SMS group will supply Jiugang Group Hongxing Iron & Steel (JISCO) with automation systems for its new 4,200-mm heavy plate mill. The mill will replace JISCO’s existing 2,800-mm plate mill.
SMS group is taking an ‘integrated and holistic approach to setting up the automation equipment in the finishing mill’, the company has said, with its X-Pact® basic and process automation packages. These automation systems, along with the tracking and coordination of sequences for the entire line in the hot zone, aim to ensure that all system components work together effectively.
The scope of supply includes advanced X-Pact® Profile and Flatness Control (PFC®) and X-Pact® Pass Schedule Calculation (PSC®) models, as well as the newly developed End Compensation Function in the level 1 automation. When the actuator reaches its limit, PSC® and PFC® process models interact by optimizing the load distribution, which SMS claims achieves the ideal plate profile and ensures maximum production capacity as well as superior product quality. The plate is approximately 500 mm from the head or tail due to the change in temperature or rolling force. The End Compensation Function was developed to solve this problem, and significantly improves plate production output, SMS says.
Both SMS group and JISCO anticipate the first plate will be produced by September 2025.