Vallourec, has put a new high-performance piercer into operation at its Düsseldorf-Rath tube plant. The piercing of solid steel billets and their hot rolling on a mandrel are two key stages in the production of seamless steel tubes. Controlling these processes is crucial to the dimensional and metallurgical quality of the products.
Equipped with three-roll technology, the new piercer is more powerful, enabling it to shape, with outstanding dimensional precision and excellent surface quality, premium tubes designed for the most demanding applications.
The new piercer will also offer greater flexibility in terms of the dimensions that can be achieved (outside diameter, thickness, length) and the range of materials manufactured. It will also consume less energy per metric ton produced.
The new equipment will enable the group to meet rising demand for high-strength and/or high-alloy steel tubes. Alloys that exhibit an optimal strength/weight ratio are indeed being sought for a growing number of applications in the engineering industry, steel construction, oil and gas, power generation, and petrochemicals.
The new piercer makes it possible to fully automate the process, resulting in numerous internal production optimizations and improvements in quality.
