Chinese steelmaker Xinji Aosen Iron & Steel Co. Ltd., based in Shijiazhuang City in Hebei Province, has ordered high-speed equipment for its wire rod mills numbers eight and nine.

Once commissioned in the summer of 2018, each mill will be designed for an annual capacity of 700kt and will be capable of producing wire rod in sizes ranging from 5.5mm to 16mm; and rebar in diameters from 6mm to 16mm at rolling speeds up to 105 metres/second.

According to SMS group, the wire rod outlet of mill No. 9 will be equipped with one six-stand and one four-stand wire rod block. Installing two separate blocks will allow Xinji Aosen to cool the rolling stock before and behind the blocks in such a manner that all sizes can be finish-rolled at low temperatures (thermomechanical rolling) and to very close tolerances. Already 10 wire rod mills in China use this mill concept, which developed by SMS group.

Both mills will be equipped with state-of-the-art loop layers and pinch roll units and capable of producing wire rod of premium quality and at high production rates.