Equipment Manufacturing: Manipulator tilter helps Changzhi Steel increase production

A manipulator tilting device has been hot commissioned at a H section rolling line at Shougang Changzhi Steel in China’s Shanxi Province.

CISDI was the rebuild designer and equipment supplier.

The old line was restricting production capacity and quality due to its original gripper tilter failing to align with its centring device during long specification rolling.

The original layout for the gripper tilter and the centring device was so compact it did not leave adequate space for the long bar. The rolling line needed to increase its backward production capacity of 600,000 tonnes of H sections a year.

Changzhi Steel needed the rebuild and restart to be carried out within four months, to line up with its blast furnace rebuild plan. CISDI fulfilled the challenging task with targeted, high-standard solutions. The old gripper tilter was removed and a new electric finger tilter with a manipulator was installed.

The new design and equipment have not only made up for deficiencies of the original grippers, tilters, push-pull rods, guards, they have optimised maintenance and operation of all the plant’s rebuilds and their related facilities.

The manipulator tilter creates a simpler equipment structure and enables easier maintenance and operation at the rolling area.  

The H section rolling line cycle now takes 135 seconds -  35 seconds faster than previously.

CISDI-supplied manipulator tilters passed hot commissioning at Changzhi Steel’s H section rolling line

The first hot bar smoothly rolls through the mill with the aid of the modernised manipulator tilters