OREANDA-NEWS. January 5, 2010. MMK commissioned Continuous Slab Casting Machine #6 (CSCM #6) in the oxygen-converter shop. This marks a successive stage of Plate Mill 5000 complex development in order to produce plates for wide-diameter pipe production.

The equipment supply contract for CSCM #6 was signed with SMS Demag in November, 2006. The engineering of the project was carried out by OJSC “Magnitogorsk Gipromez”. General contractors for the project were OJSC “Prokatmontazh”, OJSC “Stroitelny Komplex”, and OJSC “PO Montazhnik”.

The designed capacity of CSCM #6 is up to 1.6 mln tons of slabs with width range 1400 – 2700 mm, thickness 190 mm, 250 mm, 300 mm. The maximal slab casting speed equals 1.0 m/min. Slabs from CSCM №6 will be used for rolling at Plate Mill 5000.

The high quality of CSCM #6 slab micro-structure will allow to produce plates with special strength and plasticity characteristics. Due to unique technologies applied at CSCM #6, Plate Mill 5000 will be able to produce plates of high strength grades, which will secure the leading position of MMK among plate producers in Russia.

The leading Russian pipe manufacturers are key customers of MMK. MMK shipments to the pipe industry in 2008 amounted to 1 630 th. tons, which is 23% of the overall domestic sales of the company.