Primetals Technologies has recently won an order from Böhler Edelstahl GmbH & Co KG (Böhler Edelstahl), a company of the Special Steel Division of voestalpine, to modernize the flat rolling block at its Kapfenberg plant in Austria. The plant will be equipped with a new drives- and automation system. The “RollMaster”, specially developed for long product rolling mills, will handle the generation and management of the pass schedules. The project is designed to increase plant availability, improve product quality, boost energy efficiency and cut maintenance costs. Modernization work is scheduled to take place during a one-month plant shutdown mid-2017.
Primetals Technologies will be supplying new main and auxiliary drives with Sinamics S120 frequency converters, a new operator control and monitoring system based on Simatic PCS7, and new main gearboxes. The elimination of the hydraulic systems will reduce maintenance costs and increase plant availability which, in turn, will boost the productivity of the rolling line. Energy requirements as well as the consumption of hydraulic oil and cooling water will fall substantially. In future the “RollMaster”, specially designed for long product rolling mills, will handle the generation and management of the pass schedules. This software is the link between the production planning system and the plant automation. Primetals Technologies will also handle engineering, manufacturing, commissioning and customer training.