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Two massive castings weighing almost 600 tonnes collectively have started on a 4,000 mile journey from Sheffield to Venezuela.
The castings have been made by heavy engineering firm Sheffield Forgemasters International (SFIL). They measure 13 metres in length, 4.7m in width and 2m in height and are two of the largest components that the 200-year-old steelworks has ever produced.
At 290 tonnes each, the castings will create a largescale mill housing to roll plate steel for SMS Siemag, part of the construction and mechanical engineering group SMS. The castings form the outer frame of the rolling mill with a series of stacked rolls inside the housing, applying huge forces to roll the steel plate to a desired size.
Production of the castings required Forgemasters to make a six ladle pours each with 100 tonnes of molten steel into a specially designed mould.
Graham Honeyman, chief executive at SFIL, said: “This contract is a further extension of our ongoing relationship with the SMS group of companies which we have maintained for over 30 years.
“The castings are among the largest we have ever produced at Forgemasters and we are proud that we are the only European foundry able to cast products of this scale.
“To cast components of this complexity takes an enormous amount of preparation and innovation. The sheer size alone highlights the excellent skills and vision of our engineers.”
The components will travel from Forgemasters Brightside Lane site on a heavy loader to the port at Grimsby. Due to the strict transportation requirements the roads out of the city were closed and a police escort accompanied them. The castings will now travel over 4,000 miles to their destination in Venezuela, where they will undergo finishing work.
As part of the contract Forgemasters is currently underway with the first pair of rolls which will fit inside the structure, weighing 130 tonnes each, and production of the next set is expected to begin in April 2012. The production of the rolling mill house is part of a number of castings Forgemasters has produced over the years for the SMS Group which includes a 325 tonne casting for the foundation platen for the Kisco closed-die press in South Korea, valued at more than £1 million.
