Production process

NLMK Clabecq S.A. manufactures a wide range of medium and heavy plates and is specialised in Quenching & Tempering. It serves construction, shipbuilding, energy, transport, mining equipment and lifting markets.

The rolling mill at NLMK Clabecq has been specifically designed to maximize performance between the different rolling steps. The best example is the rolling reversible quarto mill, with maximum rolling forces on the same line as the continuous finishing mill.

It enables the plates between 3 and 25 mm to reach their final thickness in one single pass through the 4 independent stands. The last one can also be fitted with a special cylinder to produce floor plates. Right out of it, an accelerated cooling facility (MULPIC) spraying the plates with water enables Thermo Mechanical Control Processing. Placed on-line, an “Ultra-Sound” machine can easily check the internal soundness of the material. A heat treatment furnace makes it possible to normalize and temper plates. Depending on their grade and thickness, plates are cut to the specified dimension by shearing, oxy-cutting or plasma. A shot blasting & priming unit takes care of protecting the plates before warehousing and delivery. Test specimens, carefully prepared by robot, are sent to the internal laboratory where high tech tools perform mechanical tests and chemical analysis.

With the state-of-the-art quenching and tempering (Q&T) technology introduced in 2011, NLMK Clabecq manufactures premium-quality low alloy steel plates: Quard abrasion resistant steel and Quend high strength structural steel.

Quard is designed for use in the manufacture of construction and mining equipment, as well as for other types of special equipment and machinery (crushing and pulverizing machinery, excavators, dump trucks, bulldozers, hoppers, mixers, etc.). Available fr om 400HB till 550HB hardness, with thicknesses ranging from 3,2 mm to 64 mm and widths from 1,500 to 3,100 mm, Quard may result in product lifetime being more than tripled when compared to products made from standard grades of construction steel, whilst the weight of structural components can be reduced by 40%.

Quend is typically used in the lifting sector (booms), for vehicle chassis and frames and other machinery wh ere high structural strength and low thickness are of critical importance. The High Yield Strength steel Quend plates decrease the weight of structural components by more than 20%, thus lowering the cost of production and increasing the performance of the machines. They are available with tensile strength between 700 and 1100 Mpa in thicknesses from 4 to 64 mm and widths from 1,500 to 3,100 mm.

For more info about Quard and Quend, please click here