Two-high rolling mills have a unique advantage in cost savings because a 2-high configuration is less expensive to manufacture. A 2-high mill can be any size. Large rolling mills, similar to photo left, are used for skin passing with small reductions of 1% to 2%.
America’s steel industry produces a vast tonnage of secondary steel. Some of this steel is off gauge or slightly off chemistry. Secondary steel can be purchased at a low price and can be cold rolled to compete with very expensive steels. Surface defect, such as coil breaks can be removed by cold rolling.
There are many methods of producing metal into powder. This is a technology that is becoming more common today. Some high strength, high temperature alloys are made from powder. After rolling into a strip, the powder is put through a furnace and brought up to a eutectic temperature where the chemical reaction causes the elements to mix without melting.
Cladding is a method of fusing different metals into a strip. Thermostats are made with a cladded material of different coefficient of expansion. By cladding copper and steel together, the changing temperature makes the product bend to operate electrical contacts. The temperature range can be adjusted such as a thermostat.
