia, with the new twin-head side trimming unit supplied by SMS group (www.sms-group.com). During a period of only eleven days, the old side trimmer was removed and the new one installed and wired. The first strip was trimmed after only three days of commissioning. After that first coil, the machine remained in use non-stop, allowing the plant to produce side-trimmed strips in a continuous process. The time needed for revamping and commissioning was extremely short thanks to the fact that the machine was supplied as Special Strip Processing Equipment, which means pre-assembled and function-tested with own electrical and automation systems.
The modernization helps Severstal boost the capacity of its line as a result of the higher availability and increase the quality of the strip edges. Improvements in burr-free cutting and edge uniformity are particularly obvious when processing soft materials.
At speeds of up to 360 meters per minute, the machine trims the strip edges in the exit section of the pickling line by means of two circular knives arranged on both sides. At the same time, it cuts the 1.2 to 6.0 millimeters thick hot strip to the desired width, which may vary from 700 to 1,650 millimeters. An integrated scrap chopper cuts the separated seams into small pieces. The twin-head design of the side trimmer offers the advantage that trimming knives in maintenance position can be changed while production is going on.