In a statement, Primetals Technologies said the new endless cast-roll facility, to be built at U. S. Steel’s historic Edgar Thomson Plant in Pittsburgh, Pa., USA, will be used to make high-quality, ultra-thin strip. It will be capable of producing in widths ranging from 38 inches to 77 inches, making it the widest Arvedi ESP mills ever built.  

Primetals Technologies also said the mill will be able to produce strip in thicknesses ranging from 0.8 mm to 6 mm. It will have an annual capacity of 2.5 million metric tons. 

When completed in 2022, the mill will become U. S. Steel’s principal production point for its XG3-branded advanced high-strength steel. 

U. S. Steel president and chief executive David Burritt discussed the project during his keynote speech at AISTech’s annual President’s Award Breakfast Tuesday morning. Burritt called the project, which also includes a new co-generation plant at its Clairton coke works, transformational. 

“The addition of a sophisticated endless casting and rolling facility … will enable significant, measurable improvements to our environmental performance, cost structure and ability to compete -- and win -- in the most attractive markets. Mon Valley Works was a natural fit for this investment and will proudly continue the legacy of innovation started here by Andrew Carnegie in 1875,” he said. 

Primetals Technologies’ Arvedi ESP mills are unique in that they link a thin-strip caster directly with a rolling mill. 

As Primetals Technologies describes: 

“A thin strand is subsequently rolled to an intermediate thickness of 10 to 20 mm in a 3-stand high-reduction mill positioned at the end of the caster. After reheating in an induction heater, rolling of the transfer bar to the targeted end thickness is performed in a 5-stand finishing mill followed by laminar strip cooling.”

The upshot is that strip can be endlessly produced in a single, uninterrupted step, allowing for greater product uniformity, from head to tail, and reduced energy costs.  

“This is really the next-generation hot mill,” Ron Devoe, vice president of sales for Primetals Technologies, told AIST Steel News.   

The U. S. Steel line would be the ninth worldwide. The original ESP mill is in Italy, and China’s Rizhao Steel Group Co. already has built four Arvedi ESP lines side by side, with a fifth undergoing commissioning.    

There are two others globally. 

And that, Devoe said, should stand to show that the technology is proven.

He said Primetals Technologies is excited for the opportunity to build the mill.  

“This is a big moment for both companies,” he said.