Benchmark rolling mill officially inaugurated at ESF, Germany

Featuring all the latest Danieli technological advances, the rolling mill “Walzwerk B” of ESF Elbe-Stahlwerke Feralpi in operation in Riesa is the new benchmark spooler mill for innovation and sustainability.

The mill has been connected directly to an existing conticaster by a 300-m hot-charge roller table, avoiding traditional gas heating, replaced by induction heating for zero CO2 direct emissions.

ESF is performing endless rolling through a Danieli K-Welder –continuous, efficient billet head-to-tail welding. This 6th generation welder drastically reduces maintenance times down to 50%, increasing the efficiency of the plant and reducing operating costs.

The rolling mill is comprised of 16 housingless stands, a six-pass, multidrive finishing block and a spooler line.

The K-Spooler is producing deformed bars from 8 to 25 mm dia, twist-free spooled coils in coils weighing from 2.5 to 8 tons. Eight tons is the heaviest bar spooled coil in the world.

Danieli Multistage Soft Quenching (SQ2) process allows ESF better and more uniform metallurgical characteristics as compared to what is achievable with the re-coiled process.

Danieli Automation big data and artificial intelligence ensures real-time connection between the existing caster and the new mill, reducing heating energy consumption and dynamically regulating the thermo-mechanical process for the best final product quality.

During the inauguration ceremony of the new mill, Feralpi hosted a round table discussion attended by German and Italian ministers and steel associations, and European steel producers.