The Pipe Metallurgical Company (TMK) has put into commercial operation at the Volzhsky Pipe Plant (VTZ) a complex of equipment for the production of continuously cast billets (NLZ), including stainless and corrosion-resistant steel grades of austenitic and martensitic grades. The implementation of the project will give VTZ the opportunity to expand the range of manufactured products.
The first melting was demonstrated live at the St. Petersburg International Gas Forum (SPIGF-2025). Vitaly Markelov, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and Sergey Chikalov, CEO of TMK, took part in the event in St. Petersburg in a video bridge format. Nikolay Trutnev, Managing Director of the company, led the launch at the VTZ site in the presence of Alexander Dorzhdeev, First Deputy Governor of the Volgograd Region, and Alexander Dorzhdeev, Chief Designer of the Ural Branch of FSUETsNIIchermet named after I.
P. Bardin" Sergey Boyko.
During the modernization, a vacuum-oxygen refining unit was commissioned at the VTZ electric steelmaking plant and a continuous casting machine No. 2 (MNLZ-2) was upgraded.
The new installation makes it possible to remove excess carbon from molten steel through the use of vacuum-oxygen refining technology, which improves the quality of the metal. During the modernization, the MNLZ-2 was equipped with an additional circuit for electromagnetic mixing of metal, air-water cooling systems and individual control of the hydraulic system of properly pulling crates. In addition, the installation was equipped with an automatic feeding device for slag-forming mixtures, which helps to improve the quality of the workpiece.
The Engineering Center of the FSUE State Scientific Center carried out the development of design documentation for the modernization of the MNLZ-2."TsNIIchermet named after I.
P. Bardin".
"For TMK, the expansion of its own steel production and the development of new grades of steel and alloys is a strategic priority. Thanks to the new equipment, we will increase our capacity and be able to produce high-quality blanks with diameters from 150 to 360 mm, designed for the manufacture of stainless pipes. This is how the company responds to the request of consumers from the energy, petrochemical and other industries and helps them solve current technological problems," said Sergey Chikalov.
