TPi September 2016

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52 TUBE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL September 2016
A new structure, and many
new developments
Marcegaglia reorganises and presents its innovations to the market
It is through innovation that leadership expresses itself. It is an
affirmation of the intrinsic values of a company that continues
to transform itself so as to be an ever-closer partner facing
the requirements of the market, shaping steel with innovative
processes and developing innovative products, not only in
terms of new solutions, but also the improvement of current
solutions.
Marcegaglia has been able to transform itself, creating a
new business structure divided into three new companies,
each dedicated to specific products – Marcegaglia Carbon
Steel (for carbon steel tubes and flat products), Marcegaglia
Specialties (for stainless steel tubes and flat products, and
cold-drawn bars – both stainless and carbon steel), and
Marcegaglia Plates (for the manufacture of heavy quarto
plates).
In this way it can enhance its role as a key player in the
international steel scene, sustaining its role with a commitment
to transform itself in terms of R&D. In particular, the company
is concentrating on flat steel products that will be on show
during the upcoming EuroBLECH 2016 in Hanover, Germany,
where Marcegaglia will be present among the steel leaders
(Hall 17, Stand B34).
Project ACE-PICK: alternating current
electrolytic pickling process
A clear example of this innovation is the research and
experimentation conducted by Marcegaglia and Centro
Sviluppo Materiali within the EU-financed project ‘First
worldwide full-scale demonstration of alternating current (AC)
electrolytic pickling on carbon and stainless coils (ACE-PICK)’.
I t is now one year since the launch of Marcegaglia’s new
organisation, which separated its activities with carbon
steels from those with stainless steels, and created
three new companies dedicated to specific sectors –
Marcegaglia Carbon Steel, Marcegaglia Specialties and
Marcegaglia Plates.
Now the Italy-based company is also strengthening its
position in terms of production, presenting to the market
several innovations both in processes and in products in
the flat steel sector.
The intermediate results of the project, which has been in
operation for more than 15 months, were presented at the
annual meeting of the Technical Group Steel N.5 (Finishing
and Coating) held in the Marcegaglia HQ in Gazoldo degli
Ippoliti, in northern Italy. In particular, the experimentation
concerns the first line in the manufacturing of stainless steels
at the Gazoldo degli Ippoliti plant, as well as the system for the
thermal treatment and pickling (of both ferritic and austenitic
grade stainless steels).
The project has two fundamental objectives: to improve
surface quality of the processed products, and to increase line
productivity and flexibility of the line at the same time.
The intermediate results demonstrated that the two targets
have been achieved through the development of an innovative
electrolytic pickling process based on alternating current (AC)
instead of the direct current (DC) commonly used.
The AC electrolytic pickling process can significantly reduce –
by up to 50 per cent – the treatment times normally required
in conventional processes, on both hot- and cold-rolled
products.
This highlights how, in the continuous treatment lines for flat
rolled products, the alternating current process can be used
in order to:
• totally or partially replace sandblasting and/or brushing
treatment with positive benefits for surface quality with the
same productivity and length of line
• increase, with the same length of production line, the
productivity of the pickling section
Applied on both hot-rolled and cold-rolled AISI 3XX and 4XX,
it significantly reduces the pickling times, both electrolytic
and chemical, while obtaining a much better surface from an
aesthetic point of view.
Advanced high strength steels (AHSS)
for the automotive sector
The future of the automotive industry is concerned with steel.
It focuses attention on advanced high-strength steels that
respond positively, in terms of production and performance,
to the requirements of the sector: weight/energy efficiency,
safety and costs.