Bulk material handling in ports
Iron ore and coal, the raw materials used for steel production, generally come from overseas. Huge volumes of these bulk materials need to be stored temporarily in the port before onward inland transport. As soon as a ship docks at the quay, the skipper expects it to be unloaded promptly. Everything has to go quickly, because time is money in shipping, too. As a result, several tons of material must be unloaded onto dry land from the ship in the shortest possible time. Drives from Alfred Imhof AG reliably get grabs and travel/hoist units moving.
Bulk material handling at the storage site
Production stoppages should be avoided at all costs! Safeguarding operations and the associated prevention of drive failures are top priorities in iron and steel production. This involves a number of special challenges. The drive technology installed in storage site applications must work properly at all times, in dusty environments with temperature variations and constant changes of direction when raw materials are being deposited and retrieved.
Coking plant
Coal is mined worldwide and transported by sea or overland for further processing. Coke is obtained from coal under the action of heat and in the absence of oxygen in the coking plant. A large number of material handling systems and the associated storage sites ensure a reliable material flow to and from this plant.
The characteristics of our drive solutions make them ideal for fault-free continuous duty under the toughest conditions.
Sintering plant
During sintering, iron ore and coke dust are mixed and burned. This triggers a melting process, during which the fine material forms into large lumps that are normally referred to as sinter. Before this sinter enters the blast furnace, it undergoes downstream processing with the help of crushers, coolers, and screens. We have the perfect drive solutions for these applications.
Iron and steel production
Torpedo cars take the liquid steel from the blast furnace to the steelworks for further processing. This is where the actual steel is produced, by reducing the proportion of carbon in the iron. The liquid steel is poured into casting ladles and transported on to the continuous casting plant by crane.
Continuous casting and hot rolling
The primary product for subsequent shaping is created in the continuous casting plant. The ladle turret places the ladle, which contains up to several hundred tons of ready-to-cast steel, in the casting position. The surface of the liquid steel begins to solidify in the water-cooled mold. Intensive cooling prevents the already solidified "strand shell" from cracking.
During hot rolling, the primary product obtains it shape and specific material properties. After descaling, the slabs, blooms, or billets are rolled in the "roughing mill". The "finishing mill" produces the final dimensions of hot-rolled products. The individual applications such as roller tables, Rolling mill stands, shears, leveling machines, and cooling systems are perfectly coordinated with each other. This requires utmost precision and full availability from drive technology.
Cold rolling and strip processing lines
Cold rolling mills are used either in combination with a strip processing line – such as a skin-pass rolling mill in a galvanization system or tandem rolling mills in a pickling system – or separately in a reversing cold rolling mill or a Sendzimir rolling mill.
In the case of strip processing lines, the product characteristics are ideally adapted to customer requirements by improving the microstructure or corrosion resistance, for example.
When it comes to these production processes, Alfred Imhof AG ensures you have the perfect drive technology for reducing thickness and obtaining the optimum strip surface.
Teamwork between iron and steel producers and Alfred Imhof AG – we know that machine availability is a top priority for you!
- Robust and durable solutions that ensure production runs smoothly, day after day
- The best delivery reliability on the market, preventing any delays to your planned maintenance activities
- Service life analyses for your existing drives (including third-party products)
- Solutions for replacing or modernizing existing drive systems, including capacity expansion upon request
- Damage diagnoses
- Customized training for your staff
- Systematic overview of all existing drives at your works, with recommendations for repair and replacement. We continually update this overview and make it available to you online.
- Suggestions for optimizing your current maintenance strategy – Alfred Imhof AG delivers high-quality replacement drives and spare parts at short notice, whenever you need them. Alfred Imhof AG is your partner for gear unit maintenance (including third-party products).
- Spare parts such as bearings, seals, gear wheels, and pinion shafts
- We repair your drives by replacing internal components and overhauling housings.
- Solutions based on our modular products or, if required, customized solutions tailored to your specific needs
Data and documents
You can download comprehensive documentation here.