The Cherepovets Metallurgical Plant, one of the largest integrated steel plants in the world (CherMK, part of the Severstal Russian Steel division), has put into commercial operation a ball rolling mill No. 3 (SHPS-3). The new equipment made it possible to master the production of grinding balls with a diameter of 80-100 millimeters. Such products are in demand among mining and gold mining enterprises in Russia, as well as in the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus - such as the Republic of Kazakhstan, Armenia, Tajikistan.
balls. Thanks to their configuration, we can cover a wide range of products - from 20 to 100 millimeters. The launch of ShPS-3 already confirms its effectiveness. During its operation, the new unit has made it possible to produce about 20 thousand grinding balls. The indicators for the development and supply of new types of products to our customers have also increased - according to the results of the first half of 2021, the production of long and tube sections at our metallurgical plant has tripled the shipments of NWP compared to the same period last year, ”says Evgeny Vinogradov, General Director of the Severstal Russian Steel Division and resource assets.
Severstal has experience in supplying grinding balls not only for enterprises in the Russian market, but also in neighboring countries. For example, by the end of 2020, the company quadrupled its sales of such products in diameters from 20 to 60 millimeters to enterprises in Kazakhstan. In 2021, for one of the gold mining enterprises of this country, Severstal carried out pilot deliveries of balls in a new range of 80 to 100 mm. Their volume amounted to more than two thousand tons. The quality of the grinding balls produced at CherMK helps to develop sales, in particular, their high resistance to the products of local producers.
Severstal is strategically interested in reducing the share of basic familiar products - commodity, replacing them with more complex and at the same time high-margin assortment. The ongoing investment program at the enterprises of our company also responds to these trends. Updating the product line, mastering the products demanded by customers allow us to realize the potential of entering new markets - both in terms of their profile and geography. The expansion of the line of grinding balls, as a particular example, helped to consolidate positions in the niche of the mining and gold mining industry, while developing supplies to neighboring countries. We intend to expand our presence with this product in other countries of Asia, Transcaucasia, including Tajikistan and Armenia. At the same time, we are interested in long-term relationships, "comments Evgeny Chernyakov, Severstal's director for work with construction companies.
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Grinding balls with a diameter 80-100 millimeters are used in the mills of enterprises specializing in ore and gold mining. Within the framework of GOST, which regulates the product standard, the new balls are distinguished by an increased diameter. Hardness, chemical composition and other indicators remained unchanged. The production technology of the new product is also different. Thus, the billet is heated in a new mill using a methodical heating furnace that runs on natural gas. At ShPS No. 1-No. 2 heating is carried out by the induction method. In addition, a low-temperature tempering furnace was installed at ShPS-3. The products enter it after quenching. There the balls, depending on the section width, undergo heat treatment for 70 to 120 minutes.
