Chalco North East Light Alloy Company Ltd, a subsidiary of the Aluminium Corporation of China (Chinalco), has ordered a single-pass reversing finishing mill with twin coiler from Siemens VAI Metals Technologies. The mill is part of a hot and cold mill expansion which will be erected in Harbin. The order is worth some 13 million Euros and includes key electrical and mechanical components together with the automation and process technology. The new rolling mill is scheduled to start production in August 2011. The project will enable Siemens to further strengthen its market position in aluminum rolling mills in China.
Chalco North East Light Alloy Company Ltd (Chalco NELA), based in Harbin in the northern Chinese province of Heilongjiang, produces plate and sheet, strip, foil, tube and pipe from aluminum, magnesium and aluminum-magnesium alloys. The company's products are used mainly in aviation, transport and communication as well as the electronics and lighting industry. The new reversing mill will increase Chalco NELA's annual production capacity by 210,000 metric tonnes of strip and allow production of end products of increased hardness and reduced thickness at enhanced quality levels. The plant has been designed for rolling strip with a width of up to 2,100 millimeters at a speed of up to 363 meters per minute.
The finishing mill comprises a 4-high stand with automatic hydraulic gauge control as well as positive and negative work roll bending. Siroll ISV Sprays are used for spray cooling. In addition to the mechanical equipment, Siemens will be supplying the entire automation system and the drive technology for the rolling mill, including Sinamics SM150 medium-voltage converters and Sinamics S120 low-voltage converters, as well as thickness and profile measurement systems and the sensor technology. The automation system embraces the basic automation, including the technological controllers and the operating and monitoring equipment.
The scope of supply also includes the process automation equipment for the entire hot strip mill, which also comprises a reversing roughing mill to be supplied by a local vendor. This degree of system compatibility ensures a consistently high product quality. All the systems and components belong to the "Siroll Alu" integrated solution platform from Siemens for aluminum rolling mills. Siemens will also be responsible for commissioning the plant and training the customer's personnel.