Baowu Aluminium Technology, a company of Baowu Group, ordered a new finishing mill stand for their aluminum hot rolling mill line in Sanmenxia, located in the Henan province of China. This is the second finishing mill stand provided by Primetals Technologies, and the new stand will change the layout of the current aluminum hot mill finishing line from a 3-stand to a 4-stand design.
Baowu Aluminium Technology was developed as a scientific and technological enterprise, by joint investments from Baowu Steel, Henan Energy, and the Sanmenxia municipal government. The main products processed are high grade aluminum plate and strip designed for the automotive, aerospace, military, and rail markets.
Primetals will be responsible for the engineering, supply of equipment, as well as overall supervision of the installation and implementation of the new finishing mill stand Baowu Aluminium, which will be processing aluminum heavy plate and strip in various aluminum alloys. The 4-stand hot finishing mill will be able to process heavy plate with thicknesses from 1.8 to 200 mm in aluminum alloys ranging from 1xxx to 8xxx, supporting Baowu Aluminium in achieving excellent product quality and increasing production capacity from 300,000 tons to 600,000 tons annually.
The project scope will include the supply of various machinery, including work roll bending and shifting equipment, roll coolant spray bars (incorporating integral solenoid valves), hydraulic automatic gauge control cylinders, hydraulic equipment, pneumatic controls, and all related fluid systems. The bending of work rolls acts in conjunction with the existing smart crown system ensuring that the strip profile remains constant throughout the process regardless of the rolling load. The integral solenoid valves are designed to apply zone cooling and lubrication to the work rolls, controlling the bulk temperature of the mill and addressing the residual flatness errors during the rolling process. Hydraulic automatic gauge control cylinders are driven by high response servo valves, controlling the thickness of the product being rolled. These cylinders are also used to modify the pass line height, in order to match the size of the roll diameters.
The combination of work roll bending technology, integral solenoid valves, and hydraulic automatic gauge control system allows the producer to reach their key objectives of surface, profile, and flatness quality. As a result, Baowu will be able to supply key markets including automotive, can packaging, and construction applications.
The finishing mill package includes all the necessary equipment and systems for monitoring and maintenance — AC drives and Level 1 automation, including the controllers of the mill section. In addition, Primetals will provide on-site operator training during the implementation phase of the finishing mill.
Previously, Primetals engineered, supplied, and commissioned the aluminum plate mill and F1-F3 stands hot finishing mill, which provide a production capacity of 300,000 tons per year. Baowu issued the final acceptance certificate (FAC), confirming the successful completion of this equipment in May 2023.