Outotec has agreed with Samarco Mineração S.A. on a turnkey delivery of the world's largest iron ore pelletizing plant in Brazil. The contract value is approximately € 200 million, which will be booked in Outotec's second quarter order intake. In addition, the contract includes local € 100 million purchases performed on behalf of the customer. Some 90% of the services and supplies for the project will be delivered from Brazil. The new plant will be installed at Samarco's iron ore port in Ponta de Ubú, Espírito Santo, Brazil. Once operational at the end of 2013, the plant will treat 9.25 million t of iron ore per year on a 816m² traveling grate indurating machine.

Caterpillar has approved Ruukki's wear resistant special steel Raex 400 in accordance with the Caterpillar specification 1E1839. Raex is used in ADT truck's main body structure. The contract with Caterpillar covers the delivery of Raex to their major European facilities for 2011. The approval testing was performed at the CAT Peterlee production facility in the UK where the group's Articulated Dump Truck (ADT) product for global supply is manufactured. The ADT truck's main body structure is one of the most demanding applications for wear-resistant steel due to the continual impact and wear experienced. The approval process was demanding. It included chemical, mechanical as well as impact testing and macro's tests on the weld. Identical tests were performed in large quantity to ensure product consistency.

Nghi Son Iron and Steel Corporation (NIS) has assigned to Tenova the order for the supply of one electric arc furnace (EAF) equipped with the Consteel system capable to produce 1 000 000 t/year. Tenova has been selected by NIS after extensive investigation among the different melting technologies proposed by the most qualified suppliers worldwide. The excellent production results achieved by steel plants equipped with Consteel along with the easy and consistent operations of the electric furnaces continuously fed by Consteel have been the main drivers for the NSI decision.

Tenova I2S has signed a contract with Fuxing Precision Stainless Steel Co.,Ltd.to supply a new ZR22STG-52"precision 20 High Cluster Mill at the company’s site at Hanchuan, China. The Company will produce 100 000 t of 200, 300 and 400 series Stainless Steel per year at this new facility. The Tenova I2S 20 High Mill is the key component of this planned expansion for Fuxing Precision Stainless Steel Co., Ltd. to produce thin gauge stainless steel.

The sixteenth BEIJING ESSEN WELDING & CUTTING registered new records: 27,888 trade visitors (35 % more than at the preceding event) obtained information and placed orders at the leading trade fair in the field of joining technology in the Asian region. The 918 exhibitors presented the newest technologies to them on a once more enlarged exhibition area of over 92,000 square metres in the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. The organisers of the trade fair, Messe Essen, DVS - Deutscher Verband für Schweißen und verwandte Verfahren e.V. ("German Welding Society") and the Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society (CMES), reported strong demand, above all, on the Chinese market because of the good economic situation.

With the laying of the foundation stone for Wuppermann Kovotechnika s.r.o. (WKt) in Holýšov in the Czech Republic in the year 2000, the Wuppermann Group took the first step into Eastern Europe. Now the plant is celebrating its tenth birthday as well as the start of construction of a new production hall.

World crude steel production for the 64 countries reporting to the World Steel Association (worldsteel) was 130 million metric t (mmt) in May 2011. This is 4.2% higher than in May 2010. China’s crude steel production for May 2011 was 60.2 mmt, up 7.8% compared to May 2010. Japan produced 9.0 mmt of crude steel in May 2011, a decrease of -7.0% compared to the same month last year. South Korea produced 5.9 mmt of crude steel in May 2011, 12.8% more than in May 2010.

Since 2006 Tenova HYL has been riding a boom in its direct reduction business. Its Energiron direct reduction technology, has seen the startup of three new DR plants, has four more under construction and two plants undergoing major upgrades in technology, as well as a recently announced deal for 4 new syngas-based plants. These make for a combined total of 22 million annual t of new DR production capacity, with more new projects likely on the way. This also marks the largest market growth period in the gas-based direct reduction industry.

Steel Institute VDEh and Posco held a technology exchange session June 2 at Pohang and Gwangyang to promote joint interests and mutual cooperation. The event is held every year to share information on key issues and trends. Employees from the Operations Unit, Technology Department, ArcelorMittal Strategy and Technology Primary Department at VDEh, as well participants from Posco delivered presentations on new technology trends regarding iron making, sintering, blast furnaces, and new iron making technologies. A Q&A session was held after the presentation. Participants from VDEh visited blast furnaces at both Pohang and Gwangyang, observing the technologies discussed at the presentation and exchanged opinions.

President Felipe Calderon of Mexico on June 7 invited representatives of Posco-Mexico to his residence for a celebration after the company announced a multi-million dollar investment at its plant in Altamira. The company said it expand its Mexican operations, which includes an additional $300 million investment in its galvanized steel plant in eastern Mexico. Posco-Mexico President Kim Min-dong and executives of Posco-Mexico attended the celebration with guests and journalists from Mexico and Korea.

New technology and process innovations are putting Tata Steel at the forefront of low CO₂ steelmaking. What’s next? Although we are constantly trying to make reductions, there is a limit to how much we will be able to reduce CO₂ emissions through the traditional ways of making iron and steel. So the race is on to find the breakthrough technology of the future. We are a leading member of the ULCOS (Ultra-Low CO₂ Steelmaking) project. Under ULCOS, 48 companies from all over Europe have been working together since 2004. The big aim is to halve CO₂ emissions per tonne of steel by 2050. Several exciting new technologies have been identified, among them HIsarna, a direct smelting technique that is now being pioneered at IJmuiden. The HIsarna process saves energy by eliminating the sintering and coke production steps within ironmaking and has the potential to reduce CO₂ emissions from iron production by 20 %.

At the end of March, 2011, the hot commission of 1.2mtpa pellet plant project of MSPL, India, contracted by Sinosteel Equipment & Engineering Co., Ltd. (abbreviated by Sinosteel MECC) was successfully achieved. Commercial operation is smooth and the design parameters are even exceeded after test, which proves that China’s Grate-Kiln technology can be applied to hematite iron ore.

Recently, Aleris has chosen Danieli Fröhling’s 6 High "Diamond Mill" technology for the enhancement of the existing plant in Duffel/Belgium. With the order, Danieli Fröhling is responsible for the overall supply of all mechanical, electrical & automation equipment including major auxiliary equipment such as Danieli Fröhling’s innovative Fume Cleaning and Oil Recovery system Daneco²as well as the Danpurityfilter system.

An important breakthrough has been achieved at Tata Steel’s Shotton site in North Wales, where a development partnership between Tata Steel and Dyesol has produced the world’s largest dye sensitised photovoltaic module. The module is over 3 m in length and approximately 1 m² in area and represents an important step in the development of large-scale micro energy generation capability within the infrastructure of buildings.

Danieli Group has decided to establish a new business unit, Danieli Linz Technology (DLT), in line with the Group's policy of increasing the potential in all steel production technologies. The new entity will deal with the steel production with Oxygen Converters (BOF). Danieli will expand its Danieli Centro Met business unit (DCM) to include BOF steelmaking technology in order to serve the market with the full range of iron/steel making and rolling facilities, from the blast furnace to the final rolled product, from a single source.

Rio Tinto will double its fleet of driverless haul trucks at its iron ore operations in Western Australia and deploy them at Yandicoogina, the largest mine in the Pilbara. The move follows a two-year trial of Autonomous Haulage System (AHS) technology on trucks at the West Angelas mine, which has performed well above expectations. The trucks will dump ore for the first time, marking a major step in the evolution of the project towards full operational deployment. Previously the trucks only dumped waste product.

Tenova HYL and Danieli & C SpA as a consortium have agreed with Jindal Steel & Power Ltd, New Delhi, India to supply the Energiron ZR DR technology for direct-reduced iron (DRI) plants to be installed in Angul and Raigarh sites in India. The project consists of the installation of four plants using the reformerless Energiron ZR process with a design capacity of 2.75 million-t-per-year each. The source of reducing gas will be syngas from coal gasification, with the flexibility to operate with natural gas (or alternate gas), when available, taking advantage of the unique feature of Energiron technology of using different energy sources for the same scheme configuration. The Energiron ZR modules are of similar module design as the one currently under implementation for Nucor Steel in Louisiana, which is set to start up in first half of 2013 and will be the largest single DR module in the world to date.

Aperam announces that its biomass operations in Brazil have been separated from ArcelorMittal's biomass operations and will be renamed Aperam BioEnergia. Aperam's biomass operations constitute a leading company in the sector of biomass production for the steel industry with state-of-the-art forest management, harvesting machinery and carbonisation kilns. In 2010, they produced 220 000 t of charcoal. Aperam plans to start to switch all its stainless and electrical steel production in Brazil from coke to charcoal from end of June. Commenting, Bernard Fontana, CEO Aperam, said: "This transaction reflects Aperam's strategy to enhance its control over charcoal supply and optimise its supply chain".

Orders worth £2.5 million have been placed for the hi-tech industrial equipment which will form the cornerstone of the new research centre being developed in Middlesbrough. The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) and Tata Steel have begun work to establish the national research facility after signing a Memorandum of Understanding last October. A recently appointed management team has placed orders for the specialist equipment and discussions with potential customers are well underway.

On the 20th of May Tenova Group officially opened its Representative Office in Ho Chi Minh City with an inauguration ceremony held at the Legend Hotel. The ceremony was attended by more than a hundred delegates representing different Vietnamese steel companies as well as officials of the steel industry in Vietnam. A large delegation of Tenova officers lead by Mauro Bianchi Ferri, Vice President of Tenova Metal Making, and by Giuliano Fanutti, Chief Representative Officer, did the honors of the event.

It is often difficult to find the right topcoat to provide the finished product with the requested properties. These considerations apply equally to façade cladding, roofing, blinds or doors. An extensive product portfolio often makes the selection process unnecessarily difficult. The new POLYCERAM Plus topcoat portfolio, now launched by BASF Coatings after more than two years of development, offers fast and flexible solutions.

Vyksa Steel Works in Russia, is now using Broner MES solutions to improve production in their Electric Weld Large Diameter Pipe Complex (LDPC) for pipes up to 1420 mm diameter, and in the Pipe Electric Weld workshop 3 (PEWS-3). In a phased implementation, with differing solutions for each workshop, Broner Metal Solutions has worked jointly with Vyksa to implement MES production, inventory and quality management and tracking solutions; and an Automated Pipe Traceability System. All these are now live in production, providing real-time monitoring and control of production operations, with can improve quality, throughput and on-time delivery and reduce costs.

Tata Steel Limited today declared Audited Consolidated Financial Results for the full year ending March 31, 2011. The 2010-11 financial year (FY’11) featured record deliveries and profits from Tata Steel’s Indian operations and a significant turnaround in financial and operating performance in Europe.

Die Wirtschaftskrise ist Vergangenheit: Vor dem Hintergrund seiner aktuellen Konjunkturumfrage hebt der Deutsche Industrie- und Handelskammertag (DIHK) seine Wachstumsprognose um 0,5 Prozentpunkte auf 3,5 % an. "Die Wirtschaft läuft auch in diesem Jahr auf vollen Touren", sagte DIHK-Hauptgeschäftsführer Martin Wansleben, der die Ergebnisse der Auswertung "Konjunktur im Frühsommer 2011" gestern in Berlin vorstellte. "Export- und Inlandsgeschäft tragen den Aufschwung. Die Unternehmen wollen kräftig investieren und einstellen."

Hypertherm is expanding its line-up of Duramax retrofit torches and consumables. The torches are now approved for use on Hypertherm’s Powermax1650—in addition to the Powermax1000 and Powermax1250—and a new straight torch (HRTs) joins the previously released 75 degree, ergonomic hand torch (HRT) and convertible machine torch (MRT).

Since the sixties, SERT METAL has specialised in the measurement and control of molten metal flow, applied to iron & steel continuous casting, ferrous foundry, and non-ferrous metals industry. Over the years working shoulder to shoulder with founders, SERT has gained a unique understanding and knowledge of the factors that make the day-to-day concern of a modern foundry.SERT offers a range of innovating solutions for iron flow control on horizontal or vertical moulding plants, which contribute to improve productivity and quality, increase yield rate, and supply total traceability.

Sensor Control is a reliable expert in automation and foundry sand conditioning. On the GIFA 2011, Sensor Control introduces its very own automatic sand testing systems of the SPC series. The SPC system comes in three different types which adapt to different terms and conditions within a sand plant.  

Topcast TVCd is a family of pressure over vacuum casting machine, capable to cast up to 30kg Aluminum (80 kg Brass) into mold sizes up to dia.600 x h.800 mm. They work with a new, revolutionary double chamber concept: melting chamber and mold chamber are completely independent and you can control the metal injection into the mold by applying a differential pressure during pouring. This leads to a faster injection compared to the simply gravity pouring with the benefit to cast items at lower temperature. This will result in better surface finishing of the cast parts. The machine features a monitoring system for process data management with easy editing of casting programs suitable for many kind of alloy.

Rautomead Limited will be exhibiting its full range of continuous casting equipment for the processing of non-ferrous metals at GIFA 2011. Rautomead will be introducing a new Division within the Group ‘Rautomead – advancing metals technology”, whose strategic aim is to advance the exploration and development of more efficient non-ferrous metals production, including their processes and end-user applications. This will be the fifth occasion that the Dundee-based company has attended this four-yearly event and prospective customers will be able to discover first-hand the advantages of using Rautomead’s innovative technology, and Advancing Metals Technology offering.

Using acoustic methods like Resonance Analysis is more and more used for 100 % inline quality control in foundries. In mass production subjective quality assessment is not acceptable (too expensive, not reliable, not reproducible, cannot be documented and stressful for the workers). Acoustic resonance testing (ART) by exciting a specimen has it in itself to play a major role in the future. Applied to industrial needs this non-destructive technique is used for a fast and cost effective 100 % testing of a wide range of specimens.

OBLF, the global manufacturer of spark emission spectrometers, firstly presents at GIFA a new analysis method called “Use of Light Breaks” (ULB). With ULB, simultaneous measurements on different positions on the sample can be performed without any additional time and without relocation of the sample. The analysis time and the argon consumption are reduced to 50 %. At GIFA 2011 the ULB method is exemplary implemented in the new metals analyser GS 1000 II, the replacement for the popular GS 1000, which was sold more than 1500 times, especially to foundries.

The Microtherm Group has been the leading global provider of microporous insulation solutions for more than 40 years. Microtherm insulation blocks all heat transfer, including radiation. The Microtherm high temperature insulation is at least four times more efficient than conventional insulation materials at temperatures around 1000 oC. This effectively means only one quarter of the insulation thickness is needed for equivalent performance. The Microtherm  systems are used widely in hot processing such as steel and non-ferrous metals manufacture, glass making, and all furnace applications.  Also traditional as well as renewable power generation, petrochem, passive fire protection, transport, datalogging, aerospace & defense, and domestic appliances and building and construction.

In most cases, preset modes of controlling energy supply systems are not called into question. Limón’s smart control of production facilities é.VARIO allows for an automatized and energy-efficient and -optimized control of various energy systems. Simultaneously, the demand is coordinated according to the individually underlying circumstances. In addition, é.VARIO is able to automatically record key figures and error reports in one single system. The smart control can be implemented both for new and already existing plants. A practical application of é.VARIO saves energy as well as operating costs.

The company Laempe & Mössner will show at the GIFA a cross-section of its entire range of products and services. This starts with Research & Process Development, Gassing and Mixing systems, Core Production systems of different sizes, Automation solutions up to Low Pressure Die Casting machines. The issued exhibits already reflect the successful integration of the Hottinger and Röperwerk technologies. The central element on the booth will be the newly developed “Laempe high-efficiency machine LHL”. This machine even satisfies ambitious tasks for all common processes in the core production. Thanks to its massive construction, most heavy tools can be used. The movable shooting unit allows an easy emptying and cleaning. A fully automatic tool changer minimises set-up times and productivity.

The products from KRÄMER+GREBE are patterns, core boxes and molds. The core boxes are made for all kind of core shooters and for the processes coldbox, hotbox and inorganic, for prototype and high volume production and in all required materials.

IMF Group will exhibit the most important innovations of IMF – BANFI – Foundry Automation productions at the GIFA. The visitors can see a100 t/h high speed articulated DUAL type continuous mixer consisting of one main mixing trough able to deliver 100 t/h max of mixed sand and a second mixing trough installed underneath the main mixing arm able to deliver 10t/h of chemically bonded sand. The biggest automatic closing handler for large flasks ever built, studied to clamps, lift and rotate flasks weighing 30 ton will also be presented at the fair. Moreover IMF shows a 2 ton/h gas fired thermal sand reclamation unit for No-Bake processes and a Foundry automation new core center composed of one Spc40 Cold-Box Core making machine for horizontally-parted core boxes and industrial robot for core pick-up. The machine will be dry running.

KLANN Anlagentechnik GmbH is specialized in core shop equipment for the fitting and faucet industry provides high productive core shooters, so called core belters, with machine cycle times down to 5 seconds. The newest development, in cooperation with a well-known fitting manufacturer, is a horizontal core shooter for the hot-box process. Compared to standard horizontal core shooters the new P8 SA has a machine cycle time of only 8 seconds (standard > 15 sec.). Besides core shooters the company supplies core sand processing and distribution systems up to turn-key core shop.

GIFA Hall 15, Stand J12

The pneumatic conveyor SP-HL was particularly conceived for the transport of bulk material such as foundry sands. KLEIN Anlagenbau AG is going to exhibit at the GIFA a tandem installation of the SP-HL, i. e. two conveyors feed one conveying pipe. With tandem installations conveying capacities of up to 20 t/h can be achieved. Apart from conveyors for foundry sands, KLEIN Anlagenbau AG also supplies pneumatic conveying systems for any other material that needs to be pneumatically transported in a foundry, such as bentonite, coal dust, filter dust, various additives etc.

The latest lines remain true to the design criteria & heavy dimensions which characterize Idra machines & made them renowned worldwide, employing, at the same time, the latest generation hydraulic plant & electronic control systems. The machine systems have been carefully studied to use simplified integrated hydraulic blocks with a drastic reduction of pipe work taking particular care with the machine structure to facilitate maintenance. The injection performance is the market leader for high velocity and the response time which is particularly important in case of thin-walled parts.

Electrotherm (India) Ltd (ET) was started in the year 1982 to offer cost effective solutions for making steel by indigenous manufacture of matching equipment. Electrotherm (India) Ltd, has achieved market leadership in its core products because of the excellence and dedication towards continuous improvement. Today Electrotherm has a clientele of over 3500 installations. Electrotherm has exported its products to Bangladesh, Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nigeria, Nepal, Pakistan, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sudan, Surinam, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, Uganda, Yemen, Zimbabwe.

Today, foundries are called upon to produce disc brakes with a growing variety of product geometrics and air vent complexity. This leads to a high demand in flexibility for automated inspection technology. The DISC-INSPECTOR has a long history of proven performance and has now been enhanced to an even higher degree of flexibility. The combination of the highly accurate vent inspection, the latest 3D-acquition technique for surface inspection coupled with a flexible handling and positioning system, ensures the ‘pole position’ for modern brake disc foundries in order to meet the market demands.

SILCA supplies high temperature insulation materials and is specialised in lightweight insulation technology and engineering. During the GIFA, the company presents newly developed materials on the basis of CALCAST, a high density calcium silicate, which is produced by the mother company CALSITHERM in Paderborn, Germany.

Constantly rising demands on quality and environmental compatibility confront foundries and their suppliers with an ever increasing array of new challenges. In addition to increasing productivity, meeting environmental and industrial safety regulations represents one of the factors of success for foundries, a challenge that requires constant supervision and ongoing development of existing processes and operations.

Quality, Reliability, Cost Effectiveness and exceptional service are the basic principles of today’s business philosophy. Frölich & Klüpfel reflects a long tradition in the manufacturing of pneumatic tools. From the beginning with pneumatic hammers above knocking units, up to the decoring stations used today, the company has accumulated many years of experience. With their decoring stations Frölich & Klüpfel can offer a variety of solutions to achieve an economical decoring process, guaranteed cleanness and positive working conditions under respect of security regulation.

Since many years aerogels are especially developed for foundry applications at the German Aerospace Center. The newest developments are AeroAdditives – nanostructured aerogels in granular form. The addition of 0.5 up to 5 vol.-% of AeroAdditves to any common sand-binder system leads without any further changes to enormous improvements of the cast part quality by unchanged quality of the sand cores. The positive effects are caused by an enhanced gas permeability of the sand cores and an extremely high absorption potential for casting gases by aerogels. Smooth surfaces with reduced roughness are pointed out. AeroAdditives open possibilities of cast part design which will give new impulses.

Drache’s Cerazrik ZrO2 filter is a ceramic foam filter optimized for steel, superalloy as well as large iron castings. It is characterized by its excellent strength, very good chemical resistance as well as supreme cost-performance ratio. Cerazirk filters are currently applied for all types of steel alloys, production of Ni- and Co-based masteralloys, investment castings as well as large spherical iron castings. Drache offers the filters in all standard sizes as well as customized dimensions. Standard porosity for steel castings is PPI 10, although Drache has the technology to manufacture Cerazirk ZrO2 filters up to PPI 50. In addition to the filter, corresponding DDP feeder sleeves (“Drache Direct Pour”) for optimized feeding systems are available.

Borken-based Fooke GmbH is now able to significantly reduce lengths with the new pay-on reel for stainless steel strips. Kink-free coiling of stainless steel strips is imperative to prevent 1-b products with kinks. The first coils are especially crucial in this process. Many classic systems require approx. five to eight coils in order to obtain a kink-free strip. The new Fooke pay-on reel makes this possible with only two coils. The advantage: significantly less wastage, resulting in lower costs. “Our engineers have developed a new method of strip clamping that enables such rapid kink-free coiling,” said Ludger Wellner, Head of Plant Engineering and Foundry Technology at Fooke GmbH.

Can-Eng Furnaces is at the forefront of the aluminum heat treating technology and will be showcasing its Basketless Heat Treating System (BHTS) for the efficient treatment of aluminum intensive automotive engine blocks, cylinder heads, structures and suspension components at GIFA 2011. The BHTS incorporates a unique material handling system that provides for single piece product flow. As result, this lean manufacturing concept transfers castings through the system without the use of baskets, carriers or trays. Can-Eng Furnaces Basketless Heat Treating System uses no baskets, trays or carriers and reduces energy consumption up to 40 %.

JVM Rolls have been installed behind the degreasing unit and downstream of the passivation bath in the No. 1 bright-annealing line 1301 at ThyssenKrupp Nirosta. All existing rubber rolls in this application have been replaced by JVM Rolls. JVM Rolls achieve under all operating conditions optimal results and excellent surface quality conditions even with thicker gauge strip. They achieve such a good wringing result that the second pair of rolls in the original double pair arrangement - which was permanently running in the past - could be taken out of operation.

HandyPROBE is ideal for 3D inspections, and features the TRUaccuracy technology for highly precise measurements. It can be used in environments submitted to instability, vibrations and thermal variations. HandyPROBE works with the C-Track dual-camera sensor, which measurement volume can be extended depending on the size of the component to be measured. The C-Track and the part can be moved during the measurement without loss of precision or tracking. This makes this CMM ideal for the use in the casting industry, which is often subjected to high temperatures, machinery vibrations and where parts of different sizes have to be measured.