ArcelorMittal announced the commissioning of a $60 million state-of-the-art heat-treat line at its 160-inch plate facility in Burns Harbor, Ind. The re-engineered line produces Burns Harbor’s full range of heat-treat products while enhancing quality, productivity and customer delivery. The line, which was constructed over the past nine months, will provide high-quality, heat-treated plate products with a reduced cycle time for customers in the machinery, mining and construction industries. The cornerstone of the investment is a new high-capacity leveler, which is designed to handle plate thicknesses from 3/8 to 4 inches with yield strengths up to 200 ksi.            

The heat-treat line will produce normalized plate, quench plate (martensite) for use in abrasion-resistant applications and quench-and-tempered plate (tempered martensite) for use in high-strength applications. Benefits to the facility’s customers will be increased manufacturability, improved surface, accurate flatness and consistent on-time delivery due to a more predictable supply. Project construction for the new facility began on July 1, 2011.