The Business Bytes
ROURKELA, JULY 15, 2024 (TBB BUREAU): The industrious employees at RSP’s Mechanical Shop have reached a significant milestone by internally manufacturing critical pinch rolls for the Hot Strip Mill-2 (HSM-2). These rolls, essential for the mill’s operations, are used to pinch hot-rolled plates and feed them into the coiler mandrel, converting them into finished coils.
Originally supplied during the mill’s commissioning, replacement pinch rolls had to be procured from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) at an exorbitant cost of over Rs 9 crore per set. This high procurement cost, coupled with the lack of necessary drawings, presented a considerable challenge for RSP.
However, undeterred by these obstacles, the Mechanical Shop’s Design Department took on the task of creating drawings from existing samples. The manufacturing process began with the casting of the top pinch roll’s barrel at the Foundry, using 9 tonnes of cast steel. The barrel was then precision machined at the Mechanical Shop.
To complete the assembly, ends of the top pinch roll were ingeniously fabricated from scrapped universal spindles sourced from the Plate Mill. These ends were meticulously machined to fit and shrink-fitted into the barrel. Currently, the final machining of the top pinch roll is in progress, with plans to enhance its surface hardness through cladding at the Structural and Fabrication Shop (S&F Shop).
Similarly, the bottom pinch roll was crafted using a recycled universal spindle from the Plate Mill, now undergoing cladding at the S&F Shop. Once both rolls are finely machined and ground to meet exact specifications, they will be ready for deployment.
By opting for internal development, RSP has achieved remarkable cost savings, with the entire project costing a mere Rs 10 lakh. This substantial reduction in expenditure underscores the Mechanical Shop’s capability to innovate and solve complex engineering challenges.
The successful development of these pinch rolls not only ensures continuous operation of HSM-2 but also highlights RSP’s commitment to efficiency and self-reliance in critical equipment manufacturing.
