In a statement, SMS group said its EBROS billet welding system will be is added to the Feralpi Siderurgica S.p.A. Lonato plant. The system is used to weld together hot billets as they exit the reheat furnace.

“This process makes ‘endless rolling’ possible, offering a considerable increase in productivity, material yield and plant utilization as well as guaranteeing a consistently high product quality,” the company said.  

In this case, SMS group said the system has the potential to improve plant productivity by up to around 8% and improve product yield by at least 3% through the elimination of cobbles and head and tail cropping. 

The system will weld billets up to 150 mm square and 12 m in length. A 2-mW induction furnace supplied by SMS group subsidiary SMS Elotherm also will be installed to ensure billet temperature equalization at entry into the No. 1 rolling stand. 

Commissioning is scheduled for the first quarter of 2020.