Technology
SSAB, a leading global producer of high strength steels develops solutions in order to increase the competitiveness of its customers.
SSAB North American Division (NAD) steel is custom-made in electric arc furnaces. The continuous caster and state-of-the-art Steckel rolling technology, which includes exacting width and gauge control, provide customers with a combination of superb surface finish and uniform mechanical properties.
Formerly IPSCO, now SSAB North American Division began producing steel at its Regina Steelworks in 1960. This facility was sold, along with the tubular facilities in June of 2008.
In 1997, the NAD began producing steel at its Montpelier Steelworks. The Montpelier Steelworks annual capacity is 1,250,000 tons of plate up to 120" wide and up to 3" thick and hot rolled coil up to 96" wide and 0.750" thick.
A third state-of-the-art 1,250,000 ton per annum steelworks in Mobile County, Alabama commenced operations in 2001. A virtual twin of the Montpelier facility, the Mobile Steelworks produces discrete plate and coiled hot rolled plate in similar dimensions to the Montpelier plant.
Melt Shop
SSAB North American Division steelworks are electric arc furnace based facilities, which use scrap metal as the primary raw material. After tapping into the receiving ladle, the steel is transferred to a ladle metallurgy station which refines and, if necessary, reheats the steel to the optimum consistency for casting.
Continuous Caster
The ladle is then transferred to the continuous casting machine which converts molten steel into slabs. The casters are equipped with the most modern techniques for the production of slabs with optimum quality. For many grades, slabs can be directly charged to the reheat furnace without the need for slab conditioning.
Reheat Furnace
Every effort is made to reheat the slab in the most uniform condition possible before rolling.
Steckel Mill
From the reheat furnace the slab proceeds to the rolling mill for rolling to final product. The Steckel mill is a unique type of rolling mill which allows the rolling of a very large slab (up to 75 tons) by providing heated reels on both sides of the mill to store the increased length produced during rolling. These drums allow for additional heat retention and thermal consistency in the rolled piece, which in turn produces improved uniformity throughout the rolled product. The rolling mills are capable of producing products to dimensional tolerances tighter than standard ASTM. Any such request must be negotiated and agreed at time of order.
Plate Finishing
The NAD steel mills, which specialize in plate products, the product, once rolled, is divided into mother plates (up to 240' long) - as many as 8 mother plates per slab depending on thickness. The plates then leave the mill line after an in-line pass through the hot leveller onto the cooling bed. The cooling bed is a disc roll type bed. This protects the bottom surface from damage which can arise when dragging plate over conventional static skids. From the cooling bed the plate is then sheared to final length, side trimmed (5/8" max), leveled again and then stenciled and bundled for shipment.
Coil Finishing
The mills can also produce coiled products, in which case the long as-rolled lengths are wound into a coil for ease in handling and transport.
Once the product is complete, SSAB North American Division will design a transportation package that assures convenient delivery, by road or rail to all destinations in North America.
Major Product Groups
U.S. Steel Mill Products - Montpelier and Mobile
Coil
- 0.188" through 0.750" thick
- 60" through 96" wide
- Grades: Low Carbon, Medium Carbon, High Carbon, HSLA (up to 100,000 psi yield), Abrasion Resistant, ABS & Lloyds Certified
Plate
- 0.188" through 3" thick
60" through 120" wide - Grades: Low to Medium Carbon, HSLA, Abrasion Resistant, ABS & Lloyds Certified, Bridge Steels, Quenched and Tempered Plate
Slit Coil (Montpelier)
Major End Uses
Service Centers are a major market for both coil and plate products. Other markets include construction equipment, barge fabricators, ship building, rail car manufacturing and both above and below ground tank manufacturers. Oil and gas exploration, transportation, storage, general manufacturing, construction, agricultural equipment, and further fabrication.