Primetals Technologies have signed the final acceptance certificate (FAC) with aluminum producer Hulamin following the installation and commissioning of new hot edge inductors for its cold mill rolling line (S5) in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
This upgrade aims to address the tight edge issues in aluminum strip that occurred during high-speed rolling, leading to improved product quality.
The moving induction heating head assembly has been installed on the exit side of the mill, below the exit delivery table. These assemblies are positioned close to the roll surface, just outside of the strip width, effectively counteracting the thermal camber that causes tight edge issues during high-speed rolling.
The hot edge inductors have resolved the tight edge issues by providing additional heat to the work roll at the strip edge, expanding the roll and alleviating tight edges. This has led to better control of the strip edge shape.
The aluminum producer has observed noticeable improvements in the on-line strip shape performance and continue to further optimise and refine the use of these actuators in its rolling programme.
“Hulamin is extremely pleased with the implementation and the resulting improvement in product quality. Following this success, discussions are ongoing about implementing similar systems on additional mill lines at their site in Pietermaritzburg”, says Calvin Coetzee, Senior Fluids Engineer at Primetals Technologies.