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Siempelkamp Expands Product Range with Ring-Rolling Mills
08/07/2013 - The first ring-rolling mill designed and built by Siempelkamp has passed its crucial test at its initial startup at the Krefeld, Germany, plant. In July, Siempelkamp manufactured the first rings made of steel with the rolling mill which will be delivered to the Russian JSC Metallurgical Plant Electrostal.
The ring rolling mill with maximum radial and axial pressing forces of 6,300 kN each enables the precise manufacturing of rings with an external diameter of up to 2,500 mm and a height of up to 600 mm.
Siempelkamp not only completely manufactured the rolling mill at the Krefeld location but also assembled and started it up there as well as extensively tested the hot rolling process. The startup in Krefeld has proven that the plant not only meets the customer's desired specifications but even exceeds them in some areas. The ring-rolling mill is forecasted to be installed in Russia at the end of the year and will start operation in 2014.
The first Siempelkamp plant of this type manufactures rings made of steel and special materials such as nickel-based, titanium and aluminum alloys. The rings with rectangular or profiled cross-sections made of these extremely rigid yet lightweight special materials are mainly used as mechanically and thermally stressed components in the aerospace industry.
With the ring rolling mill, Siempelkamp once again demonstrates its competence as a systems supplier and provider of complete solutions which designs and builds presses for all stages of metal forming.
This ring-rolling mill is the second plant which Siempelkamp supplies to the Russian customer JSC Metallurgical Plant Electrostal: The company also operates a 20,000-ton precision closed-die forging press made by Siempelkamp which, among other products, provides the feedstock for the ring rolling mill. JSC Metallurgical Plant Electrostal carries out the entire production process of rings made of high-alloyed steel in its own plant and thus raises the depth of value added to its own production.
With a variety of design details, Siempelkamp achieves exceptionally high precision during ring rolling. For example, the diameter of the rings during ring rolling is precisely measured via laser measurement systems. High process accuracy is also guaranteed by the SicoRoll control which Siempelkamp specially developed for ring rolling. The program package SicoRoll supports the user during process planning. With an advance simulation, which is taking the threshold values of the machine into account, all relevant rolling parameters are determined. The program uses a database which stores the tool and material data. Furthermore, it contains the common rolling curves and strategies as the basis for the planning process. According to the customer's requirement, the system can be expanded.
The calculated rolling parameters are transmitted to the machine control which ensures the optimal ring rolling process and keeps the rolling parameters synchronized with the process. The rolling process can be completely documented and archived.
Next to the rolling mill, the scope of supply includes the complete hydraulic system, the automation of the roll as well as the SicoRoll control — the kernel of which gives the dimensions of the blanks for the closed-die forging press.
By using design principles that have proven themselves in other Siempelkamp presses, the equipment achieves a long operating life. Extensive FEM calculations are the guarantee for the high fatigue strength of the mechanical structural components. This is further supported by the fact that the housings for the tapered rolls, which experience high mechanical stresses, are designed as one-piece castings without weld seams. Similarly, all bearings are designed with a long operating life in mind.
During the design process, the Siempelkamp design engineers placed great importance in using many standard components especially for highly stressed component parts, such as the gears. For our customers this translates into cost savings because maintenance and spare parts are easily procured.
Siempelkamp has decades of experience in design and realization of metal forming presses comprising among others sheet metal forming presses for the manufacture of large pipes and half shells, straightening presses, presses for the manufacture of side members, heat exchanger plates, hydro-forming presses, presses for the manufacture of rear axle housings as well as for the complete range of closed-die and open-die forging presses.
The focus is on presses with large pressing forces tailor-made to customer’s specification.
The Siempelkamp group has an international orientation as technology supplier with three business areas machinery and plant manufacturing as well as foundry and nuclear technology. As system supplier of presses and press lines for the metal industry as well as of complete plants for the wood composite industry the company enjoys international recognition.
