The steel producer Nucor Steel Nebraska in the U.S. has successfully rolled the first bar on its new Kocks intermediate block. The iRSB® represents one of the latest advancements in Kocks’ technology for producing long products and was designed to increase flexibility in Nucor Steel’s rolling mill. Additionally, its design minimises potential sources of error and improves safety for operators. The Final Acceptance Certificate (FAC) was signed only three weeks after successful production of the first bar.
Nucor Steel Nebraska, based in Norfolk, is a division of Nucor Steel Corporation, which is the largest steel producer in the U.S. The investment is part of a greater commercial strategy to align the product mix with current and future customer demand. It also aims to reinforce Nucor’s position as a leader in special bar steel and wire rod. The selection of the iRSB® was based on the substantial improvement of the whole rolling mill concept with regard to quality, flexibility, productivity and process safety.
With the Kocks 3-roll intermediate block, new, more sophisticated material grades can be rolled, thus expanding the steel manufacturer’s product portfolio, without major changes to the overall layout of the rolling mill. The Kocks 3-roll iRSB® 370++/8 intermediate block replaces eight traditional 2-high stands at Nucor Steel. It provides pre-sections in a tandem arrangement for the existing RSB® 370/5, which has been successful in operation since 2005.
In addition to the 3-roll block, Kocks also supplies roll-shop equipment and software solutions. What is more, the RSB® is equipped with the Kocks profile measuring gauge 4D Eagle® and is connected to Kocks’ Size Control System (SCS®), which allows real-time adjustments of the operating parameters of the rolling block. This also ensures transparent process monitoring and the quickest possible process adjustments.
