In the area in front of the final process of the steckel mill of HSM TISCO, nearly 30 people all focused on the slowly winding of the pure nickel strip, which was 4.5 mm in thickness, 1400 mm in width and 126 m in length, and would turned out to be the first wide pure nickel strip that was made in China. Nice and bright, tide and qualified, thus the technological gap of China has been filled for nickel strip production by hot rolling process.
Processed nickel products have a variety of application in Chlor-Alkali Chemistry and other industries, for the outstanding physics and chemistry properties of nickel and nickel alloy, and chloride and alkaline corrosion resistance in particular. But the high grade thin nickel plate for ionic membrane of alkaline process equipment was an inaccessible field in China so far, thus import has been the only choice for a long time. The successful production of hot rolling nickel strip in TISCO has built the foundation for the production of high grade cold rolling nickel plate.
The slab of pure nickel was supplied by Baoji Titanium Industry Co., Ltd. (BaoTi Stock). The success of the pure nickel strip owed to the cooperation of TISCO, BaoTi and Shanxi Bao Tai New Metal Development Co., Ltd. (Bao Tai). Bao Tai is the joint venture under joint contribution of TISCO Stainless and Baoti Stock, mainly for R&D and process & production of titanium, titanium alloy, nickel and nickel alloy products. Since its foundation of half a year ago, by taking the full advantages of the two shareholders in the aspects of technology, equipment, human resource and leading status of them in the industries, much breakthrough has been made in the products development.
Steckel mill is the right equipment for pure nickel strip rolling, problem is, the one in TISCO was installed early in 1970, let alone the deficiency of pure nickel strip rolling experience. In addition, it is extremely demanding for equipment, process and operators, for the sake of expensive raw material price of nickel and high technical criteria on blank casting, slab forging and striping rolling. The three companies involved attached great importance in and paid special attention to the significant R&D and trial production of the product. Half a year has seen plenty of elaborate preparation of them, while the technicians would make through discussion and research over each step of the processes.
For the rolling, HSM TISCO made a considerate schedule, taking account of blank properties, rolling requirements and every bit of attention. All technicians are involved in plus the specially employed experts from Technology Center of TISCO for multi rolling schedules, detailed to each step of operation & precaution, and who would do what, to make sure of the success. By the day of the rolling all people, from director to operators of HSM, from the GM of Bao Tai to Baoti Stock technicians, present the site. One process after another in the line, in their nervousness and excitement, the people witnessed the birth of the first domestic 7-ton pure nickel strip in TISCO.
The technical breakthrough of rolling of pure nickel strip, titanium and titanium alloy of hot and cold rolled strip, is an important thing for TISCO on its way of transformational & leapfrog development and striving for R&D as well as production of new material business. What’s more important, is the instant and encouraging fruit, borne by the mutually planted tree of TISCO Stainless and Bao Ti Stock.
