China’s Guilin Pinggang Iron and Steel is testing and commissioning a 1.3mn mt per year endless casting and rolling plant to produce rebar and wire rod.
The plant, which is supplied by Danieli is touted to have the highest single-strand productivity worldwide after the company requested a full process control system synchronizing the two casting strands and power equipment.
Guilin asked Danieli to install the Universal Endless DUE technology in the mini-mill to employ a short induction heating system and equalize billet temperatures. The omission of a reheating process ensures a higher yield, consistent quality, and production in an energy-efficient environment, Danieli noted in a statement on Monday.
The caster continuously feeds the two mills with 190-mm square billets to produce 10-28mm diameter rebars in one and 6-12mm diameter wire rod in the second. The UFG Ultra Fine Grain process facilitates significant savings and quality, Danieli indicated. Rebar is cut directly to the final length off the last stand which greatly reduces handling costs.
Guilin Pinggang is a privately-owned steel entity located in Guangxi Province. The company has been on a growth trend and commissioned a 1.2mn mt annual capacity electric arc furnace (EAF) in H1 2019. That furnace targeted the production of rebar and wire rod for the regional construction industry.