Gerdau Special Steel North America announced an additional $40.4 million capital investment at its Monroe, Mich., special bar quality (SBQ) mill. This final phase of the project will include upgrades to the rolling mill, including a new bundler table, bundler area and the installation of a third saw. Including these rolling-mill upgrades, Gerdau has invested nearly $400 million over the past decade to transform the Monroe mill into a world-class SBQ production facility. This phased investment plan has involved several projects, including installation of a new continuous caster; a new twin-tank vacuum degasser; a new walking-beam reheat furnace; a new electric-arc furnace (EAF) transformer; EAF control and mechanical upgrades; and a new twin-ladle furnace and material-handling system.

Ovako Steel’s 2018 investment in a vacuum tank degassing (VTD) facility is a critical development for the Smedjebacken mill. 

IHEA has a new member company. MP Combustion is a regional leader in the supply and support of industrial combustion equipment for process-heating applications.

Nucor awarded Germany’s SMS group a contract for a complete melt shop for its facility to be built in Mason County, W.V. SMS will supply two 190-metric-ton direct-current electric-arc furnaces (DC EAF), two twin-ladle furnaces and two vacuum degassers. The mechanical supply includes several safety-related auxiliaries, the proprietary SMS bottom anode system, two vacuum pumping systems and an equipment layout designed to minimize crane movements. All equipment will be supplied “digital-ready” for incorporation into a data-driven system. The facility will enable Nucor to expand its portfolio in the automotive market. Project completion is scheduled for 2024, with hot commissioning beginning in the second half of 2024.

SMS group received an order from Corporación Aceros Arequipa SA (CAASA), based in Lima, Peru, for a 120-ton vacuum tank degasser for its Pisco site. The degasser will be integrated into the already-delivered SMS group melt shop and enable CAASA to expand production in terms of quantity and quality. The degassing process aims to reach the lowest possible level of hydrogen content in the steel, which is required for CAASA to produce high-carbon grades for grinding balls. Nitrogen removal and oxygen control are other important factors for the production of further SBQ grades.

SMS group will supply a new steel complex to Acciaierie e Ferriere di Piombino SpA (AFERPI).

KJLC-RV Series rotary vane pumps provide exceptional ultimate pressure and pumping speed as well as quiet operation for laboratory applications.

Edwards installed a modular steel degassing system at a steel producer’s facility in Italy.

Siemens Metals Technologies received an order from Mexican steel producer Altos Hornos de Mexico, S.A.B. de C.V. (AHMSA) to supply a 150-ton, twin RH vacuum degassing plant.

Edwards partnered with two major steel contractors to supply dry-pumping vacuum technology for vacuum degassing (VD).